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Fitness

Ever wondered what those straps in the gym were for? Here are 5 lower body TRX exercises

You’ll be swinging out of them in no time.

1. Single Leg Squat

START OFF BY anchoring the straps from a high point, either a ceiling or a high hinge point on a squat rack.

Next, holding both handles in front of your waist and your elbows bent by your sides, lower down into a squat, extending your arms in front of you, really focussing on sitting back on one leg with the other fully extended.

Push yourself back up to start and repeat on the other leg.

Do 10 reps on each leg, take a one minute rest and repeat twice more.

2. Overhead squat

Stand up straight facing the anchor point and holding onto the straps, lift your arms over your head.

Now, very simply, lower into a squat while pushing your hands back and keeping your arms extended.

Drive upwards with your heels and return to starting position and repeat for three sets of 20.

3. Forward lunge

With the straps hanging down to about six to eight inches from the floor, place your left foot in both straps and face away from it.

Plant your right foot firmly on the ground and lower down into a lunge, extending the left leg behind you, without losing the bend in your knee.

Return to starting position and repeat on the other leg.

Do 15 lunges on each leg in three sets. That’s a total of 90 lunges. A fairly significant amount.

4. Hamstring Pull-In/Hamstring Curl

Lying with your back on the floor extend both arms overhead.

Place both your heels in the cradles in the straps and press down to secure them.

Next, keeping your core tight, lift your hips off the floor.

Pull your heels in toward hips in a smooth and controlled motion -careful not to swing. You also need to keep those hips high and not allow them sag.

Straighten your legs back to the starting position and repeat 10 more times.

5. Lateral Lunge

This is a great one for your glutes while also engaging your hip adductors, which help your glutes and quads move efficiently.

Stand facing the anchor with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Hold a TRX handle in each hand in front of your waist, elbows bent by your sides.

Plant your right leg firmly into the ground and take a big step to the side with your left leg, bending the left knee as you lower your body into a side lunge. Push back to start and repeat on the other leg.

Do 3 sets of 10 lunges either side.

Originally published at 08.20

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