How is it different from the TRX Power Pull?

The TRX Power Pull keeps you leaning back in a straight line and rows the handle in with a bent elbow. This version stands almost upright, adds a deep squat as you rotate open, and uses the legs to drive you back up, so it trains more of the body in each rep.

Should my working arm bend?

Not in the version shown here. The arm stays long and the pull comes from the shoulder blade, the turn of the upper body and the legs; adding a row at the top, elbow driving back past the ribs, is a harder progression that puts more work on the lats and biceps.

Do my heels have to stay down?

Ideally, yes. Squat only as deep as you can keep your weight across the whole foot. The strap lets you sink low enough to come up onto the balls of the feet, but that shifts more of the load onto the knees, so treat full depth as something to earn.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Make it easier by squatting less deeply and turning less. Make it harder by lowering more slowly, pausing in the bottom position, or adding a row at the top of each rep.

Where does it fit in a workout?

It works well in a full-body circuit or conditioning block, or as a lighter compound move after your main lifts. Finish every rep on one side before switching, and keep the reps controlled rather than fast.

TRX Squat Power Pull

What Is the TRX Squat Power Pull?

TRX Squat Power Pull is a compound exercise that primarily targets the back and quads and also engages the glutes, shoulders and obliques. It is an intermediate-level movement that joins a deep bodyweight squat to the rotational single-arm pull of the TRX Power Pull, performed on one handle of a suspension trainer.

The squat is what sets it apart. In the standing TRX Power Pull you lean back in a straight line and the rotation happens around a fixed plank. Here you stand almost upright, sit down into a deep squat while your chest turns open away from the anchor and your free arm reaches back, then drive up and rotate back to face the anchor. The working arm stays long, so the pull comes from the shoulder blade, the lat and the turn of the upper body, while the legs supply the drive out of the bottom.

Because the strap counterbalances you, the legs move through a deeper range than many people can control in a free squat, and the back has to hold that load on one side while the trunk turns. That makes it a useful full-body move for circuits and conditioning blocks, and a way to practice rotating through the hips and upper back together while the legs work, rather than twisting from the lower back.

It suits clients who already move well in a TRX Squat and a TRX Power Pull. If either half is shaky, build it up first with the TRX Row and a TRX Squat to a comfortable depth, then join them. The squat depth should match your mobility, not the depth in the picture.

The most useful focus is the working shoulder blade. Feel it draw back and down before you stand and turn, so the back holds the strap instead of the arm simply hanging from it.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Latissimus Dorsi: Primary
Vastus Lateralis: Primary
Vastus Medialis: Primary
Deltoid: High
Gluteus Maximus: High
Rhomboid Major: High
External Oblique: Medium
Rectus Femoris: Medium
Upper Trapezius: Medium
Erector Spinae: Low

Instructions

Set the suspension trainer to single-handle mode at mid-length and face the anchor.
Hold the handle in one hand with that arm straight at about shoulder height and the strap taut, and rest your free hand at your chest.
Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart, close enough to the anchor that your body is almost upright, and brace your core.
Sit down and back into a squat, letting the strap take some of your weight while the working arm stays long.
As you lower, rotate your hips and chest open away from the anchor and sweep your free arm out and back, eyes following the free hand.
At the bottom, keep the strap taut, the working shoulder down away from your ear and your knees tracking over your toes.
Draw the working shoulder blade back, then drive through your feet to stand while rotating your chest back toward the anchor.
Finish standing tall with your free hand back at your chest, complete all reps on one side, then switch.

Common Mistakes

Dropping into the squat
Falling into the bottom and catching yourself on the strap jerks the working shoulder and takes the control away from the legs.
Twisting from the lower back
Turning the lumbar spine instead of rotating the hips and upper back together puts the rotation through the lower back.
Letting the shoulder ride up
Allowing the strap to pull the working shoulder toward the ear at the bottom leaves the shoulder joint, not the back, holding your weight.
Slack strap at the bottom
Letting the strap go loose as you squat and snapping it taut on the way up removes tension from the back and jolts the shoulder.
Knees caving in
Letting the knees fall inward as you sit and turn twists them under load instead of keeping them in line with the toes.
Standing up with the legs alone
Driving up while the working arm just trails behind turns the move into an assisted squat and leaves the back with little to do.

Injuries

TRX Squat Power Pull is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The strap supports part of your body weight, so the load stays modest, but the working shoulder, the lower back during the rotation and the knees at the bottom of a deep squat are the main strain points.

Rotate the hips and upper back together rather than twisting from the lower back, and keep the working shoulder set down and back so the strap never drags it up toward your ear. Lower into the squat under control instead of dropping and catching yourself on the strap, keep your weight spread across the whole foot and let the knees track over the toes. Squat only as deep as you can control without the lower back rounding.

To regress, squat less deeply, reduce the rotation, or practice the halves separately with the TRX Squat and the TRX Power Pull. To progress, slow the lowering, pause in the bottom position, or add a row at the top by driving the elbow back past the ribs.

Stop if you feel sharp pain in the shoulder, knee or lower back. If you have a recent shoulder injury, knee surgery or acute low back pain, get clearance from a medical professional before doing this exercise.

Overview

Primary Focus: Back and quads
Equipment: Suspension trainer and body weight
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Intermediate

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is it different from the TRX Power Pull?: The TRX Power Pull keeps you leaning back in a straight line and rows the handle in with a bent elbow. This version stands almost upright, adds a deep squat as you rotate open, and uses the legs to drive you back up, so it trains more of the body in each rep.
Q: Should my working arm bend?: Not in the version shown here. The arm stays long and the pull comes from the shoulder blade, the turn of the upper body and the legs; adding a row at the top, elbow driving back past the ribs, is a harder progression that puts more work on the lats and biceps.
Q: Do my heels have to stay down?: Ideally, yes. Squat only as deep as you can keep your weight across the whole foot. The strap lets you sink low enough to come up onto the balls of the feet, but that shifts more of the load onto the knees, so treat full depth as something to earn.
Q: How do I make it easier or harder?: Make it easier by squatting less deeply and turning less. Make it harder by lowering more slowly, pausing in the bottom position, or adding a row at the top of each rep.
Q: Where does it fit in a workout?: It works well in a full-body circuit or conditioning block, or as a lighter compound move after your main lifts. Finish every rep on one side before switching, and keep the reps controlled rather than fast.