Q+A with TRX Suspension Trainer’s Fraser Quelch

Fraser Quelch is the Director of Training and Development of Fitness Anywhere, the maker of the TRX Suspension Trainer.  Healthynomics would like to thank Fraser for his time.

HN: What does being healthy mean to you?

Fraser Quelch: It means being disease and sickness free with the physical ability to engage in any activity vigorously. Additionally I believe that being healthy constitutes a positive self-concept with strong psychological and mental capacities and emotional health.

HN: How do you stay fit?

Fraser Quelch: While I do a regular exercise regimen including TRX, body weight movement, kettlebell techniques along with traditional strength training and cardiovascular training.  I also engage regularly in many activities including rock / ice / alpine climbing, back country / downhill skiing, cross country skiing, mountain / road cycling, trail running and basketball.

HN: What advice would you give individuals looking for ways to motivate themselves to start or maintain a fitness program?

Fraser Quelch: People need to truly make a commitment to themselves and set some rules around what they are doing. Some ways to make sure they stay on the rails. Plan everything out in advance, Knowing what they will be doing and when they will be doing it helps keep things on track. Keep a daily log book, commit to a workout partner, get a personal trainer and train early in the day so that other things can’t derail the plan and the day’s demands don’t sabotage your energy.

HN: For someone looking to start a home workout program or maintain their fitness while traveling, what tools or pieces of equipment would you recommend?

Fraser Quelch: I am certainly bias here but my honest opinion is that no single piece of equipment offers the advantages of the TRX Suspension Trainer in this regard. I spend an incredible amount of time on the road and I continue to be amazed at the quality of the workouts that I can get done in my hotel room.

HN: The TRX is a functional training and fitness tool.  What is functional training and how can the TRX assist people looking to start or enhance their fitness routines?

Fraser Quelch: Functional training is that which maps to the demands of our daily lives. While basic human function is the same for everyone (and the reality is that the vast majority of people are using compensatory patterns to perform many of these basic functions) that which sits on top of basic human function is going to be specific to each individual. In my view the most fundamental elements of function is the ability to move one’s body through space. The better able we are able to do this, the better we will be able to function at increasingly higher levels. The TRX Suspension Trainer meets this demand perfectly as your body is your resistance for every exercise. It demands that the entire body works coordinatively to perform the exercises and also scales incredibly well across the entire population.

Case in point: Right now we are doing a fall prevention study with the University of San Francisco and are working with a number of Physical Therapists developing effective exercise protocol using the TRX for these populations. At the same time some of the top athletes in the world are using the TRX as a significant component of their training including athletes like Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints QuarterBack and MVP Candidate), George St. Pierre (UFC Welterweight Champion) and Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic Centre).

The ability for a single product to be used with breadth of user means that not only does the TRX have the ability to meet people wherever they are in their fitness journey but it also will be able to scale up with them as they improve.

Here is a video of Fraser Quelch demonstrating the TRX Cool Combo: Single Leg Squat-Crossing Balance Lunge .

Fraser Quelch demonstrates numerous other awesome combination exercises within the TRX blog.

Related posts:

TRX Suspension Trainer: The Ultimate Core Workout

The best way to stay fit when you travel: The TRX Suspension Trainer

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