Modern college basketball is distinguished by vigorous intermittent physical exercise ([25]). In a normal game, the players carry out continuous sprinting, quick changes of position, and powerful jumping ([21]). These actions frequently take place with strong defensive opposition and physical collisions. Therefore, the athletes need to have a mixture of neuromuscular strength, agility, and aerobic capacity ([13]; [17]). Moreover, the basketball movements are not usually executed in a steady and symmetrical posture. The players have to accelerate and decelerate alternately by using single-leg pushing and landing techniques ([8]; [20]).

Traditional strength and conditioning programs usually include weight lifting on stable ground, like heavy barbell squats and bench presses ([19]), and linear track running as well as endurance running ([22]). These common methods are very effective for increasing absolute strength in the initial off-season ([9]). However, the athletes often reach a training stoppage by using these methods for a long time. Bilateral resistance training with insufficient high-speed functional transfer may decrease muscle elasticity ([10]). Consequently, this may result in a lower stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) of the muscles, causing slower linear sprint speeds and reduced vertical jump ability ([4]).

In recent years, functional conditioning has become popular to overcome these training obstacles. The Total Resistance Exercise (TRX) training method is an illustration of this technique. Modern suspension training has greatly improved. A complete TRX training plan is not only done with simple bodyweight straps now. It also combines suspension exercises with plyometric boxes, agility ladders, resistance bands, and battle ropes.

This training system gives a special physiological effect. The unstable suspension straps make the core muscles stabilize the body when performing pushing and pulling movements ([12]). Meanwhile, the agility ladders and plyometric boxes improve fast footwork and lower limb explosiveness ([11]). Furthermore, the exercises with battle ropes and resistance bands keep the muscles in constant tension, thus challenging both the anaerobic and aerobic energy systems at the same time ([3]). All these devices train the whole kinetic chain. This closed-chain, multi-planar method closely resembles the actual physical requirements of a basketball game ([1]).

Although the TRX system has some advantageous theories, there is a shortage of thorough empirical studies to evaluate its long-term effects in comparison with conventional exercises. Little investigation has been done on the influence of a multifunctional TRX system on all-around basketball fitness. Moreover, collegiate basketball players are the main subjects for this kind of research. These athletes participate in fierce competitions and have a heavy practice schedule. However, they usually do not have the individualized training and recovery resources that are provided to professional players.

Consequently, collegiate athletes are highly susceptible to training plateaus, muscle stiffness, and accumulated fatigue over the course of a long season. Identifying a time-efficient, multi-modal conditioning program is essential for their athletic development. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to compare changes in physical performance among male collegiate basketball players following a 12-week comprehensive TRX training system versus a traditional physical training program. We hypothesized that the TTG would achieve significantly greater improvements across all tested variables. Specifically, we expected the TRX system to prevent the speed and vertical jump detraining effects often seen in traditional long-term programs.

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate differences in physical fitness between college basketball players who underwent a TRX training program and those who followed a traditional physical conditioning plan. The results confirmed our initial hypothesis. The TRX training group demonstrated significant improvements across all measured indicators, including explosive power, change-of-direction agility, and metabolic endurance. In contrast, the traditional training group showed only slight improvements in upper-body and core strength, but failed to enhance the athletes' functional performance on the court. During the 12-week training period, this group experienced significant declines in both straight-line sprint speed and maximum vertical jump capacity. These results strongly suggest that for basketball players, multimodal TRX training is a superior method for overcoming training plateaus and preventing performance decline.

The TTG group achieved significant improvements in upper-body strength and core endurance. These changes are primarily attributed to the unique mechanism of action of the suspension straps. Suspension training creates an extremely unstable training environment. This instability prompts the central nervous system to activate deep stabilizing muscle groups to maintain posture ([2]). Stronger core muscles provide an efficient link, enabling athletes to transfer force from the lower body to the trunk and subsequently to the upper limbs ([18]). Consequently, athletes who engage in TRX training have improved functional strength, reflected in enhanced throwing power and core strength.

