You know what? Strength building is not only meant for fitness geeks.
Both you, me, and all other human beings should take part in some form of strength training if you’re looking to keep fit and live long.
And who isn’t?
In today’s modern world, there is a lot of different tools to accomplish great workouts that don’t involve going to the over-crowded gym.
Even worn-out parents with “social anxiety light” could get their sweat on – without leaving their beloved house.
Thank god for that!
Today I will give you an anticipated comparison; weightlifting vs suspension training – TRX vs weights – bodyweight vs weight training.
Can this 1 lbs piece of rope-thing really compete with good old-school iron-pumping???
Read on and find out for yourself!
Contents
Why is Strength Training Important?
Your body is made of muscles that help you perform actions like walking, running, lifting, jumping, and all other movements.
These muscles become lean and diminish as you age, -and due to that, the percentage of fat in your body increase.
Oh no!
“Physically inactive people can lose as much as 3% to 5% of their muscle mass each decade after age 30. Even if you are active, you’ll still have some muscle loss.”
Reference: webmd.com – Sarcopenia With Aging
This is where strength training comes to your rescue.
Strength training helps to build your strength, flexibility, and balance and will slow down the muscle loss aging will do to your body.
And in addition, it burns calories and helps you look like 1000 bucks… And we all want to look healthy, don’t we?
Weight Lifting vs Suspension Training
So, let’s dive into the details about weight lifting and suspension training. Can the TRX system compete with weights?
First, let’s look at the two types of equipment one at a time:
The Suspension Trainer
A lot of people get discouraged by the thought that weight lifting is the only way to build muscles, burn fat, and stay fit.
But you know what? That’s just not the case:
Among other superb training equipment, the suspension trainer has positioned itself up there at the top among the best. With suspension training, you basically use a smart rope system to utilize your body weight as resistance while lifting and pushing your body in various ways.
Through several study’s, suspension training has proven itself worthy of the title as serious exercise equipment – clearly showing that weight lifting is necessarily not better off.
Started in the NAVY SEALS, It works to build your strength, flexibility, and balance all at the same time. TRX is the best-known suspension trainer brand, but there are a lot of other alternatives on the market as well.
Suspension training works by suspending from a band or rope hanging from above and assuming different body positions to target the different muscle groups throughout your body.
You will stay in control during the whole exercise as you can adjust your body to decrease or increase resistance.
Weight Lifting
Weight lifting involves the use of weighted equipment, -aka “hard iron” to build strength, endurance, and muscle size.
The more weight is added, the tougher the exercise!
The kinds of equipment used for weight lifting are:
- dumbbells,
- barbells,
- kettlebells,
- weight machines,
and so on…
Unlike suspension training where you utilize your body weight, weights of different sizes are used as resistance when weight lifting.
Dumbbells like Bowflex SelectTech and PowerBlock Elite are two of the most popular weight equipment available for home use.
Suspension Training vs. Weightlifting? Which is the Best for YOU?
As a hometraininghero, you actually should have both some weights and a suspension trainer as part of your equipment arsenal…
Combining a set of adjustable dumbbells with a suspension training system provides you with a killer platform for muscle building!
Check out what super-trainer Dr. Rick Kattouf II, -2x Best-Selling Author and Fitness & Nutrition expert answered when I shot him the question:
Would you say the suspension trainer is a good replacement for traditional weights?
“As for suspension trainers; they are not a replacement for weight training, but a nice addition to a great strength training program.”
Dr. Rick Kattouf II is also the developer of the virtual gym LEANDOWN FITNESS. He should know what he’s talking about.
Combining both weights and the suspension trainer gives you an amazing platform to strengthen as good as every single muscle in your body!
But what if you had to choose one?
This might be a boring statement, but when it comes to overall strength training, they both are effective in their own ways.
For some people, weight lifting has proven to be more effective, while for others, suspension training has done a better job.
Different Ways To Target Muscles
Suspension training has become very popular as it allows you to work out a large group of muscles at the same time; -unlike weight lifting, which only concentrates on just a selected few each exercise.
This might actually be helpful if you’re a bodybuilder or powerlifter as it is easier to target specific muscles, and make them pop out “Poppey style”.
Being more muscle-specific can also be helpful if you are trying to exercise a part of your body when you don’t want to strain another injured part.
Strengthen Your Core With Suspension Training
For core strength training though, suspension training has been found to be more effective than most exercise equipment out there.
Strengthening your core muscles, -the muscles that are located in your stomach and back to help support your spine and keep you balanced, is essential in keeping your body in good shape.
Having a strong core, and being balanced and stable helps you perform your day-to-day physical tasks safely and also keeps your back from messing with you!
The staff at the TPD Academy are making sure that our cadets are not neglecting strengthening their core muscles today! pic.twitter.com/tXe2fs6uEP
— Chief George Kral (@gkraltoledo) September 10, 2018
Suspension training entails using your abs, core, and lower back as support and brace as you use your body weight as resistance.
The amazing effect suspension training has on your core is part of why I see the suspension trainer as one of the BEST home exercise equipment ever.
Weight lifting, on the other hand, is performed on a stable surface e.g. a bench, and this will not do much to help your core muscles.
The Wallets Choice
Looking at it from a bank account perspective, suspension training is definitely the most economical choice by far.
Your body serves as the resistance, and the equipment itself is small and handy, which means you take your gym literary everywhere (home, hotels, gym, outdoors, etc.).
Some of the suspension trainers actually cost as little as 30$ -and they are excellent as well!!! Take a look at the best suspension trainers and see for yourself.
Adding Extra Weight
Some people have criticized suspension training claiming there is a fixed maximum weight you can train with, -your body weight. With weight lifting, on the other hand, you can gradually increase the pounds you carry or lift.
This is a truth with modifications:
By adding a weighted vest to your equipment stock, you suddenly can add up to 66lbs(!!!!) of resistance in addition to your bodyweight.
This should be more than enough as long as you are not aiming to be the next Ronnie Coleman and compete in Mr. Olympia!
Final Words: TRX vs Weights. What Should I Chose?
That’s a lot of talk, so what’s the conclusion? TRX vs weights, which is better???
Simply said, both suspension training and weight lifting are excellent with regards to building muscle…
While weight lifting works your muscles by moving hard-iron against gravity, suspension training uses your body weight as resistance.
Combining both will provide excellent flexibility as you can set up your workouts with great variety, giving your body the best of both worlds.
But in the case where you don’t have any access to dumbbells or other weight lifting equipment, the suspension trainer can give you a bad a** workout on its own.
That’s one of the reasons why the suspension trainer is one of my absolute favorite pieces of strength training equipment out there!
On the other hand, a set of adjustable dumbbells and your body weight can give you a pretty good workout as well. But if you want the same possibilities as with suspension training, you should add a rack and a bench press to the mix also.
Other Helpful Resources
- TRX Suspension Training Workouts & Exercises: The Ultimate Guide
- Suspension Training vs Kettlebell: Which is the Better?
- Can TRX Replace Weight Training? The Answer Might Surprise You!
- Which TRX to Buy: TRX Go vs Home vs Pro
- What is Unique About Suspension Training, And Is TRX Good for Beginners?
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