anyone do tracy anderson's workouts?

Status
Not open for further replies.
nckfitheart2009 said:
I am not convinced by your answer. House hold, walk...is not enough to build and improve bone density.
IMO, TA is not helping women in resolving image issue nor is she contributing to helping them to age gracefully.

As to barre, I have done all cathe's barre segment and programs and liked them.

Knowing myself, I am 100% sure it will never be my main interest. I could add more barre workout from
other instructors though. I am just not a dance-emphasis workout lover.
Click to expand...

I agree nck, that is a massive oversimplification of a complex issue bearing no scientific evidence to back up the claim. Bone density is based on a variety of factors, some of which are under our control, some of which are not. If one is claiming that only housework, walking, gardening is sufficient to maintain (even build) bone density, they need to remember that different people face different levels of risk for osteoporosis. My uncle (by marriage) had a family of drinkers and smokers on both sides going back generations. Every single person in his family has serious teeth, spinal and/or bone density issues. They were also quite poor, and eating well during pregnancy was a luxury they often didn't indulge in. Sadly, this also showed in their teeth and bones later. He was in a wheelchair by age forty, died at forty-seven with the frail body of a man in his nineties. :(

On the other hand, I was extraordinarily fortunate in the bones department. I thank my lucky stars for this every day. My mother drank plenty of milk when she was expecting me. She never drank alcohol, never smoked cigarettes, and always ate plenty of well-balanced meals throughout her own life. Same with pretty much every woman going back on both sides of my maternal lineage as far back as I can count. I ate well as a child. I have good genes when it comes to not losing bone mass or tons of muscle easily, and my lifestyle just added to the good fortune. I've been lifting weights on and off since I was sixteen years old. I have bones and teeth so strong my doctor shakes his head in astonishment at their toughness. (Although I can't thank the weight-training for my teeth, LOL.) I'm 5'7" and well-built, to put it mildly. Yeah...someone like me could possibly get away with the housework/walking/gardening strategy and not become a frail old lady, assuming I live that long. But why take the risk? Why lose the muscle mass, tied in closely to bone loss, when there's a simple solution- lifting weights? No, thanks. And for people at higher risk for osteoporosis, why would anyone with the knowledge available at our fingertips today ever be willing to take that chance? Not to mention that having more muscle = having more energy, better balance, (possibly) a sharper mind, and less injury potential overall. I'll take having the "bulky" look my weight-training might cause me over being weak any day! ;)

This is something I know a lot of us can relate to, watching elderly relatives lose their mobility and quality of life. My grandmother lost the ability to walk normally around age fifty-five due to arthritis, at least partially caused by her general level of inactivity. She had excessive muscle loss, which led to Stage 4 osteoarthritis and eventually, severe and rapid bone loss. We believe the excessive muscle loss originated from post-polio syndrome, something that I understand was not known about for decades after the fact. She ate plenty of good food, never drank alcohol or smoked, got enough sunlight, but she was always inactive as could be. She believed a walk here or there and light housework was plenty. Weight-training almost certainly could have prevented or at least held off that loss of mobility which ultimately destroyed her health and lifestyle. I remember hugging her once a couple of years ago, and feeling her spinal cord sort of crunch under my fingertips...talk about creepy. The poor woman's bones were literally just disintegrating. :( However, she came from an era when women just did not lift weights en masse. The benefits weren't even known yet.

We have no such excuse today. Please don't underestimate the damage that not lifting weights can do later on. Nursing homes are filled to the brim with people that were active with housework and daily living activities until a broken hip or something similar took them down for the count. Strength-training will not and cannot override all of that lost muscle, bone, etc. It won't prevent every injury, I know. It is a double-edged sword, I'm aware of that, and of course active people get hurt and age, too. But it does make a difference- the studies are there to show it. We have enormous stores of knowledge to delve into from these scientific studies and trainers that actually go through serious certification programs and schooling to obtain. I believe it is tragic not to take advantage of that store of knowledge and find out what will help keep us strong and healthy for as long as possible in this lifetime. Seriously, let's start being grateful for the bodies we have and train for the long haul, not just the aesthetics we want today. There is absolutely nothing wrong with training for aesthetics- I do so, too. Hopefully the longer we are on this fitness journey, though, the more that we want from our exercise life. Watching someone die slowly of bone and muscle loss is tragic. To see the helplessness they face and the sorrow they feel as their independence is taken away by frailty, that will haunt you and propel you into taking action forevermore.

