The Tracy Anderson Method has become a recognized name in the fitness world. Founded on the principle that your workout should evolve with you, the Tracy Anderson Method is its own genre of fitness. Tracy Anderson conducted a study on 150 women 25 years ago and discovered the key to strategic body design: variety.
Who is Tracy Anderson?
Tracy Anderson studied dance in New York before entering the fitness field after being born in Indiana. She is not certified as an instructor or an exercise physiologist.
The Tracy Anderson Method
The Tracy Anderson Method is a dance-based cardio and mat exercise program that aims to build and sculpt muscle without adding bulk. This focused and highly choreographed approach aims to help people achieve the long, lean muscles of a dancer’s body and uses small, repetitive movements and weights no heavier than 3 pounds.
Key Elements of the Method
- Mat Classes: These are the heart of Anderson’s method and generally divide their time between dynamic dance-inspired movement and mat training.
- Elective Content: This offers heart-pumping dance cardio and focused workout sessions to complete your fitness routine.
- Time Commitment: Anderson recommends committing to classes for at least one hour, four to seven days a week. For maximum benefit, some Tracy Anderson programs recommend one hour, six days a week. You’ll also need to invest some time upfront in instructional videos and Zoom coaching calls to learn and understand the approach.
- Low Weight, High Repetition: Many workouts are built on repetitive movements, which use body resistance and light hand and ankle weights to tire out muscle groups. Routines pay particular attention to smaller accessory muscles, which can strengthen and tone the body without building bulk, claims Anderson.
- Ongoing Variation: Expect mat routines to change weekly. Anderson claims that constantly introducing new movements and sequences keeps the mind and body engaged, resulting in body-wide, balanced toning.
- Nonverbal Instruction: During class, you’re expected to follow your instructor’s moves without verbal cues. Anderson believes this approach helps clients tune into and gain autonomy over their bodies.
Targeted Areas
- Core: Anderson's programs include a lot of abdominal and core exercises.
- Arms: A series of repeated arm movements using your own resistance and light hand weights tightens the biceps, triceps, shoulders, and other muscles of the upper body.
- Legs: Anderson’s programs focus heavily on the leg muscles, with high repetition of motions like leg lifts, kicks, and deep knee bends.
- Glutes: The rear end is another area of intense focus for Anderson. She uses many of the traditional hands-and-knees leg moves to tighten and lift the muscles of your butt.
- Back: While many workout routines neglect the back, Anderson wants you to look good from all sides.
- Flexibility: Classes include many different stretches to increase your flexibility.
- Cardio Conditioning: The dance-based portion of core mat classes tends to be lower impact but still gets your heart pumping. Dance cardio workouts tend to be higher impact.
- Strength: Anderson's program uses very light or no weights, as it aims to build muscle without adding bulk.
Targeted Programs
In addition to whole-body workouts, Anderson sells targeted programs through her online shop and via third-party vendors under the brand Metamorphosis by Tracy brand. These cater to specific body types and goals:
- Abcentric: You tend to gain weight in your middle.
- Hipcentric: You’re pear-shaped, with your weight centered around your thighs.
- Glutecentric: You’d like a shapelier, more lifted rear end.
- Omnicentric: You want some firming all over your body.
Accessibility and Cost
The Tracy Anderson Method is accessible through a handful of studios in the US and abroad, but subscribing online is more accessible and considerably less expensive. Monthly membership at one of Tracy Anderson’s brick-and-mortar studios costs several hundred dollars a month plus a hefty one-time initiation fee, which may be too costly for many people. At $90 per month, the online studio is more affordable but still an investment. You can test the waters risk-free by signing up for a free two-week trial membership.
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Suitability for Beginners
The Tracy Anderson Method is designed for all fitness levels. However, Anderson recommends that you start slowly and watch breakdown tutorials before starting classes.
Equipment Needed
Besides athletic shoes and comfortable workout clothes, you’ll need a mat, a set of 3-pound hand weights, a set of 1-2 pound ankle weights, and a set of 1-2 pound wrist weights.
The Tracy Anderson Diet
The Tracy Anderson Diet is a meal plan created by the same fitness guru. Anderson is considered to be a “trainer for the stars” because of her client base of Hollywood actors, musicians and personalities. Despite the trainer’s impressive resume, the Tracy Anderson diet has drawn a lot of attention, both for its effectiveness and extremity.
