Tracy Anderson: Mat Workout

I'm 40. About 3 years ago, my father died and I almost immediately gained 20 pounds. I became pregnant soon after and could not lose the weight after my child was born. I'd always been able to maintain my weight via dance class (6 times a week), but this kind of commitment became impossible once I had a small child (travel to class=45 minutes, plus 1 hour and a half class, plus 45 minute return trip, 6 times a week =hefty babysitting expenses for vanity).The name Tracy Anderson started popping up on blogs. She had her ardent defenders, but quite often, the "elite" bloggers seemed to make fun of her. There was plenty of reason to--if you are a skeptic and married to your skepticism. Anderson was training Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow. Her methods were often in direct opposition to what a decade of weight training for women had dictated (lift more weights!). She seemed to have emerged from nowhere to live a charmed life. She was accused of putting people on starvation diets and helping the already thin become more thin. Gwyneth moaned about her shar pei like pooch and yet, none of us ever saw any glaring defects in Ms. Paltrow's posterior. And Madonna--hadn't she always been dancing and showing off her body? It wasn't as though Anderson had brought someone like, say, Jennifer Hudson or Kirstie Alley back from the abyss.Still, something about her "method" intrigued me. As a dancer, I was accustomed to relying on ballet to firm up my hips and butt and thighs, jazz for abs and hip hop for arms. Then there was floor barre class and the extra Callanetics I did at night. It was a substantial investment of time. More than once I wondered why someone couldn't just condense the very best of these moves. I tried Pilates and it can be effective, but it still works best in conjunction with dance. It's not a surprise that so many dancers teach pilates--my own ballet teacher always said to me: "If you can do ballet, then do ballet. It's better than pilates."Tracy Anderson has in fact put together a magical method that borrows from the very best of all these exercise traditions, and others. I used this Mat DVD and in 10 weeks, my body changed substantially. I lost 3.5 inches from my waist, 3 inches from my hips and 4.5 inches from my thighs. I did not follow her diet (which you can find online if you look hard enough, or pick up in one of her books), but stopped eating most white flour and stopped putting sugar in my coffee (I am now back eating some whole grains and maintaining my weight). I lost 11 pounds. The weight change, though, wasn't as remarkable as the re-shaping. I literally don't have a single pair of pants that fit any more. All this took 10 weeks. I now weigh what I did in my late 20s at the peak of my dancing mania. And for those who say that Anderson's method primarily relies on weight loss, I would like to point out that the clothes I wore in my late 20s are also too large--it is not just weight that you will lose, but inches.If you are a fitness devotee or a dancer (or ex-dancer), then you'll pick up the moves easily and intuitively understand what she is trying to do. I do not think this DVD is for a beginner, though I would certainly never stop anyone from trying to do the workout. I have now moved on to Anderson's Metamorphosis program, though I still occasionally supplement that with moves from the Mat DVD--it's that good. I finally have a way to work out at home. And while I have not given up dance--I find that Anderson's method actually complements dance class very well--I do feel relieved that I have a way to workout whenever I want to.As for how this Method compares to similar exercises: as I mentioned above, Tracy's moves target the body's troublesome areas in a way that one dance class can't. To replicate in dance class what Anderson does in an hour (or less), you'd literally have to be a professional dancer, in the studio 6 hours a day. This is not a realistic way to live or work for people who just want to reach a high level of fitness.I have loved Callanetics in the past, but do find the moves begin to stall. There was never enough variation in Callanetics, and there was never a true cardio component (research Anderson's programs and you'll find a cardio component) and the arm section was always weak. With Anderson's DVD, I actually have rather sleek arms for the first time in my life. Also, Anderson's found a way to put a program out there that will help fitness seekers continue to improve. With Callanetics, there was always a point where you were going to stall, or simply maintain. It's more fun to work out if you feel that you are constantly trying to excel. That's why dancers dance in part--to always do and learn something new. There is no point to just doing a plie over and over again without it leading to something else. Anderson's program understands this psychology, and continues to give its users something new to learn to do.As for the weight lifting debate--some trainers are incensed by Anderson's limiting of weights to 3 pounds. I'm a mesomorph. I can lift a lot of weight, but I did not like the way my thighs, calves, shoulders and neck changed as a result of lifting (which I also tried for a period in my twenties). Perhaps I didn't bulk exactly (as we are told over and over again that women cannot bulk), but my muscles did tighten up and the overall effect was not something I liked--I just looked thicker. I did not like the way my clothes fit. I did not like that I gained muscle weight. This doesn't happen with Tracy's program.I've never written a review for an exercise DVD before. I write very few reviews period. And I'm about as skeptical as they come--the tyranny of celebrities and hype surrounding personalities in general irritate me. Anderson's introduction into this world was certainly helped by the friends she made. On the other hand, there is a reason that successful women flock to her--Anderson actually delivers the goods. If you do what she ways, your body will change. The program will not fail. I can't recommend this DVD--and the Method in general--enough to women who want to change their bodies.

