anyone do tracy anderson's workouts?

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nightowl81

Cathlete
Have any Catheites tried Tracy Anderson's workouts? I didn't have any interest in her, I'm not really into barre type workouts (they bore me)... yet of course I watch the infomercial she has now and feel myself getting suckered in. I know they are high rep...so how do they compare to something like Slim Series? Do her workouts really work wonders where I should give them a chance if I haven't seen dramatic changes with other workouts? She seems like a hawk for women that are insecure about their bodies so I need some honest opinions ;)
 
I have looked at her books and previewed many clips of her various DVDs and there is no way in hell I'm buying any. I do not trust her judgement. Her moves look boring in the extreme and I cannot force myself to do that many repetitions. I do not want to work out for 2 hours per day so I can look like Madonna or Gwyneth Paltrow....every day. The monotony of doing these same moves would take about a week to set in. Personally, I need something different from dance aerobics daily. She is too preachy and uninformed. I do not think much of what she preaches can be backed up by physiology and sports science. She limits women to millions of reps with 3 pound weights as the ultimate heaviest they should lift. How on earth does that boost metabolism and build bone mass, let alone give women the sense of empowerment and accomplishment that comes from steady weight overload and seeing themselves visibly getting stronger. How strong is Gwyneth really? Sleek and toned yes, but strong?

I prefer to have Erin Stern as my role model for fitness. Not the Anderson midget. Anderson's philosophy underlining her exercises, if we can actually call it that, seems to suggest exercise as punishment for the female body, where the aesthetic is aimed as reducing the female body to the smallest size possible. She constantly claims that her exercises will make women "tiny." Politically and as a feminist issue, this bothers me enormously. Women for too long have been told to reduce themselves, take up less space, don't have too much materiality, etc, etc. There is no way I will buy into such a philosophy. It is too 19th century. Next stop: corsets.

Clare
 
I am not a fan, I have seen her on tv over the years do spots on morning shows and the like, and something about her, I just don't trust her, but in all fairness I have not done her workouts.

I'm not into floor work (from anyone), her dancey stuff looks really strange, there is just no way I'm going to hop around like that even in the privacy of my own home, and the high high reps thing is too boring for me. The thing is, even if you promised me I would see fantastic results, I don't think I could tolerate her style of workout, and if I don't like what I am doing, even a little, I won't do it.
 
If you go over to the videofitness forum site there is A LOT of discussion about TA. Some love her. Some loathe her. Some claim incredible results. Others not so. You will definitely get plenty of info. I really like her Mat workout but haven't really gotten into any of the others.
 
Don't waste your time or money

If you love Cathe workouts then you are going to be disappointed. I bought her new Hipcentric workouts and after one week of them sold them for half price to someone.

They are STUPID! Basically she just dances around and moves her arms and legs...she doesn't tell you what to do AT ALL. And the floor work/standing stuff is so boring and again...no counting....no instruction.

She is not a fitness pro for DVD. It's too all over the place.
I need to get my workout in and move on...I don't need to spend the time sitting trying to figure out what the heck she's doing...it was a waste.

There are soooo many other great pro's out there.
But hey this is just my opinion and I'm sure the moment I hit the enter key someone will disagree and say she's great!
 
nightowl81 said:
Have any Catheites tried Tracy Anderson's workouts? I didn't have any interest in her, I'm not really into barre type workouts (they bore me)... yet of course I watch the infomercial she has now and feel myself getting suckered in. I know they are high rep...so how do they compare to something like Slim Series? Do her workouts really work wonders where I should give them a chance if I haven't seen dramatic changes with other workouts? She seems like a hawk for women that are insecure about their bodies so I need some honest opinions ;)
Click to expand...

