Barre, Ballet & Fusion Workouts

Attitude Ballet & Pilates Fusion
Bernadette Giorgi
Year Released: 2007

I have tried some of instructor Bernadette Giorgi's Pilates DVDs, so I thought I might enjoy this one as well, especially given that I enjoy both Pilates and ballet workouts. This DVD is subtitled as being for "over 50" fitness--I'm 47, so I figured that I was close enough. Giorgi leads a group of four background exercisers who do appear to be in their late 40s or 50s. These women are fit and performed the routines well enough, but I found them to be oddly unsmiling and somewhat mechanical in performance during the workouts. I was also thrown a bit by the setting, which is a large, airy space with ersatz barn doors to one side that I've seen in other fitness videos, usually cardio-type ones; this type of studio just did not seem to fit with the more relaxed vibe of this barre and Pilates routines presented here.

The Main Menu of this DVD offers the following options: Introduction (a brief overview by Giorgi) - Form Pointers - Workout 1 - Workout 2 - Premixes - Credits. In the Form Pointers segment (10.5 minutes), Giorgi uses one of the background exercisers to demonstrate some of the main moves used in the routines, including 1st position, 2nd position, 4th position, 5th position, and tendu. I have described each of the additional segments in greater detail below.

WORKOUT 1
This workout is approximately 40 minutes long. It starts with a warm-up (about 3 minutes), which consists of simple pliés and side stretches. Centre barre is next. These are traditional ballet moves, although an actual ballet barre is not used. Rather, Giorgi takes you through sets of pliés and relevés, working from the various ballet positions. In-between every set, Giorgi cued two grand pliés as a "rest"--these began to feel somewhat tedious. However, I enjoyed the balance work, which included developés to each side and combination moves. The next section was weighted work, or centre ball. Giorgi and friends use a weighted ball, sometimes in one hand, sometimes in both hands. Although I actually have a small 4-pound medicine ball, I found it easier to use my 2-pound "s-shaped" weights, as I could use these in either one or both hands depending on the exercise. There is about 20 minutes of Pilates matwork, and then a brief stretch concludes the workout.

WORKOUT 2
The second routine is very similar to the first, starting with almost the same warm-up. The centre barre segment is a bit more intense here, although again, Giorgi includes the two grand pliés between sets, which slows down the workout. She performs full pliés with cat stretches in-between as well as developés with kicks forward, a nice move requiring balance. The center barre work is fairly short (5 minutes) and includes compound moves such as lift front with lunge, triceps push rear, side pliés with high bicep curl, and alternating side balance (no weights). There was a similar Pilates matwork segment (again about 20 minutes), and the short stretch including just a few moves such as Mermaid, a twist, and a heel stretch, bringing the tool workout time in at about 37 minutes.

As noted above, this DVD has several premixes. These combine various segments of the two main workouts as follows:

ATTITUDE BARRE, 37:40 minutes
warm-up, Workouts 1 & 2, Centre Barre Work, Stretch

ATTITUDE BALL, 24:10 minutes
warm-up, Workouts 1 & 2, Center Ball Work, Stretch

ATTITUDE MAT, 31:00 minutes
warm-up, workout 1 & 2 mat work, stretch

ATTITUDE ADVANCED, 68:00 minutes
warm-up, workouts 1 & 2 all sections and stretch

Overall, I did like these routines. There are several things that make this DVD worthwhile, including the variety of ballet moves and the premixes. However, it could have been better--although Giorgi is a good instructor, she does not mirror cue here, and her background exercisers are unenthusiastic at best. Furthermore, while this workout is gentle, it is also extremely low energy--it would have been nice if Giorgi had taken things up a notch. So, I would recommend this DVD, but with some reservations as noted.

Instructor Comments:
I find Bernadette to be generally pleasant and easy to follow. Mirror cuing isn't a big deal for matwork, but it's more of an issue for standing ballet work, and so it was a disappointment that she did not use it here. Also, as noted above, I thought she moved a bit too slowly in these workouts--instead of feeling gentle, the overall effect felt low-energy.

Beth C (aka toaster)

10/25/2015


This dvd offers two 40ish minute ballet & pilates fusion workouts. Bernadette works out with 5 background exercisers in a studio w/ hardwood floors. The dvd is chaptered very well w/in each workout and offers various premixes. a small weighted ball is optional for these workouts.

Bernadette does a fantastic job of creating a unique fusion of standing ballet & pilates with pilates mat work. I love the addition of the weighted ball to amp up the work. This workout is graceful and flows fantastically. Really hits the core & offers some nice balance challenges.

Workout One: (40 min) Starts with a flowing standing ballet series with plenty of pliets and pliet variations that include lots of good upper body movements as well. You then move into a standing series utilizing the ball and she adds in upper body strength work allowing your heartrate to raise. Exercises include: pliet and bicep curl, pliet & shoulder raise, static lunges & tricep extensions, etc. You then move to the mat for focused pilates core work with and without the ball.

Workout Two: (38 min) You begin with a standing ballet series that includes a nice pliet series and lots of standing pilates leg work such as leg circles and heel taps. You then begin the standing ball section where you will perform dips, glute lifts and lots of good balance work. You conclude this workout with pilates mat work to hit your core. You use the ball in many of pilates inspired floor exercises such as pilates bike, leg drops, crunching leg extensions, etc.

I rate this an intermediate workout that is really suitable for most all fitness levels. Bernadette offers wonderful form pointers & her cuing is excellent. These workouts really flow well and will definitely hit your muscles in a new way. Invigorating workout that leaves you well worked and without leaving you wanting to cry. Tons of time options- great in part, in whole, or added on to other workouts! I received this dvd to review.
lindseylu8

03/23/2011


Beautifully produced by Greg Twombly/CIA Productions with soft instrumental music. Bernadette's cast are all over age 50 and fit (and look wonderful).

Two Ballet & Pilates fused sessions are included. (each workout is approximately 34-35 minutes long and is individually chaptered as well) Bernadette was wise to include several premixes which allow the participant to choose what they want to focus on for the day or if time restraints are an issue, they can select a shorter session. (the premixes average from 24 minutes to 68 minutes in length)

Workout 1 and Workout 2 are set up in the following chapters:
*Intro
*Warmup
*Centre Barre
*Centre with Ball
*Mat Work
*Stretch

Premixes are well thought out and written so you'll know what is included:

*Attitude Barre: 37:40 minutes
warmup, workout 1 & 2 Centre Barre work and stretch

*Attitude Ball: 24:10 minutes
warmup, workout 1 & 2 Centre with Ball work and stretch

*Attitude Mat: 31:00 minutes
warmup, workout 1 & 2 mat work, stretch

*Attitude Advanced: 68:00 min.
warmup, workouts 1 & 2 all sections and stretch

These sessions provide a straight forward approach to each discipline. Nothing fancy, you'll just get precise and easy to understand descriptions of proper alignment and positioning. (for further instruction, check out Form Pointers. Here, Bernadette takes you through the basics of some of the ballet & pilate moves. She guides while someone else demonstrates.)

The centre barre work is fluid and rhythmic. You'll perform classic ballet moves that have been modified for at home use. (you'll feel a burn in your lower body with these gentle but effective moves) For a total body effect, Bernadette has included centre work with a 2lb weighted ball. These moves remain just as graceful but you'll sculpt the arms without bulk. Here you'll perform such classic moves like bicep curls and tricep extensions, however Bernadette often adds a lower body toning element. (say including a lunge or plie move) The mat work has lots of variety. You'll work your entire core region, including transverse abdominals and obliques. To increase intensity, the 2lb weighted ball will be included in several exercises. Each workout has different exercises and/or sequences so you won't get bored. The workout will conclude with a well deserved relaxing stretch.

Advertised as an "older, mid-life" workout, anyone can benefit from this unique program. It has plenty to offer and with the Form Pointers, even a true beginner can follow along.

