Understanding how to set up TRX at home can be a lifesaver on those busy days when the gym is just too far. It’s a handy skill, especially when home workouts start feeling a bit dull and you’re not seeing the results you want.
TRX, designed by Navy Seals, is not your average home workout tool. If you’re thinking it’s not enough for serious muscle building, think again.
In this article, I’ll show you how to set up TRX easily for effective home workouts.
In This Article
1. How to Set Up TRX: Ideal Home Locations
You can set up your home TRX system in any doorway within your home as long as the door locks.
It’s important the door locks so you can safely secure the straps & reduce the chance of the door popping open.
2. Step-by-Step Guide: How to Set Up TRX at Home
Let’s dive into how to set up TRX quickly and effectively at home.
It’s important to note that since we’re setting up a one-sided anchor point (doorway), you want to ensure that it’s 7-9ft off the ground and can support your body weight.
The first thing you want to do is attach the carabiner to the door anchor. When you hook up the TRX strap to a doorway, there are two ways to do so properly & safely.
If you are attaching it to the side of the door that opens away from you, the door anchor should be centered on the door.
If you are attaching it on the side of the door that opens towards you then the door anchor should be placed on the side closest to the door hinge. (Lock the door if you can)
Note from Ant: My preferred method is using a door that closes towards me because when you pull on the straps, it will essentially pull the door shut.
3. Adjusting Straps: How to Set Up TRX for Various Exercises
Adjusting the length of the straps is fairly straightforward.
If you want to shorten the length of the straps (first image below), press down on the black clip (to release tension) and pull up on the yellow tab simultaneously.
If you want to lengthen the straps (second image below), press down on the black clip while pulling down on the straps.
When to Adjust the Length of Your TRX Straps?
This will vary based on how your straps are anchored (overhead or on a doorway) and the type of exercise you’re performing.
Below is a list of strap lengths according to the type of exercise you perform – these are general guidelines that can be modified to suit your needs.
Ground Exercises – TRX Lengthened to Mid-Calf
Row Exercises – TRX Fully Shortened
Pressing Exercises – TRX Fully Lengthened
Standing Exercises – TRX Adjusted to Mid-Length
4. Starting Your TRX Home Workouts
There are tons of different exercises that you can perform using TRX straps. But first, it’s crucial to know how to set up TRX correctly to ensure safety and effectiveness.
I created an entire post that shows you the five core TRX exercises & how to perform them.
So, I recommend you check that out if you’re brand new to TRX and would like a quick step-by-step guide to get started.
That said, if you’re looking for a recommendation for the best TRX straps for a home workout, I recommend (and personally use) the very popular TRX HOME2 SYSTEM.
How to Warm Up Before Lifting
There are two types of warm-ups that you can & should do before starting the main part of your workout, which I talk about in this post.
Performing an adequate warm-up is important for many reasons, but the main two I’ll point out are:
- Better performance during your workout
- Preventing Injuries
General Warm-up
This type of warm-up consists of a full-body warmup where the focus is to get the blood moving throughout the muscle in your body.
Below are just a few examples to help give you some ideas. Find one you enjoy or can tolerate and stick with it.
- Power Walking
- Jogging
- Running
- Rowing
- Plyometrics
Dynamic Warm-up
The second type of warm-up is known as a dynamic warm-up.
Also known as a movement-specific warm-up which focuses on priming specific muscles and movement patterns that will be used in that particular workout.
- Example Core Workout Exercise: Barbell Squat
- Example Dynamic Warm-up: Bodyweight Squat and/or Barbell Squat with Light Weight
How Do I Make Exercises Easier or Harder?
One of the first things you might notice is that an exercise feels too challenging or accessible.
So the next logical question is, “How do I make this easier or harder?” There are many ways to accomplish this, but I want to make this easy as possible for you.
For most TRX exercises that require you to be on your feet, it’s pretty simple to increase or decrease the level of resistance you’re experiencing.
However, some exercises don’t use the methods below to increase or decrease difficulty, so I’ll save those (advanced) exercises for another post since this is geared toward beginners.
How to Increase Exercise Difficulty
Slowly walk your feet closer to the anchor point of the straps. As you do this, your body should be getting lower to the ground, increasing the amount of your body weight you’re using as resistance.
How to Decrease Exercise Difficulty
Slowly walk your feet further away from the anchor point of the straps. As you do this, your body will be close to or in a fully upright standing position, and you will use less weight as resistance.
Final Thoughts On How to Set Up TRX at Home
Working out at home doesn’t need to be boring or an overly expensive endeavor.
Strength training at home is possible, and TRX workouts are a great, cost-efficient way.
Let’s get after it!