Hey, look at Sylvester Stallone. He'll be 70 years old next year, yet he's more muscular than when he made Rocky at the age of thirty. Talk about what a life of lifting can do for someone! I love that man, and find him so inspirational. :)
 
Fantastic post, Turquoise Eyes, thank you! Incredibly motivating! There are days when I don't feel like working out and I think about my friend who had a stroke at 50 years old or my brother who died from colon cancer at 64. It motivates me to keep persevering. I have a friend who is battling weak bones and I am going to show her your post. Thanks. Kat
 
Last edited:
TurquoiseEyes said:
I agree nck, that is a massive oversimplification of a complex issue bearing no scientific evidence to back up the claim. Bone density is based on a variety of factors, some of which are under our control, some of which are not. If one is claiming that only housework, walking, gardening is sufficient to maintain (even build) bone density, they need to remember that different people face different levels of risk for osteoporosis. My uncle (by marriage) had a family of drinkers and smokers on both sides going back generations. Every single person in his family has serious teeth, spinal and/or bone density issues. They were also quite poor, and eating well during pregnancy was a luxury they often didn't indulge in. Sadly, this also showed in their teeth and bones later. He was in a wheelchair by age forty, died at forty-seven with the frail body of a man in his nineties. :(
Click to expand...

Thanks TurquoiseEyes...You have elaborated so well on this issue of Bone density.
I too am lucky when it comes to bone density. I have known that from observing my ascendants. My grand and great mother
were born with a good upright skeleton. My great- grand died when she was about ninety:p:p.
Last time I saw her she must have been in her mid sixty or seventy. She was a natural ecto-mesomorph with a
beautiful upright posture. of course she was not involved in any sport activity lol:D:D. Let be aware she was living in Africa
where life is completely different compared to western life predominantly sedentary. She was eating well though:):)
She was a heavy smooker and drinker:D:D.My mother tried unsuccessfully to help her quit but she was not having
any of lecturing lol:D.
My family never excluded any dairies from nutrition nor did they exclude a particular type of food.
My great grand had great bones density and was not suffering from osteoroposis.
At that age she had long beautiful nails. I remember we use to joke about it.
ok that is my familly background. I won't seat on my glute thinking, an advantageous skeleton is enough!;):):)

Now I do have a friend whose mother is battling osteoroposis. Her mother was not lucky in term of the skeleton.
On top of that the entire familly claim developping alergy caused by dairies. The all issue has not been followed up
properly by competent nutritionist! So no appropriate nutrition replacing calcium and other important nutrients.:eek::eek:
on top of that they are not involved in any sport activity at all! zero ground. So the mother is now in her seventy and the
posture is already poor so is my friend's. My friend live in Europe. She is complaining already about back pain etc....

To conclude, we are all different yes. I will still be opened to try various activities. Anything which IMO is not
backed up by science need to be called into question. Any trainer deterring fitness enthusiasts from lifting more than toothpick,
more than five pound won't be on my radar. Harsh but that is my opinion.Funnily those type of trainers always
hold those pink 1.5-3 pound toothpick whick I can not stand! Lol I don't dislike pink as a colour:D:D I just wish they:D
could manufacture big pinkish-20 pound dumbbells;);) okay I have ranted enough:mad:;);)

Happy week end everyone:)
 
Last edited:
112toGuru said:
Why are you doing Metamorphosis? Is it because you are injured from heavy weights? Frankly, the cover shot from STS is a pretty big turn off if you don't want that look. I know you guys love your heavy weights but I hear too much complaining from people who get too bulky, or just look fat when they lift heavy, it's a personal choice.
Click to expand...

oh well bumping,
As you posted above it is a personal choice! i am one of those guys :):):)who love heavy weights. I do not complain!!
In fact you can look up all my posts and you won't find any complain feeding the "bulky/look fat myth---whatever you want to call it" at all! When I completed STS I looked at my picture uploaded below and I was VERY happy with the way i looked.Still do!
The STS cover shot is not a turn off in any way IMO.
In fact I do have few male friends who have stated female muscles being a turned on:):)
 

Attachments

  • Photo1.jpg
    Photo1.jpg
    32.5 KB · Views: 33
Last edited:
forum_admin said:
STS was designed based on years of research and what we have learned over 30+ years by observing others in our Gym and through our own experience. STS was never designed or promoted as a program for people who only want to improve muscle size. Instead, STS strikes a balance between endurance, hypertrophy and strength training. It's not designed to be used by someone who only wants to compete in a body building contest.
Click to expand...

