Excellent for turning traditional moves into asymmetric exercises, the TRX RIP Trainer focuses the resistance on one side of your body…
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Best for core and rotation
TRX RIP Trainer
BUY IT NOW:
$189.95 / £159.95 / amazon.co.uk
Versatility: 4/5
Band quality: 5/5
Resistance range: 3/5
OVERALL: 4/5
PROS:
- Excellent core training kit
- Ships with a workout guide
CONS:
- One resistance included – medium
- Requires ample space to train
To look at, the TRX RIP Trainer is a pole with a band on the end, so you’d be forgiven for failing to understand how it could be a core annihilator. But trust us – it is.
Excellent for turning traditional moves into asymmetric exercises, the TRX RIP Trainer focuses the resistance on one side of your body. This forces you to compensate and in turn develop muscles you’d usually lock into with pilates or other core-focused training.
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Inside the recyclable packaging you’ll find the TRX RIP Trainer, a door anchor, a medium strength resistance chord and a workout guide. We love that TRX includes a six-year warranty too. Though, it’s worth noting that only one resistance level band ships with the system – the medium chord, which packs 20lb of resistance.
Mix it up
If you’re happy to buy bands separately, you can pick up the light chord (15lb), the heavy chord (25lb), the extra-heavy chord (38lb) or the XX-heavy chord, which climbs up to 50lbs of resistance. We only tested the medium, and that provided enough of a challenge for blood pumping, form-focused training in rep ranges of 12 and over. If you are looking for a greater challenge, we’d suggest you go heavier. For rehabilitation and more endurance-focused rep ranges, the light chord would be the way to go, with each additional chord costing around £15.
Build muscle and strength with this resistance band full-body workout
While the core pole itself is long, at just over a metre, it’s comprised of two halves that screw together to create a solid, single element. Each half features a centre portion that’s coated by a grippy, dense foam material. On one side of the assembled TRX RIP Trainer is the band, and on the other, a loop.
We trained using the door anchor, which secured the band so we could train in our living room. When outdoors or in a gym, the carabiner (clamp) secures onto a fence or metal loop/TRX X-Mount. Wherever you train, the system does require a few clear square meters beyond where you affix the TRX RIP Trainer, as well as relatively high ceilings.
