Customer Reviews

The Tracy Anderson Method Dance Cardio Workout DVD

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(63)
3 star:		(43)
2 star:		(50)
1 star:		(57)

 

 

I wanted to write a review from someone that had been doing Tracy's workouts for more than just a couple of weeks, because I feel like that was clearly missing from the reviews I have read in the site so far, so here it goes...

I mostly recommend this workout for people that have had some dance background or enjoy dance type aerobics classes at the gym or have done other dance workout dvds. If that's the case this is for you! If you consider yourself clumsy and not a dancer then really, what are you thinking? Find something else. So for you dancers and dance inclined people out there here's the scoop...

You are going to have to resign to the fact that this is a choreography oriented workout. However, this is not darren's dance grooves and she's not going devote the entire time to counting out and teaching you the dance because I think her point is you learn it and then just pop the dvd in and get straight to it. She breaks it down for you and I recommend you watch that part, but that doesn't really help you learn at all you'll forget once she starts at full speed. Use the format where she faces away from you. For sanity's sake the best way to learn this dance is to take 1-2 dances a week and learn them by just trying to follow along. So do warm up do two routines then stop it and go to the mat workout. Yes you will mess up but if you've gone to any dance class you know the key is to keep moving and then jump in again. She repeats the same choreography over and over throughout the song just switching sides so eventually it sinks in. After six weeks you should be able to get through six dances and some of you might linger here because after dance six it gets a bit difficult to get through all of this. That's ok eventually add the last two. By this point you will realize that her lack of cueing is actually and advantage because it makes the video less irritating.

Also, I must state that this is a bit of bouncy workout so if you are not a runner or a jump roper your calfs might not be ready for this. From my time doing this I have found that if you give yourself more than two rest days your calfs will get even more sore on the second day but doing the dance helps release some of that lactic acid so its best to just keep doing and eventually your calfs will be up to it. Also, some parts where there's a lot of jumping (plie-jacks for example) you might have to substitute doing another move in order to manage getting through the routine. This is a good rule of thumb if its too hard move from side to side or do something simple for that move and then get back in the routine until you build up the stamina.

What's the catch then? Well, it is hard to do both workouts 5-6 days for a total of two hours a day. Who has that time? So if you go for this goal you will not keep it up and your money will go down the drain cuz you'll shelve this dvd in no time. But in the beginning just alternate them each day for five days. I wish her mat workout had chapters, which would help only do legs one day and arms another. I fast forward (and catch my breath) and do this for a 1hr 30 min workout (skip her mat warm up after doing cardio, you are plenty warmed up). This works best for me and is worth trying.

Basically, the best way to lose weight is to do her cardio 5 times a week. If you can get through the entire thing and do the cardio 5 times a week for two weeks, while eating healthy (nothing drastic) you can lose 2-5 pounds in that time. Her mat workout is important though because working out your muscles not only tones but helps you shred more calories faster, not to mention I sweat tons doing her leg series alone. I have the mat workout and not the post pregnancy but I wouldn't buy both just buy one of these and save some cash. I'm sure either will get you slim in no time to start with.

Lastly, the music is not the best I KNOW but it helps you keep pace... just try not to think about it too much. After you get the moves down you can try them to other songs you like (mute tv/blast radio). Like she says, don't over think it, just get in your zone (kind of like running) and you'll be done before you know it.

Hope you find this helpful.

Before I started doing the dance cardio, I had been warned by other reviewers that it wasn't for non-dancers and that the instruction was limited. But I was so interested to try something different, I didn't really care - so what if it's hard? What if I look stupid? I'll get used to it. I am an AWFUL dancer and am not graceful. I have rhythm but I am by no means a ballerina, and I get dizzy with spins. But I am a runner and I'm fit. If you're in terrible shape and have no ability to dance and are extremely overweight, then no, you shouldn't do this video. Isn't that obvious?

When I put the DVD in and started with the first dance, I knew right away that I would have to learn dance by dance and not try to learn them all within the first day. The key to this program is patience, which no one has. Once I learned the first dance, which did involve watching 50 times, I was stoked to have memorized it and be able to dance and actually get a work out without counting or worrying about form. Granted, I only did one song. I did the same thing the next two times I did the video- just the first song and I did that over and over again (so that I got a total of 20 minutes of cardio). The repetition was a little boring at first, but I got good at it. Then I moved onto the next song and so on for the rest. I can do all 6 songs in a row with the choreography memorized. But this did take WEEKS not HOURS.

Honestly, after you've done this for a few weeks, you are so thankful that she doesn't talk. I've done P-90X and Slim in 6 and all these others where they just babble the entire time and it's like shut up already. You do not need instruction after you've learned the dances, which is what Tracy says. Trust me - you just have to be patient.

Here are some tips for getting through her videos with some modifications:

-You do need a lot of space. Particularly if you plan on doing all of the jumps, turns, and traveling movements to the full extent, don't try to do this in a small bedroom. That is the one downside. Luckily I have a large living room and I'm not in an apartment, but I imagine if you're in a building, the people below you will be pissed at the stomping.
-Stretch your calves. I'm a runner, so my calves were already used to bouncing. If you're not, this video will do you in. Stretch them out, soak them in hot water, do what you can to keep them from locking up. It's a lot of hopping, jumping, skipping, and bouncing around.
-Avoid the spins if you get dizzy - every time she spins, I do a jumping jack. I am not a coordinated dancer, and the turns were just too much, so I skip them. Easy.
-Stay casual - particularly in the third dance, she messes up and doesn't keep the choreography perfect. You can even tell where they edited the video to repeat her moves over again. Just be easy. I've read people complain that the dance wasn't perfect and THAT'S why they stopped. Please. The woman is incredible, so cut her some slack and just go with it. So your dance is a little interrupted - cry me a river.
-Do the cardio BEFORE the mat workout, not the other way around. You want your muscles warm during the mat stuff and you don't want your legs to give out during the cardio.
-Dont' quit, just skip a series - if you get tired, just bounce in place during a full combination and jump back in when you can. Don't give up - the cardio is totally doable for someone who is in moderately good shape.
-Watch those hips - esp if you do this with the mat workout, your hips might lock up. If your hips start to hurt, lower the intensity of kicks or jumping jacks to minimize the range of motion.

So yes, Tracy is not the best dance instructor in the world - but this is not meant to make you a better dancer, it's meant to help you lose weight. The dancing part is just means to the end, so don't worry about whether or not the combination is perfectly taught to you. I read reviews all the time from people complaining how she's a bad dance teacher so they stopped doing it - that just sounds like laziness to me. Yes the program takes at least 1.5 hours/day 4-5 times/week, yes it's a time commitment. But guess what - no one gets toned and sexy doing nothing. It requires hard work - so if you're not willing to put in the time and effort and patience, then try jogging for 2 hours/day or stop eating.

I wrote this about her mat video, too - the moves are not straight forward. Just watch it over again to learn it, but don't complain that the video didn't magically make you drop 5 pounds instantly. Tracy is not a genie. It is challenging, hard work but it gives results. I went from size 6 to size 2 within 2 months.

OK.. well I was super hyped when I saw Gweneth Paltrow on Oprah and heard her talking about this workout. I have been a professional dancer for almost 30 years now so this seemed like it would be perfect for me... So I ordered both of the videos.. the Dance and the Matt workout. There is a lot of cool things about this video but more importantly, I think the Dance workout is dangerous. No wonder Gweneth threw her knee out.. although I'm not sure if it was from doing this workout but I think it would be very easy to get injured performing this class. It is a great challenge just to complete all of the dances in a row and follow Tracey but this kind of workout is better done in a class with a live instructor and mirrors where you can see all angles as well as a proper floating floor to help you withstand all the jumping and direction changes. Tracy's cueing is not great either and that can be very frustrating as well as her constant pouting into the camera.
I am such a big fan of Karen Voight and The Method Pilates workouts with percise timing and cueing and a no nonsense aproach, that these workout DVD's left me very disappointed.
You WILL work up a sweat and the matt workout is great but I think you could do a much more efficient work out in one hour (rather than 2 with Tracey)with the same results if not better with Karen Voights "Slim in 10" dvd workout... as well as prevent yourself from being injured!

I've been reading through these reviews and am really shocked that so many people give up because they can't memorize the dances right away...

I started this workout two weeks ago. It took me TWO DAYS to memorize THE FIRST combo (there are 8) - now I can do the first combo in my sleep.

It took me an hour to learn the second combo. Now I can do the second combo in my sleep.

The third took me 20 minutes to memorize. And the fourth was even easier. Now I have the first five combos memorized and plan to work up to the last three in the next few days.

I am uncoordinated and a TOTAL BEGINNER and 100% out of shape. When I first started, I felt like I was going to die after 2 and a half minutes. The next day I made it to four minutes. Today I hit 25 minutes. And good God, IT IS FUN!!!! I still have a long way to go, I think the whole workout is 45 minutes long - I'll be SO PROUD of myself when I get there.

SET GOALS FOR YOURSELF, DON'T GET FRUSTERATED! She's adorable and totally fun - the moves AREN'T that hard and the ones that are, well, you'll love them more once you actually DO get the hang of them!

I'm down ten pounds in two weeks.

Buy this and DON'T get frusterated when it takes you two days to get the first combination! Your brain gets accustomed to memorizing dance combos after a few days and they get way easier to memorize.

I was really excited to recieve this video, but it really falls short. I danced my entire life and still found this to be hard to follow. The way the video is set up is there's an instructional section that runs through the eight combinations. She does this without ever doing any of the combos to music (which for me actually cements the routine). Once she runs through the combo (once slow, once up to speed facing forward and once up to speed facing backward) she moves on to the next one. She does this eight times in a row. By the third combo, I have NO idea what the first two were, let alone the five to come. From here, you go straight to the cardio dance, wherein she says NOTHING, except for 5-6-7-8 at the begining. She doesn't talk at all through the routine, including to tell you which combo you're actually on. This is a big disappointment.

First, a little background: I am 49, in pretty good shape (though I could probably lose 5 pounds), have done lots of exercise with free weights and machines, but have no dance background whatsoever. Today was the first day I used the Dance Cardio video. I watched it all the way through without actually trying any of the combinations. After viewing, I watched the tape again and tried to learn Combination #1. At first, it was very challenging. Since I am not a dancer, I don't have any of the conceptual buckets related to dance that I assume dancers must have. That is, I imagine that when dancers learn a routine, they see the routine as a combination of patterns that they can identify and that the rest of us are not familiar with. So, to compensate, I decided to create and write down my own verbal cues for the elements of combination #1 in the order they are done in: 1/2 circle, Plie, hop back, wrap, twirl, water hop, paddle, Jacks. Once I did this, I was able to learn the combination very quickly. I practiced without the tape a few times, looking at my list of cues, until I got it down. Then I visualized the combination throughout the day to further solidify it. I started doing this with combination #2 as well and, again, piece of cake. For those of you who are having trouble mastering this, I suggest giving this method a try. It made all the difference for me.

So I felt the need to write this review because I was so completely confused on weither or not to purchase this DVD based upon the reviews I read (Amazon, Internet, etc). I did a lot of research before buying this workout as all the comments were very mixed, some liked the workout others dispised it. I would like to defend Ms. Tracy Anderson and her workouts, they are amazing. I personally have never had results like this before with any of the other workouts I've done, or have seen results as quickly! I started with the Mat Workout several months back, and of course, fell in love with it. My body was already changing into a leaner look by doing just the Mat exercises, but you need to have cardio to get maximum results and do be healthy in general.

So after much deliberation, I purchased the Dance Cardio. It does take work, there is no denying that. BUT, it takes the same amount of work that you would give to most cardio workouts. There should be some time taken to learn the dances, because after all, it is a dance workout so there will be some routines to memorize (this is common sense which many reviewers seem have been puzzled on or have not taken dance classes before).

I would like to say that I am not a professional dancer but grew up dancing when I was younger, so there have been several years where I was not taking professional lessons. You do not have to be a dancer to understand this video, you just have to have the slightest bit of rhythm and be willing to put a little time into learning the dances. It will take a few times before you can keep up with Tracy as she does go fast and throws you right in. BUT this is a good thing, as this video was made for you to grow with and will keep you from getting bored and throwing it into a pile of junk.

Honestly, I don't know why some of the "professional dancers" have so many issues with this video. If the masses can dance with Tracy why in the hell can a seasoned dancer not get it? There's some irony there (or again, lack of common sense).

In conclusion, this is a great way to get your cardio in (instead of running or doing basic, dull cardio forms), build a leaner body, and loose a bit of that extra weight you always wanted (I've already lost 8 pounds). If you are willing to put in the time, you can do the video. Hope this helps.

This video series is great. I consider myself a moderate exerciser. After I had kids, I really couldn't get time to go to the gym. I started with the post pregnancy video. I would recommend this for anyone beginning with Tracy, even if you're not post partum. It's a less intense workout than her other videos, but it will help you learn her style and you will see amazing results if you do it as she recommends.

I moved to the dance video next. You absolutely must watch the break down section. I used that as my workout for about 10 days over 2 weeks. After that, I did it full pace from behind. It moves fast, and I did forget some moves sometimes. But after about 2 weeks, I not only could keep up, but I had the moves memorized enough that I could do the video while I watched something else! Don't get frustrated - it seems impossible to master in the beginning. Once you get the hang of it (which is fairly easy), you'll be fine. I am hopelessly uncoordinated, but I caught on. Again, the results are amazing.

The mat video is also great. Overall, the music is great, and Tracy is great. With other videos, I always had the sense that the person in the video was giving a watered down version of their workout. This is Tracy's (and Gwyneth Paltrow's) actual workout. Also, there's no random people in the video working out too. Tracy's manner is very gentle and sincerely encouraging. Watch each chapter of all the videos before you begin. Also, for the post partum and mat workouts you'll need a yoga mat and 3 lb weights.

Tracy recommends that you do mat & cardio 4-6 times per week, and each video is about 50 minutes. I modify the workouts a bit so I can fit it into about an hour and 15 minutes - I start at 5 AM before the kids get up. Gwyneth Paltrow made a comment on Oprah about the kids running around while she works out. I thought she was crazy, but if my kids (who are young) wake up while I am still exercising, I give them a snack and some toys. They know this is Mom's non-negotiable time, and they even do the exercises with me. My oldest "inherited" my 2 lb weights when I moved up to 3 lbs!

The results are dramatic. I would say this is the best shape I've ever been in. Well worth the time & money.

This workout is definitely doable, even if you don't have a dance background. I just got this DVD today and learned the 1st combination up to tempo in 30 minutes - I'm just giving myself plenty of time to learn the routine. I'm wondering if I have the same DVD as the other reviewer - there is an instructional segment, but my video only has 5 combinations that Tracy uses in a 45-minute workout. There are no back-up dancers that I have seen.

So far, I love it. It is just not a tape that you can pop in and go for it. You have to learn the dance sequence by sequence before you can even attempt the full 45-minute workout.

This entire video is extremely high impact and it's like jumping rope for 45 minutes, only without the rope. Reminiscent of 1980's beat-em-up aerobics. Of course a person would lose weight doing plyometrics for 45 minutes 4-6 times a week, because it develops fast-twitch muscle fiber, which burns a lot of fat. High impact plyometrics done six days a week for 45 minutes also will certainly bring on the knee surgery so I hope you have good medical insurance. Plyometrics are normally done only 20-30 minutes once a week as part of a balanced fitness program for weight loss.

There are less joint-damaging ways to perform the high intensity exercise to develop the fast twitch muscle fiber so important for serious fat loss. I highly recommend cardiologist Dr. Al Sears' book and dvd on his PACE program. It's very educational regarding the most effective protocol for maximum fat loss and heart reserve capacity. You can buy that on Amazon. If you like to dance, I highly recommend Soul Sweat Dance dvd (available on Amazon), as well as Cardio Barre. The Cardio Barre book is available on Amazon and the dvds for introductory through advanced level are available from their website. Their personnel are very positive and customer service oriented. For a comprehensive fitness and fat loss program for every fit or unfit level, I highly recommend the book Ready, Set, Go! Synergy Fitness for Time-Crunched Adults, 2nd edition, by Phil Campbell, also available on Amazon. It's a step by step manual with abundant programs and illustrations.

If you are in love with this video, a more sensible way to use it for fat loss is to do one or two songs in the morning and another song or two in the evening, instead of attempting to slam through it at one go. That keeps the metabolic rate high while minimizing potential body damage. You could also use it as part of an interval training set, doing a song, then walking, doing another song, then walking, until your 30 minutes are up. Then you can go do your muscle strengthening exercises.

If you have bad knees or ankles, or more than 20 pounds to lose, just use the instructional section extensively before going to the actual songs. When you do go to the songs do it full speed, but modify it by eliminating the jumping and hopping. The steps are done quickly enough while you're swinging your arms around that you'll still get a good workout. IMO, it gets rather monotonous watching somebody continuously bouncing up and down like a circus performer or cheerleader. However, Tracy does a good job of putting together step patterns to try to give you something to think about besides the fact that you're essentially jumping rope for 45 minutes. Once you get familiar with the repetitious movements, you can easily dispense with the video and do them to music of your choosing.

She uses the same movements repeatedly: Skipping front, side and back; hopping on one foot while swinging the other leg back and forth or back to front in a half circle; crossover steps; leaping from one foot to the other while swinging the other leg in back and repeating to the other side; high kick to front or side; and so forth, all while doing the obligatory hopping. People who are upset about the complicated "choreography" are just over-intellectualizing this video. It's not rocket science.

Technical: There was one small scratch which caused a momentary glitch in the video but it's not worth it to me to send it back for that. Shipping was fast, just a few days, no complaint there. And yes, it could have been chaptered for each song on the dvd; perhaps Tracy will do better next time. The music is good, I liked it. Unfortunately, Tracy doesn't list the songs in a credits section. I didn't have any problem with her lack of cueing during the dancing, and the instruction was excellent.