Although executing a few rows while hanging from a polyester strap may seem like something other than highly scientific, there is a whole branch of science devoted to studying physical movements, forces, and angles. This branch of study is called biomechanics. Many biomechanical factors come into play when doing suspended fitness training, like angular forces, the pull of gravity, pivot points, momentum, and the pendulum effect. When doing suspended fitness exercises, a person may come across four main biomechanical principles that affect the load and level of difficulty.

These four components are:

• Body mass and weight.
• The loading angle
• Mechanical advantage and leverage.
• The swinging motion

Body Weight and Mass with Suspended Angles:

When doing suspended fitness training, you might hang from straps with your feet attached to the ground, which acts as a pivot point. Height affects the distance between the two main pivot points. The feet are firmly planted on the ground, and the handles are attached to the straps’ ends. This is where the force is applied.

Moving the same body weight takes more work when these two places are farther apart. This is because the distance between the pivot point on the ground and the handles, where force is applied, affects the torque’s amount.

When the load angle is the same, a taller person will have to fight against a stronger increase in torque, which will be hard to do. On the other hand, a shorter person will have to resist less torque. Taller people also have longer arms, which decreases mechanical advantage. And increases the force of production for the same relative load.

Consider two people, each 80 kg; however, one is 10 inches taller. They put their feet down, so their bodies have the same 60-degree angle to the ground. And then, they used the same anchor point on the ceiling to set up the suspension bands.

In reality, the taller person would have to work harder. He fights against the more significant amount of torque caused by their height and the pull of gravity.

Body mass and gender

When discussing body mass, it’s essential to consider gender. Men and women are different, and where they carry most of their weight.

Compared to women, men tend to have broader shoulders and narrower hips. Also, they store more of their total body weight in the upper body.

 A man’s body mass is farther from the pivot point than a woman of the same height and weight. He has to resist more torque than a woman of the same height and weight.

Men can handle more additional torque than women due to their greater upper-body muscle mass.

Loading inclination or Angle of Loading:

In most cases, the following fundamental principle holds true: the higher the pressure in the lower extremities, the closer the body is to verticality during activity. Conversely, the more the body moves toward the horizontal during the training, the more the upper limbs have to do.

Mechanical Benefit and Leverage or Torque

Understanding the forces that a customer would encounter while executing various suspended exercises can aid in understanding the three types of levers and how they might modify exercise intensity.

The load’s position tells you which of the three types of levers you have based on where the force is applied and where the pivot is. 

First-class Given that most of these exercises entail grasping the handles while keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground and relying on gravity and your body weight to generate resistance, leverage is not a standard component of suspended training.

Leveraging the second and third classes is more typical in suspended fitness training. Understanding the distinction between second-class and third-class leverage is helpful. The way second-class levers are made makes it take more effort to use them, making the task feel harder. 

The Impact of Pendulum

A weight suspended from a pivot point that allows it to swing freely after being pushed to one side. Also, gravity affected it in such a way as a pendulum.

Certain suspended fitness activities move like a pendulum, and the load and the gravity make the exercises harder. The pendulum effect is similar to the hanging posture and other similar modifications.

Reference:

Pratt, B. (2015). The Complete Guide to Suspended Fitness Training. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.