The Class: I attended the 30-minute TRX Express after completing the required introductory course at Fitness With Insight.
The Appeal: The concept is simple. The TRX straps provides strength training using nothing but your own body weight as resistance. After watching the promotional video on their home page, I thought the system was a little gimmicky. I wondered why anyone would model a whole studio around a piece of equipment you could purchase from an infomercial. After seeing my instructor Charlotte’s chiseled arms, I couldn’t wait to try it for myself.
The Instructor: Charlotte Lester put in more than 20 years of experience as an athlete, trainer, and power lifter before becoming the lead trainer and manager at Fitness With Insight. She greets every student by name with a warm smile before turning up the music and getting down to business. She paced the room with her stopwatch in hand, chanting “Go! Go! Go!” like a coach cheering on her team.
The Space: The simple, single-room studio holds evenly spaced TRX strap systems that hang from the ceiling in three staggered rows. Mirrors line the right side of the room, and there are two restrooms along the back wall on either side of a cubby system housing sandbag weights, medicine balls, and yoga blocks.
Who’s There: The patrons were women, of all ages and fitness levels, with the exception of two middle-aged men looking to get back in shape. Everyone was dressed in casual gym attire. No pressure to wear this season’s Lululemon gear in this studio. Most of the students appeared focused on getting in, working out, and moving on with their day.
How It Went: We began with a light warm-up of forward bends and lunges before transitioning to squats. By holding on to the TRX straps, I found myself getting lower in each move than I would normally be able to, so my legs were quickly burning and shaking from the newfound stress. When we moved on to one-legged squats, I was so fatigued I could hardly complete the set. This was the first five minutes of class.
Next came a series of bicep curls, shoulder flys, and chest presses that worked our abdominal muscles just as much as our arms because the TRX system forces you to hold a tight plank position with your core in order to lean into the straps and complete each move correctly. By the time we got to the actual abdominal portion of the class, even the simplest moves were torture. We lay down and put our heels in the straps (yes, ladies, exactly like that), lifted our hips to the sky and held a sandbag over our heads for a set of crunches, then we flipped over for a reverse crunch as we held the same sand bag between our knees. We ended class with some deep stretching as Sam Smith’s “Stay with Me” began to play and cleared the floor so the next group could file in.
The Aftermath: My shoulders were achy, and my stomach felt tight and flat the next day.
Loved: The simplicity of the studio, the quick class time, and the variety of work that the TRX provides would keep me interested in the routine. The small class size allows for a lot of personal attention. It almost feels like you’re working out with a private trainer.
Hated: Don’t come here looking for cardio. While my heart rate hit a few high notes, I stayed well below my average numbers.
Cost: Once you have completed the intro session, packages of five or ten can be purchased for $95 or $175 and a monthly unlimited pass will run you $195. These prices drop significantly if you are willing to commit to a three-month membership. That gets the cost down as low as $125 a month.
Difficulty Level: The system allows you to control the difficulty of each move, the routine is low impact, and the pace is easy to keep up with so anyone could pick up this routine and apply modifications as needed.
Bottom Line: We hit every major muscle group in a quick and easy-to-follow routine. While you could go out and purchase a TRX system for your home, let’s be honest, you’re never going to push yourself as hard as a trainer will push you. If you’re looking to mix up your strength training routine, give Fitness with Insight a try.
