TRX Pike
What Is the TRX Pike?
TRX Pike is a compound exercise that primarily targets the core and also engages the hip flexors, shoulders and serratus anterior. It is an advanced-level movement that starts in a straight-arm plank with the hands on the floor and the feet in the foot cradles of a suspension trainer, then lifts the hips toward the ceiling with straight legs until the body forms an upside-down V with the hips stacked over the shoulders.
The pike trains the abs to control the pelvis while the hip flexors fold the body in half, and then to lower the legs back to a flat plank without letting the hips sag. Because the feet hang from a single anchor, the straps also have to be kept from swinging and drifting sideways, which is a large part of what makes the exercise so demanding. In a study of 17 physically active men who were new to suspension training, the TRX pike, taken to about a 90-degree bend at the hips, brought the lower abs and the external obliques to a little over half of their maximum activity. That was about the same as a bent-knee tuck with the feet in the straps, while a suspension rollout and body saw worked the lower abs harder.
Keeping the legs straight makes the pike a longer lever than the TRX Jack Knife, where the knees bend and come in toward the chest, so the pike asks more of the hip flexors and shoulders and needs enough hamstring flexibility to keep the knees straight at the top. As the hips rise over the hands, more body weight moves onto the arms, and the front of the shoulders and the serratus anterior hold a position close to the top of a Pike Push-Up. The TRX Twisting Jack Knife adds rotation and shifts more of the work onto the obliques.
The TRX Pike usually sits in the core block of a session or in a suspension circuit, done for a modest number of slow, controlled reps. It suits people who can already hold a steady TRX Plank for 60 seconds and control the TRX Jack Knife and TRX Mountain Climber without the straps swinging. If it is still too hard, the same folding pattern with the feet on a ball in the Exercise Ball Jack Knife is a useful step in between.
Muscles Worked
- Rectus Abdominis (Lower)
- Primary
- External Oblique
- High
- Rectus Abdominis
- High
- Rectus Femoris
- High
- Deltoid
- Medium
- Serratus Anterior
- Medium
- Tensor Fasciae Latae
- Medium
- Erector Spinae
- Minimal
Instructions
- Adjust the straps so the foot cradles hang directly under the anchor at mid-calf height, about 8 to 12 inches off the floor.
- Kneel on all fours facing away from the anchor, with your hands flat on the floor directly under your shoulders and your fingers pointing forward.
- Place one foot, then the other, into the foot cradles so the tops of your feet rest in them and your soles face the ceiling.
- Brace your abs, squeeze your thighs and straighten your knees to lift into a straight-arm plank, with your feet together and your body in one line from head to heels.
- Exhale and lift your hips toward the ceiling, keeping your knees straight, your toes pointed and the tops of your feet pressing into the cradles.
- Let your feet travel forward toward your hands as your hips rise, keeping the straps moving straight forward and back without swinging.
- Keep your arms straight and push the floor away as your hips stack over your shoulders and your body forms an upside-down V, with your head relaxed between your arms.
- Pause briefly, then inhale and lower your hips slowly back to the straight plank without letting them drop below the line of your shoulders and heels.
- Repeat for the planned reps, then lower your knees to the floor before taking your feet out of the cradles.
Common Mistakes
Bending the knees
Bending the knees to get the hips higher turns the pike into a knee tuck and takes away the long-lever work that makes the exercise worth doing.
Sagging hips between reps
Letting the hips drop below the line of the shoulders and heels on the way down arches the lower back and shifts the strain off the abs.
Using momentum
Swinging the legs up or dropping quickly out of the top lets the straps do the work and makes them sway, so lift and lower under control.
Sinking into the shoulders
Letting the chest sink and the shoulders creep toward the ears as the hips rise leaves the shoulder joints hanging instead of supported by the muscles around them.
Swinging straps
Setting up away from the anchor or pressing unevenly into the cradles makes the straps swing or drift sideways and pulls the hips off line.
Letting the feet split
Allowing the feet to drift apart in the cradles makes the straps move unevenly, so keep the feet together throughout.
Injuries
TRX Pike is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The lower back is the most common strain point: on the way back down, tired abs let the hips drop below the line of the shoulders and heels, and the lumbar spine takes the strain. The shoulders and wrists are the other areas to watch, because more of your body weight moves onto the hands as the hips rise and the wrists stay bent back under that load. Getting into and out of the foot cradles is also a point where people lose balance.
Brace the abs and squeeze the thighs before the first rep, keep the arms straight and push the floor away, and lower the hips slowly rather than letting the legs drop. Set the cradles directly under the anchor at mid-calf height so the straps travel straight forward and back, and keep your knees on the floor while you place your feet in and take them out of the cradles. If tight hamstrings stop you short, lift only as high as you can with straight knees instead of forcing the range.
If the full pike is too hard, go back to a TRX Plank to build a steady 60-second hold, then the bent-knee TRX Jack Knife, or use a smaller pike and lift the hips only partway. To progress, slow the lowering, pause for 2 to 3 seconds at the top, or add a TRX Push-Up between pikes.
End the set when the hips start to sag on the return or the straps start swinging and you cannot settle them. Stop the exercise if you feel pain in the lower back, sharp pain in the wrists or shoulders, or a pulling pain in the back of the thighs.
- Primary Focus
- Core
- Equipment
- Suspension trainer and body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: What is the difference between the TRX Pike and the TRX Jack Knife?
Both start in the same suspended plank. In the TRX Jack Knife you bend your knees and draw them toward your chest, while in the pike your legs stay straight and your hips lift toward the ceiling, which makes a longer lever and puts more weight on your hands. Most people learn the jack knife first.
- Q: How high should my hips go?
Aim to stack your hips over your shoulders so your body makes an upside-down V. If tight hamstrings stop you short, lift only as high as you can with straight knees rather than bending them to go higher.
- Q: How many reps of the TRX Pike should I do?
Start with 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 10 slow reps, taking about 2 seconds to lift and 2 seconds to lower. When those feel steady, add a short pause at the top before adding more reps.
- Q: How can I make the TRX Pike easier or harder?
To make it easier, lift the hips only partway, or lower the foot cradles a little so less of your weight sits on your hands. To make it harder, slow the lowering, hold the top for 2 to 3 seconds, or add a TRX Push-Up between pikes.