I own all the best brands of suspension gyms and rotational pulley trainers, all the best brands of resistance bands and tubing, the two best brands of dip/row stations, various doorway mounted pull-up bars, various brands of gymnastics rings, countless jump ropes, etc.

Granted, I do not currently own a TRX Suspension Trainer because I sold the 15 TRXs that I used to own, and vowed to never use a TRX or do business with them again, after countless months of unbelievably negative experiences with every single person I dealt with at Fitness Anywhere.

The reason I didn’t choose the TRX Suspension Trainer as the best home exercise equipment I don’t currently own is simply because I own so many other fantastic brands of suspensions gyms, and therefore I simply figured that choosing a suspension gym as the best gear I don’t currently own wouldn’t really make sense. So I picked the PowerBlock Adjustable Dumbbells.

But in the couple of weeks that have passed since I wrote the first post on this topic, I’ve had a change of heart. I do believe that the best piece of exercise equipment I don’t currently own is the TRX Suspension Trainer, or more specifically, the TRX Tactical Suspension Trainer:

Yes, I hate TRX and everyone who works there (they are my sworn enemies), but as I wrote here last month, the new design of the TRX Tactical Suspension Trainer that uses d-rings instead of cam buckles is ingenious.

I most likely will never buy a TRX Suspension Trainer again (as I mentioned, I bought 15 of them back in 2008 before my relationship with them went sour) because I hardly ever buy from companies that I hate. But I’m also perfectly capable of putting my own personal feelings aside to write unbiasedly here about the best home exercise gear and workout programs, and with that in mind, I think the best piece of home exercise equipment that I don’t currently own is the TRX Tactical Suspension Trainer.

Before I explain why dowel resistance band training is so awesome for rotational workouts, I figured I should mention how and when I discovered that style of training, since it happened around almost exactly the same timeframe that Fitness Anywhere acquired RipCoreFX, changed their company name and overall branding to TRX, and changed the name of the RipCoreFX to the TRX Rip Trainer.

Coincidentally, right around the same timeframe that Fitness Anywhere was discovering the effectiveness of dowel/band training via RipCoreFX, and integrating it into their product line to complement their TRX Suspension Trainer product, I was discovering the awesomeness of dowel/band training via Dave Schmitz of Resistance Band Training (he filmed that video in late 2009, but I only discovered it in early 2011).

So about a year ago, around the time that I purchased a CrossCore War Machine and started to think that pulley suspension gyms were going to cause the extinction of traditional suspension gyms, I discovered a better form of rational training with dowel resistance band training, and coincidentally that all happened concurrently with Fitness Anywhere deciding to add the RipCoreFX rotational training tool to their product line to complement their TRX Suspension Trainer.

So it was all quite a strange coincidence as I purchased a War Machine, loved it at first and thought its rotational capabilities were going to spell the end for the TRX because the TRX doesn’t do rational training, quickly started to get bored with the War Machine and how limited it is (not ideal for bilateral movements, and only does four good unilateral/rotational movements), discovered dowel/band training as a killer form of rotational training and a wonderful compliment to non-rotational suspension gym training, and then noticed that as I was discovering all of this and deciding that suspension gym and dowel/band training is a killer combo, my sworn enemy Fitness Anywhere was making the exact same discovery and taking the exact same position on suspension gyms and dowel/band training.

I wanted to point all of that out because the last thing I want anyone to think when I promote dowel/band training is that I discovered it via Fitness Anywhere and/or RipCoreFX. Because I didn’t discover it from either of those companies. The credit for my discovery of the awesomeness of dowel/band training goes to Dave “The Band Man” Schmitz, and the fact that I came across Band Man’s dowel/band training video around the same time as Fitness Anywhere was acquiring RipCoreFX and releasing the TRX Rip Trainer was just a gigantic coincidence.

Moving on, the reason why dowel/band training is such a killer form of rotational training is simply that there’s no other piece of rotational exercise gear, or style of rotational training, that’s as versatile, scalable, functional, safe, effective, and goddamn fun as dowel/band training.

With rotational bodyweight training on the War Machine, I got bored with the two rotational exercises (yes, there’s only two worth mentioning: chest press with rotation, and row with rotation) after a couple of weeks. Also, there’s a very steep learning curve for those exercises, I really got the feeling that they were more like circus exercises than useful and functional resistance training exercises, and after the initial novelly of circus training on the pulley wore off, I didn’t find rotational bodyweight training to be particularly fun.

With rotational dowel/band training, there’s an extensive catalog of exercises that can be performed, those exercises are safe and easy for beginners to learn, they’re highly functional and sport-specific, and I’ve been doing rotational dowel/band training for about a year now and the novelty has yet to wear off. If anything, the more I learn about dowel/band training and the more experience I get performing various rotational exercises, the more I enjoy it and the more fun it becomes.

So if you’re looking for the best equipment for rotational training, the answer is continuous loop resistance bands and a dowel. Get your resistance bands from RBT, and for the dowel, simply head over to your local Home Depot (I suggest a 4′ long, 1.25″ thick wooden dowel), and you’re all set. Or if you don’t have continuous loop bands (and don’t want to buy them), you can pickup a dedicated piece of gear for dowel/band training such as the TRX Rip Trainer, or the Stroops Fit Stik.

I intensely despise every single person I’ve ever dealt with at Fitness Anywhere, but I’ve got to admit that their latest product redesign is superb.

Cam buckles can be a huge pain in the ass. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t, and even when they do work, they have questionable durability because of the moving parts. Huge pain in the ass.

The new design of the TRX that uses d-rings instead of cam buckles is ingenious.

Looks pretty cool, although at $150, the Jungle Gym Tactical it’s quite a bit more expensive than the $99.99 Jungle Gym XT. So with the Jungle Gym Tactical, you’re basically paying an extra $55 for the cool looking military colour scheme.

But releasing a military-themed suspension system and charging more for it isn’t a new concept. Since 2006, Fitness Anywhere has sold a military version of their TRX Suspension Trainer product that they call the TRX Tactical Suspension Trainer:

At $249.95, the TRX Tactical Suspension Trainer is $50 more expensive than the $199.95 TRX Suspension Trainer, although the TRX Tactical bundle includes additional workout DVDs that somewhat explain the higher price.

Update: I just realized that the TRX Tactical has a number upgraded features compared to the regular TRX, so it’s not just the additional workout DVDs that explain the higher price of the TRX Tactical bundle. Upgrades on the TRX Tactical include d-rings instead of cam buckles, rubber handles instead of foam, adjustment loops instead of tabs, improved carabiners with a lower profile, nicer carry bag, etc.