Instructor Comments:
Bernadette provides great form tips throughout each session. Her verbal cues are precise and easy to follow. (she doesn't cue too early or late)

Check out her website at www.justbmethod.com where you can read about the cast members and how this workout has helped them.

DeniseR

09/11/2007


I ordered Attitude Ballet & Pilates from the instructor's web site, justbmethod.com on Fri., Aug 17 and received it in the mail Wed., Aug 22. It was $19.99 for the DVD, there was no shipping charge and I was able to pay by paypal. According to info on the site and on the DVD, part of the proceeds get donated to breast cancer organizations. The DVD is very well chaptered. The main menu is broken down into an introduction, form pointers, workout 1, workout 2, premixes and credits. Workout 1 is chaptered by an intro, warm up, centre barre, centre with ball, mat work, and a stretch and is 40 minutes long. Workout 2 is chaptered by an intro, warm up, centre barre, centre with ball, mat work, and a stretch and is 38 minutes long. There are four premixes: Attitude Barre - 37.40 minutes, Attitude Ball - 24.10 minutes, Attitude Mat - 31 minutes, and Attitude Advanced - 68 minutes. I previewed the form pointers from the main menu, where she names various ballet & pilates positions while one of the women demonstrates them - this is good for anyone like me who doesn't know much about ballet or pilates. I don't think there was any music during the form pointers. She recommends doing workout 1 3x per week for 12 weeks, then moving on to workout 2. Next I previewed workout 1. The background music was soft and calming and Bernadette's voice was pleasant and well modulated. The lighting was good and the workout space appeared clean and visually appealing. The exercisers consisted of Bernadette and five other women who seemed to be regular people, not fitness models. Everyone was dressed in pink & black. The first part of the workout consisted of standing ballet work, I think she said you could use a chair or a bar if you wanted, but no one was demonstrating this. Next they moved to standing work using a 2 lb weighted ball. She mentioned that you can use no weight or a dumbbell if you don't have a ball; she recommended not going over 5 lbs no matter what you use. During this part they did plies, squats with bicep curls, lunges with tricep work and some balancing moves which she referred to as a yoga & pilates warrior move. Next came pilates mat work - some moves used the ball and some did not. After that was finished, there was a brief stretch. In between each section of the workout, little motivational sayings popped up for just a second. I haven't had a chance to look at workout 2 yet. I assume the premixes are made up of parts of workouts 1 & 2, but I haven't looked at them yet either. I've never tried a ballet workout before and my pilates experience has been pretty limited, so I can't really make comparisons between this and any similar workouts. I will say that, on preview, there was nothing that annoyed me and the ball work actually held my interest, so I think I will get use out of this. There was a note in the package that said she will be going into production for two new workouts in January.


Instructor Comments:
LAC

08/23/2007

Pure Barre
Carrie Rezabek
Year Released: 2008

I have done a few other instructor's barre workouts and this is one of my favorites. The standing work was really tough, my legs were shaking & I had to stretch my standing leg a few times. My thighs were screaming by the time I was finished and my glutes were talking to me in the night. The core work was really good, she gets you to tuck while doing the small curls. Usually this style of core work bothers my back & hip flexors but somehow Carrie put this together where only my core was working hard and my poor back was happy. I really felt great after this workout and my pants actually feel looser this morning! I found the subdued set went great with this workout, it was better than bright lighting. I also liked the one-on-one instruction when I usually don't, it seemed to work best for this workout. The music was unassuming but seemed to really help me stay focused and on beat. This DVD is making me come back to barre workouts!

Instructor Comments:
I liked Carrie, she really seemed to be personally training me. She was encouraging and would let you know when an exercise is almost finished so you gathered up the energy to complete it. No small talk which can get tiresome after doing the workout over & over but lots of encouragement.

Spearrmint

11/16/2012


Performed in a studio setting, this 45 minute workout effectively tones the entire body. The techno beat of the music helps you maintain the proper rhythmn. Integrating isometrics into several fitness disciplines (pilates, ballet & traditional toning), the participant will enjoy maximum toning results in a short period of time. (the more effort you put into a move, the more "toning" benefits you'll receive) You'll need a mat, handweights (2 sets would be ideal, a lighter set for the smaller pulsing moves and a heavier set for the more traditional strength exercises) and a bar or chair for stability.

Carrie begins the workout with a basic warmup of several knee lifts. (it's very quick so to ensure the body is warm, I would recommend doing the workout after a cardio session or walk in place for a few minutes beforehand) Using your heavier dumbbells, Carrie performs more traditional exercises to 2/2 and single counts. The exercises include several versions of bicep curls, wide rows and shoulder presses. Next you'll grab your lighter weights and perform multiple exercises using small, precise movements. These really hone in on the muscle and offer additional shaping benefits. Lots of variety-from kickbacks to dips, pushups to planks, Carrie ensures all muscles of the upper body are worked.

The 1st bar (or chair) segment keys in on the thighs. Isometric holds & pulses work deep into the thigh area to tighten and define. Plies, deep knee bends, tucks, knee squeezes-you will feel it! Once this segment is complete, Carrie focuses on great lower body stretches for the hamstrings, quads and hip flexors.

The next bar session focuses on the glutes. Tiny leg lifts done in various positions target the entire backside. The movements are small but concise (proper execution of the movement really enhances the toning benefits). After repeating all the standing exercises with the opposite leg, Carrie moves to the floor for additional glute exercises. Performing the movements on all 4's, you'll keep legs straight, legs bent and legs turned out to shape the hamstrings as well as the buttocks. Carrie concludes this segment with a few more lower body stretches.

The final segment works the core. Maintaining isometric contractions, you'll work through multiple reps & ranges of motion to tone the entire abdominal wall. You'll see a fusion of pilates within some of the exercises.

I enjoyed this workout. It was tough and you could feel it working as you performed the exercises.

Instructor Comments:
www.purebarre.com

Denise

03/02/2008

Pure Barre Lowry Lofts 1
Carrie Rezabek
Year Released: 2010

Here is a break down of the DVD:

Total playtime: 37:27 (on the DVD they say 45 minutes, but it is not that long)

Warmup & Upper Body (9 minutes):

Barre-style knee high march
Abdominal variations with ring between thighs
Forearm plank (20 seconds)
Straight arm plank (20 seconds)
(She says 30 seconds for the planks but they aren’t that long)
Side plank both sides
Pushups (she does them all with knees on ground – I modify the hands-wide version and do as toe pushups) –
2 counts up / down, hands wide (4)
Single count, hands wide (16)
2 counts up/down, hands narrow (4)
Small pulses (10)
Child’s pose
Tricep dips (7 single count, 17 pulses)
Standing upper body work with ring for resistance
Standing side stretch
Shoulder stretch

Thigh work:

Knee dancing holding ring in hands (hip tucks)
Parallel leg plie on toes with ring around legs, just above the knees
Knees turned out plie with ring between thighs
Stretching (just over 3 minutes)

Glute work:

Ring placed between back of knee and heel, lifting with bent knee
Straight leg pulses, ring drops
Leg bent, out to the side using side of ring pushing on the leg for resistance
Figure-4 standing stretch

Abs / Lower Back:

Ring between thighs (sitting higher than c-curve)
Legs straight, one raised overhead
Reverse curl with ring between thighs, toes touching
Cobra
Locust variation
Cat/cow

Stretching: 2.5 minutes, very brief.

COMMENTS:

Carrie’s style is pretty straight forward – she doesn’t show a lot of charisma. This didn’t bother me, but for someone looking for a really “fun” workout, this might bother them. She doesn’t give a lot of tips on form, or sometimes the tips are so subtle I didn’t even realize they were there until I had done the workout a few times. If someone is completely new to barre work and prefers a lot of instruction on form, this might not be the best choice.

