6 TRX exercises to improve your volleyball game

A strong core is required in every action you perform during the game. A player with a weak core won’t be able to block a strong opponent’s hit, dig up a killer serve, or serve a wicked ball.

Hitting, blocking, and jump serving require powerful legs and the ability to move unilaterally. Strengthening the legs independently through single leg exercises will push your performance through the roof.

Getting the most power from your serves and hits requires strong shoulder, back, and chest muscles. Even more important is the ability to rely on the rotational ability of your core. Imagine a baseball player swinging a bat without rotating the body. It’s the same thing with volleyball. Your power comes from the rest of the body and your arms are just the means to contact the ball. If all the action comes from the arms alone, you’ll destroy your arm while making a disappointing strike.

In this video, we’ll show you a series of 6 exercises to help your game.

The workout consists of 6 different exercises designed to target various muscle groups. The exercises and the muscle groups targeted are:

• TRX Power Pull – Back, shoulders, biceps, transversus abdominis
• TRX Chest Press – Chest, shoulders, triceps
• TRX High Rotation – Abdominals, shoulders, latissimus dorsi
• TRX Balance Lunge – Quadriceps
• TRX Suspended Pike – Abdominals, hip flexors
• TRX Suspended Hip Press – Hamstrings, glutes, back extensors

If you don’t have a TRX yet, get your own TRX Suspension Trainer!

Try the TRX Core 500

There are misconceptions about the core, so let’s take a minute to straighten that out first. Many people hear “core” and immediately think of their abs. While the abs are part of the core, there’s more. The core is defined as the lumbo-pelvic hip complex and the muscles that attach to it. It’s the rectus and transversus abdominis, obliques, hip flexors, hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors, and latissimus dorsi. It’s basically the torso with exception of the extremities. Get a strong core and you’ll be able to do more.

There are many ways to train the core, but few are as efficient, as fun, as unique, and as portable as the TRX Suspension Trainer. Fitness Anywhere is always issuing new challenges to their followers, so I thought I’d put together my own challenge. I’m calling it the Core 500.

The workout is simple in terms of the number of exercises and the complexity of those exercises. There are just five exercises in this complex designed to challenge your anterior and posterior chain and engage your core throughout the workout. You’ll do all of the reps for each exercise before moving on to the next exercise. Your goal is to do the prescribed number of reps in as few sets as possible.

Here goes:

• 100 Atomic Push Ups
• 100 Low Rows (deep angle with feet under the anchor point)
• 100 TRX Chest Presses (feet under the anchor point)
• 100 TRX Power Pulls (50 per side)
• 100 TRX Rollouts

Here’s a video demonstrating the exercises in this TRX workout.

Time yourself and leave a comment below to let me know how much time it takes you to complete the workout. If you don’t have a TRX of your own yet, get one here.

TRX 40/40 Challenge

The TRX 40/40 challenge involves doing 40 Atomic Push Ups, followed by a 1 minute rest period, and then doing 40 Low Rows. It’s a great test of upper body strength and stability. The Atomic push ups were tough, but I really had my hands full with the Low Rows. I had to rest a few times on the rows, but I never compromised my form and never touched the ground.

I’ve written about the TRX before and this won’t be the last time. It’s a phenomenla functional training tool and one that you can take anywhere. If you’d like to get your own TRX, check it out right here!

While you’re doing that, I’ll be recovering.

John Demos the TRX Suspension Trainer

Why?

Because your body works as a system, not in isolation. There’s a place for isolation exercises like bicep curls and calf raises, but when it comes down to it, are you trying to develop ripped calves or are you trying to develop an explosive jump. Most people work out because they want to do something with their bodies, like out-jump, out-run, or out-last the competition. If you’re trying to develop your body to work effectively as a system, functional training is the answer. Even if your goal isn’t athletic performance and you just want to move more effectively, functional training is important.

My hands down favorite tool for functional training is the TRX Suspension Trainer. You can use it for literaly hundreds of different exercises and get an amazing workout using just your own bodyweight. With every exercise, you’re training your core to stabilize your body as well as working the prime mover muscles to perform the exercise. As an added bonus, you can get that workout done in a shorter time because you don’t have to wander all over the gym switching weight plates, machines, etc.

I use it with grandmothers and I use it with athletes. Just a few small adjustments with your body position and each both the grandmother and the athlete get an equally effective workout.

Click here to get your TRX today!

Here’s a video with just a few examples of exercises you can do with the TRX Suspension Trainer.

Click this video to see the TRX Suspension Trainer in action!

I love training with the TRX. It’s versatile and effective. You get a great total body workout and can get it quick! Drew Bress calls the TRX “the greatest piece of functional fitness equipment that exists”.

Click here now to get your own TRX and train like the pros!