I have done Tracy's 30 Day Method (book & DVD @ 16-20.00) 2 weeks in January & went directly into Metamorphosis Omni. I chose the book, had a gift card & major discount, and saw it came with the DVD showing all the exercises, pretty good deal IMO. (it's and extremely inexpensive way to try it out) I was looking at the exercises. It was the dynamic part of them, wanted to work on mobility. (I taped myself stepping last year, man, what an eye opener! then there was the lack of really good kicks in KBox)

So I lost weight immediately, something I hadn't done in the last half almost of 2010, not anything significant, real plateau. I had done nearly all Cathe for 2010, just about. 5-6 days. So something had to change, plus the flexibility part. After a week of Tracy's I knew I needed to start the 90 day program Meta Omni. Got it started Feb 2 (imagine that) and man, it was hard, so was the Boot Camp (book, and it is like boot camp, yowsa) Continued to lose weight, and it was hard. Went up to April 12, enter the Kangoo Jumps. I don't think you're supposed to use those boots every day or 5 days a week to start & definitely not while also trying to do Level 7 MS.

This must be what it's like to start running, that's what I'm getting sucked into (it's much more psycho than I ever imagined) the Kangoo Jumps though simulate that madness well....:confused:

bottom line I lost 10 pounds, 2 sizes went from a 8 to 6 to 4 , I have never been a 4, I was a 5-7 I think when I still shopped in juniors! I didn't follow either diet plan, just the same one I've been doing for the last year & a half, it's getting cleaner. About the same calories & foods though. My balance improved, strength too, but not in a biceps curls/squat kind of way. Very happy with the results, I do have room for these kind of exercises in my routines, they work. The focus required may be of interest if that's required in your sport. Her exercises require a lot of focus.

If you want to try it out for a month & see, get the book/DVD combo, it's less than 20.00 and if you like the results with that you'll know if you going to want any of her other stuff. The exercise time in the book is longer though. 1.5 hours, Meta is 1 hour per day, happy to answer any specific questions if you like, it worked for me.

Edited: Forgot to add, I used a rebounder for almost all of the dance cardio requirement for Tracy's program, it was an excellent choice IMO. If you like HI/Lo her dance cardio will be no problem, 30-60 minutes per day (I rebounded 30 minutes nearly the whole way though)
 
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hrcfitness said:
If you love Cathe workouts then you are going to be disappointed. I bought her new Hipcentric workouts and after one week of them sold them for half price to someone.

They are STUPID! Basically she just dances around and moves her arms and legs...she doesn't tell you what to do AT ALL. And the floor work/standing stuff is so boring and again...no counting....no instruction.

She is not a fitness pro for DVD. It's too all over the place.
I need to get my workout in and move on...I don't need to spend the time sitting trying to figure out what the heck she's doing...it was a waste.

There are soooo many other great pro's out there.
But hey this is just my opinion and I'm sure the moment I hit the enter key someone will disagree and say she's great!
Click to expand...

Boy, I though I was the only one who felt this way about TA. Her workouts seem like they are disorganized and that she does what ever she feels like. Thanks for posting :)
 
thanks for the replies.

112toGuru, Is the DVD that comes with the book just an instructional DVD or an actual workout DVD? I'm still deciding, watching her on youtube, but I'll probably get the book if I get a meta set for more instruction since the other posts mentioned she doesn't give pointers on form.
 
nightowl81 said:
thanks for the replies.

112toGuru, Is the DVD that comes with the book just an instructional DVD or an actual workout DVD? I'm still deciding, watching her on youtube, but I'll probably get the book if I get a meta set for more instruction since the other posts mentioned she doesn't give pointers on form.
Click to expand...

In the book/DVD she explains & demonstrates the exercises but does not do the entire amount, it is 3 full workouts. Between reading the book and following the DVD, it is easy to catch on. In Meta she explains everything on the first side (legs) then demonstrates both sides in full. I followed the instructions in both book/dvd & Meta as they are described and started getting results immediately, in both.

Note: The weight I lost is possibly the "last 10" that is so difficult to lose. It wasn't the main reason I went with her Method. It was the nature of exercise, the combination of strength-stretching-dynamic motion. I did it to increase ROM, flexibility, strength & balance. By trying to get the movements as exact and perfect as possible I found gains in every area in addition to the weight loss. (incidentally, I started Cathe for the same reasons, to improve fitness level, strength, & health not specifically for weight loss)

So, there is enough instruction in either book/dvd combo or in the Meta-follow along. To get the best results:

1. Do the workouts at least 5-6 times per week. If you are looking for the very best in weight loss, you can follow everything exactly as designed, I found it very very challenging. You are pretty much working each exercise to failure, and that's okay. You do arms, abs, legs, & cardio everyday, there again the duration is your choice. Meta is good for that if you only want to do an hour a day.

