Tracy Anderson
About a year ago, I stumbled across the Tracy Anderson Method while reading this blog written by a raw vegan male model who you might recognize from some of Target's advertisements. Based on what he has seen and heard in the industry, he recommends the PS90X system for men, and the Tracy Anderson Method for women. I did some research, and was intrigued by Andersons's unique approach to fitness, which - in short - promises not to bulk you up, but to deliver a teeny tiny dancer's body. It's fitness for truly engineered for a woman's body. I purchased her Mat Workout DVD on Amazon that same day.
I could wax poetic about the marvel that is Tracy Anderson...how she has changed my view of what fitness has to be. Oh, and my body.
Tracy's Dancer's Workout is based on an innovative combination of Pilates techniques, diet and aerobics, and promises immediate results - most clients lose nine inches from their stomach and thighs in the first 10 sessions. Trained in dance at New York's famous Juilliard college, Tracy loved to dance, but ultimately struggled in the dance community because of her self-described "stockier" genetic shape. A desire to get the long, sinewy muscles typical of dancers, plus a huge weight gain during her first pregnancy, prompted Tracy to develop a method of training that takes the focus off of the larger muscles, which "tend to bulk," and places it on the smaller, accessory muscles that help "re-engineer a woman's muscular structure" and "pull loose skin back to the muscle."
Using a combination of her muscular structure work and aerobics, Tracy says she can take a woman from any genetic background and turn her body into that of a professional dancer - thin, long and lean. "I've changed hundreds of women - even celebrity clients have these kinds of issues, in terms of not liking their shape," explains Tracy. Her clients are all beautiful women with enviable bodies: Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, Shakira, Molly Sims, Kristen Davis, and Courtney Cox.
Here is a compilation of pretty much every free Tracy Anderson bit I could find on the web:
1. W Magazine Feature: Jaime Rosen, editor at W Magazine, got the opportunity to work out with Tracy for 63 hours: seven weeks of 90-minutes-a-day, six-days-a-week workouts. Read the article here. I'll just give away one detail: her butt is now four inches higher. Still not motivated to check out Tracy's method? Here's a quick look at Rosen's results:
2. Daily Candy Video Snippits: Now that you've seen some of Tracy's real life results, it's time to start trying her workouts. One of the things that I like most about Tracy is that she posts a lot of free content on the web, so it is easy to try some of her signature exercises before committing to the DVDs....or, in my case, to supplement your DVDs with new moves from time-to-time. Here are a few she did with Daily Candy.
3. Cosmo Magazine Features: Every month in Cosmo magazine, Tracy Anderson has a full page spread in the, "You, Even Better" section highlighting some of her key moves for a specific trouble zone of the month. Check out a gallery of most of the tear-outs here.
4. Workout Playlist: Here is a link to a workout playlist recommended by Tracy.
5. Tracy Anderson 30 Day Method: Buy it on Amazon here.
6. Official Tracy Anderson Method Website: http://tracyandersonmethod.com/: I HIGHLY recommend you check out her newly re-designed website, which now includes how-to videos from health and fitness industry experts, diet tips, and the occasional free Tracy Anderson workout video.
7. Workout DVDs: I have both of the two DVDs featured below, and they are absolutely fabulous. She gets a lot of flack in some reviews for poor cueing, which is accurate, but because the program is focused on extremely high reps of a few exercises, you don't miss much if you miss a switch. Because of the repetition, what becomes more important is the set, the lighting, the music...all of which are the best I have ever seen in these DVDs. The Mat DVD has cool loungy music; the Post-Pregnancy one uses classical music.
Preview of the original Tracy Anderson Mat Workout DVD
Preview of the original Tracy Anderson Post Pregnancy Workout DVD (you do not have to be a new mother to reap the benefits of this challenging ab-focused routine!)