The ring that Pure Barre sells on their web page to go with this DVD seems to be a little too big for some of the thigh work. When placing the ring around my legs for the parallel leg plies, I had to move the ring higher up on my leg than what they say on the DVD or I would have been trying to do it bow legged. This wasn’t a big deal and the exercise was still effective. When doing plies with legs turned out, the ring is too big to place between my legs. I substituted with a yoga block as they have recommended on some Core Fusion DVDs I had. A playground or exercise ball would also work fine as a substitute.

While overall I really liked the use of the ring, in portions of the glute work it felt as if they were trying to design the workout around the ring, instead of using it where it seemed to make the most sense. For the first portion where you place the ring in the fold on the back of the knee, this seemed really awkward to me as the handle of the ring is so small. I substituted with a small ball and this seemed to work much better. Although as I have worked with Lowry Lofts 2 a few times now with the same ring in back of the knee, I have got used to it. One time I did a ball on one leg, and the ring on the other leg and I actually felt the exercise more with the ring. So, maybe over time I it will continue to grow on me.

Also, I didn’t really “get” the bent-knee portion where you push against the side of your leg for resistance. After trying it that way several times I dropped the ring later and actually felt the exercise much more as I was able to concentrate more on form and working the muscle, and less on pushing against my leg. On the Lowry Lofts 2 DVD they do not use the ring for the similar exercise.

Finally, the stretching at the end is so brief that I just skip it completely and do my own stretches.

Although there are some issues that I mentioned above, overall I really do like this DVD. It is a fast paced, no fluff workout. It was easy to modify for the issues I mentioned. I do plan on using this on an ongoing basis as part of my rotation.
kitty12

10/18/2010

Tracy Anderson 30 Day Method
Tracy Anderson
Year Released: 2010

While I sold off or traded the three TA DVDs I owned after a hard time with Tracy's Post Pregnancy Workout, I'm still a fitness DVD addict and going back and forth between workouts goes with the territory.

Tracy should have released this book first, then released the other DVDs because it gives you good insight into what she's doing with all those moves and even breaks down the moves so you can follow them, especially the cardio. Now this isn't NROWL or any of Kathy Smith's books. And don't be put off by the poor subject/verb agreement, use of the vernacular or rambling, stream of consciousness prose mixed with buzz words like 'musculostructural'. There is a method to the madness, uh, Method.

The point of her Method is muscle confusion by working the muscle on a diagonal. Actually, it's not even muscle confusion but muscle bewilderment. Before I tried this bootcamp I never understood what she meant about the muscle being pulled close to the bone but within a few hours of the Day 1 exercises I literally felt like my bone marrow was being pulled out of me.

The book's plan is separated into three sections: muscular structure, cardio and menu and has a DVD demonstrating all the exercises to house music. The muscular structure is further broken down into three Sequences of 17 exercises each lasting 10 days. Each day of a Sequence you're to add 5 or so reps to each exercise until you reach a max of 60 reps, or 40 reps with ankle weights for lower body. After you finish the mat exercises the cardio is next. To help get you started and to further demonstrate the exercises, the accompanying DVD has Tracy on a plain white background demonstrating the moves according to Sequence. Already there's a serious dread factor for the mat exercises, but as the book says, in a few days your body will start to crave the pain. I'm still struggling to understand how the first set of arm movements in the First Sequence burned all the way to my breastbone. There are seven lower body exercises, five ab exercises and five arm exercises to each Sequence.

The DVD also contains the two 10-minute cardio sections which you're to repeat twice during the 30 day plan to nice house music. She encourages you to build your own playlist for the cardio and even includes a playlist in the book. The cardio portion of the workout is a godsend for those of us who bought Dance Cardio and quickly traded or sold it off. The moves are simple step touches, hamstring curls, and high impact moves like jacks, heel-toe moves, forward and side kicks and side-to-sides. The bonus is that after learning the 10 minute sections, you can then play your own music when you get bored with the DVD's music. While the cardio portions are nearly 95% high impact, don't despair. The book includes modifications for all exercise levels to allow you to master her dance cardio. Tracy Anderson? Modifications? Seriously? Yes, seriously. And let me tell you, high impact gets the endorphins going faster than climbing the step, at least for me. At least I still call it high impact; the book calls it jumping and you're to progress from low impact step touches to high impact in 10 minute increments until you have a 40 to 60 minute high impact dance workout.

The video is shot in black and white, not an issue for me, but I read a few people were not happy. Also, the cardio portion of the DVD looks like it was prepared in a 'cut and paste' manner, again, not a problem for me but it might be an issue for those who like to follow an instructor move for move. While she does mirror cue, the editing will leave you off count. Since she encourages you to use your own playlist and the moves are very basic, I had no problem doing the cardio ad lib as it reminded me of the times I used to dance around the living room for cardio before I discovered workout videos. She also does the mat work on one side only, leaving you to finish the other side on your own. I didn't have a problem with this because I've done book exercises before, though some might.

She also recommends a workout space heated to "the eighties" to help loosen up muscles, three hardware store mirrors and a cornucopia of exotic ingredients for the tasty-looking recipes, I simply worked out in the bedroom after running the shower super hot and used the mirror from our dresser. I did not use the meal plan because I was lactating at the time I started the bootcamp. You'll also need a chair for Sequences 2 and 3, and she recommends a yoga mat and working out on hardwoods. If you're on a slab, I'd suggest puzzle mats or some sort of cushioning. I'm on a crawl space and my feet still felt a little sore on the bottom the day after cardio.

To sum up, this is an intense, intensive 30 day program not for the shy or the broke. Besides the 45 to 90 minutes needed for muscular structure, as she calls it, you'll need another 40 minutes for cardio, and God knows how much time to shop and prepare the tasty meals. Despite the time and expense, the woman knows her stuff. One of her shortcomings has always been, in my opinion, that she does not have the educational background to relay her knowledge in a manner that would satisfy many advanced exercisers who have tried every method out there and who lived through the move from high impact/no weights in the early days of home fitness to safer low impact moves and added resistance for quicker results.

The other shortcoming is that she talks a lot about how she formed her Method but does little to demonstrate those early days. I only wish she'd included Before/After photos the way Callan Pinckney did her in book to show the gastric bypass patient who benefitted from her Method along with the mother of multiple children and the original 150 or so women she experimented with in the days before Madonna and Gwyneth. Those experiments and the people involved remain shrouded in darkness, lost among reports of bankruptcies, walk outs and ex-business partners. Despite all of that, TA has not just survived but thrived. She has at least 10K more people following her on FB than Cathe, and more all the time. Where the revelation of bad girl behavior would have tanked any other fitness pro, for some reason it made TA even stronger, at least for now.
f1mom

01/21/2011

The Pregnancy Project
Tracy Anderson
Year Released: 2013

Please note that I am NOT pregnant, just a fan of Tracy's method and wanted to try out the set! So please take that into consideration when reading my review. These are the opinions of someone who is not pregnant and does not have children. I know there are quite a few non-pregnant people interested in this set, so this review may appeal to them. It will also give women who are pregnant an idea of what the workouts are like.

If you're new to the Tracy Anderson Method, this would be a great place to start. She talks and cues a lot, almost too much for my preference, as I'm used to her barely speaking at all. While I do appreciate the form pointers (which seriously lack in the Metamorphosis series), I found myself fast forwarding through a lot of the chatter about how to stay in tune with your pregnant body during the workouts. Obviously I just don't need to hear that, but I can see how it would be beneficial if you are expecting.

The Pregnancy Project comes in a DVD case which holds 9 DVD's, one workout for each month. The workouts vary in length, most between 30-45 minutes, with one being close to an hour. I will breakdown each workout by month.

The workouts were filmed on a very nice set that resembles a living room with neutral, warming colors and very soothing music. You have the option to play the workout with Tracy's voice and music, or just Tracy's voice (no music). As for equipment, the months vary as to what she has you use, but be prepared to have a chair, a mat, a towel and light hand weights. I will let you know month by month what equipment is required.

