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For centuries, the fastest way for athletes to get in phenomenal shape was via training montages set to inspiring, guitar-shredding music. Today's Groupon gives them a new way that's just as fast, but far more reliable. For $25, you get three suspension classes at TRX Training Center in Russian Hill (a $45 value). Classes are every day except Sunday and last up to 55 minutes. Choose any three from the following: TRX Body Blast (non-stop TRX workout), TRX circuit training (combo of TRX and cardio drills), TRX Advanced (for experienced TRX users), or TRX Boot Camp (personalized class to track progress).
Developed by an ex-Navy SEAL, suspension training is a military-style fitness routine re-purposed for civilians that uses a system of ropes and webbing to allow the user to work against his or her own body weight. Unlike traditional weight training, which works one muscle at a time and can lead to overuse injuries and muscular imbalances, suspension training mimics the normal, coordinated muscle effort of ordinary activities by using multiple planes of motion to simultaneously work muscles and joints. Every movement is a total-body one, strengthening muscles while increasing flexibility to improve balance, posture, and strength. Undefeated UFC Heavyweight Champion Bas Rutten said TRX suspension training is so intense that his abs hurt when he laughed the day after his first session. Though, to be fair, he had been watching a video of cat falling over.
Grab one for yourself and buy extras for friends so that you'll feel less self-conscious hobbling alone to your car after your TRX class lets out. It's perfect for getting in shape for surfing competitions, football matches, and running down cars on foot.
Reviews
Men's Health named Fitness Anywhere's TRX Training the 2009 Best Total Body Tool, and it has been featured on NBC, The View from the Bay, in San Francisco magazine, and on The Biggest Loser.
Yelpers give TRX Training Center 4.5 stars. (The center increased rates since the $20 for three-class deal many Yelpers mention):
- This is the perfect way to get your butt in shape for the new year! What's great about it is that you don't have to be an expert fitness guru to go to these classes. – Melanie N., Yelp
- I've seen approximately the same results with TRX in a month of going that I saw in about 3 months of going to the gym doing elliptical, the bike, and Iyengar yoga. – Sally M., Yelp
- Great for resistance training, core, balance, and strength. – Matt F., Yelp
TRX Training Center
Nylon vines dangle from the rafters in TRX Training Center's massive studio, where coaches specialized in suspension workouts lead routines that tighten core muscles and sculpt lithe limbs with clients' body weight. The Getting Started class acclimates newcomers to the more than 250 exercises that employ multiple planes of motion to work out several muscles and joints at the same time. Athletes sling their feet into the 12-foot-long straps to create floating plank positions and grab onto handles for resistance and support during upright moves or semaphore calisthenics. The rest of TRX Training Center's classes draw on basic exercises to create targeted workouts that develop endurance, strength, and total-body flexibility.