Standing Arms
Tracy Anderson Full Body Webisode
Gwyneth's Iron Man 2 Workout: Part A
Gwyneth's Iron Man 2 Workout: Part B
Abs
Sitting Arms
8. How to Lose 20 lbs in 6 Weeks: I'll leave you with the article below, which I found by simply Googling "Tracy Anderson." As it includes meat options at almost every meal, I have personally never tried the diet plan laid out below - just reading through it, though, it seems pretty calorie restrictive...especially given the amount of cardio that you you will be doing on her program.
Madonna’s Trainer: How to Lose 20 Pounds in 6 Weeks
Thursday May 1, 2008
Thursday May 1, 2008
Two pounds a week is the typically advised weight loss, but pro Tracy Anderson says she has worked out a way to safely shed even faster!
“It’s perfectly healthy,” the former dancer, 33, tells Us of her plan. And the results of her regime speak for themselves in the super-fit physiques of clients Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna, not to mention her own transformation (the 5-foot mom dropped from 140 to 95 pounds).
“My formula works on everyone as long as they’re consistent,” says the trainer, who has a studio in L.A. She developed her signature strategy, to shape any body into a “teeny-tiny dancer type,” after testing 100 women for five years independently (because “the government isn’t going to fund seeing if you can get a Victoria’s Secret butt out of any woman!”).
The key, she says, is to constantly change the routine. Her students log six two-hour sessions weekly, dancing and hitting the Hybrid Body Reformer (a pulley-system machine available only in her studio, but not necessary to this plan). Promises Anderson, “You’ll keep the weight off!”
The Diet
This short-term diet “ensures you lose between 3 and 5 pounds a week,” says Anderson. The diet bans processed food, dairy and all spices (“They’re bloating and upset your digestive system, which causes you to store fat”), oil and sauces (“They’re just added calories”), discourages drinking alcohol or caffeine (sip 1.5 to 3 liters of water daily instead) and prescribes one serving of whole-grain carbs a day. Once you’re at your target weight, adopt a healthy but less restrictive diet.
This short-term diet “ensures you lose between 3 and 5 pounds a week,” says Anderson. The diet bans processed food, dairy and all spices (“They’re bloating and upset your digestive system, which causes you to store fat”), oil and sauces (“They’re just added calories”), discourages drinking alcohol or caffeine (sip 1.5 to 3 liters of water daily instead) and prescribes one serving of whole-grain carbs a day. Once you’re at your target weight, adopt a healthy but less restrictive diet.
Below are three weeks’ worth of menus. You can follow as is, or mix and match complete days’ menus to your liking.
WEEK ONE
Sunday
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain — or vanilla — nonfat rice milkLunch
3 oz grilled chicken breast — or fresh turkey breast (no deli meat!) — with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoesSnack
1 cup mixed berries (try raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)Dinner
1 cup organic pasta with ½ cup steamed spinach
Sunday
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain — or vanilla — nonfat rice milkLunch
3 oz grilled chicken breast — or fresh turkey breast (no deli meat!) — with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoesSnack
1 cup mixed berries (try raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)Dinner
1 cup organic pasta with ½ cup steamed spinach
Monday
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain—or vanilla—nonfat rice milkLunch
2 hardboiled eggs with ½ cup each of baby carrots and cherry tomatoesDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled sea bass with ½ cup steamed spinach
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain—or vanilla—nonfat rice milkLunch
2 hardboiled eggs with ½ cup each of baby carrots and cherry tomatoesDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled sea bass with ½ cup steamed spinach
Tuesday
Breakfast
1 cup steel-cut oatmeal made with water and ½ cup fresh blueberriesLunch
3 oz grilled chicken breast — or fresh turkey breast (no deli meat!) — with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoesSnack
1 cup mixed berries (try raspberries, blueberries or red grapes)Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed broccoli
Breakfast
1 cup steel-cut oatmeal made with water and ½ cup fresh blueberriesLunch
3 oz grilled chicken breast — or fresh turkey breast (no deli meat!) — with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoesSnack
1 cup mixed berries (try raspberries, blueberries or red grapes)Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed broccoli