2. You will not get everything perfect right off the bat. You stay with the same exercise 10 days in a row. In some sequences I did not get everything perfect by even 10 days, just move on to the next sequence, you get stronger throughout.

3. watching yourself in a mirror will help you get the moves right & better as you continue, for the best results, use a mirror.

4. Do both muscular structure part, arms, abs, legs everyday, and the dance cardio for the best results. There is a purpose for the dance cardio do not substitute running, biking, etc. A rebounder is okay because you can do the varied dance moves on it. (it works well) Best results = muscular structure followed by cardio, especially for weight loss.

5. Your diet should be fairly clean, if you use the one's she provides you will get the best results. The foods are good, although I would say try to choose organic if possible. If you need more food than that, eat clean.

The Meta is pretty much follow along, if you do it like she does it and with a lot of attention to detail, it works. The book will give you more background on the method and more details on the moves.

HTH
Linda:)
 
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maddiesmum said:
I have looked at her books and previewed many clips of her various DVDs and there is no way in hell I'm buying any. I do not trust her judgement. Her moves look boring in the extreme and I cannot force myself to do that many repetitions. I do not want to work out for 2 hours per day so I can look like Madonna or Gwyneth Paltrow....every day. The monotony of doing these same moves would take about a week to set in. Personally, I need something different from dance aerobics daily. She is too preachy and uninformed. I do not think much of what she preaches can be backed up by physiology and sports science. She limits women to millions of reps with 3 pound weights as the ultimate heaviest they should lift. How on earth does that boost metabolism and build bone mass, let alone give women the sense of empowerment and accomplishment that comes from steady weight overload and seeing themselves visibly getting stronger. How strong is Gwyneth really? Sleek and toned yes, but strong?

I prefer to have Erin Stern as my role model for fitness. Not the Anderson midget. Anderson's philosophy underlining her exercises, if we can actually call it that, seems to suggest exercise as punishment for the female body, where the aesthetic is aimed as reducing the female body to the smallest size possible. She constantly claims that her exercises will make women "tiny." Politically and as a feminist issue, this bothers me enormously. Women for too long have been told to reduce themselves, take up less space, don't have too much materiality, etc, etc. There is no way I will buy into such a philosophy. It is too 19th century. Next stop: corsets.

Clare
Click to expand...

(In advance, I realize this is an old thread, but I had to comment...) Clare, you are my hero for the day after I read this post! Hear, hear! :) Tracy Anderson is appalling. Her personal and professional life indicates a questionable sense of ethics. Anderson has no real fitness credentials whatsoever. Her method has about as much real "science" behind it as eugenics did! She is vicious to other women that she believes are of an inferior build, actually touching clients with even an extra inch of fat and making examples of them publicly. If anyone ever did that to me (and believe me, I have more than an inch of fat to make an example of...), I'd beat them upside the head! Her saying to women if they would just eat less - much, much less - than any human being could survive on and work out what is for most an impossible time commitment each day is irresponsible. News flash- starvation and two hours of exercise a day will certainly create weight loss. They'll also create health problems not easy to shake...

I went on one day to see what women had to say, people who were following her program. It literally put me in tears, I pitied so many of them so much. Reading the forums of some women who have followed her program can be a disturbing walk down eating disorder lane, full of people terrified of food, fully believing that if they ignore Tracy's advice they'll be "too big", encouraged to get enemas that they don't need, a complete normalizing of exercise bulimia prevailing, etc. Anderson has one goal- to make money. For the record, Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna DO NOT look like they do because of her. Madonna was a buff goddess before Anderson was out of grade school...Paltrow has always been skinny and toned (although not what I would call truly fit). They have the bodies they have because they have the genes to stay that thin in the first place, they exercise for hours and hours a day and have for years on end, and they cut whole food groups from their diet. They have access to plastic surgeons, personal chefs, eating the best organic, fresh food (much of the world is not so fortunate) and much more. To act as if anyone can achieve their body type is an outright lie.

