Skipping leg day? Not on our watch! We’re here to light a fire under your home workouts with TRX leg exercises. Prepare to say goodbye to dull, monotonous leg routines and hello to a fresh, exhilarating way of toning your lower body. With these game-changing exercises, we guarantee leg day will swiftly move from your most dreaded to your most anticipated day of the week.
Benefits of TRX Leg Exercises
Even if you’re not trying to shave minutes off your marathon time or climb the steepest hills on your bike – leg strength matters. Legs carry us through life – literally! They house some of the largest muscle groups, acting as powerhouses that drive both functional fitness and metabolic efficiency. When your legs are strong, everyday tasks like carrying heavy bags of groceries, weeding the garden, playing soccer with your children, or dashing up flights of stairs become far less daunting. Plus, a perk of working these large muscle groups, like the glutes and quads, is that they stoke your metabolic fires, creating a furnace that burns calories even when we’re at rest. In essence, strong legs aren’t just about athletic performance – they are pivotal for a fitter, more empowered lifestyle.
Top 6 TRX Leg Exercises
1. TRX Squats
This basic leg exercise works on the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. Stand facing the TRX, grasping the handles with arms fully extended in front of you. Lower your body into a squat, keeping your elbows under your shoulders. Push through your heels to stand back up. As you progress, you will notice that you are able to drop the back of the body even closer down to the floor.
2. TRX Suspended Lunges
Lunges are excellent for working on one leg at a time, targeting your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. Face away from the TRX anchor point, with one foot looped in both handles. Lower yourself into a lunge position gradually, making sure that your knee doesn’t go beyond your toes. Push your suspended knee backward, bring down your hips until your front knee reaches a 90-degree angle so your back knee touches the ground while also thinking of keeping the shoulders placed in line above the hips. Drive back up to starting position and repeat.
3. TRX Hamstring Curl
This exercise specifically targets the hamstrings. Lay on your back with your heels in the TRX handles. Lift your hips off the ground, then pull your heels toward your glutes, curling your legs. Keep your shoulder blades in contact with the floor and your arms by your side while pressing into the floor to stabilize your torso. When lifting your hips, remember to squeeze your glutes and engage your abdominals to avoid straining your lower back muscles. Slowly extend your legs back out and repeat. A modified option would be pulling one leg in at a time and alternating.
4. TRX Pistol Squat
The Pistol Squat challenges your balance, strength, and flexibility. This is a great way to train both sides of the body (or both legs) equally. Hold the TRX handles in front of you, lift one foot off the ground, while leaning back slightly, and slowly lower yourself into a one-legged squat. Maintain balance and control as you drive back up to standing.
5. TRX Jump Squat
The Jump Squat adds a plyometric element to the regular TRX squat, working on your explosive power. Perform a regular TRX squat, but explode upwards in a jump at the top of the movement, then land softly back into a squat.
6. TRX Glute Bridges
Glute bridges are one of the best exercises to target your glute maximus while also working your core, spine, and hips. Lie on the ground facing up, with the TRX positioned at mid-calf. Place your heels in the cradles under the anchor point, knees should be at a 90-degree angle, lower back, and arms pressed into the ground. Drive heels down to keep tension on the strap while squeezing your glute up and raising your hips, creating a straight line from the knees to the shoulders.
20-minute TRX leg workout
Remember to start each workout with a warm-up. A light 5-minute jog and some dynamic stretches should do the trick. For each exercise, do 45s of work followed by 15s of rest. Do this three rounds.
1. TRX Squats
2. TRX Lunges
3. TRX Hamstring Curl
4. TRX Glute Bridge
5. TRX Jump Squat
Ensure you maintain good form throughout. Remember to cool down afterwards with some light stretches. Keep in mind that everyone’s fitness level is different. Adjust the sets and reps as necessary, and always listen to your body.
Progression in TRX Leg Exercises
When it comes to improving your performance in TRX leg exercises, the key is to challenge your body with a progressive overload. This means increasing the intensity of each exercise gradually over time. Here are some ways you can progress your exercises:
Increase the number of repetitions: Aim for 15-20 reps per set as you get more comfortable with the exercise.
Increase the speed & decrease rest time: Move faster throughout each set to increase your heart rate and challenge your muscles further.
Add weight: Use a weighted vest or hold onto a medicine ball during some exercise to increase resistance.
Change up your stance: Varying between wide and narrow stances during squats can help to target different muscles.
Add a plyometric: Ad jumps or hops after each set for an extra challenge.
Increase the time under tension: Slow down your movements and hold at the bottom of each rep for a few seconds before returning to the starting position.
Increase the range of motion: On some of the exercises, challenge yourself to go deeper into the movement by increasing the range of motion.
Track progress: Tracking your progress is a great way to see how far you’ve come and decide where to go next. You could do this the old-fashioned way, jotting down your workouts in a notebook. But in this digital age, fitness apps are an excellent tool. Apps like Strong, JEFIT, or MyFitnessPal allow you to log your workouts and view your progression over time. While these apps aren’t specific to TRX, you can easily adapt them to your needs. For TRX specific training and tracking, the TRX app offers personalized training and tracks your progress. Another good app is the TRX Force (only available in Apple)
Recover: If you want to improve, you’ll need to learn how to recover from leg days. Get the proper nutrition, hydration, and sleep. But also do a little self-massage and keep moving for active recovery.
Final Thoughts on TRX Leg Exercises
Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are powerful pins. Consistency is the secret ingredient to transforming these exercises into a leg-acy of strength and power. Start slow, and soon, you’ll be amazed by the tree trunks you’ve grown. If your a runner and looking for ways to improve your game, you might also like our article about TRX for runners.
From TRX squats and lunges to hamstring curls and pistol squats, these exercises deliver a comprehensive leg workout that strengthens, tones, and enhances functional fitness. They serve to illuminate the value of our lower body, not just for athletic performance but for easing everyday tasks and boosting metabolic efficiency. With TRX training, the once-dreaded leg day transforms into an exciting journey of self-improvement. So, bid farewell to skipping leg day, and welcome a whole new love for your lower half. Here’s to making every day a leg day right at home!
Staying active isn’t just about keeping fit—it’s about keeping your entire life in balance. From boosting your mood to improving your health, exercise plays a
