TRX Body Saw
What Is the TRX Body Saw?
TRX Body Saw is a compound exercise that primarily targets the core and also engages the shoulders, lats and triceps. It is an advanced-level movement. From a forearm plank with your feet in the suspension cradles, you slide your body back and forth by moving your forearms and shoulders while the trunk stays in one straight line.
The work is anti-extension: your abs and obliques stop the lower back from sagging as the arms reach forward and push the body away. The longer the reach, the longer the lever and the harder the abs work. In a lab study of 17 active men, the suspension body saw took the rectus abdominis and external oblique to about 55 to 60 percent of their maximum voluntary contraction, a level high enough to build strength in those muscles. The serratus anterior, which holds the shoulder blades against the ribcage, also works hard to control the moving shoulders.
Because the feet hang in the cradles, the strap can swing and drift, so the trunk has to stay braced throughout. This makes it a step up from a floor Plank or a TRX Plank, and a close cousin of the Exercise Ball Body Saw and the TRX Rollout. The length of the slide is the easiest way to scale it.
It suits trained clients who can already hold a strict plank with no sag, and athletes who need trunk stiffness that carries over to throwing, swimming and sprinting. If it is too hard, build up with the floor plank, the Dead Bug and short, small slides first.
Muscles Worked
- External Oblique
- Primary
- Rectus Abdominis
- Primary
- Deltoid
- Medium
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Medium
Instructions
- Set the suspension trainer so the foot cradles hang low, about 6 to 12 inches above the floor.
- Lie face down and place one foot in each cradle, then rise onto your forearms with elbows directly under your shoulders.
- Lift into a forearm plank with the body in one straight line from head to heels. Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes.
- Keep your neck neutral with your gaze at the floor between your hands.
- Keeping your forearms planted, push through them to rock your body slowly backward, toward your feet, so your elbows end up in front of your shoulders.
- Stop as far back as you can still hold the straight line, with no sag at the lower back.
- Pull your body forward with your shoulders and abs until your elbows are back under your shoulders, keeping the hips level.
- Keep both cradles moving evenly, and repeat for the planned reps.
Common Mistakes
Sagging hips
Letting the lower back dip as the abs tire turns an abdominal exercise into a lumbar extension, so end the set when you cannot hold a straight line.
Piking the hips up
Raising the hips shortens the lever and takes the work away from the abs.
Sliding too far too soon
Reaching beyond the range you can control lets the trunk collapse, so build the slide length gradually.
Moving from the hips
The motion should come from the shoulders and forearms with the trunk rigid, not from rocking the pelvis.
Swinging the straps
Jerking or letting the cradles sway sideways makes the set sloppy, so move slowly and keep the pull on both cradles even.
Holding the breath
Bracing is not breath holding, so keep breathing steadily through each rep.
Injuries
TRX Body Saw is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The main danger is the lower back sagging into extension as the arms reach forward and the abs tire, which squeezes the lumbar spine. In a lab study of 14 men, the body saw created less than 2,500 N of spine compression, less than the roughly 3,000 N of a hanging straight leg raise, so it is a spine-friendly way to challenge the abs, but only while the trunk stays neutral.
The shoulders, elbows and wrists also take load, since the forearms support the body while it slides. Keep the movement small at first, and stop the set when the hips sag or pike, the neck strains or the shoulders feel pinched. People with acute low back pain, shoulder impingement or wrist problems should skip it until they are cleared.
To make it easier, shorten the slide, or work on a floor Plank or the Dead Bug. To make it harder, lengthen the slide or slow it down.
- Primary Focus
- Core
- Equipment
- Suspension trainer and body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How is the TRX Body Saw different from a plank?
A Plank is a static hold, while the body saw adds a slow slide that lengthens the lever and keeps the abs working harder through the whole rep. Hanging the feet in the cradles adds instability on top.
- Q: How far should I slide?
Slide only as far as you can keep a straight line from head to heels with no sag. Start with a few inches and add distance as control improves.
- Q: How many reps should I do?
Aim for 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 12 slow, controlled reps, and stop a set early when your form breaks. Quality matters more than count.
- Q: What if the TRX Body Saw is too hard?
Shorten the slide, or train a floor Plank and the Dead Bug first. The Exercise Ball Body Saw is another step on the way.