TRX: An alternative to the gym

Lahore’s latest workout trend focuses on ‘core, balance and stability’.

LAHORE:

Much akin to the seasonal trends in fashion, there are very clear observable trends in fitness training as well. Amongst Lahore’s upper crust, one can see a trajectory of how a small clique of English-speaking, hip, young adults have followed a particular pattern in their fitness trainings. There were some distinct phases: the foreign trainer group classes at a local club, personal training with those foreign trainers, power yoga, personalised Pilates and the latest to hit the list: TRX suspension training.

Founded by former Navy Seal Squadron Commander, TRX suspension training was introduced in the US market in 2005 and aims to leverage bodyweight to build power, balance, core strength and flexibility for people of all fitness levels.

“There are three integral features of TRX: core, balance and stability,” states Adnan Farooq, certified trainer and licensed distributor for TRX in Pakistan. “Exercise has to be engaging in order to ensure that the mind and body are in constant coordination. It doesn’t work if you’re running on a treadmill but your mind is fixated on the television serial that you’re watching while working out,” criticises Farooq.

Most gyms are installed with television sets to prevent boredom but that’s counterproductive as the mind doesn’t coordinate with the body for the workout regime.

TRX’s mantra of ‘core, balance, stability’ is similar to Pilates, which also uses pulleys to stretch and tone the body, resulting in a leaner shape in a span of a week. “You can lose up to 600 calories in 30 minutes,” says Farooq. “The science behind TRX is that, when all muscles are working from head to toe, the heart rate automatically goes up, leading to a greater usage of energy. Most workouts at gyms and group classes focus only on the outer muscles so the core doesn’t get strengthened. This imbalance leads to an artificial understanding of body power, so, often, those who do heavy workouts injure themselves in the process,” Farooq points out. However, on the downside, most classes are targeted at groups, so not all clients can match the fitness level of those power workouts.

The TRX mode became popular in Lahore when the reigning ‘king of Pakistani pop’ Ali Zafar and his wife Ayesha Fazli, began training on it. “I don’t like restricting myself to just one regimen; hence, I keep trying different workouts,” Zafar had stated. But soon after he picked up on TRX, his own coterie of socialite friends including anchor Saif Rahman and his designer wife Zara Shahjehan, designers Maheen Kardar and Zarmina Masud Khan, followed suit. “I prefer TRX because it’s a complete body workout that takes just 30 minutes. It saves time and revolves around the core which means no love handles, a flat stomach and a well toned body. Since TRX is similar to cardio, there’s no need for running on a treadmill because a workout with TRX feels like a six-kilometre run in itself,” adds Rahman.

Meanwhile, Kardar says, “I love TRX because it’s super intense and great for core strength and toning.” Yet, despite all these strong compliments, Farooq issues a warning, “It’s not a miracle pill. You [obviously] have to discipline your eating habits.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2011. 

Correction: Due to an editing error, the story was incorrectly stating that TRX was founded in Chicago. The error has been rectified.