Diet Structure
The diet is a 3-month eating plan. It is divided into what is called the “nutrient boost week” and the “body reset week”. There is a unique menu for each week and dieters should alternate between these two weeks for 90 days.
Nutrient Boost Week
According to the Tracy Anderson diet, the nutrient week boost is all about pumping your body with as many nutrients as possible. These nutrients are derived mainly from vegetables and fruits. Dieters are also advised to make the foods soft in order for the body to digest them easily. This means that foods should be pureed or consumed in liquid form. During nutrient boost week, you don’t have to count calories. You are allowed to eat and blend as much fresh produce as you want.
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Body Reset Week
Body reset week is all about protein. While you can still eat vegetables in this phase, protein-rich foods take center stage. Foods like chicken, fish, beef, turkey, eggs and legumes are highly encouraged during this week. Ideally, you should keep to three meals a day and supplement with veggies to keep you feeling full.
Considerations and Concerns
There have been some reports of weight loss with this diet. Many dieters lose an average of 3 pounds every nutrient boost week. Because the diet can also be combined with a workout plan, some lose even more weight than the average 3 pounds. The jury is still out on whether the meal plan is safe or not. Some experts argue that the dietary changes are extreme and can lead to health complications. The Tracy Anderson diet is also a VLCD (very-low calorie diet), which means dieters only consume between 500 and 1000 calories a day. If you’re interested in following this diet, take a moment to consult your doctor.
Tracy Anderson's Nutritional Philosophy
Tracy Anderson emphasizes the importance of eating clean, organic whole foods. She avoids processed foods and focuses on lean proteins, quinoa, and brown rice. Chicken is the only meat she consumes, and she includes eggs, coffee with steamed whole milk, and salads in her diet. She also enjoys snacks like Eden tamari almonds or Alter Eco dark chocolate.
Quick Weight Loss Tips
The best way to jump-start weight loss is to work out every single day until you actually crave the workout. Plus, get off gluten and go very low carb. You are how you move, you are how you eat. Ideally, you want to be regular and strategic with the design of your body and your weight management all year. If you’re looking to slim down/keep your weight at a healthy, comfortable place this summer, I’d say avoid eating really large portions and overloading your digestive system. If you have weight to lose, you can effectively do a fourteen-pound weight loss in four weeks. This requires focus and physical, mental, and emotional willpower.
Sample Meal Plan
- Breakfast: Lemon water mixed with a teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt, followed by an apple blueberry purée.
- Lunch: A hot broccoli and cauliflower salad, and a parsnip, carrot, peas, and herb purée.
- Snacks: Half of a dark chocolate bar or a dairy-free, allergen-free Enjoy Life chocolate bar, or an additional portion of the fruit purées.
- Dinner: A fennel and pea soup paired with an herb-roasted black cod.
Additional Tips
- Hydration: Drink water instead of soda.
- Alcohol: Drink as little alcohol as possible. If consuming wine, opt for organic and crispy, cold white wines.
- Mindful Eating: Avoid food restriction and mental games related to dieting.
- Addressing Cravings: If you tend to crave carbs or sugar, go for a crispy, cold white wine.
General Fitness and Lifestyle Tips from Tracy Anderson
- Consistency is Key: Train for an hour a day, six days a week, combining 30 minutes of cardio with 30 minutes of muscular structure work.
- Prioritize Movement: Movement is key; you really want to get a solid sweat in for one hour, every day.
- Morning Workouts: "I always recommend early to bed, early to rise,” says Anderson. “If you work out in the morning, you’ll get it done before other things-like someone wanting to get lunch and drinks-[distract] you and keep you from exercising. [Plus,] so much research points to the benefits of waking up early.”
- Fun and Energetic Playlists: According to her research, these kinds of jams help get people in the zone, so they push their bodies further and up their calorie burn.
Considerations and Potential Criticisms
While the Tracy Anderson Method has a long track record and has had a huge influence on modern fitness trends, the program and some of its claims are still questioned.
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- Lack of Scientific Evidence: Some experts would like to see the science behind things and don’t know of evidence that supports some of Anderson’s recommendations, such as limiting resistance training to light weights only.
- Spot Reduction: Although scientific research doesn’t support the idea that you can “spot reduce” and trim fat from any specific part of the body, Anderson devotees swear by her targeted approach.