Can’t fit a gym workout into your schedule? Too lazy to drive yourself there? No space in your home for exercise equipment? The portable, easy-to-use TRX Suspension Trainer will bust all your excuses. Whether you’re at home, in the office, or on the road, all you need to do is to tie it around a post or bar or sling it over a door, and you’re ready to break a sweat. The secret of this versatile gym-in-a-bag? Instead of using weights, you are pulling or pushing your own body. “You’re the machine,” says TRX- certified trainer Reema Chanco.

Here, she demonstrates some basic moves with the System (that’s what the trainers call it). Start by doing as many reps as you comfortably can in 30 seconds, then rest for 50 seconds. “Position your body at a resistance level that makes that last few repetitions very challenging,” says Chanco. To move up to an advanced level, gradually increase your work interval and decrease your rest period until you’re at 60 seconds per exercise followed by 20 seconds rest.

Browse through the gallery for 7 easy workouts with the TRX Suspension Trainer.

(First published in the January/February 2010 issue of Women's Health Philippines, Get Fit Tricks section as "Bring Your Workout Anywhere;" photos by Ocs Alvarez; adapted for use in Female Network)