The long version starts back in early 2008 with my introduction to suspension exercise in the form of gymnastic ring training. I purchased a pair of Xtreme Rings from Gymnastics Bodies, and I loved them so much that I ended up buying three more pairs of Xtreme Rings so that I could incorporate basic suspended bodyweight exercises into my boot camp.

It wasn’t long before I realized that gymnastics rings are a huge pain in the ass to use for anything other than gymnastics exercises, so I decided to get rid of my rings and replace them with suspension systems that were more appropriate for the style of training I was using them for. I researched the TRX back then, but determined that the people at TRX were a complete assholes, so I bought 15 sets of Vegas Pro Straps.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that the Vegas Pro Straps were a complete waste of money (awful design, awful quality, zero programming), and I ended up biting the bullet and buying 15 TRX systems even though I didn’t particularly care for TRX as a company at the time.

The TRXs were a great piece of gear at my boot camp. Ultra portable, super quick and simple to setup, adjust, and take down, and very high quality. I even took the TRX Suspension Training class back in the summer of 2008.

In early 2009, I determined that even though I really liked the TRX product, my passionate dislike for the people I had to deal with at TRX caused me to make the decision to sell all of my TRXs and find a different suspension system to use at my boot camp, in my YouTube videos, and to promote on my websites.

Over the past few years, as part of my quest to find a viable alternative to the TRX, I’ve tested pretty much every suspension system on the market. None of them have worked out particularly well. The closest I ever got to finding a replacement for the TRX was the Rip:60. It’s a decent product, but it’s not very portable (heavy and bulbous design), and the foot slings are a huge pain in the ass to use. Also, the Rip:60 is the lowest converting fitness equipment product I’ve ever promoted (second lowest is the GoFit Gravity Straps), and I can’t consistently recommend a product that clearly no one (or at least none of my audience) wants to buy.

The most recent product I have been recommending is the Human Trainer, but two things caused me to decide not to continue to promote that product. First, my design preference is ultra simplicity, and the TRX feature I love the most is that it’s one single piece of equipment (two pieces of you include the door anchor). The Human Trainer is eight pieces, or fourteen pieces, depending on which system you buy. I really hate that. It really feels like a cluttered mess, particularly when trying to pack everything into a bag. Also, the Human Trainer recently went out of stock, and isn’t expected to come back in stock for eight to ten weeks (that’s right, two to two and a half months). I was beyond infuriated recently when one of the affiliate products I consistently recommend went out of stock for a couple of weeks, so having one of my affiliate products go out of stock for over two months is a deal breaker for me.

So I officially give up trying to find a viable alternative to the TRX Suspension Trainer, and I’ve decided to put my intense hatred for the TRX company aside and go back to recommending the TRX as the best piece of suspension gear to use for suspended bodyweight exercise. I still hate every last person I’ve ever dealt with at TRX, but I’ve decided that my intense hatred for those people is not enough reason to continue what is beginning to feel like a lost cause in finding a viable TRX alternative.

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.