Wednesday
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain — or vanilla — nonfat rice milkLunch
½ cup each of fresh spinach, beet root, tomatoes and cucumbers, with 2 tsp tahiniSnack
1 snack cup of sugar-free Jell-ODinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain — or vanilla — nonfat rice milkLunch
½ cup each of fresh spinach, beet root, tomatoes and cucumbers, with 2 tsp tahiniSnack
1 snack cup of sugar-free Jell-ODinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach
Thursday
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain — or vanilla — nonfat rice milkLunch
2 hard-boiled eggs with 4 to 5 celery sticks and 4 to 5 carrot sticksDinner
1 cup penne pasta with ½ cup each of steamed spinach and chopped steamed tomatoes
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain — or vanilla — nonfat rice milkLunch
2 hard-boiled eggs with 4 to 5 celery sticks and 4 to 5 carrot sticksDinner
1 cup penne pasta with ½ cup each of steamed spinach and chopped steamed tomatoes
Friday
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain — or vanilla — nonfat rice milkLunch
3 oz fresh turkey breast with ¼ cup each of cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts and beets, plus 1 slice whole-grain breadSnack
1 cup fresh strawberriesDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled sea bass with ½ cup steamed fresh green beans
Breakfast
1 cup Kashi cereal, with ½ cup plain — or vanilla — nonfat rice milkLunch
3 oz fresh turkey breast with ¼ cup each of cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts and beets, plus 1 slice whole-grain breadSnack
1 cup fresh strawberriesDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled sea bass with ½ cup steamed fresh green beans
Saturday
Breakfast
2 poached eggs with 3 slices veggie baconLunch
1 whole-grain wrap with ¼ cup of chopped avocado and ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoesSnack
10 to 15 red grapesDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach
Breakfast
2 poached eggs with 3 slices veggie baconLunch
1 whole-grain wrap with ¼ cup of chopped avocado and ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoesSnack
10 to 15 red grapesDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach
WEEK TWO
Sunday
Breakfast
2 poached eggs with 3 slices veggie baconLunch
3 oz fresh turkey breast with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoesDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed Brussels sprouts or ½ cup steamed spinach
Sunday
Breakfast
2 poached eggs with 3 slices veggie baconLunch
3 oz fresh turkey breast with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoesDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed Brussels sprouts or ½ cup steamed spinach
Monday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milk and one poached eggLunch
2 sushi rolls (about 10 pieces total) of your choice (none should include mayo, nor may you add soy sauce)Snack
1 cup soy puddingDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milk and one poached eggLunch
2 sushi rolls (about 10 pieces total) of your choice (none should include mayo, nor may you add soy sauce)Snack
1 cup soy puddingDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach
Tuesday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milk and one poached eggLunch
2 celery stalks with 2 to 4 tsp almond butterDinner
3 to 5 oz fresh turkey breast with 1 sweet potato
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milk and one poached eggLunch
2 celery stalks with 2 to 4 tsp almond butterDinner
3 to 5 oz fresh turkey breast with 1 sweet potato
Wednesday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milk and one poached eggLunch
1 slice whole-grain toast with 2 slices veggie bacon with ½ cup each of tomatoes and spinachDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled sea bass with ½ cup steamed spinach
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milk and one poached eggLunch
1 slice whole-grain toast with 2 slices veggie bacon with ½ cup each of tomatoes and spinachDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled sea bass with ½ cup steamed spinach
Thursday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milk and 1 poached eggLunch
2 slices whole-grain bread with 3 oz fresh turkey, 2 slices of tomato, 3 to 4 slices of cucumber and romaine lettuce, and 2 tsp mustardDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed kale
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milk and 1 poached eggLunch
2 slices whole-grain bread with 3 oz fresh turkey, 2 slices of tomato, 3 to 4 slices of cucumber and romaine lettuce, and 2 tsp mustardDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed kale
