I just started the TRX workout this week.  For all of you that aren’t familiar with TRX, it is a suspension training system.  The basics of TRX are as follows:

 

• TRX focuses on training movements, not muscles. Because everyday movement involves not just one isolated movement such as a biceps curl, TRX incorporates movements which utilize the whole body and in different planes of motion.

 

• TRX uses your own body weight, so it is easy enough to use at home or take with you while traveling.  It only costs about half a year of a gym membership but gives you more than a personal trainer can.  For the entire 45-minute workout you are building muscle, strengthening your core as well as coordinating your Nervous System to control the firing of your core muscles

 

In no way am I endorsing TRX, it is a trial run to see if it was something that would benefit my golf game.  Just after a week, it has become part of my workout regiment.

Some of you might ask, where is the research? In a study published in the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise journal, carbohydrates were the only source of fuel during the 45-minute TRX workout while lipids being the fuel source used during recovery.  The study concluded that the TRX is good for burning calories, and in my opinion anytime you are burning calories, whatever the source (carbs or fats) it is a good thing.

 

However, some people might disagree with me when I say it doesn’t matter what source you are burning calories from.  I always respond with this, if you need to burn 3500 calories to lose 1 pound does the 3500 calories care if it is from carbs or fats? Of course not, as long as you are moving you are burning energy, whether stored as a fast acting carb or longer but more energy containing lipid.  And, if you are building more muscle at the same time, it raises your BMR (basic metabolic rate).  The bottom line is, as long as you are expending more than you take in, you will lose weight.  Even the American Council on Exercise states that the so-called “fat-burning zone” is a myth.

 

Depleting your carbohydrate source during the first 15 minutes or so of exercise creates a deficit for your body. It’s referred to as hitting the wall.  Once you get past that, your body is using the fat reserves for energy.  Once your body is in recovery mode, it wants to replete your carbohydrate storage.  Many studies have shown that the carbohydrate-protein combination should be used post workout for the best benefits.