TRX Squat
What Is the TRX Squat?
TRX Squat is a compound exercise that primarily targets the quads and also engages the glutes, the inner thighs and the back and arm muscles that hold the straps. It is a beginner-level movement done on a suspension trainer: you face the anchor with a handle in each hand, sit back and down into a squat while the straps take part of your weight, and stand back up.
Because your hands can share the load and catch your balance, the TRX Squat is an easier version of the Bodyweight Squat. It lets you practice the full squat pattern, sitting back with your heels down and your chest up, before your legs, balance or mobility are ready to do it unsupported. That makes it a common starting point for beginners, older adults, people returning after a layoff and anyone who finds a free-standing squat unsteady. It also works as a warm-up before heavier leg work and fits easily into suspension circuits next to the TRX Row and TRX Hamstring Curl on the same straps.
The quadriceps do most of the work, straightening the knees, while the glutes and the adductor magnus extend the hips out of the bottom. How much your legs do depends on how much you lean on the straps: the more weight you let the handles take, the lighter the squat, and the less you pull, the closer it gets to an unassisted squat. The straps also let you stay more upright than you could on your own, so it can help you find a deeper, more comfortable bottom position. Doing the same move on one leg turns it into a much harder single-leg squat and a step toward the Pistol Squat.
If even the assisted squat is too hard, shorten the range by squatting only as low as you can control, or hold a Bodyweight Wall Squat to build strength in a fixed position. Once you can squat through the full range with only a light hold on the handles, move on to the Bodyweight Squat and then a loaded squat such as the Kettlebell Goblet Squat.
Muscles Worked
- Rectus Femoris
- Primary
- Vastus Lateralis
- Primary
- Vastus Medialis
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- High
- Adductor Magnus
- Medium
- Soleus
- Low
- Biceps Brachii
- Minimal
Instructions
- Fix the suspension trainer to a secure overhead anchor and adjust both straps to mid-length, the same on each side.
- Stand facing the anchor with your feet about shoulder-width apart and your toes pointing forward or slightly out.
- Hold one handle in each hand with your palms facing each other, your hands at chest height and your elbows bent close to your sides.
- Step back until the straps are taut, then stand tall with your chest up and your weight spread evenly over your feet.
- Brace your core and bend your knees and hips to sit back and down, keeping your heels on the floor and your knees tracking in line with your toes.
- Let your arms move forward and up as you lower, keeping a bend in your elbows and just enough tension on the straps to stay balanced.
- Lower until your thighs are about parallel to the floor, or as deep as you can go with your chest up and your lower back flat.
- Push through your whole foot to stand back up, using the straps only as much as you need.
- Return to standing tall with your hands back at chest height, then begin the next rep.
Common Mistakes
Hanging off the straps
Sinking into the bottom and resting your weight on the handles takes the work off the legs and jerks the shoulders, so keep your legs loaded and the straps only lightly taut.
Rowing yourself up
Pulling hard with the arms to stand turns the rep into a row, so drive up through your feet and let the arms only guide you.
Leaning back too far
Standing with your feet too close under the anchor and your body tilted well back puts most of your weight on the straps, which makes it more of a row than a squat.
Knees caving inward
Letting the knees drift toward each other as you rise stresses the knees, so keep them tracking in line with your toes.
Heels lifting
Rocking onto the balls of your feet at the bottom shifts load onto the knees and costs balance, so keep your whole foot, and especially the heels, on the floor.
Slack or uneven straps
Starting with slack in the straps or one handle longer than the other means the straps snap tight partway down and one side takes more of the load.
Injuries
TRX Squat is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. Your feet stay on the floor, you lift only part of your body weight, and the straps give you something to hold if you lose your balance, so most problems come from the setup or from how you use the straps rather than from the squat itself.
The knees and the lower back are the main strain points. Letting the knees cave inward or the heels lift shifts stress onto the knees, and letting the lower back round at the bottom loads the spine instead of the hips. Dropping quickly and hanging off the straps at the bottom jerks the shoulders and elbows, as does yanking yourself up with your arms. Before every session, check that the anchor is fixed to a solid beam, bar or door anchor on the closed side of a door, that the buckles are locked and that both straps are the same length, because uneven straps twist the body and put more weight on one side.
To make it easier, squat only as deep as you can control, lean a little more on the handles, or hold a Bodyweight Wall Squat instead. To progress, grip the handles more lightly so your legs do more of the work, slow the lowering phase, pause at the bottom, or move on to the Bodyweight Squat.
Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in or around the kneecap, pain in the hip or groin at the bottom of the squat, low-back pain that does not ease when you stay more upright, or dizziness when you stand up.
- Primary Focus
- Quads
- Equipment
- Suspension trainer and body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the TRX Squat
The TRX Squat is also known as:
- TRX Assisted Squat
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Is the TRX Squat easier than a Bodyweight Squat?
Yes. Your arms can take part of your weight and help you balance, so it is a regression of the Bodyweight Squat and a good way to learn the pattern before squatting without support.
- Q: Is the TRX Squat easier on the knees?
It can be, as long as your arms really take some of the load. In a lab study of 10 healthy young men, holding onto a support with one hand during a squat took about 12% of body weight through the hand and lowered the estimated forces inside the knee on that side. The straps work on a similar idea: the more weight you let them take, the less your knees carry, and the less your legs are trained.
- Q: How do I make the TRX Squat harder or easier?
To make it harder, hold the handles more lightly so your legs do more of the work, slow down the lowering phase or pause at the bottom. To make it easier, lean back a little more on the straps and squat only as deep as you can control. This is the opposite of the TRX Row, where leaning back further makes the pull harder.
- Q: What strap length should I use for the TRX Squat?
Most coaches set the straps to mid-length, so the handles sit around chest height when you stand tall with the straps taut. Make sure both straps are the same length so each side takes an even share of your weight.
- Q: How hard should I pull on the straps?
Only as hard as you need to finish the rep with good form. The aim is to rely on the straps less and less over time, until you can squat through the full range with only a light hold and are ready for an unassisted squat.