Tracy Anderson Method [DVD]

I love this DVD!Tracey claims to be able to sculpt your body and I might be totally deluded but I actual do sort of believe her. She looks the body type to be kind of round unless she kept it well under control. Sort of petite and curvy - so she's changed herself. Gwyneth Paltrow however has always looked long and scrawny to me so less inclined to pay any attention to her endorsement of this.Now, I'm unlikely ever to need to decide "what kind of abs to have" (Seriously!) given that seeing them under a comfy layer of flab is pretty tough, but, I love exercise, do a lot of toning and am constantly frustrated by my chunky arms.When I train hard, my arms look bigger, sometimes toned, but REALLY big and it winds me up so I'm fully embracing this workout as it claims to cure this. If I get any form of abs and less chunky thighs as well that's a bonus but frankly probably a bridge too far even for Tracey.Unlike most DVDs where you canter through fine at the time and then find yourself unable to get out of bed 2 days later, this really does seem to target muscles in a different way. I can't get through the weight-less abs section (yet). The point at which Tracey says "it should be burning by now" is a good 2 minutes after I've had to have my first rest and I have a very strong upper body. But blimey. My muscles are tired, not pulled. Noted when, feeling no pain, I decided to repeat the workout the following day to discover I was able to do only 50% instead of the 80% I managed the previous day.On the down side - she could turn pouting into an olympic sport. Genuinely I have never seen anything like it. She also manages to look faintly bored throughout (although, I am sure I do too - rather be in the pub!) and her instructions aren't great. But, it is easy enough to follow if you can keep you eyes on the screen and really pay attention to the angle her legs are at. She also seems to be a bit confused over up / down and back / front but maybe that's just me. Happily she talks hardly at all so you can just watch.Now, standing abs section - what is that about!?!?! If you've ever seen anyone plugged into an electric socket then you'll have seen this already. Deeply weird, impossible to follow exactly - I have an approximation that looks like I'm trying to do a cross between The Robot and Walk like an Egyptian whilst on speed - I alternately love this section and hate it. It seems odd, pointless and unlikely to acheive anything at all .... but ..... I swear my waist and back feel thinner. So I shan't mock, I shall just keep twitching like an idiot. I find it easier to twitch to my own music however - on the basis that I can't keep up with Tracey's rather frantic pumping.And if the bottom ever falls out of the celeb personal training market I reckon Tracey would do well in interogation putting people into excrutiating stress postions. The weight-less arm section is a revelation. I now refer to it as "the torture section" but still do it and determined to get through the lot eventually. Preferably without whimpering, swearing or cheating!I will re-post this if in a few months I have slim arms to die for (even abs, any kind) but I reckon well worth the money.

I probably wouldn't get this if you're a newbie to exercise dvds as it IS very challenging. But don't give up with it. It takes practise and persistence but of all the exercise dvds out there this gives probably the best results. (Just look at Tracy herself and the people she trains - Shakira, Madonna, Courtney Cox etc).It's split into various sections -Warm-up - the same as included with the cardio dvd of Tracy's. It's a challenging warm up, some of the moves she does you have to be very flexible but it's effective. Standing Legs Workout - very challenging. Not the actual movements but the sheer number of times you have to repeat them. By the end your legs BURN, but in a good way! You need a chair just to balance youself whilst doing the rotations. Standing Abs Workout - Tough, it's basically moving your ribs to the music and following her lead. However the actual motions are difficult (it takes a lot of internalising) and she does it at a fast speed which can be hard to keep up with. Standing Arms Workout - This one you can really feel working. It's a series of motions that keep your arms in the air for about 5 minutes. It's much harder than it sounds, they really really burn at the end but it feels amazing when at the end of the five minutes you let your arms drop knowing you've completed it. Arms with Weights - You won't need to purchase weights for this part, the dvd reccomends you fill up two 500ml bottles of water and use them. If you own weights though, Tracy reccomends you don't go above 3lbs if you're a woman. At first this sounded a little odd but I was thankful it wasn't any higher at the end of it. I feel it's a little dumb to put this workout right after the standing arms though, as it really really aches so I usually do this one last. Legs workout on mat - A little easier than the standing legs but still very effective Abs workout on mat - This one seems easy when you start it, the crunches aren't too difficult but after it your abdominal muscles feel very tight for a while. It's a good feeling though!Then there's a cool down section which was missing from the dance cardio dvd.It may be tough but you really feel like you've had a good workout after completing the dvd. Tracy reccomends you do it combined with the Dance Cardio dvd 4-6 days a week but this dvd is only an hour long so isn't too time consuming. The Dance Cardio is longer but the routines can be done seperatly so you can pick and choose.Honestly get it, and stick with it and this will be one of the best workout dvds you will buy!