Tracy Anderson Method

76Crane76

Has anyone done the Tracy Anderson Method strength & cardio while doing their own diet? Her diet is too restrictive for me and wondering if anyone has had results with this.

DancingMoosie

I've tried a few of her workouts, but that's it.

76Crane76

That's about all I've done. I seem to like some of them and others I don't care for. I have not grouped her strength & cardio together yet.

Tried30UserNames

I just started doing her workouts a couple months ago, first with Youtube and then by ordering several from Walmart where I found very cheap prices...late to the trend I guess as I think she was much more popular a few years ago. I absolutely love them and have had more noticeable results than from anything else I've ever tried, including stints of heavy weight lifting and marathon running in the past.

I'm getting really self conscious at work since everybody keeps commenting on how much weight I've lost and how great I look. I've only lost a few pounds, but I've lost a large amount of inches off my hips, thighs and arms. And I have a lot of muscle definition I've never had before and I'm down about two sizes in clothes.

I'm counting calories and losing weight extremely slowly; I have some health issues that make that even slower than I intend. Her diet plans are way too restrictive for me, but I suppose they'd work for a temporary crash diet of a couple weeks rather than long-term healthy weight loss.

I'm working my way through Metamorphosis Hipcentric right now, and doing 15-30 minutes of Cardio Dance for Beginners with it, as well as some daily walking. I'm not coordinated enough to do the cardio dance dvd that comes with Hipcentric. I liked the MAT for Beginners DVD, too. I'm not strong enough to get through the Perfect Design Series level 1 and I didn't even enjoy it enough to want to try it when I am strong enough.

I'm liking Hipcentric a lot although I think Ms. Anderson may have missed her calling. She could have had a great career working for some totalitarian government and devising ways of torturing prisoners. There are days I'm laying on the floor repeatedly restarting the DVD and yelling, "You want me to do WHAT with my leg?!"

Of the workouts I've tried, they all seem effective. I like that she explains the exercise briefly, but then stops talking. She can't count which is a little annoying. That original Tracy Anderson Method Mat Workout DVD may have been her masterpiece. The arm series in that one is fantastic.

So to sum up my opinion...I absolutely love her method. I wouldn't have believed the results unless I'd tried it.

singingflutelady

Not sure I'd ever do a workout program by someone who says women should never lift more than 3 lbs or they'll get bulky.

Edited to correct that it is 3 lbs not 5 lbs

CharlieBeansmomTracey

singingflutelady wrote: »

Not sure I'd ever do a workout program by someone who says women should never lift more than 5 lbs or they'll get bulky

I agree.unless you are the prancing horse lady lol

stanmann571

singingflutelady wrote: »

Not sure I'd ever do a workout program by someone who says women should never lift more than 5 lbs or they'll get bulky

Yes, but so many trainers flogging workout programs say that.

It's the number one thing that comes up in conversation with friends and family. SO AGGRAVATING.

It helps when I point out that small children generally weigh more than 5 lbs. and the eyes go wide and the awareness goes up.

Tried30UserNames

singingflutelady wrote: »

Not sure I'd ever do a workout program by someone who says women should never lift more than 3 lbs or they'll get bulky.

Edited to correct that it is 3 lbs not 5 lbs

Not sure I'd trust anyone who tried to make me use heavier than 3 lb weights for those moves. You'd give yourself a concussion or pull your shoulder out of the socket. I use 2 lb weights since the 3 lb seem too heavy to be safe for me in that situation. Certainly when I was using weights for weight lifting, I used much heavier weights (and got very bulky as my arms easily do), but that isn't how they're used in the Tracy Anderson workouts. It isn't a weight lifting workout, obviously. I guess it helps to put the weight instructions in context.

Packerjohn

stanmann571 wrote: »

singingflutelady wrote: »

Not sure I'd ever do a workout program by someone who says women should never lift more than 5 lbs or they'll get bulky

Yes, but so many trainers flogging workout programs say that.

It's the number one thing that comes up in conversation with friends and family. SO AGGRAVATING.

It helps when I point out that small children generally weigh more than 5 lbs. and the eyes go wide and the awareness goes up.

Never mind a gallon of milk is 8 pounds.

singingflutelady

Tried30UserNames wrote: »

singingflutelady wrote: »

Not sure I'd ever do a workout program by someone who says women should never lift more than 3 lbs or they'll get bulky.

Edited to correct that it is 3 lbs not 5 lbs

Not sure I'd trust anyone who tried to make me use heavier than 3 lb weights for those moves. You'd give yourself a concussion or pull your shoulder out of the socket. I use 2 lb weights since the 3 lb seem too heavy to be safe for me in that situation. Certainly when I was using weights for weight lifting, I used much heavier weights (and got very bulky as my arms easily do), but that isn't how they're used in the Tracy Anderson workouts. It isn't a weight lifting workout, obviously. I guess it helps to put the weight instructions in context.

She wasn't just talking about her method though but in general. She also said cycling makes women bulky. I think we probably have a different definition of bulky because "very bulky arms" are like bodybuilder arms and that would be very very difficult for women to achieve.

Tried30UserNames

singingflutelady wrote: »

She wasn't just talking about her method though but in general. She also said cycling makes women bulky. I think we probably have a different definition of bulky because "very bulky arms" are like bodybuilder arms and that would be very very difficult for women to achieve.