There is no traditional ab work (standing or floor work) in this series, but Tracy really hits your abs from different angles while working the legs. She reminds you of this in the individual workouts that this is what she's doing for your abs and it's true. I somehow felt sore in my abs after these workouts. The weighted and unweighted arm segments are slower than Tracy's other workouts, and she actually explains what she is doing with your arms and sometimes she even explains why! It's a very nice change of pace from her other workouts where it seems she is frantically throwing her arms around with no verbal direction. For the most part, Tracy alternates legs per move rather than exhausting one leg with all different moves before switching sides. There is a few months where she does do two moves in a row before switching legs. She also does a pretty good job of explaining all the different angles she wants from you with your legs.

MONTH ONE (34 minutes)
This DVD contains three options: Month One Workout, Interview with Tracy and Advice for Moms. For Month one you will need a chair (just for the warm-up), a mat and light hand weights (3lbs or less). The flow of the workout is as follows: short warm-up, unweighted arms (5 min), legs (17 min), weighted arms (4-5 min), short stretch. My arms were pretty sore by the end of the unweighted arm segment! The leg segment has a nice variety of moves on the knees and on the side. The reps range from 10-20. She focuses on the butt and hips and I really felt this segment in my hips, especially the next day. She sneaks in one exercise for the lower abs while on your back in between some of the leg moves. The last part is the weighed arm segment. There is a quick stretch at the end. As a NON pregnant woman well experienced with Tracy, I found this one a bit too easy for me. It was a good workout though!

Tracy's Interview
During Tracy's short, 1 minute 30 second interview, she talks about her own pregnancies and wanting to design a safe, effective workout for herself and for all women to do while expecting.

Advice for Moms
During this 5 minute segment a variety of women, including Tracy, all share their tips about pregnancy and mothering from personal experience. There is no mind blowing information here, just personal opinions as if you were sitting among experienced girlfriends.

MONTH TWO (37 minutes)
This DVD contains three options: Month Two Workout, Tracy Anderson Method and Mama Mio. You will need a chair, a mat and light hand weights. The flow of the workout is as follows: short warm-up, unweighted & weighted arms (10 min combined), legs (20 min), short stretch. This was definitely a step up from Month One. There are standing leg moves with a chair, as well as leg moves on the floor. The moves focus on the butt and hips, and the reps range from 8-20. I was sufficiently challenged with this month's workout! There is one tough grand plie move where Tracy has you do a grand plie (think deep plie squat with heels together) then stand up and kick one leg out behind you twice. You do 20 reps per leg and end up doing 40 grand plies in a row. I was huffing and puffing towards the end! I don't know how she did it being as pregnant as she was without losing her breath (she says at one point that she is actually 4 months pregnant during filming the earlier months). I was really sore in my quads for days after too. I will say that some of the chair moves were a bit awkward for me because the back of my chair was too high. I also couldn't fit my feet under the chair when doing floor moves like she wanted because my chair is built differently than hers, but I modified and made it work for me.

Tracy Anderson Method
This 7 minute video consists of different people, including Tracy, talking about the Tracy Anderson Method, mostly about doing it while pregnant (not necessarily the Pregnancy Project, just her method in general).

Mama Mio
This 4 minute video consists of the founders of Mama Mio Skincare talking about their company, a company which Tracy endorses.

MONTH THREE (57 minutes)
This DVD contains three options: Month Three Workout, Cravings and Petit Tresor. You will need a chair, a mat, light hand weights and a small towel. The flow of the workout is as follows: short warm-up, unweighted arms (5 min), legs (42 min), weighted arms (5 min), short stretch. The unweighted arm work is done on your knees and the weighted arm work is done seated. There is a nice variety of leg work on the side, knees and all fours. The focus is mostly the outer thigh and butt. Tracy also throws in some inner thigh work too. She adds the use of the weights and towel during some of the leg moves for resistance and balance and I liked that part. Overall though, I found this month to be a bit slow and boring. It's longer than the others at 57 minutes and I found myself clock watching. A majority of the leg moves were two part leg moves (for example, in one move on all fours you first lift your leg out to the side like a fire hydrant and then kick it straight back), so when Tracy says you're only doing 20 reps, you are actually lifting your leg 40 times. Then you switch to the other side and repeat. It just took too long and got boring for me, especially since the moves go at a much slower pace than I'm used to with Tracy's workouts. It was a nice blend of moves and I felt challenged, just bored.

Cravings
This 4-5 minute video consists of a variety of women talking about the cravings they had during their pregnancies.

Petit Tresor
This 2 1/2 minute video consists of the Co-Founder of Petit Tresor talking about her company (baby furniture & accessories), a company which Tracy endorses. Tracy said they designed the Pregnancy Project set.

MONTH FOUR (36 minutes)
This DVD contains two options: Month Four Workout and Mind & Body Challenges. You will need a mat and light hand weights. The flow of the workout is as follows: warm-up (longer than the previous months), weighted arms (8 min), legs (16 min) and unweighted arms/short stretch (combined -about 3 min). Tracy says she is really going to focus on lifting the butt this month and all the leg work is done accordingly. All of the leg moves are done on all fours, 20 reps each, and your leg is either turned out or inverted in during the lifts. The positioning of some of these moves actually bothered my lower back a little bit. I didn't feel all that challenged by this level and it's funny because Tracy actually addresses that after the leg work. She says if you don't really feel it, you either have to work on your form or maybe it's because you were already super fit before pregnancy. She assures you that the moves are still keeping you in shape during your pregnancy and it will be easier for your body to bounce back after baby.

Mind & Body Challenges
This 7 minute video consists of a variety of women talking about the importance of staying active during pregnancy.

MONTH FIVE (40 minutes)
This DVD contains two options: Month Five Workout and Pregnancy Differences. You will need a mat and light hand weights. The flow of the workout is as follows: warm-up, weighted arms (10 min), legs (23 min), stretch. All of the moves are done on all fours, 20 reps each, and focus on the butt. I liked this level and the flow of the leg work. I really felt the burn in my butt muscles.

Pregnancy Differences
This 4 minute video consists of a variety of women discussing the differences in their pregnancies.

MONTH SIX (43 minutes)
This DVD contains two options: Month Fix Workout and Staying Sexy. You will need a mat and light hand weights. The flow of the workout is as follows: warm up, weighted arms (10 minutes), legs (22 min), stretch. The leg moves are done on all fours, on the side and on the knees, at 20 reps each. Tracy says again that she wants to continue focusing on keeping the butt as lifted as she possibly can during this month. Just like last month, I really liked the sequence of leg moves in this month and definitely felt the burn in my butt muscles.

Staying Sexy
This 6 minute video consists of a variety of women talking about being in awe of your body and your body's capabilities during pregnancy.

MONTH SEVEN (41 minutes)
The DVD contains two options: Month Seven Workout and Advice for Working Moms. You will need a mat, a chair and light hand weights. The flow of the workout is as follows: warm-up, weighted arms (9-10 min), legs; which includes more stretching (21 min), unweighted arms. There wasn't really a stretch. Tracy uses the chair during the warm up and I wasn't sure why. I found some of the stretches a little awkward and nothing that couldn't be achieved without it. The rep range for legs is 20 each. She starts with standing legs using the chair and then moves onto the floor. Most of the standing moves, while targeting the butt, also focused on keeping the hips open. I didn't personally find these moves all that challenging, but I can see how they would be at seven months pregnant. The floor work is done on all fours.

Advice for Working Moms
This 5 minute video consists of a variety of women discussing what it's like to be a working mother. They do acknowledge that being a full-time stay at home mom is hard work in itself, but these are women who work a job outside the home as well.