In addition, TTG demonstrated significant improvements in both sprint (30MST) and agility (TTRT) capabilities. The entire TRX system involves closed-chain movements across different anatomical planes. Athletes must accelerate and decelerate through dynamic bodyweight exercises, which primarily enhance neuromuscular coordination ([6]). Besides, the use of plyometric boxes and agility ladders could effectively activate the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) of the lower limbs. Quick footwork exercises could reduce the ground contact time and enhance the braking mechanism ([24]). Thus, the TRX treatment not only strengthened the individual muscle groups but also efficiently trained the entire kinetic chain to produce force quickly, leading to better functional agility in playing basketball.

The main result of this research is the decrease in CTG performance. The traditional group showed a reduction in the maximum vertical jump height (RTTH) and had slower 30-meter sprint times (30MST). The traditional conditioning mainly depends on the barbell squats, which involve lifting heavy weights at a slow speed. Continuous practice of slow-speed resistance training may cause changes in the firing rate of fast-twitch muscle fibers ([14]). Moreover, lifting heavy weights without proper high-speed functional movements decreases muscle elasticity. This results in a decrease in efficiency in the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) ([23]). Therefore, this physiological change can account for the decline in jumping power.

Furthermore, the former scheme mainly used repeated linear running. The joint stress caused by heavy lifting and linear sprints is quite severe. Throughout a 12-week period, the athletes may gradually experience muscle fatigue in their periphery, which hides the increase in strength. As a result, their explosive ability and sprint speed will decrease ([7]). Thus, the previous program cannot meet the different and high velocity stimulation required for college basketball players.

Fast changes in offense and defense are predominant in present basketball. Such intense game parts often decide the result of the match ([15]). Quick starts and sudden stops are required at the beginning of the court changeovers. In addition, repeated explosive vertical jumps under great metabolic fatigue are also necessary ([5]). Hence, the main purpose of any physical training program is to improve performance on the court.

The FCDLT indicates the difficult physiological demands. The TTG has a very high translation rate by greatly reducing the testing time. The TRX athletes take advantage of their enhanced linear sprint speed and multi-directional braking techniques to make quicker position changes on the court. Moreover, their greater maximum vertical jumping ability (RTTH) helps them to do better and more efficient layups close to the basket. The whole TRX training scheme can improve the athletes’ core stability and kinematic chain efficiency even when they are tired aerobically ([16]). In the end, the TTG is able to transform their individual physical strength into the performance of complicated basketball skills.

This investigation possesses some inherent restrictions. First, the study sample consisted solely of male college basketball players; therefore, the findings cannot be generalized to female athletes, younger athletes, or professional athletes. Second, apart from supervised training sessions, the researchers did not strictly control the participants’ daily dietary and sleep patterns. In order to more clearly demonstrate the training impacts, future research should include thorough nutritional examinations. Moreover, the treatment lasted for 12 weeks, which is adequate to detect substantial changes, but the continuous effects of TRX training throughout an entire competitive season are still unclear. Therefore, it is suggested that in subsequent studies, the periodicity of suspension training during the basketball season should be investigated.

In conclusion, a 12-week TRX training plan is more beneficial than a general physical fitness program for college basketball players. The TRX multi-functional system can enhance maximal vertical jump, change of direction agility, and specific metabolic endurance on the court. However, a program consisting of ground-stable weight-lifting and straight running may result in a decrease in linear speed and jumping ability. Thus, coaches and physical trainers of basketball should include comprehensive whole-body resistance exercises from various planes in their regular physical training routines. This combined approach is an effective and scientifically proven method to overcome development obstacles and improve playing performance on the court.

This project has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Beijing Sport University (Approval No.: 2025578H).

TH: Designed, collected, analyzed data, wrote, and drafted this article. SS: Revised and finalized the manuscript. AB: Data interpretation. FJW: Copyediting.