Customer Reviews: Read 111 more reviews...
 loved it!! September 18, 2008
45 out of 49 found this review helpful
I'm so glad I bought this workout. It has a gorgeous balletic feel to it and just makes you feel so graceful after working out. The first part is a standing leg series with plies, etc and the upper body work is done with very low weights. As a matter of fact Tracy advocates that women never use anything heavier than three pounds, but despite the low weight you'll feel completely worked out. The second part is on the floor and includes lower body exercises as well as core and abdominal work. It's also beautifully filmed and the music is perfect for it.
Love it! September 30, 2008
24 out of 25 found this review helpful
I am so happy I ordered this. I have known about Tracy for some time and after seeing her on Oprah was pleased to see there are DVD's available.
It is only Tracy doing the workout, which makes me feel more like I have a personal trainer. Her directions and comments are appropriate and the music corresponds well to the moves. The changes can be quick but with repeated viewings, I don't see a problem in picking them up. It's much more graceful than any run-of-the-mill workout. In fact, I would go so far as to call it "purposeful movement" rather than exercise. I can definitely say it's something I will look forward to doing rather than dreading. Also, there isn't a lot of babble and bubbly encouragement, which I'm grateful for.
I can't imagine a muscle that isn't worked during this routine. It is a challenge and if you're just starting out, just do what you can and work your way up to it. It will take me some time to be able to do it as effortlessly as Tracy does.
The contents of the Disc are: Mat Intro - 1:02, Mat Workout - 57:28 (Includes warm-up and cool-down), Gwyneth Interview - 0:56, Tracy Interview - 2:56. You need a basic mat sized area, mat if you are on a hard surface, 3 lb weights and a chair. It starts with warm-up then standing legs, standing abs, standing arms, standing arms with weights, mat legs, mat abs then finishes with cool-down.
One caveat - During the floor ab work, make sure that your hands are simply supporting your head or there for placement rather than lifting it. She does keep a distance between chin and chest and mentions it, but if you're not familiar with the move, it may appear that she is lifting her head with her hands a bit. Lifting the head rather than the upper body won't target the proper muscles and more importantly can cause neck strain or injury.
*I don't think there is any further instruction needed, the moves are simple & basic but the combination and amount is more than effective.
Finally something without lunges ! October 4, 2008
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
I bought this dvd after seeing the segment on Oprah. I decided to write this because of the people who wrote bad reviews and didnt even watch the dvd. Let's get the cons out of the way first. She doesnt explain all of the routine that well. But it was so easy to follow along. It's very simple to follow espically if you are fimilar with Callentics.
Pro's
-great music espically for an exercise dvd !
-barely any equipment is needed a chair, and 3 pound weights
-little space is needed
-an intense workout that is completed in under an hour
Seriously Tracy hits every major muscle group without the use of weighs ! Yes even the arms without weights and you can really feel the burn. She shys away from most traditional moves so most of these moves were new to me and really hit my trouble spots. There is a segment when you do use weights but they are light and after doing the arm routine without the weights sometimes 3 pounds can be too much. And I used to lift weights hardcore at the gym. She gets the arms done in less time than the gym. And the standing leg segment is killer.
The dvd starts out with a warm up, then standing legs using a chair, then standing abs which burned it was a lot like dancing, then arms without weights, arms with weights, lower body on the mat then finally abs on the mat.
I now this dvd is a little more pricy than the usual dvd but if you have purchaseed Turbo Jam or something along those lines you know you have to pay more for a excellent exercise dvd. It is worht the money you spent. There are no lunges and squats which get old and boring. The music is mellow but good (I actually liked most of the songs) and the routine is about an hour long. If your not certain after this review that this dvd is the one for you read my other various exercise dvd reviews to see if we like the same type of workouts. But this one is good if you want an intense workout that does not take long and leaves you winded and sweaty.
Wonderful Workout October 10, 2008
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
I was a little nervous about spending $30 on a DVD, particularly one about which there is so little information beyond celebrity endorsements, but after having completed this workout for the first time I must say it was amazing. Tracy is warm and personable; her cuing is subtle but very specific. She does not talk a lot, but she definitely gives good instructions and pointers where appropriate. The music is engaging without being overwhelming, and the setting is very serene and lovely.
