Buzz
Having maintained a consistent exercise routine for over two decades, I've experienced more training phases than one can count.
I was all about the elliptical/Nautilus machine combo that was trending in the late 90s and early 2000s. Boot camps, kickboxing, spin classes, you name it. I also completed a couple of marathons. After an injury, I switched gears to train for and finish a two-mile swim in the Hudson. (No mutant illnesses—so far!)
My next discovery was barbell training—deadlifts, squats, bench presses, and overhead presses—mixed with Iyengar yoga to balance strength with flexibility.
I enjoyed lifting heavy weights, but sticking to my routine became tricky once I started traveling frequently (back in the Before Times). Finding gyms with free-standing barbells was challenging, and they were usually located far from where I stayed and the places I wanted to explore, with day passes often being quite costly.
I needed an affordable and convenient workout that would help me stay strong enough to ease back into weightlifting once I returned to my usual gym. Even after the pandemic derailed my travel plans, I still needed an alternative to the gym—first because of lockdowns, and later due to my immunocompromised condition.
Enter suspension training: using hanging straps to add more resistance and instability to bodyweight exercises.
It's been more than a year since I started my WOFH (Working Out From Home) routine: three 20-minute suspension training sessions per week, along with daily walks.
Surprisingly, I've dropped 10 pounds and become leaner. I'm functionally stronger in ways I hadn’t expected. Even better, I’ve been getting injured less during workouts and recovering without the need for regular physical therapy, a stark contrast to when I was lifting.
While the outcome of any fitness program depends on the individual, if the Delta variant is causing you to hesitate about going to the gym, or if space or budget constraints prevent you from setting up a fully-equipped home gym, or if you're just after a fast, efficient workout that can be done virtually anywhere, regardless of your fitness level, suspension training might be the ideal addition to your routine.
Key Features to Consider When Choosing a Suspension Training Kit
Suspended ropes and straps have long been used for exercise, as seen in the delightful illustrations and detailed instructions in the 1866 book Athletic Sports for Boys: A Repository of Graceful Recreations for Youth (pages 43-50).
Today, many associate suspension training with TRX training, the brand that brought this technique into mainstream fitness. However, several brands offer suspension training kits at different price points. (For instance, the kit I bought a few years ago, which is no longer available, was priced around $30. Currently, Amazon offers kits ranging from $45 to $250.)
Most suspension kits weigh just a few pounds (mine weighs 1.2 pounds), are compact enough to pack into luggage, and can instantly turn almost any indoor or outdoor space into a makeshift gym.
The basic system consists of the following components:
a fully adjustable strap for convenience
two handles, each attached to the strap's ends
several anchors for versatile setups, ranging from hanging over a door to wrapping around objects like branches, bars, railings, or lamp posts—basically anything sturdy enough to support your weight
a drawstring bag for easy storage
instructions for assembly and a basic workout guide showcasing different exercises
The more premium versions, based on what I've observed, feature tougher materials like rubber handles designed for outdoor workouts, as opposed to the standard foam handles. They often come with a more refined or lighter design and may include access to online workout programs and apps. One thing my version lacks is a seam that keeps the two ends of the center strap stable, which would allow for pulling just one handle at a time without the entire strap sliding through the D-ring. Similarly, when doing hamstring runners with my feet in the handles, the center strap shifts up and down. While this isn't a big deal, it does require me to use both handles during one-arm exercises. Had I known this feature was available, I would've opted for that version.
Another important consideration when buying a suspension trainer is the weight capacity of the straps. Most trainers should easily hold your weight if used properly, but if you're worried, this affordable option is tested to support up to 400lbs. (Most TRX versions seem to max out at 350lbs.)
While many suspension trainers come with a basic workout guide, 'basic' is the key term here. I have a personal online fitness coach, so she customizes my workouts every six weeks, keeping them fresh and challenging.
A simple YouTube search reveals a variety of suspension training exercises you can combine to create an effective workout. You can even purchase an affordable set of cards with 52 different exercises to mix and match. (For my routines, I try to complete as many rounds of a 5-exercise superset, which includes arm, leg, and core exercises, as I can in 20 minutes.)
Your suspension trainer can be anchored almost anywhere—as long as it can support your weight
I typically set up my suspension straps over a door—just make sure the door opens outwards—or by looping them around a pull-up bar in a door frame. Many others, however, have found more creative solutions, securing their straps around strong tree branches, pull-up bars in outdoor parks, or even bridge railings and lamp posts. Here’s a helpful video demonstrating how to properly set up your equipment; always give the straps a good tug before starting your workout to ensure the setup is secure.
Suspension training enhances both the versatility and the intensity of bodyweight workouts
We’ve already talked about the benefits of bodyweight workouts. When done with proper form and enough intensity to challenge your muscles, exercises like pushups, squats, dips, bridges, lunges, planks, and burpees can help build strength, improve stamina, increase bone mass, and offer other benefits. Bodyweight exercises are the equivalent of running in strength training: no equipment required, easy to begin at any time, and, when practiced safely, suitable for all fitness levels.
