“Suspension training gives you the most bang for your buck,” says Todd Durkin, an exercise physiologist and spokesperson for IDEA Health and Fitness Association. “You get your cardio while incorporating strength, stability and core training all at the same time.”By targeting the small muscles that stabilize the joints as well as the large physique muscles, suspension training is a great way to help prevent injury. Here are some swinging classes that will likely be coming to a gym near you very soon.

Do It Military Style

A former Navy Seal’s invention and Gwen Stefani’s workout of choice, the TRX (Total Body Resistance Exercise) system is the most popular suspension option around. The system is comprised of a pair of straps with handles joined together, which can be anchored to a door or suspended from the ceiling at the gym. It allows you to harness your own body weight and create just the right amount of resistance by adjusting your body angles.Whether you join a group class or buy an at-home system, take it slow in the beginning. TRX can be extremely challenging, you’re working with only two straps, you need to make sure you have the strength to keep your body stable. 

Defy Gravity the Yoga Way

Spend a playful hour suspended from the ceiling in a white fabric hammock while you swing and stretch, using your core in ways you never dreamed possible. Developed by aerial artist Christopher Harrison, who put the likes of Mariah Carey and Jane Krakowski in the hammock for their stage shows, AntiGravity yoga classes are available at gyms and studios around the country. It decompresses joints and aligns the spine without strain, it makes inversions (upside-down poses) easier by offering the support you need without neck compression, and it helps increase flexibility and strength by allowing you to hold poses longer than you could in a conventional yoga class.

Circus Training

Circus-inspired suspension training classes can be found in several major metropolitan areas -- begin with a circuit-training warm-up and then move on to some real trapeze swinging. Everyone can feel the sensation of flying through the air as they gain speed and a bit of altitude with the FlySet, a durable rope fixed to the ceiling.