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ACE® STUDY FINDS TRX® TRAINING PRODUCES UNEXPECTED RESULTS

Posted: Oct 19, 2016 in ACE Press Releases

Eight-Week Program Shown to Lower Blood Pressure, Body Fat and Waist Size

San Diego, October 19, 2016 — In the decade since a former Navy SEAL brought it to market, TRX^® suspension training has exploded in popularity and become a mainstay in gyms around the world. However, the strength-training system, which relies solely upon gravity and body weight for resistance, had never been examined with scientific scrutiny in a laboratory setting. To determine the true effectiveness of TRX training to improve health and fitness, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) commissioned an independent study that measured the effects of both a single TRX training session and an eight-week training program.

Scientists at Western State Colorado University recruited 16 healthy men and women between 21 and 71 years of age to test a single 60-minute TRX training session, which included five-minute warm-up and cool down stretching periods and a water break. On average, participants burned 400 calories per session and spent the majority of the time exercising at a vigorous intensity -- comparable to that of a basketball or soccer game. The workout easily reached the American College of Sports Medicine’s recommended 150 to 400 calorie-burn window to qualify as an effective workout.

“There’s no doubt that one TRX training session offers a legitimate workout, but the long-term effects of a consistent program were quite impressive as well,” says American Council on Exercise Chief Science Officer Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D.

To measure the effects of long term TRX training, the same group of participants engaged in three 60-minute sessions per week for eight weeks, undergoing standard health and fitness tests before and after.

Among the many observed training outcomes, improvements were seen in a variety of strength metrics and several important indicators of cardiometabolic health—waist circumference, body-fat percentage and resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Positive changes in these biological markers are associated with significant reductions in individuals’ risk for coronary heart disease and diabetes.

“The results of this study suggest that TRX training improves muscular fitness while simultaneously eliciting positive modifications in several major health risk factors,” says Bryant. “TRX is an unconventional exercise that appears to produce some unexpected but important results.”

To view the study, please click here.

About ACE

With a mission to get people moving, the nonprofit organization American Council on Exercise (ACE) educates, certifies and represents more than 65,000 currently certified fitness professionals, health coaches and other allied health professionals. ACE advocates for a new intersection of fitness and healthcare, bringing the highly qualified professionals ACE represents into the healthcare continuum so they can contribute to the national solution to physical inactivity and obesity. ACE is the largest certifier in its space and all four of its primary certification programs are accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the gold standard in the United States for accreditation of certifications that assess professional competence. ACE also plays an important public-service role, conducting and providing science-based research and resources on safe and effective physical activity and sustainable behavior change. For more information, call 800-825-3636 or visit ACEfitness.org. AMERICAN COUNCIL ON EXERCISE, ACE and ACE logos are Registered Trademarks of the American Council on Exercise.