Our thanks to MOVE Wellness Studios community member Emily Douglas for sharing her thoughts on her favorite class.

We’ve all got that one MOVE Wellness Studios Pilates class that, come hell or high water, we refuse to miss because we just love it that much. And for me, that class is Power Pilates w/TRX on Tuesday mornings.

A brilliant blend of foundational Mat Pilates and highly effective strength training, this class has become an essential part of my week. There are plenty of reasons to take it, but here are my top five reasons to take TRX and Pilates:

1. Half-and-half = Happiness

Not sure you’re really up for a TRX class? No worries. Because half this class has nothing to do with TRX. The beauty of Power Pilates with TRX is that it’s the best of both worlds, including traditional Mat Pilates and TRX suspension training. You get to warm-up with your favorite mat exercises and then jump into some beginner-friendly strength training. And thanks to the moderate pace of the class, you can learn to use the TRX as you go. No experience necessary!

2. The magical mat warm-up

For me, the magic of this class lies in the warm-up. Much of the effectiveness of TRX training comes from proper engagement of your shoulders and transverse abdominis. And that’s exactly what you get thanks to the first half of this class: purposeful mat exercises designed to get you on and aligned, so that when you do transition to the TRX portion of class, everything’s working exactly how it should be.

3. Deep squat satisfaction

If you’re secretly resentful of your toddler because she can effortlessly squat down to the floor with heels flat and you can’t, please raise your hand. For most of us, age, injury, and perhaps just plain old genetics prevent us from finding that blissful deep squat position as adults. But TRX changes that. While the goal of a TRX squat still is to use your lower body and core strength, relying on your upper body as little as possible, the extra support from the trainer allows you to safely find that lower squat position without sacrificing form or stability.

4. Fancy feet-in-straps

“Feet in straps” work on the TRX is the part of this class that you will love to hate. Think a good barre class gets your glutes and hamstrings burning? Just wait until you’re asked to “drag your heels through the sand” while holding a glute bridge on the TRX. It’s a mildly tortuous and wildly beautiful way to round out an already fabulous class.

5. Row, row your back

For those of us who sit hunched over a keyboard all day, getting out of our pecs and shoulders and re-engaging our back muscles is essential. And actually strengthening our backs while doing so is icing on the cake. The rowing series we move through in the TRX part of this class is superb. Like all TRX work, you can make it as easy or as challenging as you like based on the angle of your stance. And nothing feels better than pulling up after that last row to roll through a nice back and shoulder stretch with your hands in the straps.

Try TRX and Pilates You just might like it.

Whether it’s my tight shoulders or compromised hip tissue, there’s always something preventing me from keeping up with the pace of more traditional hour-long TRX classes. But I also crave classes that give me a chance to dig into some more focused strength training. Power Pilates with TRX has been the answer to that problem for me.

Whether you’ve been looking for another good mat class, but have been turned off by the TRX, or you’ve been hoping to try something new but not too intense, you should give this class a try. Even if you decide it’s not for you, you’ll at least get to laugh a little as we all fumble through strap choreography and enjoy your trainers ever-growing list of creative cues.