As a personal trainer, I was very skeptical of the TUT Trainer when it popped up on my fit-fluencer feed. It’s a slim piece of equipment clearly designed for the post-pandemic, work out-from-home world, but the reliance on exercise bands gave me pause. Exercise bands can work, but it takes a lot of knowledge and finesse for them to replace heavy weights. I decided to replace a few of my weekly strength workouts, typically done with heavy dumbbells, with TUT’s pulley system. After a few weeks of use I hadn’t decided to ditch my weights entirely, but I was impressed with what this system can do with limited space.
TUT stands for “time under tension,” which is the practice within strength training of holding weight in a position for longer rather than quickly moving through reps. This efficient method works more muscles in less time by engaging multiple muscular systems at once. The TUT Trainer is a system of stacked resistance bands that totals 200 pounds of resistance bands in a package that extends just 6” from the wall at its widest point.
The equipment looks like a super slim rower gone vertical and attaches to a wall or doorframe. The pulley handle can be attached anywhere along the length of the Trainer for a wide variety of movements, from bicep curls to lateral pull downs. Similarly to when using a regular resistance band, the resistance increases as the user pulls the handle further from the machine. TUT allows the user to adjust the resistance of the machine manually, rather than having to switch out or add resistance bands between sets. There are also a few accessories that one can purchase alongside the TUT Trainer, including a TUT Power Bar that I was able to try for bigger lifts like deadlifts, shrugs and squats.
I approached my first workout with the TUT cautiously, since I didn’t want to hurt myself and because I opted to not drill my machine into my wall so I could move it anywhere I wanted. If you’re also averse to drilling into your wall (or your landlord would rather you not) the TUT permanent anchoring to be stable during a workout. I was able to complete a full training session with upper and lower body exercises without a problem, and I loved adjusting the intensity of the bands at the beginning of the workout.
TUT Trainer
But here’s the thing: the TUT Trainer is a great compliment to real weights at best. I was definitely working, and by the end of some training sessions I had worked my muscles to a level of exhaustion previously only accomplished with heavy, bulky plates and barbells. However, if you’re a seasoned weightlifter you’re going to need to shell out extra cash for more resistance bands to work towards the progress you’re used to getting.
It’s been great for working smaller muscle groups or for those hellish pyramid exercises I tell my clients to do to support larger muscle groups. It’s exceptional for isolations like straight arm lateral pulldowns, a movement that’s impossible to effectively do without equipment. Tiny, previously silent muscles in my upper back and shoulders were creaming for several days in the best way. I’ve also been using it as a warm-up and cool-down for strength workouts.
My back workouts, for example, generally start with ramp-up exercises like deadlifts and rows with my adjustable dumbbells. After moving this onto the TUT trainer for upright rows, face pulls, more angled rows to burnout, and lat pulldowns, I was able to do many more exercises at home than I can typically manage with the weights in my living room due to the TUT’s small weight increments.
I’ve tried nearly 50 different exercises on this thing and just about every single one worked felt the same as using a dumbbell, kettlebell, or barbell. The subtle changes in intensity offered by resistance bands can’t be accomplished with weights, and this machine is a lot safer than heavy weights if you have zealous children or pets around. Like most at-home versions of specialized equipment — countertop ice cream churners, backyard saunas, massage chairs — something is always sacrificed for convenience. However, for lifters looking to tone rather than bulk and looking to avoid the potential perils of having heavy weights around, it’s a well-executed option.
Frequently Asked Questions About the TUT Trainer
Is the TUT Trainer easy to install?
Yes. It’s very easy to put together in the first place and whether you decide to drill or pop it onto a doorway like I did, the installation is really simple. I’m not a handy guy, and I avoid intense drilling if I can. I was still able to construct this machine in less than an hour and work out on it the same day. Once it was on my wall its structure didn’t waiver and I was able to workout without any interruptions.
Can the TUT Trainer be used instead of weights?
The TUT Trainer supplements weights effectively up to a point. Its resistance maximizes at 200 pounds, so if you’re a more seasoned weightlifter whose PRs exceed that, it’ll serve you best as a warm up. If you’re a novice or not looking to go beyond that, it’s very easy to hit each muscle group and work them to exhaustion. It would also be great as a warm-up, cool-down, or during injury recovery.
Will the TUT Trainer finally give me washboard abs?
If you ask me, six packs are overrated, but the TUT Trainer is great for building a well rounded core through a variety of exercises like your standard crunch, weighted side bends, deadlifts, and curls.
What does TUT stand for?
TUT stands for time under tension. It’s a key factor in any weight training exercise, and can be lengthened to make movement with a lighter weight more effective. Seriously, take a weight you can normally do ten reps with, but make those reps ten seconds long instead, and see if you can still complete the full set.
Can I travel with the TUT Trainer?
The TUT Trainer isn’t very wide, and would be easy to install on a door frame in a hotel or AirBnb. However, it is long, so putting it in a suitcase may be a challenge, and carrying it through a terminal could garner some weird looks.
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