Tracy Anderson spreads mythology and self-hatred and prejudice, nothing based in science or logic or love. She could potentially ruin the health of thousands of women, should they follow her advice to the letter and over the long haul. She discourages women from running, Pilates, yoga, and lifting weights, and spreads lies to suit her bank account's needs. She spreads a cult of destructive self-involvement and a belief that only one standard is acceptable for the female body. IMHO, she is the antithesis of what Cathe and Cathletes work for, sweat over, and believe in. I apologize for sounding so harsh (especially on a forum that I love so much) but a person like Tracy Anderson, who encourages women to judge themselves and every other person they meet by a "skinny is glorious, but muscle is gross" standard, does not deserve my respect! As someone who was bullied and tortured for years by a society obsessed with thinness, as the "fat kid" who was taunted and beat up daily in primary school, I have no tolerance for someone who spreads the kind of misinformation and judgment Anderson does. Even if her exercises worked to some extent, her philosophy and approach is disgusting.
 
112toGuru said:
In the book/DVD she explains & demonstrates the exercises but does not do the entire amount, it is 3 full workouts. Between reading the book and following the DVD, it is easy to catch on. In Meta she explains everything on the first side (legs) then demonstrates both sides in full. I followed the instructions in both book/dvd & Meta as they are described and started getting results immediately, in both.

Note: The weight I lost is possibly the "last 10" that is so difficult to lose. It wasn't the main reason I went with her Method. It was the nature of exercise, the combination of strength-stretching-dynamic motion. I did it to increase ROM, flexibility, strength & balance. By trying to get the movements as exact and perfect as possible I found gains in every area in addition to the weight loss. (incidentally, I started Cathe for the same reasons, to improve fitness level, strength, & health not specifically for weight loss)

So, there is enough instruction in either book/dvd combo or in the Meta-follow along. To get the best results:

1. Do the workouts at least 5-6 times per week. If you are looking for the very best in weight loss, you can follow everything exactly as designed, I found it very very challenging. You are pretty much working each exercise to failure, and that's okay. You do arms, abs, legs, & cardio everyday, there again the duration is your choice. Meta is good for that if you only want to do an hour a day.

2. You will not get everything perfect right off the bat. You stay with the same exercise 10 days in a row. In some sequences I did not get everything perfect by even 10 days, just move on to the next sequence, you get stronger throughout.

3. watching yourself in a mirror will help you get the moves right & better as you continue, for the best results, use a mirror.

4. Do both muscular structure part, arms, abs, legs everyday, and the dance cardio for the best results. There is a purpose for the dance cardio do not substitute running, biking, etc. A rebounder is okay because you can do the varied dance moves on it. (it works well) Best results = muscular structure followed by cardio, especially for weight loss.

5. Your diet should be fairly clean, if you use the one's she provides you will get the best results. The foods are good, although I would say try to choose organic if possible. If you need more food than that, eat clean.

The Meta is pretty much follow along, if you do it like she does it and with a lot of attention to detail, it works. The book will give you more background on the method and more details on the moves.

HTH
Linda:)
Click to expand...

Wow. who knew I could say all those things and here 4 years later, feel the exact same way. I really do know her method.

I'm a non runner who runs, a non dancer who dances, most runners and dancers are probably okay with that.

and, apparently someone who doesn't actually believe in *metabolic* workouts, but does them anyway, my way.

I love this place.
 
TurquoiseEyes - Wow. I'm very sorry that you were bullied as a kid, and I can understand why, with that as your background, Tracy would trigger you.

I must point out, however, that a few of the beliefs you've expressed about Tracy are not actually factual. I think you are too emotionally involved to discuss these though, and I will peacefully just agree to disagree.
 
dania said:
TurquoiseEyes - Wow. I'm very sorry that you were bullied as a kid, and I can understand why, with that as your background, Tracy would trigger you.

I must point out, however, that a few of the beliefs you've expressed about Tracy are not actually factual. I think you are too emotionally involved to discuss these though, and I will peacefully just agree to disagree.
Click to expand...

I think as a teen, I would've given my eye teeth for Tracy's Method. Back then it seemed like everyone was so obsessed with weight, and I was never really heavy. It just would have been a nice way to maintain weight, be active, without a lot of stress or peer pressure to be this or that, I would have learned, early on how to eat whole foods more of the time.

