TRX Push Up

The TRX Push Up is a suspension training exercise that intensifies the standard push-up by adding instability, targeting the chest, shoulders, and triceps. This variation demands exceptional core engagement and shoulder stabilization to maintain proper alignment throughout the movement.

How Iridium Helps

The instability of the TRX system places a high demand on your central nervous system and stabilizers. The AI analyzes your daily HRV and sleep data to determine if your recovery status supports this high-stability movement or if a stable floor-based regression is safer for the day. By tracking RPE and rep quality over time, the app learns your fatigue threshold and can suggest specific strap height adjustments to ensure you are training at the optimal intensity for muscle growth without compromising shoulder health.

Form Cues

Do
  • Keep your body in a rigid straight line from ears to ankles.
  • Position your hands directly under your shoulders with palms facing down.
  • Lower your chest until your hands align with your armpits.
  • Brace your core tightly to prevent your lower back from arching.
  • Squeeze the handles inward toward each other as you press up.
Don't
  • Don't allow the straps to saw against your arms or shoulders.
  • Don't let your hips sag toward the floor at any point.
  • Don't flare your elbows out to the sides past 45 degrees.
  • Don't crane your neck forward to reach the bottom position.

Common Mistakes

  • Rubbing straps against the arms due to incorrect angle
  • Sagging hips caused by lack of core tension
  • Stopping short of full range of motion
  • Flaring elbows too wide putting stress on shoulders
  • Raising the hips too high (piking) to compensate for weakness

Muscles Worked

This exercise primarily targets the pectoralis major (middle chest) while heavily recruiting the anterior deltoids and triceps for the pressing motion. Because the suspension straps can move in any direction, your rotator cuff muscles and core stabilizers work significantly harder than in a floor push-up to prevent swaying.

Primary

Middle Chest

Secondary

Anterior DeltoidTriceps Lateral HeadTriceps Medial HeadGeneral Core

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