MONTH EIGHT (45 minutes)
This DVD contains two options: Month Eight Workout and Body Back after Pregnancy. You will need a mat, a chair and light hand weights. The flow of the workout is as follows: warm-up (with leg moves incorporated into it), weighted arms (9 min), legs (27 min), unweighted arms/stretch. Tracy uses the chair for the warm up, as well as some of the leg moves. In this month, Tracy only works one arm at a time with weights. She said it's for safety & balance reasons. All (but one) of the leg moves use the chair with the first several done standing and the rest done on the floor, ranging from 10-20 reps. One of the moves has you stand behind the chair with one leg over the back so your foot is on the seat. You lift your leg and extend it behind you and kick back and then return to the starting position. I couldn't really do this one properly because the back of my chair was too high. She does suggest just lifting your leg from the ground if you can't get the range of motion with your leg over the chair (or in my case, the back of the chair is too high!), so that is always an option. She makes another suggestion during the leg work on the floor on how to perform a certain move without using the chair. I thought it was nice that she offered modifications. This month's workout moved really slow and wasn't much of a challenge for me.

Body Back after Pregnancy
This 5 1/2 minute video consists of various women discussing how they got their bodies back after pregnancy. Of course they swear by the Tracy Anderson Method! ;-) There is a doctor who suggests getting outdoors for some hikes with your baby and then getting back into whatever activity you desire when you're ready.

MONTH NINE (42 minutes)
This DVD contains two options: Month Nine Workout and Love of Being a Mom. You will need a mat, a chair and light hand weights. The flow of the workout is as follows: warm-up, weighed arms (12 min), legs (23 min), unweighted arms/stretch. Tracy says that this month she will be taking down the complexity of the moves and will really focus on preparing your body for birth and stretching/opening the hips. She uses the chair during the warm up again and continues the weighted arm work just working one arm at a time. The first part of the leg work is done standing with the chair and the rest of the leg work is done on the floor without the chair and on your knees. I enjoyed this level more than the previous one. There was less awkward standing work with the chair and more straight forward leg lifts on all fours that really targeted the butt.

Love of Being a Mom
This 4 1/2 minute video consists of various women talking about their love of being mothers.

Overall Impression
I really liked this set as a whole. There were some months I liked better than others and found more challenging, but overall it was nice to have more workouts from Tracy using her style, but at a much slower pace and with explanation of the moves. She does stay completely true to her method style. As I mentioned above, I think it would be great for beginners to her method, or anyone who enjoys her style that found Metamorphosis a bit too frantic, or for someone who just wants a change of pace and doesn't mind taking a step back in the level of difficulty. However, if you like the pace of Metamorphosis and have been doing that for years, this will definitely be a huge step back, but it's still good.

I really enjoyed the arm work and I think that even the veteran Tracy Anderson followers would like it too. The pace is slower (and she explains what she is doing), but the segments are longer than in her Metamorphosis series and I found that because of the slower pace, I was able to control more and actually felt a better mind/body connection and muscle burn. I liked that the leg work really focused in on the butt and hips.

Even though I liked the workouts, I could not see myself doing the same exact workout for a month, even if I were pregnant and couldn't "handle" anything else. But that has nothing to do with these workouts in particular, I don't think I could do that with any workout in general. I do think she was smart in making this series though. I have no doubt that those who already enjoy her method would buy this if they were pregnant, or even if they're not (like me!). It's a well thought out and put together plan for each stage of pregnancy. And of course, anything that encourages a woman to keep moving during her pregnancy if she can is a good thing to keep healthy!

In regards to the videos that accompanied each month's workouts: even though they were short, I can see how it would be fun to sit back and listen to if I were pregnant. It's pretty much the same women in each video, so it's kind of like girlfriends sharing their own, personal stories.

Instructor Comments:
Tracy talks and cues a lot in this set (no voice over). She gives a lot of form pointers and actually explains what she is doing with certain arm/legs moves and the reason behind it. She's pleasant and is much more engaging than in her Metamorphosis series.

furmomof4

07/14/2013

Mat Workout
Tracy Anderson
Year Released: 2008

NOTE: I received a free review copy of this DVD from the distributor.

First, a little about me: I'm an avid exerciser in my mid-40s who generally works out daily and has done so for years now (since my late 20s). I exercise mainly at home with videos and enjoy a wide variety of activities, including kickboxing, kettlebells, circuits, yoga, Pilates, and stretching.

However, I'm not one to hop on bandwagons, and although I was well-aware of Tracy's workouts, I didn't really have much interest in them; I've never overly clicked with barre. Despite this, as time has passed, I have come to hear more and more about the Mat Workout, and it has sounded like something I might enjoy. In particular, I was interested in Tracy's upper body work, in which she combines both unweighted moves and use of light weights (I've found that this type of work combined with alternate days of heavy weight work really keeps my own arms in shape) as well as her targeted lower body exercises, which seemed like they could be especially helpful to me, as this is where I carry most of my weight.

The Main Menu of this DVD offers the following chapters: Mat Introduction - Mat Routine (which is NOT chaptered) - Gwyneth Interview, Mat - Tracy Main Interview. In her brief (1 minute) introduction to the the workout, Tracy suggests doing the Mat Workout 4-6 times per week; she recommends not doing anything else other than her Mat and Cardio Workouts. During the slightly longer interview (3 minutes), Tracy elaborates on the development of her Method, explaining that it grew out of 8 years of research experimenting with both herself (she stated that she had trouble losing weight/getting the body she wanted after trying dieting, Pilates, spinning, etc.) as well as other women of various body types. Paltrow's short interview is similar, supporting how Tracy's Method helped her to get into shape.

For the workout itself, Tracy is alone, instructing live in an attractive, mostly-wood studio with large glass windows in the background. Unlike with most barre-style workouts, which are usually performed barefoot, Anderson is wearing shoes here. Her cuing is often late or non-existent; you definitely have to keep your eye on her and sort of follow along (which, luckily, is relatively easy to do once you get the hang of what she is doing). Tracy describes the workout as "strategic muscle exhaustion" in which she is working to tire the larger muscles first in order to get at the smaller muscles. The music is great, mostly female vocal, flowing very well with the vibe of the workout. Although the workout is not chaptered (a clear oversight on the part of the producers!), there are definite divisions, so I have reviewed it by section below.

WARM-UP (5.5 minutes)
For this section, Tracy combines flowing movements with some yoga-like stretches. She begins with plies, moving into forward bends and then stretches including triangle, pyramid pose, and lunge. There's also a dancey feel with moves like hip sways/hip pops as well as full body side stretches and reaches. As noted above, you'll definitely need to be watching the TV since Tracy does NOT cue all of the moves.

STANDING LEGS (17 minutes)
For this segment, Tracy uses a chair for balance. The moves are performed at a steady, even pace, not frenetic like in some other barre-type videos. The exercises in the first series include the following: knee to shoulder, attitude lift to the side, attitude lift to the rear, knee forward and straight back, and straight leg pulse up; everything is then repeated on the second side. For the second series, Tracy starts with a leg lift to the side (point up/flex down) and then moves into attitude rotations, knee lifts side, and leg pushes rear; this series is also repeated on the second side. Tracy concludes the standing legs with some brief plies/hip stretches. One thing I noticed about this section: my standing leg became fatigued MUCH more quickly than my working leg! Unfortunately, even after performing this workout multiple times, I continue to have this issue--it makes me wonder how effective these moves are for me.

STANDING ABS (3 minutes)
This dancey segment consists of rib isolation-type movements. Although Tracy offers almost no cuing here, she does seem to be following a pattern (e.g., single-single-double, forward and back, diagonal) that I think I will be able to pick up with a little practice. She also performs some circles, moves her legs from together to wide-legged, and ends with some hip sways. Overall, it's a chance to let loose for just a few minutes and have some fun dancing to good music!

