Suspension Training Builds Big Chest, Shoulders and Triceps Muscles

Being able to infuse specific functional movements into your suspension training routines is one of the main reasons suspension trainers are such an appreciated and effective piece of equipment. Whether you play tennis, golf, baseball or practice Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, the benefits to the core with a TRX or Jungle Gym are enormous.

But what about good old-fashioned strength and muscle for the rest of the body? After all, if you can’t hold yourself up in a pushup or keep your back straight for planks or rows, you are risking injury and not getting the maximum benefit from your training. No matter what anyone says, all muscle is functional, and building a solid base of it is good for all bodies.

Try this workout for a straightforward solution that builds the chest, shoulders, and triceps and of course, the core. Don’t let the bodybuilding format dissuade you. You will look better and feel great after doing these workouts. Besides, you are building up your body, aren’t you? Do as many repetitions on each set as you can in perfect form, and no more.

Get a good warm up before you start. You will get a better workout and lower the chance of injury.

Chest, Shoulders, Triceps:

-Chest Press: This is basically an incline pushup on a suspension trainer. In a standing position, lean the body forward, keeping the hands on either side of the chest and lower than the shoulders. Make sure the body is rigid and straight, lean forward and push back up.

Advanced? Do as many repetitions as possible in 30 seconds, and follow it with chest flyes for 6-12 reps. Rest 45-60 seconds between supersets and repeat 3-4 times.

Not so easy? Aim for 6-12 repetitions, rest 45 seconds and repeat. Repeat 2-3 times.

Decline or Flat Pushups or Flyes:

If the chest press is easy, you have already done chest flyes. If you opted for doing chest press only, try one of these exercises next:

Flyes: Start in the same position as the chest press, but with the hands turned to vertical (thumbs toward ceiling.) Keep the arms extended, but not locked out, which should cause a slight bend in the elbows.

Lean forward, opening your arms wide until the elbows are even with your chest. Squeeze back to the starting position. Lower the TRX or Jungle Gym XT straps for greater resistance. Do 2-3 sets of 5-8 or more repetitions. If you can do more than 12 or 15, lower the straps.

Decline Pushups: If you already did flyes or find them too difficult, try the decline press. Using a ladder, chair, or bench, place the feet at a level higher than your hands on the TRX handles.

Start with a small angle increase until the movement is familiar. Keep the hands below the shoulders, the body straight and tight and the elbows under control. Allowing the elbows to flare in this position places excess stress on the elbow and shoulder joints.

Flat Pushups: If either of the two exercises above is too difficult to perform with good form, or you simply need another chest exercise, do flat pushups. The suspension straps add a significant challenge, so start out slow.

A variation on this is the Atomic Pushup. Because the hands are placed on the ground in this exercise, it is a little easier. To do the atomic pushup, the feet are placed in the foot cradles, and the knees are tucked to the chest at the top of each pushup. This makes it a more intense exercise that hits your abdominals and pectorals.

On either exercise, do 2-4 sets depending on your fitness level, for 8-15 repetitions. If either of these is too easy, try doing maximum perfect reps for 30-60 seconds.

Feeling like you need a bigger challenge? Do suspended dips.

Adjust the straps until they are just below waist level. Lift the body to the starting position and lower the body until the elbows are at ~90 degrees; don’t flare the elbows. Push back up and repeat. Tasty.

Remember to move the body in a vertical plane to reduce stress on the shoulder joint. This exercise will decimate the pecs and triceps. Do 2-4 sets of 5-10 reps, or adjust to your needs.

Shoulders: The suspension trainer has the potential to take the shoulders to serious exhaustion. Let’s start with ‘WT’ which is a scalable exercise and will pump the entire deltoid as well as the trapezius and rhomboid muscles of the upper back.

If your starting position is too hard, stand up straighter; if too easy, lean back into a steeper angle. A set can consist of doing all repetitions for each letter for you superstars. For all others, rest about 30-45 seconds between each set. Two sets is a general recommendation for beginners, 3-4 for intermediates and advanced.

W: So called for the letter you make when your arms reach the top of the movement. Adjust body position to get 2-4 sets of 12, 10, 8 and up from there. Use an easy ‘resistance’ and controlled motion for best results.

T: You guessed it. Make a T with your body. Start with handles spread apart with arms extended out to your sides. The body must stay straight and leaning to your comfortable angle (start off at about 45 degrees.) Keeping the arms extended, bring the hands together and pull your body up to standing by moving the arms out to your sides. Pronate the hands (turn the hands palms down) to make the rear deltoids work harder.

Try doing ‘WT’ back-to-back for one set, but if this is too difficult, break the sets up and do 2-4 of each, aiming for 8-12 reps per set. After doing ‘WT’ the trapezius and deltoids should be nice and exhausted. As with all suspension training exercises, keep the body rigid by maintaining a tight core throughout.

After this workout, your chest and shoulders and even the triceps should be pumped and exhausted. Before you quit for the day, do some tricep specific work. Not only do developed triceps make your arms look bigger and leaner, but they are vital to elbow extension and arm adduction; not to mention making every pushing endeavor easier in the future.

Do a pseudo-giant set here (no rest between exercises):

Tricep extensions: Start with the handles extended in front of you, body leaning forward at about 45 degrees. With the handles about chest width or narrower apart, lower your body toward the handles and push back to the start. The handles should almost touch your forehead at the top of the movement. Don’t let the elbows flare out to the sides and make sure the body is tight and straight throughout.

Reverse Grip Extensions: Hold the handles with an underhand grip, lean back at about 45 degrees and pull down with the triceps to extend the arm and bring the body forward.

Aim for 8-12 reps for each exercise. If the angle is too easy, lower the body forward or backward to make the work harder. Get 2-4 sets depending on your fitness level.

That suspension workout should keep you busy for a few weeks. Stay consistent and your chest, shoulders and triceps, as well as your torso, will be transformed.

Eat Right and Stay Lean

Everyone knows eating a healthy diet is essential in order to get the most out of your training and your life. Eating foods rich in fiber and antioxidants helps fuel the body for longer periods of time using fewer calories. They also keep your colon healthy, so dig in!

So where’s the fiber?

-Artichokes (10 grams per)

-Broccoli (5 grams a cup)

-Sun-dried Tomatoes (14 per cup)

-Jicama, Lima Beans and Green Peas (5-6 grams per)

Grains and Fiber

-Brown Rice (1 cup=4 grams)

-Quaker Oats (per serving-3 grams)

-Quinoa (5 grams)

-Bulgur (8 grams per cup! This Mediterranean staple cooks up in about 15 minutes in boiling stock or water. Try it with braised vegetables and wild rice. Now that’s a fiber-packed dish.)

Antioxidants

Artichokes have a high concentration of antioxidants. In fact the USDA lists them at #7 of the top 10. Where else can you find antioxidants in your food?

-Blueberries/Strawberries/Acai berries; all about equal, all great for your health.

-Blackberries and Raspberries

-Plums and Cherries

And the #1 fruit according to TuftsUniversity researchers? Prunes.

Of course it's hard to go wrong with fresh fruits and vegetables. Other choices include spinach, red grapes, Alfalfa sprouts and red bell peppers. Enjoy!