I'm sorry you were bullied too, TurquoiseEyes. You don't have to carry that around anymore. Next time you feel yourself living that out, stop yourself, and think, "this is me reacting to something that happened long ago, this is what it feels like" be the observer, not the reaction. You are not that. You are the presence that can let that go. It doesn't make the feeling or hurt magically disappear or anything, it just puts space in-between who you are right now, and what happened back then. This is mindfulness.
 
I did try her workouts, and I did not like them at all. Now I stay mostly with Cathe, and to mix it up, I do some of the older Christi Taylor workouts.
 
Cafelattee said:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/f...rt-always-a-new-move.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

:D
Click to expand...

Thanks cafelatte for sharing the article above.
The statement above is enough for me to not even view any of her workout. For someone who is selling dvd for home exerciser, IMO
it is irresponsible. No qualification mean first she does not know what she is talking about.

I agree with what turquoise eye has mentioned about Miss paltrow. She is just a naturally skinny person.

Sadly people who train celebrities are the one who get help from distribution company through infomercial.
Without being qualified they get a profitable exposure!

All the very best to their fans!
 
I'm currently on my second centric from the Metamorphosis release. I have them all, it was my Black Friday bargain this year, and for less than 10 dollars each, I could not resist giving them all a try. She is my go to workout for body sculpting. I might have said before that the Dance cardio doesn't burn a lot of calories, on the rebounder it does not, on the floor is a different story, Meta dance cardio is actually pretty challenging, very sweaty workout on the floor. Even on the rebounder it was very effective.

I originally did Omni 2011; last year, Abcentric then added Abcentric to Bodyshred. This combo was actually pretty good, actually some days it was just amazing. I only did the Abcentric about 8 times each. I've done the dance cardio over 50 times this year, mostly for warming up. (this prompted a renewed interest in the Zumba, that looks like so much fun) I will probably always have Tracy Anderson workouts in my rotation, even when trying other things. Her workouts have eclipsed all the other workouts in my collection, and I don't even stream yet, I'm quite happy with the ones I have, and use. I will probably get her new express workouts when released this spring. If I compared Tracy Anderson Method to running, she would be my year round base.

What's most interesting is my workout structure, it's a lot like Kickmax. Warm up, then workout (cardio or weights) then leg (and arms & abs) conditioning drills. I just use different workouts & plug play what I want in a kind of Bodymax 2 way. Some of the things Cathe has done, like those leg conditioning drills in Kickmax & functional exercises from MMA workout & Cardio Core Circuit, I'm doing now, but they are entire programs filled with those moves. (Tracy Anderson & Jillian Michaels) They were some of the most challenging things I've done, besides running, and I did a lot of that too.
 
hrcfitness said:
Don't waste your time or money

If you love Cathe workouts then you are going to be disappointed. I bought her new Hipcentric workouts and after one week of them sold them for half price to someone.

They are STUPID! Basically she just dances around and moves her arms and legs...she doesn't tell you what to do AT ALL. And the floor work/standing stuff is so boring and again...no counting....no instruction.

She is not a fitness pro for DVD. It's too all over the place.
I need to get my workout in and move on...I don't need to spend the time sitting trying to figure out what the heck she's doing...it was a waste.

There are soooo many other great pro's out there.
But hey this is just my opinion and I'm sure the moment I hit the enter key someone will disagree and say she's great!
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear you have wasted money and precious time.

Even viewing a clip brought me boredom---May be I am exagerrating.
How on earth a qualified, trained group instructor could deliver a class without any instruction.
It was truly painful viewing from an instrutor point of view. Class attendees cervical alignment was poor.
Absolutely all over the place.
 
Actually if you do the workouts, they have structure. I really enjoy her first Mat workout. The arm section in that one is my favorite. I like the Post Pregnancy 1 workout. I really felt that in the abs the next day. I find Dance + Cardio very pleasant. I don't think I get the Perfect Design Series though. But I have only previewed them. Now Meta...So far I'm on Day 5 of Level 1 and it's all good. I don't see where the hate is coming from. You do arms,abs and do 40 reps of 6 leg exercises. It's basically get on the mat and get it done. Then 30 minutes of cardio. If you don't like the cardio then sub it. The woman isn't at all hateful, she hardly talks.


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