Suspension training boosts bodyweight exercises by adding an extra challenge in three key ways. First, the anchored straps enable you to perform upper body exercises that are otherwise difficult or impractical without equipment, such as rows, chest flies, tricep extensions, and bicep curls. While I've tried workarounds like using a sturdy table for rows or milk jugs for curls and extensions, these methods feel awkward. You could opt for dumbbells or other free weights, but that removes the portability factor.
Second, suspension training lets you adjust the resistance level by modifying the strap length or altering your stance. For example, when doing rows, beginners can start with a nearly vertical stance to add a bit of resistance as they pull. As you gain strength, you can gradually position your feet forward, making your body more horizontal and increasing the amount of bodyweight you pull.
I have scoliosis and other movement issues that often lead to overuse injuries, so I appreciate how suspension training allows easy modifications. Small changes like stepping forward or back, or adjusting the strap length, make it possible to keep an exercise in my routine. This offers a more refined adjustment than switching to a lighter dumbbell or barbell plate, which usually only gives you small increments of 1.25 lbs or more.
Finally, suspension straps create instability, which engages your core and balance more than traditional exercises (like Bosu Balls or balance boards). Movements such as mountain climbers, hamstring curls, bridges, lunges, planks, and push-ups become more challenging when your feet or arms are elevated off the ground.
Your body will let you know if it's working.
Studies on suspension training often highlight the added benefits of instability and balance, particularly for older exercisers. Research from 2014 and 2015, for example, found that muscle activation in the torso was higher when core and pushing exercises—such as standard and scapula push-ups, along with shoulder protractions—were done with suspension trainers instead of on the floor. (Activation simply means your muscles had to work harder.)
However, how much harder the muscles work remains a topic of debate. A 2018 systematic review of 18 studies (a relatively small sample size) found greater muscle activation when suspension training was used for hamstring curls, push-ups, and prone bridges. For upper body and core exercises, however, the results were inconsistent and ultimately inconclusive on whether there was a real difference.
Personally, I’m more focused on the feedback my body provides than what the studies suggest. I definitely feel the burn more and do fewer reps when I perform side or front planks, bridges, and push-ups with my feet in the strap handles, as opposed to when my feet are grounded. That’s enough proof for me.
As I get older, I recognize that balance will become more and more critical to avoid falls. Suspension training allows me to incorporate a more challenging balance element into one-legged lunges and squats, something that would be easier if I were just holding onto a doorframe or railing.
Suspension training can help you maintain strength, but it won’t increase it
My time with suspension training, spanning over a year, has definitely boosted my strength beyond what I initially thought possible. In fact, research from various studies suggests that bodyweight exercises can be just as effective for muscle growth (also known as hypertrophy) as traditional weightlifting, provided you perform them with a full range of motion.
That said, I wouldn’t expect to walk into a gym, grab a barbell, and start doing deadlifts effortlessly. If your goal is to win a powerlifting contest or achieve Strongman-like strength, bodyweight exercises—whether stable or suspended—aren’t going to cut it, because you’re limited to the weight of your own body. In this case, you'd be much better off focusing on deadlifts, squats, bench presses, and dragging heavy objects like cars.
How to determine if suspension training is right for you
For me, the most important measure of a workout’s effectiveness is whether or not I’ll stick with it. This depends on many factors, such as your fitness goals, time availability, and personal enjoyment.
While I used to love hitting new personal records in deadlifts, my priorities shifted when I developed a passion for traveling, and later, the pandemic led me to reframe my approach to fitness. As life became more unpredictable, I sought quick and efficient workouts that I could do anywhere to maintain both physical and mental health. I wanted the strength to carry a 30lb bag of cat litter up the stairs, the cardiovascular stamina for daily walks in my hilly neighborhood, and the balance to avoid tripping over Mochi when he darts in front of me as I walk to feed him. (In short, I need to be fit and strong to be the best cat mom I can be.)
Although I can’t pinpoint exactly how much of my pandemic fitness is due to suspension training versus my daily walks or any changes to my diet, I’m genuinely amazed. The briefest strength training sessions I’ve ever done have played a significant role in bringing me to the healthiest physical state I’ve ever been in: light, lean, strong, and—most importantly—not burdened by injuries. Moreover, even after using the same gear for over a year, I’m still engaged thanks to the endless variety of exercises that suspension training offers.
Not every exercise works for everyone, and suspension training could eventually become just another phase in my ongoing fitness journey. But if you’re searching for an affordable, portable, accessible, and effective way to build strength, balance, and endurance—anywhere—then suspension training is definitely worth trying. I’m extremely glad that I gave it a shot.