To add to my post above, this a quote from forum admin.
It does set the myth mentioned above straight IMO.
 
Quoted by Cupcake: I just got TA's post pregnancy workout from the library. All I can say is: Whoa. Talk about instant flat abs! My abs have never been this sore. I only did it for two days in a row (15 minute segments each - not even the entire thing). I am an apple (not sure what kinda morph that is). I'm sold on this dvd - maybe just not on her style of workout ( I tried the arm segment - it was short).

THANKS CUPCAKE! I purchased both of them. Only because I love good abs workouts and I've heard these mentioned several times. And, they were cheap enough to take the risk.
 
THANKS CUPCAKE! I purchased both of them. Only because I love good abs workouts and I've heard these mentioned several times. And, they were cheap enough to take the risk.[/QUOTE]

You're welcome! Those two are very good workouts and they are the ones I would easily recommend. The Meta definitely aren't for everyone, considering the amount of time spent on all fours. I have to say despite what I have heard, the workouts do deliver. So I really could care less because the results are there. And they are the results I'm looking for. And yes, it is the look I'm aiming for. When my shoulder heals and I can lift again, I'm sure I will. But right now, it won't be prudent to lift with it. I'm quite happy doing mat work and light cardio for now. I hope you like the workouts :)



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Cupcake, how do you deal with the lack of counting and cueing - it would do my head in! I ordered Precision Toning because it seems that she does cue well in the clips so hopefully I'll enjoy it. I'm getting used to all the reps in Tonique - BTM is killer for the glutes LOL! It's a nice break from heavy lifting anyway and maybe a plateau buster?
Jamie
 
Hi. In Meta when she hits the Mat it really doesn't bug me because I know she means to do 40 reps each set. Plus I pause it after she does like 3 counts so I can get my full 40 reps. I actually have a cheat sheet with a stick person drawn. Lol. So I hit the mat knowing I'm doing 40 reps for 6 exercises. I take breaks and then switch sides. I'm an ICU nurse...we prefer them not talking. I like her better not talking. Precision Toning is good. But the Mat ( very first one ) is probably the best one in my opinion. Nice long arm work, very easy on the eyes... And you really can't hate her in that one. :)
What is this Tonique workout? Enable me... My butt needs a lot of work as it is as flat as a crepe. The only leg routine that made any improvement on it was S&H Legs. All the high rep weighted routines don't hit my butt and I just end up with Quads and Hammies look awful in skirts because they would get too defined because there isn't much fat on them to begin with. Right now I'm careful not to get the quad muscle on the side above the knee from getting any bigger. Something I attribute to a previous addiction to Spinning and biking up hills :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:
Cupcake said:
My butt needs a lot of work as it is as flat as a crepe. The only leg routine that made any improvement on it was S&H Legs. All the high rep weighted routines don't hit my butt and I just end up with Quads and Hammies look awful in skirts because they would get too defined because there isn't much fat on them to begin with. Right now I'm careful not to get the quad muscle on the side above the knee from getting any bigger. Something I attribute to a previous addiction to Spinning and biking up hills
Click to expand...

Question to you Cupcake,

So what would you recommend to yourself since you have expressed a clear hostility against HEAVY lift?
Does TA method not cover glutes development.
Oops I forgot miss Anderson does not bother gain knowledge on physiology!
 
nckfitheart2009 said:
Question to you Cupcake,

So what would you recommend to yourself since you have expressed a clear hostility against HEAVY lift?
Does TA method not cover glutes development.
Oops I forgot miss Anderson does not bother gain knowledge on physiology!
Click to expand...
Nckfitheart, I don't have any hostility towards lifting. It's rather amusing that you project such ideas onto other people simply because you can't seem to grasp the concept that people have choices and are free to choose regardless of your opinion. If any one is trolling, it would be you. You can go and lift a armoured truck if you so choose. I won't tell you not to.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Cupcake said:
Nckfitheart, I don't have any hostility towards lifting. It's rather amusing that you project such ideas onto other people simply because you can't seem to grasp the concept that people have choices and are free to choose regardless of your opinion. If any one is trolling, it would be you. You can go and lift a armoured truck if you so choose. I won't tell you not to.
She does cover glute development, I was merely inquiring about Tonique since they mentioned it.
Just because you don't like something doesn't mean you should impose your opinions on other people. You can have your opinion and that's fine. But you seem to be quite harsh when you express it and I might as well say it, relentless.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top