TRX Bodysaw

The TRX Bodysaw is a dynamic core exercise that challenges stability by increasing the lever length of a traditional plank using suspension straps. By sliding your body backward and forward while maintaining a rigid torso, you intensely target the deep abdominals and anterior deltoids.

How Iridium Helps

Because the TRX Bodysaw places significant demand on the lower back if core fatigue sets in, AI coaching is vital for safety. By tracking your RPE and set duration, the app can identify when your endurance is fading and recommend ending the set before your form degrades. Additionally, if your daily recovery metrics like HRV or sleep are low, the system may suggest regressing to a static TRX Suspended Plank to reduce shear force on the spine while still providing a training stimulus.

Form Cues

Do
  • Start in a forearm plank with feet secured in the TRX cradles.
  • Brace your core tightly as if preparing for a punch.
  • Squeeze your glutes to maintain a neutral pelvic position.
  • Slide your body backward slowly by pushing through your forearms.
  • Pull your body forward to the start position using your lats and abs.
Don't
  • Don't allow your lower back to sag or arch as you slide back.
  • Don't hike your hips up toward the ceiling to initiate the return.
  • Don't hold your breath; exhale forcibly as you pull forward.
  • Don't slide back further than you can control with perfect tension.

Common Mistakes

  • Hyperextending the lumbar spine
  • Using momentum to rock back and forth
  • Piking the hips to return
  • Looking up and straining the neck
  • Disengaging glutes during movement

Muscles Worked

This exercise primarily targets the rectus abdominis and transverse abdominis by forcing them to resist spinal extension as the lever arm lengthens. It also heavily engages the anterior deltoids and serratus anterior to control the upper body movement, while the glutes and erector spinae work isometrically to stabilize the pelvis and spine.

Primary

General Core

Secondary

Anterior DeltoidErector Spinae

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