Hanging in There

June 2, 2011

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Jan Vlachy is a personal trainer who doesn’t do sit-ups.

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Don’t fret about his six pack, though. Jan's abs have never been in better shape since he started working out while hanging from the ceiling, instead of being on the floor.

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Vlachy, who owns JV Pro Fitness in Burlington, is a devotee of the TRX System, a suspension training device that is exploding in popularity in the fitness world.

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“It’s the hottest thing there is right now,” says Vlachy, who uses the system with his clients daily and in his own high-intensity workouts. “There’s nothing like it. It’s the cheapest, most effective way to train.”

The original system was conceived by U.S. Navy Seal Randy Hetrick out of parachute webbing stitched together by boat repair tools. The commando wanted to create an intense workout that he and his teammates could do anywhere, whether inside a submarine or on a foreign mission. The harness, which is essentially two straps with handle grips hanging from the ceiling, took their workouts to the next level and was extremely portable.

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The lightweight product, which retails for around $200, launched nearly six years ago, but it is just catching on in Canada. Several local trainers are now including the harness in their workouts and a new TRX and spinning studio, called Spinaflex, just opened in Burlington on Fairview Street.

​Owner Sandra Kies said the suspension workouts are a more functional exercise than lifting weights and don’t leave the same bruised-muscle feeling. But the results are remarkable because the harness is constantly working your core muscles, she said. “It does take a lot of core strength,” she says, noting newbies often need a few attempts to balance their bodies. “But once you get it, you get it.”

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The system is geared to all fitness levels, said Kies, who offers four TRX classes a day. The intensity of the exercise depends on the angle you position your body on the harness, she said, noting she’s seen seniors and people in wheelchairs use the system. “Anybody can use it,” agrees Vlachy, who uses the harness to put his legs more than a metre above his head during pushups.
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GoodLife Fitness just rolled out a special TRX class in its Hamilton facilities. The Burlington location should be outfitted soon. Its instructors have the highest level of TRX training available, logging 84 hours of training on the system before teaching clients, said Kim Lavender, national director of team training.

For $299, members can take 18 TRX sessions as part of a team. The workouts are becoming popular simply because they look like so much fun, said Lavender. ​“These are the stop-and-stare kind of workouts,” she said, noting participants improve quickly on the suspension harness. “It can be very empowering.”

Jackie Browning, 50, just started TRX last week at Spinaflex after researching the exercise online. She was still feeling the half-hour full-body workout a few days later.

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“My stomach still hurts,” she said, adding she’ll be back for more. “It’s almost like gliding … it’s as hard as you want it to make it.”