Best TRX Chest Exercises for a Great Upper Body Workout

By Richard Active Goals

The TRX is one of those gym equipment pieces that I find is underutilized. Speaking to people in the gym daily, I believe the main reason is a lack of knowledge about using it. You can use the TRX suspension trainer in your workouts in endless ways. Today, I’m sharing some of the best TRX chest exercises you can do for an effective upper-body workout.

I try to include at least one TRX exercise in all of my clients’ programs, especially beginners. Not only does this allow them to get used to using the TRX, but it is also a great piece of equipment to raise awareness of body positioning and help them to be more functionally fit.

Whether you’re a beginner or an accomplished athlete, the next time you’re in the gym, try the TRX chest exercises below to add variety to your workout.

[Elly: Note that the TRX is very lightweight and portable. Therefore, it also adds to your home exercise equipment or “anywhere” workout toolbox].

Don’t have a TRX yet? Grab the full-body resistance exercise program below that doesn’t require any equipment.

(This post includes affiliate links for which I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you should you make a purchase)

What is the TRX?

The TRX is a form of suspension training that uses your body weight as resistance. TRX stands for “Total Resistance Exercise” and was initially developed by former U.S. Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick using a jiu-jitsu belt and some parachute webbing.

Now, it is a well-known piece of fitness equipment present in almost every commercial gym. Many also purchase one for their “anywhere” workouts and home workout plans.

Look out for its recognizable black and yellow colors. It will be attached to an anchor point overhead or up high on a wall. You’ll often find them suspended from a metal frame which can also be used to perform pull-ups and dips. 

The range of exercises that you can perform with the TRX makes it a very versatile piece of kit. Because it has adjustable straps, you can set it up to perfectly match your desired difficulty level, from beginner to advanced. 

It lends itself better to training some body parts than others. However, you can have an excellent total body workout using just this equipment.

Having the two suspension cables moving freely adds instability which forces your muscles to work harder. No matter your exercise, it offers a fantastic workout for your core muscles. The TRX is an excellent tool for training your core stability due to higher levels of core activation than when training on a stable surface.

Today I’ll share ideas on how to use the TRX for your chest workouts.

TRX suspension trainers currently retail between $229.95 and $279.95.

Check out the latest prices and the full range of products and accessories at the official TRX training store.

Chest anatomy

It is worth noting that you have more than one muscle in your chest. The muscles of the chest area contain four muscles. These are the pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, serratus anterior, and subclavius.

All of these pectoral muscles are involved in moving and stabilizing the arm and surrounding joints. However, the pectoralis major is the biggest of these muscles and the one most involved with moving the arm in a forward-pushing motion.

This is also the most obvious and visible. You can learn more about the chest muscles’ in-depth anatomy over at teachmeanatomy.info.

Training your chest from different angles via your TRX chest exercises workout

Using multiple angles is the best way to train your chest and target the whole muscle group. This emphasizes different muscle fibers depending on your body angle relative to the direction of the resistance.

When performing chest presses or flyes with your arms elevated or at an incline position, this moves the workload up and targets the upper chest. Moving your arms down, or at a decline angle, moves the resistance down and targets the lower muscle fibers.

The TRX chest exercises in this article incorporate all three angles. Whether you want a bigger chest, a stronger upper body, or some new resistance-based exercises for your weight loss program, I’ve got you sorted. The exercises in this post are going to offer you some great options you can use for your chest training upper body workout.

Are you looking for a dumbbell workout? I also have a full-body workout that you can complete using only a set of dumbbells. Check it out here.

TRX Chest Exercises Workout

The following TRX exercises can be done as a chest circuit, or you can incorporate them into a TRX workout for your entire body. Read on if you’re looking for effective chest workouts to build your upper body strength.

Ensure you focus on body alignment and moving through a complete range of motion. Avoid using your body for momentum to help ensure you exercise safely and effectively.

1. TRX Chest exercises for beginners | chest press

By positioning the handles of the TRX higher, you will create more of an angle between you and the floor. This pushes the workload toward the lower muscle fibers of your pec muscles.

Out of the exercises listed here, this is the best TRX chest exercise for beginners because the extra angle also makes the move easier. You are decreasing the gravitational pull with a more upright body position.

TRX Chest Press-Beginner Version

Exercise Directions

Adjust the handles of the TRX so that they are at a minimum of knee height. The higher the handles, the easier the move and the more you shift the workload towards the lower muscle fibers in your chest.

Hold a handle in each hand with an overhand grip. Move your feet back until your body position is in a straight line and your arms are perpendicular to the floor. On this occasion, this means that your straightened arms are closer to your body rather than being straight out in front.

This will be your starting position, similar to a push-up position you’d do on the floor.

Keep your core tight, take a breath, and lower yourself under control until your elbows reach a 90-degree angle at the elbow joint. At this point, push through the handles while exhaling and return yourself to your starting position. This will be one repetition. 

[Elly: With all of these TRX chest exercises, aim to keep your head aligned with your spine and your abdominal muscles activated throughout the movement. Always focus on using proper form and a full range of motion with any exercise].

2. TRX Chest Press for Intermediate and Advanced Levels

This one is very similar to the traditional push-up or press-up, which almost everyone will be familiar with. The difference is that you will perform this classic move with your hands on the TRX handles.

[Elly: It’s also a more advanced version of the beginner’s chest press described above].

This exercise provides much more instability than a floor-based push-up and forces your body to work harder. With each press, you must also stabilize the straps to keep them in the correct position. This recruits more muscles and works far more of the smaller stabilizing muscles around your joints than a push-up on a stable surface.