I am in my 30s and have been a lifelong on and off exerciser(gym, treadmill, mostly The Firm videos)... About a year ago, I had an a-ha moment and realized that I was having a hard time "sticking" with working out, because with my Firm videos I wasn't really seeing good results and they were boring me to death!That's when I switched over to yoga/pilates/barre workouts which I have truly enjoyed and have provided me with results...however, I had plateau'ed and was (coincidentally) thinking of how I could supplement with dance cardio when I saw Gwyneth Paltrow and TA on Oprah. After some research I ordered the TA Dance Aerobics (older dvd) through her studio...and enjoyed it so much that I decided to go for it with the Mat WO as well, even though I had promised myself to not spend any more $$ on tapes for a little while.This has to be my #1 favorite DVD I own now. I have been doing it about three times a week and also doing the dance aerobics dvd. I have lost some inches over the past month even though I took a lot of days off and haven't had the best diet due to the holidays.Here are some things I wanted to point out to anyone considering purchasing the Mat DVD:* This is an intermediate-advanced workout. Newbies should expect to take it easy and definitely don't plan to be able to do this 4-6xs a week at first! You could hurt yourself (I am thinking mainly with the arm/shoulder portion) due to overtraining.* The arm workout is a ~~standout~~ feature of the TA method. I have very rounded shoulders, I believe due to poor posture and bad genes. It took me almost one month before I was able to get through the unweighted arm session (I think this is a sign of how weak the smaller muscle groups were in my upper body). I see more change in my arms/shoulders/chest/back than I have ever seen doing any other kind of workout. Thank you, Tracy!* Weighted arm section, most likely you will need 1-2 lbs to start regardless of your strength. I could use 10lbs with Firm tapes but could barely get through using 1lb weights at first.* The leg exercises really require a lot of concentration (as Tracy says herself during the workout). Due to the large range of motion, you can easily just swing your legs around(momentum) and not really use the muscles properly. I try to imagine I am pulling a weight with my toes and envision my leg is following an imaginary line to help keep control and the leg portion has become much more difficult the more I control it.* I must say...I do not endorse doing 2hrs ~or the two tapes~ a day unless you are an more experienced exerciser and know your body well and know about overtraining. With that said, this tape will provide you with great results doing it 3-4 times a week along with cardio and I personally find Tracy (her philosophy and body type) to be inspiring fitness-wise.**Edited to add:(I thought it would be helpful to add this one last thing)WHY IS THIS WORKOUT DIFFERENT:Tracy Anderson's Mat Workout really does take different components from other exercise genres and combines them to make a very unique workout.For instance, she uses the Fluidity principle of trying to engage as many muscles as possible in movements... An example of this would be traditional floor hip-thigh isolation work from Firm workouts, she does similar moves but while standing behind a chair, so you are working the moving leg but also the standing leg and additionally you are engaging the muscles in the arms while holding the chair and the core and back.She also incorporates Pilates elements into her exercises (stretch and strengthen types of movements, larger ranges of motion).Many of her standing leg "rotations" seem to me to be a variation of the Callanetics/Bar Method's Pretzel (which targets the outer hip/glute area).Lastly, because it is such high repetitions, lots of motion, I feel I am keeping my heartrate up during much of the workout.I have added 10-30 minutes of Dance Aerobics before doing the Mat WO to warm up and my body feels as if it every single muscle has been exhausted from head to toe but leaves me also feeling invigorated with a "workout high". Happy Exercising!

For a workout where you don’t break a sweat, this is a killer. The exercises work muscles you never knew you had.I am a recent convert to Tracy Anderson. I think she falls into the category of “scary little person” but I also quite like the fact that she doesn’t speak much. I get so sick of hearing the same jokes on exercise DVDS. Tracy just gets on with it.I enjoy the Cardio Dance dvd more but I can see how the two complement each other to get a full workout.

I think the exercises really work my bum became very pert! Only draw back is she is a bit boring and the warm up and down are a bit tedious. She also says you must do 4 to 6 times a week which is impossible for me.

I love this dvdBut beware it definitely can change your body shape I just wonted to tone up not change my body shape

I love this workout. I only wish she would count the reps.

Love this, I lost about 3 inches off my thighs, they went down to 16 inches, only works if it's done daily IMO.If you want to be tiny stick to it she's brill.