Equipped
A lightweight piece of equipment that can be used in a range of settings, suspension bands are a great tool for personal trainers and group instructors alike. Requiring participants to maintain control of their body while performing exercises in unstable scenarios, suspension training delivers a whole body workout, targeting the core in particular.
Benefits
Suspension training utilises total body movements in all three planes of motion, making it a functional and highly effective way to train. By simply changing the angle of their body, participants are able to adjust the load without having to stop the movement. Because of the element of instability and the fact that participants must direct and maintain control of their body throughout each movement, suspension training is particularly beneficial for core activation and integration.
What a suspension session involves
CrankIt Fitness runs a number of Fitness Australia CEC approved suspension training courses for exercise professionals. CrankIt CEO, Owen Bowling says that because of the versatility of the suspension training systems, “sessions are only limited by the outcomes established by the trainer and their client.” Describing an average suspension training session, Bowling says following a general warmup (which can be performed using the straps), the main workout phase is structured according to the clients’ goals and desired outcomes for that session. Core specific exercises will usually be left until the end of the session due to the high core requirement of most exercises.
While suspension exercises can easily be modified to accommodate a range of needs and abilities, Bowling says the movements are not intuitive and so trainers must be diligent and make sure that their clients maintain correct form and technique.
Suspension training doesn’t have to be performed as a stand-alone activity, but can be worked in as part of a broader program. “Suspension training is a great compliment to other types of training as it provides extra stabiliser recruitment and core engagement, while also teaching clients how to move and control their body,” says Bowling. Easily transportable, suspension training makes a great addition to a circuit session, adding a new, interesting and varied element to clients’ training.
Read the full article in the eJournal, POWERED by Fitness Australia.
0 comments