STANDING ARMS (unweighted, 8 minutes)
For this section, Tracy is holding her arms at shoulder height and performing a variety of rotational arm moves that flow from the shoulders. These exercises are similar to what can be found in Classical Stretch (see Classical Stretch Arms & Abs/Legs & Butt and Essentrics Workout: Arms, Abs & Waist Toner/Legs, Butt & Thigh Thinner), and they are GREAT for shaping your arms/shoulders, improving your posture, and working out any pains or kinks in the upper body. Sometimes Tracy cues the upcoming move, offering tips such as "imagine you are hitting someone off to the side," but other times, you just have to follow along.

STANDING ARMS (weighted, 8 minutes)
Tracy recommends not using weights heavier that 3 lbs. for this section; for my first time using the workout, I went with 2 lbs., and that worked well; since then, I have varied between 2# and 3# depending on my level of fatigue. Here the moves are different than in the previous segment, with many variations on presses, both overhead and to the sides. There are also some unique exercises, such as a lift from the waist to the armpits and a bowling-type move.

LEGWORK ON MAT (6.5 minutes)
Tracy starts this segment in a side-lying position for a knee-to-shoulder move. She then raises up to more of a seated pretzel-like position for knee forward and back, rear leg lifts, and leg scissors, and finally, she turns even further towards the floor (arms in push-up position) for single leg extensions. Lying face down, Tracy performs double bent leg lifts (frogs) to transition before repeating the entire floorwork series on the second side. I especially liked that this segment targeted the glutes so well WITHOUT including any all-fours work, which I hate.

FLOOR ABS (5.5 minutes)
This was my least-favorite section, mainly because of the position which Tracy uses. She sets up for crunches lying flat on the back with the legs wide, and from here, she performs a variety of small crunches up (e.g., crunch with leg lift, crunch with arm overhead, crunch with one foot crossed, etc.). It was the straight leg position that I did not like, as it made my back feel too arched (I suppose I can modify with bent knees). For the final move, Tracy places her hands under her glutes for double straight leg raises. I have been modifying this section by keeping my legs slightly bent.

COOL-DOWN (4 minutes)
The cool-down was similar to the warm-up, containing many of the same stretches. Tracy does add in a few more rotational movements as well as more work for the abs here. The entire time for this workout is approximately 57.5 minutes.

Overall, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this workout! I really loved the legs work (both standing and floor) and the arms work, and I found the brief standing abs section to be kind of fun. The only segment that I really did not like was the floor abs. The day after doing the Mat Workout for the first time, I felt a pleasant amount of soreness in my upper and inner thighs, an area that generally NEVER feels sore on me.

I am certainly not a total proponent of Tracy's "Method"--i.e., I don't agree that women should NEVER work out with more than 3 lbs. (although I do think that using light weights SOMETIMES makes sense, as with this workout), and I would not use Tracy's DVDs as my ONLY form of exercise, as I enjoy other things (yoga, Pilates, even heavier weights!) too much to give up.

I got this DVD back in January, and I held off on submitting my review to VF for awhile, as I wanted to see if I might get any kinds of results with it. For awhile, I did the workout as often as 2x/week, adding in additional segments on other days. Unfortunately, I didn't see the fantastic results that others seem to get with TA, and in fact I even gained a bit of weight during this time (this also may have been medication-related). More recently, I started doing Callanetics Evolution, and I seem to be noticing results more quickly from this DVD instead.

I still think that the Mat Workout is a fun routine, and I will still add it to my rotation at times--especially the arms work, which I think can help my arms get into better shape for summer. In the end, this is a fun, different workout that I would definitely recommend.

Instructor Comments:
Other than her lack of cuing, I had no problems with Tracy. I've heard her described as being almost unpleasant, but at least during this workout, she smiles and is encouraging, saying things like "good" and "you can do it!" And for some reason, even her lack of cuing isn't so bad, perhaps because she is mostly using 8-counts.

Beth C (aka toaster)

03/12/2013


Tracy leads this 56 min workout in a nice wood studio. You will need a chair and a pair of 3 pound dumbbells for this workout. The dvd is not chaptered but is divided into distinct sections: standing legs, standing upper body, standing core, floor legs, and floor core.

The standing legs section uses a chair and you go through a series of barre type lower body exercises; leg lifts & raises and pliets. The upper body work includes arm circles, reaches, and lifts using 3 pound weights. The short standing core section includes lots of hip shift variations. Floor legs is a nice compilation of leg raise/ lift variations and the floor core includes crunch varieties with your legs fully extended and leg drops.

I rate this ah intermediate workout-though the upper body section was quite tough! Tracey is a pleasant instructor that provides good form pointers. I also enjoyed the music. Tracy utilizes very light weights and believes that they deliver optimal results including lean muscles, tight skin, and will re-engineer your musculature structure. She is not a proponent of anything over three pounds. I received this dvd to review.

lindseylu8

12/16/2012


I enjoy Tracy’s mat workout, I am not an avid follower of her method, but like to include this for some variety / interest. Below you will find lots of in depth info from other reviewers, but I thought I’d add mine to the mix.

Warm-up

I really enjoy this warm-up, it may actually be my favourite warm-up compared to other fitness DVDs. It is a series of plies and flowing yoga style stretches. Some may find the stretches too intense so early in the workout though.

Standing legs

This section uses a chair for balance, like you would use a ballet barre. The exercises are a series of leg lifts and pulses in various directions. She talks about waking up “accessory muscles” and targeting your muscles from different angles, and these exercises do definitely do that. There is one exercise which can be a bit uncomfortable on the hip (this was talked about in the forum recently) especially for those of us with past hip injuries. This can be addressed by changing the angle of the working leg (more turned out) which seems to help, if you do this, then the standing leg should also be turned out I believe (so you’re symmetrical).

My only criticism with this section is that there are no guidelines about standing foot/leg placement, e.g. whether they should be parallel or turned out. Coming from a background in dance, I had dance teachers who were very specific about which exercises were done in turn-out and which were done in parallel.

Standing abs

These exercises (rib isolations) have a dancey feel to them, and seem to be about waking up the muscles of the abdomen, rib cage and waist. They feel nice to do but she does them quite fast. I think because Tracy is small she can move fast with ease, but a taller person might not find this so easy!

Arm work (unweighted)

I really like these exercises, they are like ballet arm exercises but done much faster. As Fuzzy says below, the key is to anchor the arms in the upper back. Something that was instilled into me in dance training was that arm movements (e.g. in ballet) originate in the back muscles, not muscles in the arms and shoulders, this creates a longer arm line and stops you lifting your shoulders when your arms are raised.

I did a TA “bootcamp” for about 10 days or so last year, and I saw biggest changes in my arms, which got much leaner and more “ballerina” like. I actually don’t mind having some bulk/shape in my arms, but I found it interesting to see how quickly these exercises did what Tracy said they would do.

Arm work (light weights)

These are similar, flowing exercises than the previous section. I definitely don’t agree with the whole “don’t lift more than 3 pounds” thing, but, I can see that with these exercises that is wise, they are done fairly quickly with a lot of reps so heavier weights would probably sacrifice form.

Floor Lower Body/legs

Unfortunately I have to skip this section completely. I have an old hip injury and virtually all of these exercises aggravate that. If you don’t have any hip issues, you may like these exercises, I seem to remember there are some pretzel variations and an interesting move combing a push up with rear leg pulse/lift. As seems to be the theme in TA’s method, she approaches the hip, glute & thigh region from a variety of angles. Having covered these areas in the standing leg section however, I don’t feel I’m missing out by not doing this section.

Floor Abs

Tracy’s theme here seems to be to do crunches with the legs extended rather than bent, also the upper body is supposed to reach up (instead of curling forwards, it is more like reaching upwards). This does seem to target different muscles than standard crunches. She incorporates some arm reaches and leg lifts which target different parts of the abdominal area.

