After twenty years (literally, TWENTY YEARS) of daily workouts at the gym, I've not set foot inside a weight room in over a month. Sure, the increased pressures of a professional life contributes to this. And admittedly, my perpetually painful knees aren't helping either. But a month ago I invested in the TRX Fitness system - a tool I first tried in a hotel gym in Calgary two years ago. And, honestly, I love it.

With thirty to sixty minutes of these exercises, I am getting absolutely jacked. I'm going to start bringing these on the daily dog walks to crank out workouts at the beach. The concept is so damn simple too. By pulling against gravity with nothing more than my body weight, I'm constantly engaging all kinds of little stabilizer muscles for balance. And, because I can assist my tortured knees on all the leg exercises, I'm finally able to do SOMETHING for my legs that doesn't cause me to pop Advil like Tic-Tacs.

Admittedly, the price tag was a bit steep for what amounts to a set of nylon tie downs with a handle sewn onto the ends, but I figure the two DVDs of training programs make the investment more than worthwhile.

And to have a viable full body workout option that I can toss into my travel bag or utilize in my office on those days when a drive to the gym through SoCal's summer traffic is just beyond my motivation.

If you are in reasonable shape and travel a lot, I HIGHLY recommend this stuff. If you are just getting into shape, I recommend getting a trainer first. The nature of these exercises can put some considerable stress on your connective tissue - and if you don't have the body awareness or joint strength to deal with it, well, you too could soon be popping pills.

But no matter who you are, some of these exercises are going to make you cry.