TRX HOME2 System Review: A Full-Body Gym in a Door Frame
By The Ironnook Test Desk ·
7.8
trxtraining.com
The verdict
The HOME2 is the most honest small-space strength tool we know: two straps, a door anchor and no floor footprint. It builds pulling, core and single-leg strength well. It cannot load your legs heavily or train a big press. Buy it as a base, and skip the app fee after the first year if you can.
Best for: Apartment lifters who need strength work with no floor space
What we liked
Packs into a bag and weighs roughly 1.5 lb, so it travels
Rated for 350 lb of suspended weight on the straps
Door anchor and suspension anchor are both in the box
Resistance scales by body angle, from easy to brutal
Bundle includes 12 months of the TRX app's On Demand plan
What could be better
Needs a solid door or a real anchor point; hollow doors are a risk
The Get Lean set is a well-made, quick-swapping pair of weighted ropes that turns a doorway-sized corner into a real conditioning station. It is also an app business: the ropes are the entry fee, and after a free 30 days the workouts cost $99 a year. If you will follow programs, buy it. If you only want to skip for ten minutes a day, a $15 speed rope does the same cardio and you should save the money.
For $35.97, the Bodylastics Basic set is the nearest thing to a cable machine that fits in a drawer. Five latex tubes with an anti-snap safety cord stack to 190 lb of maximum tension, and the door anchor handles rows, presses and pulldowns. It is no replacement for iron when you get strong, but it covers a beginner's first year.
8.0$35.97
Cannot load legs heavily, and the push options are limited
App fees continue after year one ($9.99 a month list for On Demand)
Straps and foam handles show wear and sweat quickly
Progress needs a plan; the straps alone are just straps
The TRX HOME2 bundle costs $269.95 with a year of app coaching, weighs about 1.5 lb and hangs off a door. We looked at what it can and cannot train in a small apartment.
Strength gear has a space problem. Racks need a corner, benches need a wall, and dumbbells need a shelf. The TRX HOME2 needs the top of a door. That is why it keeps showing up in the apartments of people who would otherwise skip the whole idea.
What the bundle actually is
The product is two nylon straps joined at one anchor point, with foam handles and foot cradles at the bottom. You grab the handles, lean back, and your own body weight becomes the load. TRX rates the straps for 350 lb of suspended weight, and the kit weighs about 1.5 lb. It fits in a mesh bag the size of a loaf of bread.
The version worth buying is the starter bundle at $269.95, marked down from $337.44. It adds 12 months of the TRX app's On Demand plan to the HOME2 straps. Both a door anchor and a suspension anchor ship in the box.
TRX's subscription bundles page, where the HOME2 starter sits between the PRO4 and the All Access options.
TRX also sells a PRO4 bundle at $309.95. TRX positions it as the step up for daily, heavy use. For one person training a few days a week at home, we do not think the HOME2 is the weak link.
The door is the whole setup
Hanging a TRX from a door is simple and also the main risk. You tuck a foam anchor over the top, close the door, and test it with a firm tug. That works on a solid-core door on the side where your pull cannot swing it open. It does not work well on a flimsy, hollow one. Independent testers say the same.
TRX's anchoring range: a wall or ceiling XMount, a door hinge anchor and the standard door anchor.
If you rent, the door route is the one that leaves no marks. If you own, a wall or ceiling mount is sturdier and frees you from door etiquette. Either way, check the anchor before each session, because you are putting your full weight on a strap.
What it trains, and what it does not
Resistance comes from angle. Stand more upright and a row is easy. Walk your feet forward and the same row turns hard. That scale is genuinely useful: one pair of straps covers a beginner and someone with years of training.
It is best at pulling. Rows, face pulls and inverted pulls are what most home lifters lack, and the TRX does them well. It is also good for core work, single-leg squats and lunges with a rear foot in the cradle, and push-ups with your feet or hands suspended. The instability makes everything harder than it looks.
Where it stops: legs and presses. A body-weight squat will not tire anyone who already lifts, and a TRX cannot match a loaded bench press. Pair it with a pair of adjustable dumbbells or a kettlebell, and the picture changes.
A first month on the straps
If you are new, keep it plain. Three days a week, two rows, a split squat, a push-up and a plank, three sets each, ending a rep or two before form breaks. Change the load by moving your feet, not by rushing. Most people find that after six weeks they need steeper angles, single-leg versions and slower lowering phases, and that is the point where the straps stop feeling like a toy.
Expect the foam handles to be the first thing to look tired. Wipe them down after sweaty sessions and keep the straps out of the sun.
The app is the catch
The year of On Demand is included. After that, TRX's plans page lists On Demand at $9.99 a month and All Access at $19.99, though it showed promotional prices of $7.49 and $14.99 after a 30-day trial when we looked.
The plans page for the TRX App, where On Demand and All Access subscriptions are sold.
Do you need it? The straps work without it. A beginner benefits from guided sessions for the first few months. After that, a printed template of rows, split squats and planks does the same job for free.
Our verdict
The HOME2 is a very good first purchase and a bad only purchase. It will give you a full-body base for the price of one decent dumbbell pair, and it vanishes into a drawer. It will not replace weights if your goal is heavy legs or a big chest.
We rate it a 7.8. Buy it if you live small, travel, or need a pull-focused partner for your existing kit. Skip it if you want to lift heavy, or if you dislike hanging from a door.
A dense, stable mat that works well for yoga, stretching and floor strength work at home, and it carries a lifetime guarantee. It is pricey at $140 and gets slippery once you sweat, so hot sessions and fast circuits need a grip towel or a different mat.
