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237 of 238 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
My first review...love the Mat Workout..., January 1, 2009
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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85 of 87 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
has many problems, but nice change of pace, January 4, 2009
I agree with the negative AND positive reviews. This isn't going to be for everyone. At the same time, it's possible to get something out of it if you're willing to accept the video's shortcomings.
Overall, I'm glad I got it. I can use it in conjunction with my fitness regimen.
I'd read the reviews before I bought, so there were no surprises - I could enjoy it for what it's worth: a good change of pace, very 'dancer-ly'. It reminds me of portions of the dance classes I took in high school / college, so maybe that helped me. The concept of "accessory muscle" training makes a lot of sense, and I can incorporate that into the rest of my fitness.
After doing the workout three times in nine days, I'd actually noticed some toning. It's a much more fluid form of movement and exercise (than, say, step aerobics or kickboxing), and therefore helps my poise and core. As a disclaimer, I hadn't done much training in a couple months, so probably MANY kinds of resistance training would show results.
I mostly appreciate all of the arm sections (REALLY works my shoulders). Unique, fun moves. I also find great value in the unique horizontal ab moves.
As many have said, there is VERY minimal instruction, and that can be frustrating and laughable. Much of the time, you can figure it out - but it will require you to really look closely and really connect with your body. If you want a lot of guidance, just pass on this video.
For me, lack of instruction is especially a problem on the leg work, because there seem to be more variables in form - (feet pointed? knee in or out? how to align leg? back twisted?). You really have to go through trial and error to see what details work best.
With Ms. Anderson's lack of skill as a group instructor (perhaps she's fabulous when you are gwyneth and doing one-on-one training ;P ), there should have at LEAST been more close-ups, video angles, or even text guidance. For something that's being marketed as "high end" you'd think they could have made more of an effort. Also, as another reviewer mentioned, DVD chapters would have been great when you want to mix it up.
Also... girl shoulda worn her hair pulled back! Sometimes it's hard to consider her form when it looks like she's shrugging her shoulders throughout with all that hair.
I always work out with a Polar heart rate monitor. It was nice to find that I burn around 300 calories from doing this hour long workout. (I'm 31 years old, 5'4", 120 pounds, in good shape). So in addition to toning, you'll get a little cardio and calorie burn.
The 3 pound weights used in this video's sequences are challenging. However, it irks me that Tracy Anderson claims women should NEVER lift more than 3 pounds. I think that "bulking" is a myth depending on how well you balance your training. Ms. Anderson should better define what she means by bulking - it's irresponsible to lead women to believe they'll look like Arnold if they lift light dumbbells (5-12 lbs) !
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73 of 75 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it!, September 30, 2008
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.
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