As to the workout itself, you begin with a gentle warm-up, and then go into a series of leg lifts using a chair for balance. Then there is a series of rib-cage isolations (these are a bit hard to follow, but even if you just keep doing basic rib cage isolations rather than Tracy's more complicated ones, you'll still get a great workout). Next come two different arm series: one without weights, and one using light weights (3 lbs or less.) Then it's on to the floor for leg and butt work, and finally a floor ab-series and a cool down. All this comes in at just under an hour.
I am a healthy, fit, exercise DVD junky, and I have NEVER done anything quite like this workout. I've done similar workouts, but never ones as immediately effective as this. And I have done some of these moves before, as some of them are taken straight from traditional dance classes, but again, never have I done a collection of exercises put together like this, and I loved it. It was fun, it was tough, it was enjoyable, I am sore in a way I haven't been since dance classes during high school, and I can't wait to do this workout again in a day or two! Thank You Tracy!
My first review...love the Mat Workout... January 1, 2009
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I am in my 30s and have been a lifelong on and off exerciser(gym, treadmill, mostly The Firm videos)... About a year ago, I had an a-ha moment and realized that I was having a hard time "sticking" with working out, because with my Firm videos I wasn't really seeing good results and they were boring me to death!
That's when I switched over to yoga/pilates/barre workouts which I have truly enjoyed and have provided me with results...however, I had plateau'ed and was (coincidentally) thinking of how I could supplement with dance cardio when I saw Gwyneth Paltrow and TA on Oprah. After some research I ordered the TA Dance Aerobics (older dvd) through her studio...and enjoyed it so much that I decided to go for it with the Mat WO as well, even though I had promised myself to not spend any more $$ on tapes for a little while.
This has to be my #1 favorite DVD I own now. I have been doing it about three times a week and also doing the dance aerobics dvd. I have lost some inches over the past month even though I took a lot of days off and haven't had the best diet due to the holidays.
Here are some things I wanted to point out to anyone considering purchasing the Mat DVD:
* This is an intermediate-advanced workout. Newbies should expect to take it easy and definitely don't plan to be able to do this 4-6xs a week at first! You could hurt yourself (I am thinking mainly with the arm/shoulder portion) due to overtraining.
* The arm workout is a ~~standout~~ feature of the TA method. I have very rounded shoulders, I believe due to poor posture and bad genes. It took me almost one month before I was able to get through the unweighted arm session (I think this is a sign of how weak the smaller muscle groups were in my upper body). I see more change in my arms/shoulders/chest/back than I have ever seen doing any other kind of workout. Thank you, Tracy!
* Weighted arm section, most likely you will need 1-2 lbs to start regardless of your strength. I could use 10lbs with Firm tapes but could barely get through using 1lb weights at first.
* The leg exercises really require a lot of concentration (as Tracy says herself during the workout). Due to the large range of motion, you can easily just swing your legs around(momentum) and not really use the muscles properly. I try to imagine I am pulling a weight with my toes and envision my leg is following an imaginary line to help keep control and the leg portion has become much more difficult the more I control it.
* I must say...I do not endorse doing 2hrs ~or the two tapes~ a day unless you are an more experienced exerciser and know your body well and know about overtraining. With that said, this tape will provide you with great results doing it 3-4 times a week along with cardio and I personally find Tracy (her philosophy and body type) to be inspiring fitness-wise.
**Edited to add:
I thought it would be helpful to add this one last thing:
WHY IS THIS WORKOUT DIFFERENT:
Tracy Anderson's Mat Workout really does take different components from other exercise genres and combines them to make a very unique workout.
For instance, she uses the Fluidity Workout principle of trying to engage as many of the body's muscles as possible at once... An example of this would be traditional floor hip-thigh isolation work from Firm workouts, she does similar moves but while standing behind a chair, so you are working the moving leg but also the standing leg and additionally you are engaging the muscles in the arms while holding the chair and the core and back.
She also incorporates Pilates principles into her exercises (stretch and strengthen types of movements, larger ranges of motion).
Lastly, because it is such high repetitions, lots of motion, I feel I am keeping my heartrate up during much of the workout.
I have added 10-30 minutes of Dance Aerobics before doing the Mat workout to warmup and my body feels as if it every single muscle has been exhausted from head to toe.
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