Friday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milk and 1 poached eggLunch
1 cup quinoa with ½ cup each of chopped parsley, spinach and tomatoesDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milk and 1 poached eggLunch
1 cup quinoa with ½ cup each of chopped parsley, spinach and tomatoesDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach
Saturday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milk and 1 poached eggLunch
2 slices whole-grain bread with 3 oz fresh turkey, 2 slices of tomato, 3 to 4 slices of cucumber and romaine lettuce, and 2 tsp mustardSnack
1 snack cup of sugar-free Jell-ODinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed cabbage
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milk and 1 poached eggLunch
2 slices whole-grain bread with 3 oz fresh turkey, 2 slices of tomato, 3 to 4 slices of cucumber and romaine lettuce, and 2 tsp mustardSnack
1 snack cup of sugar-free Jell-ODinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed cabbage
WEEK THREE
Sunday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milk and 1 poached eggLunch
2 celery stalks with 2 to 4 tsp almond butterDinner
1 grilled chicken breast with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoes
Sunday
Breakfast
1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milk and 1 poached eggLunch
2 celery stalks with 2 to 4 tsp almond butterDinner
1 grilled chicken breast with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoes
Monday
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milkLunch
1 cup plain penne pasta with ½ cup steamed peasDinner
3 to 5 oz fresh turkey breast with ½ cup each of chopped spinach, cucumber and tomatoes
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milkLunch
1 cup plain penne pasta with ½ cup steamed peasDinner
3 to 5 oz fresh turkey breast with ½ cup each of chopped spinach, cucumber and tomatoes
Tuesday
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milkLunch
1 cup soy yogurt with 3 to 4 celery sticksSnack
1 cup mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries)Dinner
1 cup brown rice with 3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milkLunch
1 cup soy yogurt with 3 to 4 celery sticksSnack
1 cup mixed berries (strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries)Dinner
1 cup brown rice with 3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast
Wednesday
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milkLunch
3 oz chopped turkey with ½ cup each of chopped tomatoes, cucumber and spinachDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed kale
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milkLunch
3 oz chopped turkey with ½ cup each of chopped tomatoes, cucumber and spinachDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed kale
Thursday
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milkLunch
2 hard boiled eggs with ½ cup each of baby carrots and cherry tomatoesDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milkLunch
2 hard boiled eggs with ½ cup each of baby carrots and cherry tomatoesDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup steamed spinach
Friday
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milkLunch
3 oz grilled chicken with ¼ cup of chopped avocado and ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and beetsDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed spinach
Breakfast
1 pumpkin spice Kashi bar with 1 cup vanilla — or plain — nonfat rice milkLunch
3 oz grilled chicken with ¼ cup of chopped avocado and ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and beetsDinner
3 to 5 oz grilled salmon with ½ cup steamed spinach
Saturday
Breakfast
2 poached eggs and 1 slice whole-grain toastLunch
3 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoesSnack
1 cup mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, red grapes)Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled sea bass with ½ cup steamed spinach
Breakfast
2 poached eggs and 1 slice whole-grain toastLunch
3 oz grilled chicken breast with ½ cup each of chopped cucumber and tomatoesSnack
1 cup mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, red grapes)Dinner
3 to 5 oz grilled sea bass with ½ cup steamed spinach
The Workout
While following this plan six times a week, use 3-pound weights, max. Anderson explains, “It’ll get you to your tiniest, tightest point without overdeveloping muscles.” Get video footage of the workout at tracyandersonmethod.com.
While following this plan six times a week, use 3-pound weights, max. Anderson explains, “It’ll get you to your tiniest, tightest point without overdeveloping muscles.” Get video footage of the workout at tracyandersonmethod.com.
