Liverpool FC ended their wait for silverware with their recent Carling Cup triumph over Cardiff City, securing them a record eighth League Cup win in the process.
The football club’s head of fitness and conditioning, Darren Burgess, has long been relying on TRX Suspension Training (in his current role with Liverpool and previously with Australia’s national team, the Socceroos) to provide sport-specific functional training for his athletes and to help them reduce their risk of injury. And it appears to be working, as Liverpool FC currently has one of the lowest injury ratings in the English Premier League.
“I think functional training such as that offered by the TRX Suspension Trainer allows players to improve their strength and power in a football-specific manner,” says Darren. “It helps progress players to a higher level of performance but also continues to build the mobility and strength to keep players on the pitch versus on the sidelines.”
Now Darren and the first team have a new piece of kit in the training room at Melwood, after recently having been introduced to the TRX Rip Trainer during a visit from TRX Director of Training and Development Fraser Quelch (on left above). Fraser took Liverpool FC’s coaching staff through a variety of Rip exercises in a demo, and Darren quickly saw how the Rip Trainer is the perfect complement to the Suspension Trainer.
Where the Suspension Trainer allows you to build total body strength, core stability and mobility and a strong athletic base, the Rip Trainer allows you to utilize that foundation for explosive power, metabolic conditioning or a cardiovascular challenge. Because it utilizes elastic resistance, the Rip Trainer allows athletes to build up a ton of speed at the beginning of an exercise and forces them to control a high tension load at the end range of motion (excellent for speed training).
For Darren, the Rip Trainer is a game-changer. “Football is played in a vertical position, and the TRX Rip Trainer allows you to train in that position while you are applying force through the ground, exactly like you do in football,” says Darren. “You are allowed to do any number of movements while turning your core and glutes on,” which is crucial for football players as they use these muscles to back into other players and fight for loose balls during the game.
The TRX Rip Trainer is a powerful tool for reinforcing movement patterns as corrective strategies before, during and after traditional strength, power and agility-specific training for football. It’s the perfect tool for every athlete and team looking for that extra edge in performance.
Liverpool prepares to face Sunderland this Saturday at the Stadium of Light.
Check out the moves that helped Liverpool FC win the Carling Cup.
Download this workout program, designed by Darren and used exclusively by the Reds!