TRX Chest Exercises-Intermediate level Chest Press-Side View

Exercise Directions

Start by adjusting the TRX so that the handles and loops are just off the floor. Take an overhand grip with a strap loop in each hand. Straighten your arms perpendicular to the floor, and position your feet so your body is straight.

Place your hands under shoulders so that your hands are shoulder-width apart. This is your starting position, similar to the press-up position you’d use on the floor.

Slowly lower yourself by bending your elbows. Ensure that you do not flare your elbows out to the side. Instead, keep a 45-degree angle from the side of your body.

When you reach a point where your elbows are at a 90-degree or right angle, reverse the movement by pushing through the handles. This is considered a full range of motion for this exercise.

Once you have pushed yourself back to the starting position, this will be one full repetition of the move completed. 

When you’ve mastered this exercise, you can try a more challenging variation such as the TRX clock press (also known as the TRX archer push-up or TRX chest press-flye combo) or the TRX single arm push-up (TRX single-arm chest press).

A single-arm version always proves a more challenging exercise because you recruit more muscle fibers from both the working and assisting muscles.

3. TRX Push-ups

TRX push-ups are an intermediate TRX chest exercise that involves using the foot loops on the TRX straps. With your feet above the ground, this exercise places more work on the upper part of your chest. Also known as a TRX decline push-up, it adds extra core work as you need to stabilize your body and stop your feet swaying as you perform the move.

[Elly: Note that you should be able to complete a set of full push-ups with your feet on a raised, solid surface (such as a small step) before you will be ready to progress to this exercise. Due to instability, it’s much more challenging than a standard push-up and best for advanced athletes].

TRX Feet Suspended-Push up-Intermediate-advanced

Exercise Directions

Adjust the TRX so the foot straps are about one foot off the ground. Place your feet in the foot cradles. You may need your workout partner to help you here, as getting your feet in the right place can be tricky.

Once your feet are in place, straighten your body and place your arms straight out in front of you with your hands on the floor. This will be your starting position. Take a deep breath and lower your body towards the floor by bending your elbows and extending your shoulder.

Keep your elbows at approximately a 45-degree angle to your body. In other words, don’t allow your elbows to flare out to the side.

Once your chest reaches a couple of inches off the floor, push yourself back to the starting position while exhaling. This is considered a full range of motion for this exercise.

If you want to make this move more challenging and shift the workload higher up your chest, you can position the foot loops higher off the ground. 

You can also experiment with different exercise variations, such as an eccentric push-up, the TRX atomic push-up, spiderman push-up, or the TRX plyo push-up. Check out the video below to see the TRX spiderman push-up in action.

During an eccentric push-up, lower yourself slowly (for several counts) during the downward phase (eccentric portion) and then push to the top at a regular speed.

An atomic press-up involves a regular TRX press-up followed by a knee tuck. You can make this more advanced by changing it to an atomic pike push-up (swap the tuck for a pike by straightening your legs). Another variation is the TRX atomic oblique push-up, where you perform the tuck to one side of your body and then the other on the following repetition.

The TRX plyo push-up adds power to the basic push-up movement by speeding up the concentric (push) phase. The extra power during the push phase allows your hands to clear the floor at the top of the movement – like your hands are jumping from the floor.

4. TRX Chest Fly

The TRX fly requires the most strength and is the most advanced exercise variation on this list. This is because you isolate the chest muscles by keeping your arms straight. With the pressing exercises, you are receiving assistance from your triceps to straighten your elbow. This won’t be the case here. To make this more challenging, keep the TRX handles as close to the floor as possible. 

[Elly: Note that you can do more of a beginner’s version of this isolated chest exercise by raising the TRX handles much higher so that your body position is closer to upright. You could also try a bent-elbow chest fly. By keeping the elbows at a consistent bend, you shorten the lever length and make the exercise easier].

TRX Chest Exercises-isolated- Fly

Exercise Directions

Adjust the TRX straps to the desired height. For your first attempt, I recommend around waist height.

Take hold of a handle in each hand and position your feet behind you so your body is straight. Your arms should be straight and pointing directly toward the floor. At this angle, your arms will be slightly closer to your body than straight out in front. This will be your starting position.

You will now lower yourself towards the floor by horizontally extending your shoulder joint with your elbows locked. You should lock your elbow with a very small bend at the joint. This means with almost straight arms.

Continue to lower yourself through the downward phase until your arms align with each other in one big straight line. You will look like you are pretending to fly. Return to the starting position by reversing the move. Horizontally flex your shoulders back until your arms are side by side and parallel. That is one repetition.

Breathe in on the descent and then breathe out as you lift yourself back to the starting position. 

Ready for some more trx exercises?

A training plan for good body balance always includes both chest and back exercises in the same or different workouts. Check out these effective TRX back exercises for some great TRX training for your back muscles, part of a balanced workout plan. You may also like these TRX leg exercises for an excellent lower-body workout.

For alternative chest exercises, try using resistance bands for chest movements. Check out this article about resistance bands versus dumbbells to determine where you want to focus.

Everyone can build their lean muscle mass and get stronger using the TRX. Work within your current strength and fitness levels and start with the most basic chest movements. Gradually progress from the basic technique for each exercise to more advanced training methods.

You can use pyramid methods or a high-intensity training method such as supersets to challenge yourself and make excellent chest gains. Ask your local personal trainer if you’re not sure where to start.

We’d love to hear about how you get on with the TRX chest exercises in this post. What are your favorite bodyweight chest training exercises? Feel free to join the conversation and leave a comment below!

TRX suspension trainers currently retail between $229.95 and $279.95.

Check out the latest prices and the full range of products and accessories at the official TRX training store.

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If you purchase after clicking on one of these recommended service provider links, like an insurance broker, or a travel agent, I may earn a commission – at no extra cost. [For my full disclosure, please see my DISCLAIMER page].

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