WEEK 1
Make a 20-minute iPod playlist and do a different cardio activity (treadmill sprints, jumping rope, running on a trampoline) for each song. Switching activities will keep any one group of muscles from bulking up. “You should be dripping sweat and taking very few breaks,” she advises.
Make a 20-minute iPod playlist and do a different cardio activity (treadmill sprints, jumping rope, running on a trampoline) for each song. Switching activities will keep any one group of muscles from bulking up. “You should be dripping sweat and taking very few breaks,” she advises.
Get crunching! Do these three moves on a mat:
1. Lie flat on back, legs straight, then bend legs and pull to chest, feeling exertion in abs (50 reps).
2. With legs at 90-degree angle, do 50 crunches.
3. Lie with legs straight, feet apart. As you slightly lift one foot, crunch straight up and down; return foot to floor and lift the other while crunching. Do 60 times, each side.
Tone Do 100 reps each, or 200 for moves that alternate sides:
1. With feet shoulder-width apart, hold arms out in a T and rotate palms from -facing floor to ceiling.
2. In same stance, bend one wrist and pull across body, arm straight, in a smacking motion across your body. Alternate arms.
3. Then, with arms straight behind you, palms to-gether, snap your wrists from side to side.
4. Hold a 3-pound weight above your head with elbow bent at a 90-degree angle. Then lift weight straight over head. Do all reps on one side, then switch arms.
5. With weight in hand, hold one arm out in a T, bend at elbow to cover eyes, then straighten, keeping arm lifted. Do all reps on one arm; switch.
6. Arm Raise: Using 3lb weights, stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly move arms together straight up into a V above your head. Elbows and wrists are bent slightly. Then gently lower your arms back down to your sides and without pausing go straight back up again. Work up to 100 reps.
7. Single arm overhead pulse: Using 3lb weights, stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides. Raise one arm above your head with your elbow slightly bent and then straighten your arm completely over your head. Pulse like that, up and down. Work up to 100 reps on one side and then the other.
8. Do grand pliés: Stand with feet -shoulder-width apart, toes pointing out. With hands on hips and back straight, slowly bend knees until thighs are parallel to floor.
1. Lie flat on back, legs straight, then bend legs and pull to chest, feeling exertion in abs (50 reps).
2. With legs at 90-degree angle, do 50 crunches.
3. Lie with legs straight, feet apart. As you slightly lift one foot, crunch straight up and down; return foot to floor and lift the other while crunching. Do 60 times, each side.
Tone Do 100 reps each, or 200 for moves that alternate sides:
1. With feet shoulder-width apart, hold arms out in a T and rotate palms from -facing floor to ceiling.
2. In same stance, bend one wrist and pull across body, arm straight, in a smacking motion across your body. Alternate arms.
3. Then, with arms straight behind you, palms to-gether, snap your wrists from side to side.
4. Hold a 3-pound weight above your head with elbow bent at a 90-degree angle. Then lift weight straight over head. Do all reps on one side, then switch arms.
5. With weight in hand, hold one arm out in a T, bend at elbow to cover eyes, then straighten, keeping arm lifted. Do all reps on one arm; switch.
6. Arm Raise: Using 3lb weights, stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly move arms together straight up into a V above your head. Elbows and wrists are bent slightly. Then gently lower your arms back down to your sides and without pausing go straight back up again. Work up to 100 reps.
7. Single arm overhead pulse: Using 3lb weights, stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides. Raise one arm above your head with your elbow slightly bent and then straighten your arm completely over your head. Pulse like that, up and down. Work up to 100 reps on one side and then the other.
8. Do grand pliés: Stand with feet -shoulder-width apart, toes pointing out. With hands on hips and back straight, slowly bend knees until thighs are parallel to floor.
WEEKS 2–6
Increase cardio 10 minutes each week, so by week six, you’re up to 60 minutes daily, plus toning exercises.
Increase cardio 10 minutes each week, so by week six, you’re up to 60 minutes daily, plus toning exercises.
