I used to promote the TRX via their affiliate program, and even though I’m getting ready to launch my own suspension gym product to compete directly with Fitness Anywhere and their TRX, I still think the TRX is a very good product.

What follows is what I like and dislike about the TRX.

I like that the single-anchor TRX is very quick to setup and adjust. Our dual-anchor GTX includes handy adjustment markers to make the setup and adjustment faster than any dual-anchor suspension gym in the world, but a dual-anchor suspension gym, with two separate straps to setup and adjust, will never be as quick and easy to adjust as the single-anchor TRX.

I like that the TRX comes in a fancy box that’s made of completely recyclable post-consumer content. Neat.

That’s it for my TRX likes.

Although not a complete list, here are some things I dislike about the TRX.

I dislike that the single-anchor TRX rubs on my head, neck, and shoulders when doing chest presses, chest flys, and triceps extensions.

I dislike that the single-anchor TRX doesn’t allow for dips or pullups.

I dislike that there are no ab slings included with the TRX, and for that matter I dislike that the single-anchor TRX design makes it impossible to use with ab slings.

I dislike that many of the TRX exercises promoted by Fitness Anywhere are fairly stupid, if not completely useless, and seem to serve very little purpose other than building up the number of exercises Fitness Anywhere claims you can perform on the TRX.

I dislike that the TRX is mostly marketed towards athletes and sport-specific training, with very little quality content for average people just looking to burn fat and improve their fitness with time-efficient home workouts.

But the good thing about my TRX dislikes is that all of those shortcomings of the TRX are creating a big demand in the marketplace for a high-quality dual-anchor suspension gym designed for the average person who’s looking to burn fat and get fit exercising at home. That’s exactly why I created the GTX Suspension Gym.

Regarding the Elite Cords resistance bands, I received the following question the other day via email:

Are the weight lbs on the clips of the Elite Cords?

My response (sent via email and reposted here):

No, because it’s impossible to accurately put poundage weight on resistance bands. The tension of the bands is based on how much you stretch them out. If you’re a 5’2″ person doing biceps curls with the red band, the weight of the band would be significantly different than if you were a 6’4″ person biceps curls with the red. Shoulder press is even more noticeable. When you’re using the door anchors, the tension will change depending on how far you are from the anchor point.

Bodylastics puts poundage weights on their resistance bands and I think it’s absurd to do that because the poundage numbers are so inaccurate.

Since the Elite Cords resistance bands system is a new product, surely many people will be comparing our product to Bodylastics, which have been around for over 10 years. The weight equivalents that are printed on Bodylastics clips are nothing more than a gimmick. The poundage numbers are completely meaningless and useless, much like the bad aerobics workout DVD included with Bodylastics, or the atrocious meathead workouts they do on their website.

I did a short workout today that included resisted squats and reverse flys, both of which were performed with the Elite Cords.

For resistance squats, I used all five bands, and for reverse flys I used just the orange band for the first set, and orange plus yellow for the second set.

Having two sets of handles saved me a ton of time and hassle switching bands during the the workout. If I had only had one set of handles, I would have had to unclip 4 bands before doing the reverse flys. So having the extra set of handles cut my adjustment time in more than half.

Having the extra set of handles is a really big perk that cuts down on your exercise time and makes the workout much more enjoyable because you’re not constantly fiddling around clipping and unclipping bands. That is why we include two sets of handles with every Elite Cords system.

Someone on my email list just told me about an amusing TRX auction on eBay from a guy who apparently wasn’t too satisfied with his single-anchor TRX:

[...] no one (regardless of their level of discretionary income) should buy a single-anchor suspension trainer like the TRX. By design, single-anchor trainers have an extremely limited range of exercises, and a significant percentage of those must be grossly modified to prevent the straps from abrading the neck, traps and shoulders. Those modifications not only reduce the effectiveness of the movement, but also contribute to acute injury and repetitive motion damage.

Here’s a screenshot for posterity: