Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)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 principle of trying to engage as many muscles as possible in movements... 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 elements into her exercises (stretch and strengthen types of movements, larger ranges of motion).
Many of her standing leg "rotations" seem to me to be a variation of the Callanetics/Bar Method's Pretzel (which targets the outer hip/glute area).
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 WO to warm up and my body feels as if it every single muscle has been exhausted from head to toe but leaves me also feeling invigorated with a "workout high". Happy Exercising!
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