Perhaps we do have a different definition. I want my arms to look toned and be strong. I also want them to fit into the sleeves of my shirts, blouses and blazers. When I lift heavy weights, they quickly get too big to fit. That's what I mean by bulky...not that I look like a professional male bodybuilder, but that my clothes don't fit over my arms. For example, the rest of my body may wear a size 6 or 8, but the only items with sleeves I can fit into are a size 16.

Since I've been doing TA, my arms not only fit into the largest size blazer of my uniform (one that was too small to wear before), but they fit into the next size down with room to spare. And my upper arms and shoulders are very shapely looking. Also, I am more easily able to lift heavy loads at work.

As for cycling, I haven't taken spin classes which is what she's talking about, but I've used my bike for transportation. My legs don't get bulky, but they don't get any thinner either. Since I am quite pear-shaped and tend to carry my weight in my hips and thighs, I do want my thighs to be smaller. Right now, the largest part of my thigh is 3 1/2 inches smaller than it was before starting this exercise routine. I'm pleased with that result since it exceeds any expectation or hope I had (especially considering I've lost about 5 lbs only). The change has been truly dramatic in a very short period of time and I've enjoyed the process.

I'm certain different people have different goals for their exercise routines. It's wonderful there are so many choices out there. My goals with exercise are to be able to eat more food without gaining weight, look firm/toned but not muscular, be able to lift and bend and reach carrying heavy items at work, and have smaller hips/thighs/arms. My stomach is already naturally flat so I'm not as concerned with that, but I've kind of been enjoying the vertical lines I'm getting on my stomach from all the ab work. Someone else's goal might be to look muscular or to get larger. I don't really think TA would work well for that so it might not be the best choice of program. I've read complaints from some women who prefer a larger backside that the exercises cause them to lose too much of their butt. That would not be something that would distress me. But again, for those concerned about that, a different program might be a better option. This one's going to get you more of a Pilates or Barre or Callanetics look.

Also, to address your upset about the 3 lbs weight limit, in an interview, Tracy Anderson said,

"That is actually not true! The primary arm series that I designed for my workouts should be executed with three-pound weights for women. This is because the accurate execution of these movements creates a beautiful design and activates key muscles in the shoulder girdle and arms. During my years of testing, I found that three-pounds was ideal for these very specific movements. That does not mean that my method never calls for heavier weights.

The progressive overload principle to break the body of plateaus is valid—and I use it—but only in ways that don’t compartmentalize strength. I believe in creating balance where there is imbalance in the body. That belief and its supporting scientific principles are why I’ve created such a vast collection of workouts. Some of my routines involve swinging a 75-pound cube, or wearing a 40-pound weight vest; I have a leg series that requires the distribution of 10 pounds on the leg while pressing against an elastic form of resistance to build strength—and length—with control. In my bank of muscular structure work, thousands of the exercises are the equivalent of a 130-pound person lifting approximately 65 to 70 pounds of their body weight. When you just lift heavy weights with your limbs as a lever against your core there is a depletion, which causes micro-tears in your muscle fibers. Training muscles by lifting heavy weight creates a cycle of repairing, rebuilding, and ultimately, muscle growth. Yes, this creates strength—but in isolation, and in a compartmentalized way. I pair certain resistances with certain movements for certain people very carefully—after all, our muscles are tools to create incredible art with our bodies."

TeaBea

singingflutelady wrote: »

Not sure I'd ever do a workout program by someone who says women should never lift more than 3 lbs or they'll get bulky.

Edited to correct that it is 3 lbs not 5 lbs

Lol! She's got some really off the wall ideas...........

PWRLFTR1

singingflutelady wrote: »

Not sure I'd ever do a workout program by someone who says women should never lift more than 3 lbs or they'll get bulky.

Edited to correct that it is 3 lbs not 5 lbs

Not sure I'd ever do a workout program by someone I could pick up and overhead press.

76Crane76

I started watching the method DVD and I have the book to go along with it. I disliked how she only shows the exercise on one side and then goes to the next exercise. You can't exercise along with her you have to pause everything. I'm also one that doesn't care for the silence. I also don't believe in that 3lb 5lb weight thing for women. With all that being said, she does have some really good mat exercises. I sort of like half her stuff and dislike half. I decided to take her moves that I do like (for now) and add them to the other exercises I'm doing. I tried her 15 minute beginner cardio and it was ok. The 2nd in the series, not so much. It's like she's making the moves up as she goes along.

Tried30UserNames

Yeah, I didn't like the 30-Day Method DVD that came with the book for the same reason. I like a DVD I can follow along with rather than one that just shows the exercises and then you have to pause and do them yourself. The book did explain her method and some of the exercises in a way that was helpful, I thought.

Have you tried the one called The Tracy Anderson Method presents Mat Workout DVD? It's her first DVD (I'm pretty sure), an hour-long workout from 2008 and the one I think is the very best she's made. I found it on Youtube first and then ended up buying it.

As for the 3 lb weight thing, as I mentioned in my post above containing the TA quote, it's untrue and the lie just gets repeated over and over and over again on message boards and blogs around the internet.

New_Avatar

Have any of you started the program . Am on metamorphosis day 5. Without following the diet prescribed by her though

suzefitness

I'm using the Tracy Anderson method and am near the end of the first year, where she started using both weights in one hand, which is 6 lbs. So she's not all about 3 lb weights forever. I've been doing this exercise for almost a year and have lost 46 lbs even though I follow my own diet. It's an all over workout which I enjoy and I also add yoga.