I’m not overly enthusiastic about this section but it is ok. I feel more of benefit from other ab work such as that found in Pilates, Core Fusion and Callanetics.

Cooldown

The cooldown section is very similar to the warm up, perhaps a bit more dynamic.

Overall summary

I enjoy this workout, it flows nicely and I enjoy the music. I would class it as invigorating, light strength training for the whole body. But don’t let my use of the word “light” put you off. As I mentioned earlier, I did a TA “bootcamp” last year doing this Mat DVD every day for about 10 days, along with some sporadic cardio (not as much as TA recommends I should add!). I got the same kind of results I get with Callanetics and other barre style workouts which tend to create the “dancer’s physique” look (everything pulled in, lifted and toned, waist trimmed, good posture etc.) The results didn’t excite me enough to want to do TA’s method exclusively however, as I still want to enjoy my other workouts.

What I enjoy most about this workout is how it “wakes up” muscles in the body which don’t get used much, it gives my whole body an invigorated feeling which I don’t usually feel with other workouts.
Instructor Comments:
I like Tracy’s minimal style and lack of in depth instruction, once I have done a DVD several times and learned the routine I find comments and lengthy instruction a bit annoying.

Like others, I don’t agree with her opposition to heavy weights and comments that they cause bulk. I think it depends on your body type. I have thin arms and legs no matter how much I weigh or how heavy I lift, so have never worried about “bulking up”. This does not detract from my enjoyment of the workout though.
BalletCat

08/21/2012


I tried TA's Mat Workout, thanks to a kind VFer who loaned it to me. I am glad I had the chance to try it so that I could fairly judge TA and her workout style.

My impressions are: I thought I would be more impressed with the workout. The workout consisted of standing leg lifts in different directions, rib isolations and some hip movements, arms held up and moved in different directions which mainly worked the shoulders, some leg lifts on the floor, and some ab crunches with legs straight on the floor.

The standing leg lifts were not unique and there weren't too many variations; I think Physique 57 is much more varied, fun, and challenging. The same goes for the ab work, which I felt was extremely limited in terms of working the entire rectus abdominis and obliques. The lower portion was worked only momentarily with some leg lifts with hands under the lower back.

The leg lifts on the floor were a bit awkward in positioning, and the camera did not fully show the positioning since it only showed Tracy from the front. There were not too many reps of these.

The arm work was the most memorable because it involved keeping the arms up for several minutes, and caused fatigue in the shoulders. When the arms are held up, the force of gravity creates the resistance on the shoulder muscles. Even if you bend your arms, for example, in a biceps curl, while holding the arms up at 90 degrees, you are primarily working the shoulders. So, there was almost no resistance to any of the other upper body muscles with the slight exception of the lats and rhomboids.


The warm-up stretches were far too deep for cold muscles. She repeated the same stretches after the workout, which I thought was better.

Tracy does not cue much, and some of the moves were hard to see with her black clothes and limited camera angle from the front. I imagine that after doing the workout several times, it would become easier to know what is coming next.

I liked the music, although Tracy did not always move on the beat.

The parts where Tracy explains her method are the parts that made me cringe. There is one part where she says that she tried her method on a bunch of different women and all of their arms became "teeny-tiny and cute." That was one of the few times that Tracy smiled. She also introduced the workout using the teeny-tiny phrase, and stated how she could make the changes to any body, regardless of genetics. When I hear people who hold themselves out as an expert, make statements that are contrary to science and to common sense, it makes me believe that they do not have the education or desire to be educated about the field in which they claim to be an expert, and they lose credibility.

I can say with absolute certainty that there is no way that I would rely on Tracy Anderson's workouts to achieve or maintain a body that has muscle strength and balance. I believe that this workout will achieve some firming and increased muscle endurance in the glutes and shoulders.

In my opinion, there are much better workouts out there that offer exercises that work the muscles of the upper and lower body in a more balanced and effective way.

If I had to give this workout a grade, I would grade it C-.

Instructor Comments:
I feel neutral about Tracy Anderson in terms of the way she presents herself as an exercise instructor in the video. She looks like she is in good physical shape, and has a lean physique. She appears to be someone who studied dance and who wishes to make a living by using her dance background to teach a fitness method.

Abbe

02/25/2011


I thoroughly enjoy Tracy's Mat Workout. This is a unique workout with a calm, soothing vibe. Here is a breakdown:

Warmup (5:30)
This is a dance-based warmup that involves plié variations and different dynamic stretches (e.g., forward bend, side bend, etc.)

Standing lower body (15:00)
This section is done using a chair for balance. The emphasis is on extending the moving leg beyond the toes and engaging the whole body.
• Start in first position and lift the knee toward the shoulder in a turned out position.
• Leg abduction in an attitude position.
• Hip extension in an attitude position.
• Start in arabesque and pull knee forward.
• Hold arabesque and pulse
REPEAT ON OTHER SIDE
• Leg abduction, point up and flex down.
• Lift knee toward shoulder and rotate knee in on the way down / Pulse knee up.
• Arabesque and pull knee down.
REPEAT ON OTHER SIDE
• Second position pliés

Standing abs (4:00)
A series of flowing rib cage isolation movements (side-to-side, diagonal, circle, etc.)

Arm work / unweighted (8:00)
This is an unusual series of varied arm movements that is surprisingly challenging. It is similar to the arm work required in dance and IMO the closest thing on DVD is found on Classical stretch. The key here is to anchor the arms in the upper back so it acts as a support, to extend the arms (Tracy says to “pull the arms apart”) and to use your own body as resistance to perform controlled movements (Tracy instructs that “everything should be done with a lot of power”).

Arm work / light weights (8:00)
Another series of fluid arm movements; it reminds me of the upper body work in Ellen Barrett’s Slim Sculpt except that is more choreographed and varied. It involves several variations and no endless reps.

Floor Lower Body Work (7:00)
• Lie on your side with the bottom leg bent and the top leg extended at 45degrees. Pull top knee toward the shoulder and extend.
• Sit up (pretzel position). Pull knee toward elbow and extend back into an arabesque / Hold arabesque and pulse up.
• Lie on your side with knees bent. Extend and bend the legs in a scissor motion, top leg reaching back and bottom leg extending front.
• Turn onto stomach and lift one leg into an arabesque.
• Bring heels together and knees apart and push heels up toward ceiling (little frogs).

Floor Abs (5:30)
This sequence is a series of crunch variations, performed with the legs extended and opened hip width apart. Crunch variations include:
• Alternate leg lift, turning the leg out on the way up.
• One arm reaches overhead and forward.
• Lift one leg to 90degrees with the knee slightly bent, reaching forward with the opposite arm.
• Cross one foot on top of the other, alternating.
• Pull one knee in toward chest and extend the leg.

Cooldown (4:00)
Standing cooldown (similar to the warmup).

Instructor Comments:
Tracy seems to be performing the workout rather than teaching it. She barely cues the moves, motivates, etc. While this creates more of a learning curve, I find it also adds to the longevity of this workout for me (certain explanations, jokes, etc. can get tedious and old).

