Give a man a suspension trainer, and he'll be pumped for a day – show a man the best TRX exercises, and he'll be ripped for life. Or something like that. 

First invented by a US Navy SEAL using only a jiu-jitsu belt and parachute webbing back in 1997, the TRX pits your bodyweight against gravity to build functional upper body, lower body and core muscle. And trust us, it burns.

HERE'S HOW TO BUILD STRENGTH WITH A SUSPENSION TRAINER:

We've pulled together a comprehensive list of the best TRX exercises to smoke your chest, shoulders, arms, abs, legs and calves. Just attach the straps somewhere secure – the kitchen door, the garage, a tree in the park – grab a towel, and test your mettle with this suspension trainer circuit. 

Perform 4-8 of the following exercises for 60 seconds, changing sides halfway through where applicable. Repeat 2-3 times, resting for two minutes between sets.

Hang tough

This TRX exercise is simple: grab the stirrups with your hands, tense your core, and fight against gravity to build supreme upper body muscle. The instability caused by the suspension develops serious strength that's hard to replicate with regular weights.

Squat & fly

Grab the stirrups and squat down, allowing the TRX to take your weight. Drive up, spreading your arms as you rise to target your shoulders. Drawing your arms apart hits your rear delts, making this a full-body move.

Clock press

Lean forwards holding the straps. Hold your left arm to your chest and extend the right. Return to the start and repeat with your other arm. The left-right switches improve your muscle reaction times for better agility.

Low row

Lie under the TRX and grab hold of the handles. Raise your body, drawing your shoulders back to focus the work on your lats for that V-shape. The instability makes this move a great back-builder.

Tricep press

For horseshoe triceps, hold tight and bend your arms so your forearms come to your head. Then extend forcefully to straighten your arms. This one burns, but it hits every fibre in your triceps for quick gains.

One-leg squat

Hold the handles and lean backwards, raising your left leg. Squat on your right leg, tensing your core to prevent any wobbling. Fire back up. This hammers your glutes and quads, torching serious calories.

Lunge

Place your left foot into the stirrups and drop into a lunge. Squeeze your glutes and drive your body up, raising your left knee up to hip height. It's a tough move, but bigger glutes will improve your posture.

Ham curl

On your back, put your feet in the stirrups, with legs slightly bent. Pull your feet towards you, keeping your hips as high as possible. That pain in your hamstrings and core is solid muscle under construction.

Pike

Adopt a press-up position with both feet in the stirrups. Tense your core, exhale and, keeping your legs straight, raise your backside. With good form, this is a painful but high-yielding six-pack builder.

Side-plank tap

Lying on your left side, place your feet in the stirrups. Extend your right arm for balance. Raise your hip off the floor, hold for 2sec, then lower. This will increase the width of your midriff for cover-model abs.

Atomic press-up

This is the single most effective TRX move. In a press-up position with your feet in the stirrups, straighten your arms. Row your legs into your chest. Watch the sweat fall from your brow – you’ve just hit every muscle group.