TRX HOME2 review: suspension trainer home workouts don't get much better than this

TRX HOME2 review TL;DR: probably the best suspension trainer on the market today that's not only highly portable but also versatile as hell and provides the quietest full body workout out there.

Building the best home gym requires getting at least a couple of the best dumbbells, the best weight bench, probably one of the best kettlebells and maybe even the best multi-gym if you have loads of money to burn. With the TRX HOME2, you can replace all of these (maybe not the weight bench) with just one system that takes up less space yet is able to train all of your body efficiently.

Much like the best ab rollers, the best suspension trainers are the best kept secret of the fitness industry. Sure, calisthenics people know about them as suspension trainers use bodyweight as resistance but given the versatility of this equipment, if you are considering building muscle at home, you should consider getting a suspension trainer.

And when it comes to suspension trainers, you will want to get a TRX system as they are the household name for a good reason. The TRX HOME2 is definitely the best home suspension trainer I tried so far and with it, you can train muscles you otherwise can't using bodyweight only such as the biceps and the upper back. But there is more!

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TRX HOME2 review: price and availability

The TRX HOME2 suspension trainer is available at TRX for £169.95 / $199.95.

• Buy the TRX HOME2 for $199.95 at TRX US

• Buy the TRX HOME2 for $169.95 at TRX UK

TRX HOME2 review: what's included

The TRX HOME2 is surprisingly compact considering all your muscles can be trained with it, which is perfect for people who want to keep their fitness gear to the minimum at home, maybe because they live in a smaller apartment or just don't want to bother others in the household by having 7,000 pieces of home gym equipment laying around.

The TRX HOME2 suspension trainer set includes the actual suspension trainer that comes equipped with the foot cradle/foam handle at both ends, the suspension anchor (should you have something to attach it to), the door anchor, a mesh carry bag and a poster with all the basic TRX exercises so you can decorate the wall in your garage with it.

TRX HOME2 review: the TRX App

Included in the set is a card with a code to activate your free one-year TRX App subscription. There are plenty of free TRX workouts available online but as well as having loads of different workouts in the TRX App, you can also connect a heart rate sensor and track the workouts too.

Better still, some workouts also have video footage as well as audio prompts  which can help beginner TRXers a lot in mastering TRX exercises. Since heart rate monitors can be connected to the app, you can see how many calories each exercise burned and there is no need to run another app in the background just to monitor the strap.

TRX HOME2 review: how to use it

Setting up the TRX HOME2 is pretty self-explanatory: connect either the suspension or door anchor to the suspension trainer strap and attach it the anchor point. The beauty of the TRX HOME2 – or any TRX suspension trainer for that matter – is that it can be attached to anything that can support your weight, such as a sturdy branch on a tree, a bike rack on the car or anything in-between.

That said, it's likely that the HOME2 will be used at home with the door anchor most of the time. The door anchor is pretty simple to use: just drop it over the top edge of the door and close it. That's it! As easy as it to use the door anchor, it is worth mentioning that it is not as sophisticated of an anchor point as the 'proper' suspension anchor.

You see, since the door anchor is just a little square block attached the strap, it can slide around the edge of the door if you are not leaning perfectly parallel against the door. Ideally, you would want the door anchor to be close to the hinged side of the door as that provides the sturdiest anchor point but if you are living in a small flat, chances are the door is going to be close the the corner of the wall and not in the centre of the wall.

You will inevitably do your TRX training in an angle which will make the anchor point slide to the non-hinged side of the door. And if you are living in a flat in the UK, where all the internal doors in homes are made of paper mache, it can cause a problem, or worse, break your door. Always make sure the anchor point is stable enough and if you are using the door anchor, adjust it accordingly throughout the workout.

TRX HOME2 review: workouts

There really isn't a body part you can't train with the TRX HOME2 suspension trainer. There are seven basic exercise but these can be combined and altered in a variety of ways to create new moves.

The TRX HOME2 is especially good for training the core, the glutes, the back and the arms. Since one part of your body will be always hanging from the suspension trainer, the core is getting blasted quite a lot which is perfect for improving posture and strengthening the lower back.

Training the biceps using bodyweight only exercises is not easy. You can invest in the best pull up bar but mastering pull ups takes quite a while. The TRX HOME2 can effectively train your biceps as you can do inverted rows, among other moves, that strengthen the biceps and the upper back.

Talking about the upper back: the TRX HOME2 is probably the next best thing after pull ups to train your back. Many hinging/rotating/pulling TRX moves works the upper back beautifully and effectively.

The pecs can also be worked on. Not only you can perform TRX push ups – working the core even more than standard push ups – but also chest flyes, something you most usually need a couple of dumbbells for.

Adjusting the resistance is also easy: the more parallel to the ground your body is to the ground, the harder the exercise will be. This also works both ways, so the more upright your body is, the easier the exercise gets. You don't have to stop there though: once you can comfortably perform TRX push ups, you can transition into doing decline TRX push ups and elevate your legs as you get better at it.

TRX HOME2 review: verdict

The TRX HOME2 is the perfect small-space suspension training system that can provide a full body workout with ease. Well, the exercises won't be easy but the using the TRX HOME2 sure will be.

Although there is a door anchor included with the TRX HOME2, to reach its full potential, you will have to attach the system to a proper anchor point with ample amount of space around you. Some exercises can only be performed when the TRX HOME2 is hanging from an anchor point above with no obstruction either way.

• Buy the TRX HOME2 for $199.95 at TRX US

• Buy the TRX HOME2 for $169.95 at TRX UK

That said, even 'just' using the door anchor, the TRX HOME2 still has plenty of versatility to work out all muscles in the body. It does that without being excessively bog too: after use, you can store the TRX HOME2 suspension trainer in the mesh carry bag that comes included in the pack.

The one-year TRX App subscription makes the HOME2 even better value for money. You'll find heap loads of useful content in the TRX App and the fact that you can feed heart rate data straight into the app is a pleasant surprise.

Should you buy the TRX HOME2? If you are planning on working out at home and want to do it efficiently without breaking the bank, you definitely should. It might be a small investment at the beginning but considering you already cancelled your gym membership already, you might as well re-invest that money in your wellbeing by getting a TRX HOME2.

TRX HOME2 review: also consider

The TRX All-in-One is an all-in-one package that was designed to get even complete suspension training newbies into the swing of it. This set also comes with the both the door anchor or the traditional TRX anchor but lacks the footstrap adjustability and the TRX App subscription is also not included. It is cheaper, though, than the TRX HOME2.

There are also a metric ton of cheap suspension trainers available at Amazon, feel free to pick one that you feel comfortable with.

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