TRX Power Pull
What Is the TRX Power Pull?
TRX Power Pull is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back and also engages the rear shoulders, biceps and obliques. It is an intermediate-level movement performed one arm at a time on a suspension trainer set to single-handle mode, combining a bodyweight row with a rotation of the torso.
The free arm is what sets this exercise apart. As you lower, it sweeps down and back toward the floor and turns your chest open; as you pull, it reaches back up the strap toward the anchor and turns you square again. That turns a simple row into a pull that has to be driven and controlled through the trunk and hips, which makes it a popular choice when a trainer wants a rotational pull in a suspension circuit or a full-body session.
The lats and the muscles between the shoulder blades do most of the pulling, helped by the rear deltoid, the rotator cuff and the biceps. Because only one hand holds the strap, the obliques and the rest of the trunk work hard both to turn the body and to stop the strap from twisting it further than you intend, while the glutes keep the body in one straight line. Walking the feet closer to the anchor puts more of your body weight on the pulling arm, and a narrower stance adds balance demand.
The TRX Power Pull suits clients who can already perform a clean TRX Row and hold a solid Plank. If the rotation breaks down, practice the single-arm row with no turn first, or build one-arm pulling strength with the Dumbbell Single-Arm Bent-Over Row, then add the rotation through a small range before working toward the full reach.
The movement works best when you think of the shoulder blade starting each pull and the hips and shoulders turning together as one unit. Letting the eyes follow the free hand helps keep the rotation coming from the upper back and hips rather than a twist at the waist.
Muscles Worked
- Latissimus Dorsi
- Primary
- Deltoid
- High
- Rhomboid Major
- High
- Upper Trapezius
- High
- Biceps Brachii
- Medium
- External Oblique
- Medium
- Infraspinatus
- Medium
- Lower Trapezius
- Medium
- Teres Major
- Medium
Instructions
- Set the suspension trainer to single-handle mode with the straps at mid-length, and stand facing the anchor with your feet about hip-width apart.
- Hold the handle in one hand beside your chest with your palm facing in and your elbow bent behind you, and reach your free arm up along the strap toward the anchor.
- Walk your feet toward the anchor to set your angle, keeping your body in a straight line from head to heels, then brace your core and squeeze your glutes.
- Lower yourself back by straightening the working arm while rotating your chest open toward the working side, sweeping the free arm down and back toward the floor behind you.
- Turn your hips and shoulders together and let your eyes follow the free hand, stopping when the working arm is straight and the strap is still taut.
- Start the pull by drawing the working shoulder blade back and down, then drive the elbow back past your ribs.
- Rotate your chest back toward the anchor as you pull, reaching the free arm up along the strap, and finish with the handle beside your chest.
- Pause briefly, lower under control into the next rep, and complete all reps on one side before switching hands.
Common Mistakes
Sagging hips
Letting the hips drop out of a straight line from head to heels shortens the pull and loads the lower back.
Twisting from the lower back
Turning only at the waist while the hips stay square puts the rotation into the lumbar spine instead of the hips and upper back.
Pulling with the arm only
Bending the elbow before the shoulder blade moves turns the row into a curl and leaves the back muscles underworked.
Shrugging the working shoulder
Letting the shoulder ride up toward the ear as you pull shifts the effort to the upper traps and away from the lats and mid back.
Dropping into the bottom
Falling quickly into the lowered position jolts the shoulder at the end of its range instead of lowering it under control.
Using momentum
Jerking up from the bottom with a hip swing lets speed do the work the back and trunk should be doing.
Injuries
TRX Power Pull is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. Your body weight is the load and the angle of your body sets how much of it you lift, so the exercise is easy to scale to the client in front of you.
The lower back is the main strain point. Letting the hips sag out of a straight line, or twisting at the waist while the hips stay behind, puts the rotation into the lumbar spine instead of sharing it between the hips and upper back. The shoulder of the working arm is the other: dropping quickly into the bottom position jolts it at the end of its range, and shrugging the shoulder toward the ear as you pull shifts the work away from the back. Check that the anchor is secure and that the strap stays taut through every rep.
If you cannot keep your body straight, step your feet back from the anchor so you stand more upright, widen your stance, or shrink the rotation. The TRX Row is the natural regression. To progress, walk your feet closer to the anchor, narrow your stance, or add a pause at the top.
Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in the shoulder or lower back, or if the strap starts to rub against your arm because you can no longer control the turn. People with a recent shoulder injury or acute low back pain should get clearance before training rotation under load.
- Primary Focus
- Back
- Equipment
- Suspension trainer and body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the TRX Power Pull
The TRX Power Pull is also known as:
- TRX Single-Arm Row with Rotation
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: How is the TRX Power Pull different from the TRX Row?
The TRX Row uses both handles and keeps the chest square to the anchor, while the TRX Power Pull uses one handle and adds a rotation of the torso, so the trunk has to turn the body and resist the twist from the strap. In a study of resistance-trained men doing free-weight, cable and machine rows, the two-arm versions produced well under half the external oblique activity of the one-arm versions.
- Q: How do I make the TRX Power Pull easier or harder?
Step your feet back from the anchor so you stand more upright to make it easier, or walk them toward the anchor to lean back further and lift more of your body weight. A narrower stance and a short pause at the top make it harder without changing the angle.
- Q: Should the TRX Power Pull be done fast?
Lower under control every time, then pull up briskly once your form is consistent. Speed should come from the back and the turn of the hips and shoulders, never from a swing or a jerk out of the bottom.
- Q: What is the free arm doing during the TRX Power Pull?
The free arm leads the rotation: it reaches down and back toward the floor as you lower and up the strap toward the anchor as you pull. Following it with your eyes keeps the head turning with the torso, and it does not need to touch the floor.