The easiest way to use TRX for improving cardio is to do HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). This routine is best for people who are already familiar with the exercises. The standing exercises can be done with jumping or without. Also helps to know other exercises that can be used as alternatives. Especially during the second and third round for the exercises on the floor. By the third round, I don't want to take the effort to get down and put my feet in the straps.
The single-leg Burpie is really hard to get set up quickly. I opt to just do regular Burpies without the TRX.
There are some HIIT workouts that are dominated by high impact exercises that leave out the upper body. Here is an example of a workout that engages the entire body. She is using an 8-lb medicine ball but obviously could start with a much later ball and work up the weight.
With any HIIT workout, it's important to warm up, cool down, and stretch afterwards. This video is designed to allow people to follow along, with a count down and audio markers at the end of each period.
15 Minute Medicine Ball HIIT Workout - Total Body Circuit
The variety of exercises and stretches with TRX is one of the advantages of using it. Another is that almost every TRX exercise helps build core strength. Here are a few ways to use TRX for a HIIT workout in ten minutes or so. The second video includes a warm up sequence using the TRX, as well as a cool down sequence. The third video is a quick look at other exercise possibilities to include in a TRX HIIT routine doing six exercises for 1-minute each.
I learned the first sequence with the help of my personal trainer. We modified a few of the exercises the first few times. Partially so I would not over do it because I had not been doing much cardio endurance work at the time. But mostly to minimize the amount of jumping that I tend to avoid because of being ACL-deficient in one knee. I can jump easily, but see little reason to do it just to increase cardio when there are other approaches that work as well.
Back in 2013, the NY Times wrote up a 7-Minute Workout and it proved to be quite popular. The basic premise is that the workout uses HIIT to achieve maximum results in a short amount of time. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training and has been researched a reasonable amount in recent years. The NY Times article was inspired by an article with the title "High-Intensity Circuit Training Using Body Weight: Maximum Results With Minimal Investment" from the Amer. College of Sports Medicine's Health and Fitness Journal. My personal trainer suggested I give it a try during a training session about a year after I completed physical therapy for knee rehab. After that I found a free app that makes it easy to do the workout, especially when I am traveling. All that's needed is a little space, a towel, and an appropriate chair.
When I first started doing the 7-Minute Workout, I was in decent shape but I wasn't ready for 30 seconds for some of the exercises. I did what I could, and then took a longer rest until it was time for the next exercise. I felt it was more important to maintain good form than worry about the number of reps. For instance, I started with about 8 pushups at a slow pace. Once I got into better shape, I started doing 10-15 pushups in the 30 seconds. When I'm in good shape, I can do 20 pushups.
Possible progression from easy to harder:
Very slow, stopping before 30 sec up if needed, complete rest for 10 sec
Slow and steady, continue for 30 sec, complete rest for 10 sec
Normal pace for 30 sec, simpler versions for a few exercises, complete rest for 10 sec
Normal pace for 30 sec, good form for all exercises, complete rest for 10 sec
Normal pace for 30 sec, good form for all exercises, active rest for 10 sec
This video demonstrates the entire 7-Minute Workout. She gives good explanations. In this case, active rest is used instead of complete rest. She does exercises that rely on upper body strength the easier way. For instance pushups or the plank from her elbows.
