Light up your arms, chest, and abs with this TRX exercise

In the video above, Fhitting Room instructor Mat Forzaglia demonstrates how you can take an exercise as simple as the standard pushup and upgrade it to target additional muscles beyond just your chest and triceps.

“When it comes to fitness, I like to think about having a purpose behind every action you do,” Forzaglia says before demonstrating the pushup to pike, a challenging exercise that turns the pushup into a full-body functional movement.

When you perform a regular pushup, you move in and out of a plank—a great abs exercise—but you don’t spend much time there. But when your feet are suspended in a TRX, you lose the solid foundation you’re accustomed to having beneath you and your core is tasked with stabilizing your body throughout the movement.

For the second part of this exercise—the pike—you’ll return to the plank position from your pushup, drive your hips high, and bring your head through your shoulders as you bring your feet in towards your hands.

When all is said and done, you will have worked your shoulders, chest, triceps, abs, and even your lower body, all with just one exercise.

It’s worth mentioning that you don’t necessarily need a TRX to do this exercise. You could put a set of gliders under your feet if you’re working out on a carpet; you could even use paper plates. And if you’re on a hard floor you can usually get the same effect by taking off your shoes and using your socks, depending on the surface.

That said, a suspension trainer like the TRX will be the smoothest option and require the greatest amount of stabilization.