Suspension training has been around for some time in various forms. It involves suspending part of the body and using the rest of the body's weight as resistance when you perform different movements.
I think suspension training is great! It allows you to train your whole body in one area and it's portable. Some of the most popular suspension training devices are the TRX and Blast Straps. The only problem is these systems can be expensive. So I decided to make my own (tried it out this weekend and it worked great!) and I will show you how you can make your own for under $15! Mine cost $14.18 and I have enough material left over to make another one!
Step 1:
Purchase:
1 Polypropolene Rope (mine was 50ft and I cut it in half for 2, 25ft ropes)
1 Friction Tape (the kind you use on baseball bats & hockey sticks)
Step 2:
Tie Slip Knots on both ends of the rope (I used THIS video to help me tie the knots)
Step 3:
Cover the loops with the Friction Tape. Be sure to add extra layers to the one end so that the rope doesn't slide through and tighten around your hands when in use.
THAT'S IT! Again, I used mine this weekend, it worked great and my abs are still sore. I would suggest maybe using only 20ft of rope instead of 25ft since I have to wrap mine around a lot to get the right height, but that is a small price to pay for saving so much money and having 2 units!
Keep Liftin',
Coach Amanda Haren
This is *fantastic*!! Thanks for posting this. I didn't need to buy any more fitness toys and the temptation was growing too great to resist. :) My husband won't mind a little project!
ReplyDeleteI did the same but used nylon webbing (sold by the foot at REI) and cam buckles i ordered online ($.50 each). Total cost was $16, and ended up looking almost identical to the TRX.
ReplyDeleteHey - great post. I've heard great things about suspension training, but I'm a bit hesitant to spend the money for a TRX.
ReplyDeleteOne question: how would you go about mounting a DIY suspension trainer indoors? I'm thinking specifically about mounting it to the 2 x 4 studs in an interior wall.
Thanks!
The TRX sells a door anchor...
ReplyDeleteI just got an extra piece of webbing and tied a large water knot (the flat one) big enough so it wouldn't slip from the top of the door when you closed it. It cost me about a dollar for the extra 2 ft of webbing (from REI). I used cam buckles (someone else above did as well), 26 ft of 1" webbing for the main system, a figure 8 or 'super 8' belay device so that I would reduce friction on my device (I already had one from climbing/take it off when I want to use it for climbing since there is no impact from exercising with it) and 2ft of webbing for the anchor. The total was about $25. If you don't use the figure 8 ($15), you can do it easy for $10. Happy rowing!
It might not turn out as inexpensive, but since it's winter, ski ropes are on sale. They have the handles already attached :)
ReplyDeleteLooks good, but how do you attach it to things such as doors, trees, pull-up bars, ect.?
ReplyDeleteNice... The one I made is easy to make from cargo straps... Very sturdy.
ReplyDeleteReal Life Hack
Sweeet - I love anything that uses good ol'rope!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for the information, this tutorial was incredibly important for me to understand how to make our own suspension exercise trainer. Many thanks
ReplyDeleteThank you for a very interesting site. Where else could I get that type of info written in such an ideal manner? I have a mission that I am simply now operating on, and I've been at the look out for such info.
ReplyDeletesuspension trainer