Fuzzie

09/01/2010


Hopefully someone else has already provided a review with a breakdown of the moves, because I’m not very good at those kinds of reviews.
Anyway, a bit about me: I am an intermediate/advanced exerciser. For cardio I mostly just run and for strength and flexibility I do barre workouts, fusion workouts, pilates, yoga, and some traditional weights.
Tracy's Mat Workout is for a very particular taste: there's very little cueing. I love that. You learn to predict the moves and they work with the music. I never really felt lost doing this workout – even the first time. I really enjoy the music and the routine in general. I find that is moves along incredibly fast and gives me a chance to indulge my inner / former dancer-self. It definitely has the feel of working out with Tracy rather than having Tracy actually instruct you, so in that way it's quite different from other dvds. Given this aspect of the workout, I’d suggest this dvd to someone who already is familiar with good form and is perhaps familiar with barre or fusion workouts (although that isn’t entirely necessary). I find the arm sections particularly difficult but good. I like both the weightless arm section and the one where you use 3# dumbbells. Doing these back to back is tough! I find it’s worth it because my arms really look fabulous when I’m doing Tracy’s workouts. The ab sections have no dread factor for me, so that is ideal. They’re challenging enough, but you’re in a stretched out position and they’re over pretty quickly (movement is continuous during these sections). There is a lot of fluid movement in this workout on the whole. The warmup and cooldown focus on a sort of dynamic stretching. I do feel quite fabulous when I've finished this workout - it is very refreshing. Really, I think the best factors of this dvd are the flow of exercises (standing legs, standing abs, arms, floorwork, floor abs) and the music - it makes the workout move along and makes it enjoyable. This is a workout I do often and don’t get sick of (and that’s saying a lot for me!).
Instructor Comments:
Tracy comes across as a former dancer, and she clearly enjoys the workout herself. She is quiet, sweet, and reserved. She is quietly motivating at just the right moments during the workout for me.

Alison (alikruegs)

12/16/2008


Review with approx. times for the "Mat Workout".

Warm Up 4 min.

This was dancey and stretchy very different than other warm ups of Lotte, Squeeze & Callan.


Barre Work 20 min.

Tracy did some interesting moves starting on left side than repeated moves on right side. It was continuous one move flowed into the next. Her cues are barely there so you must watch the TV so you don't miss anything. Tracey moves her whole body to the music she can't help it must be the dancer inside her. She believes in moving the whole body with every exercise so as not to have any part be dead.


Standing Abs 3 min.

This is where Tracy dances thru ab work. Those who have done "Core Rhythms" will be familiar with some of the moves. In "Core Rhythms" they really get in deep with moving the core so much so you can get a cramp. Well here Tracy does that with dancey moves with the music. Again you must watch the screen and listen to the music and you will get the moves. For me this was a nice break from the Barre Work and I was happy to have it. It loosened me up and was fun and different.


Arms (without weights) 5 min.

This section totally reminded me of: Mariah Carey's arm work. If you recall Mariah was on Oprah where they showed a clip of Mariah's workout poolside with her trainer. Well the arm work they showed Mariah doing with heels on was similar to this one. I did this thinking well why not lets see. I felt this arm work it is very tiring. I'm one of those that complained about how tiring my arms got just holding them out for so long in Elise's "Element Ballet" workout. Well this is alot more intense. But its also more varied. Again its continuous intensity with movement.


Arms (with weights) 10 min.

This section was very different than "Squeeze", "Lotte" and "Slim Sculpt". This was a constant flow of creative arm movements with a dance flow. Again Tracy never stops moving the entire body. No dead areas all areas must be active. Which the danciness made the arm exercises a little more bearable. I found this section to be good since it is so different than any other workout I've done in this genre.


Mat Floorwork 7 min.

Tracy again works the lower body with very interesting leg exercises. Again somewhat different than "AL & C II" floorwork, Lotte, Squeeze, & Callan. Tracy adds creativity to the workouts so some portion might be recognizable but she adds her own flare to make it feel different. In any case she does target the whole lower body.


Abs (floor) 7 min.

This ab workout I found very different and I felt it. It wasn't anything extraordinary but I felt it and there was no dread factor to it. It was all done on the mat. So for those who might not like the dancey standing ab work might prefer this floor ab work.


Cool Down 3 min.

This was also dancey and stretchy much like the warm up.


Setting:

The set was a very nice open room with highly polished wood floors and walls. Tracy stands in front of glass doors and outside the doors is night time. There are candles and a wicker basket with white towels and a chair. In other words it is a relaxing set nothing crazy. She uses a chair instead of a barre during the barre work section.


Equipment:

Tracy uses a chair during the barre work. She also uses a mat for the floorwork.


Music:

Was composed by: Natalie Avakian (www.badassjackson.com).
Additional music provided by Getty Images.

I found the music to be both good and different. When Tracy talked you could hear her just fine. And when she didn't talk you could hear the music just fine. The volume was good both ways. I hate it when you could barely hear the music even when the instructor isn't talking.


Chaptering:

There is an intro. But this DVD is not chaptered as others are. However with your remote you can easily get to different sections. I do wish it had been chaptered where you didn't have to go through all the sections.

There is a brief interview with Gwyneth Paltrow praising Tracy's method for getting her back in shape.


Comments:

This workout is creative and different enough from any others of this genre that it is worth keeping for me. It will work me differently and give me the variety I seek. I liked that this workout had such a different approach with its dancy flare incorporated into all exercises. It really turned out to be a different exercise experience.




Instructor Comments:
Tracy Anderson seems upbeat and gets right into the workout. Very little talking. Her cuing could be extremely improved upon. She must not be used to cuing very often for workouts. She seems friendly enough and didn't possess any annoying habits for me. Even her bad cuing didn't really annoy me as much as Denise Austin's does. I don't know why that is. I do give Tracey credit for being very creative with the exercises it wasn't "same ole stuff" to me.

Sundari

09/27/2008

Perfect Design Series: Sequence 2
Tracy Anderson
Year Released: 2010

I am a high intermediate/low advanced exerciser who completed the Metamorphosis series (Omnicentric). I thought I'd work through the Perfect Design series before progressing to Continuity (need a break from the Meta music!). I think #2 is harder than #1, but both seem easier than Meta (perhaps a bit harder than the original Mat video).

I tried these videos when they first came out, and didn't like them. But after doing Meta (and reading Tracy's book), they make more sense to me. My lower body (butt/thighs) has really improved after doing Meta regularly. I do the muscular structure workouts 6 days a week, and add on cardio when I have time. I think I've had the best results with HIIT cardio (Amy Dixon Breathless Body, Chris Freytag HIIT and Cathe Low-Impact/High Intensity).


Perfect Design 2: Requires a sturdy chair
Total Time: 47:20 mins

Warm Up-4:15 mins

Butt/Legs-30:25 mins (8 moves, all done for 30 reps)
Side 1: Begin all moves standing on the left leg (right leg moves)
Side 2: Begin all moves standing on the right leg (left leg moves)

1_Right leg steps on chair seat, then extends back into an attitude leg lift.

Next four moves, use the chair as a barre:
2_Right leg extends back at a slight angle, then kicks straight back at hip height. Pulse between these moves (keep the leg up in the air).

3_Lunge out to right side with right leg, then extend the right leg back to a kick at hip height.

4_Step the right leg across the left to do a “step-ball-change”, then kick the right leg out to the left.

5_Cross the right knee diagonally at an inverted angle in front, then kick back into an attitude leg lift.

6_Get in a plank position with hands on the chair seat.
Lift the right leg back into an attitude leg lift.

7_Kneel on the left leg in a side plank position, with the right foot on the chair seat. Raise and lower the right foot/leg up and down from the chair seat, then extend through a bent knee into a front kick. Tracy is not consistent—on the second side, she does a straight leg lift to the front (no bent knee).

8_(No Chair needed) Get in quadruped position with an inverted right knee.
Lift right knee straight back and up to the ceiling, forming a one-legged downward dog.


Abs-7:15 mins (10 moves)
This is a challenging ab set, but it's still doable (not as hard as the Post-Pregnancy ab DVD). I like using the chair to cue/guide form.
—Note: There is an error with the first ab move. Tracy alternates a leg lift with a crunch side 1, but not on side 2.

Standing Abs and Arms-4:50 mins
Cool Down-30 seconds
Instructor Comments:
Tracy is serious in this series (no smiling like in Meta). But I like the nighttime set (I enjoy doing these at night, after work but before bed). Some of the voiceovers repeat exactly, which seems lazy, but it's better than Meta, where there are no cues at all on side 2! I wish these DVDs were chaptered.

oogy99

03/19/2014