Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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224 of 226 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Problem Solved?, 28 Mar 2009
I've been intrigued by the `marmite nature' of the reviews for this product - it's either loved or hated. And I think I may have worked out why... I'm a real fan of exercise DVDs. I have a wide range and use them four to six times a week. I'd heard about the Tracy Anderson Method and it seemed to be appealing - I love dancing and was keen to try something a little more challenging.
The workout consists of a short warm up, eight dances of approximately five minutes each, but no specific cool down. Furthermore there are two versions of the workout on the DVD, one where Tracy faces you and one where she has her back to you. There is also a section where Tracy breaks down the dances as during the actual workout the dances are done without Tracy talking and you are required to simply repeat the sequence of moves as the song plays (eight songs, eight routines).
I had my eye on the DVD for a while, but was put off from getting it sooner by the negative reviews complaining that it is just too hard. Eventually I caved...
Day 1... My first endeavour... I start with the breakdown section for dance number 1. All seems fine until I try it at full tempo. It wasn't easy to say the least... Still, I am determined. So on Day 2 I try Dance 1 again and have a go at Dance 2. I can't get that one at all. I give up in disgust, vowing never to be sucked in again. However... about a week later it's still bugging me that the DVD got the better of me, so I decide to give it another go. But I change my approach. I decide to just throw myself in and do the breakdown, followed by the uptempo version in the workout itself (The version where Tracy has her back to you). Within two weeks I've mastered the first four dances, which in themselves offer quite a workout.
Two months on, I'm now doing the whole workout about four or five times a week and I love it. It's the most physically challenging workout I own. So I return to the reviews and I just don't understand them. They talk about the dances taught not resembling the ones on the workout, loads of mistakes, unhelpful camera angles. And then it occurs to ... I have been doing the workout version where Tracy has her back to you. So I decide to try the version where she faces you... and it is terrible! I can't believe the number of mistakes in the dances. Plus it's very hard to have learnt the steps one way and then have to reverse them to do the mirror of what she is doing. So perhaps this is the answer to the conflicting opinions.
The workout is great, BUT there are some downsides (in addition to the poor production of the front facing version). I don't think it's a workout for beginners or inexperienced exercisers. I think the warm up is rather short and I make additions to it to ensure I am adequately warmed up for the rigorous requirements of the workout. Furthermore with no cool down on the DVD I repeat the warm up at the end of the workout, again adapting / adding to it to avoid injury. I can only do this because of the many exercise DVDs I have seen over the years, which have allowed me to find suitable stretches to supplement what the DVD offers. I agree with other reviewers that it is quite dangerous to release an exercise DVD with insufficient guidance in these areas.
I would also say it is important to ensure adequate footwear is worn and attention paid to the moves and placement of the feet - I would imagine the high impact nature of the dances could easily lead to injury if care isn't taken.
Of the eight dances, I think numbers 2, 3, 7 and 8 are the most challenging to learn, number 4 really raises the heart rate, and number 7 seems to be the one most likely to cause injury if done sloppily.
I love the workout and can really feel (and see) the benefits. In fact I've been so impressed I've now ordered the mat workout from Amazon.com. I think this is a great choice for someone who already has a moderate level of fitness, who loves dancing and is good at dancing. And I would advise always doing the version with Tracy's back to you - it's much clearer to follow. Only watch the other version if you need to check the way the dance looks from the front. If you do decide to 'take the plunge', take your time, persevere and work up to all eight dances in a row gradually. Even half of the workout is better than no workout at all.
A great DVD for me, which would have got 5 stars, were it not for the downsides.
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77 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
really fun, 15 Jan 2009
This video is great. I am starting afresh having injured myself two years ago, so I am essentially starting with basic fitness. the dvd has a very simple format, it is divided into learning the routines, then dancing them one after the other. There are 8 routines and some are more complex than others.
The dance workouts are a little difficult to learn, but the video provides a good break down at a slow pace, and although it takes some time, you are exercising while learning. So I view the learning part as a good way to get back into exercise. Most importantly, this is so much fun!! you get to move everything around and bounce along to music. There are no distractions or awful music. I actually look forward to doing the routines (or trying!).
In the interview with Gwyneth Paltrow she says it took her a long time to become co-ordinated enough. I think if you are expecting to be able to do everything perfectly from the off, this is not for you. But if you want to have some fun getting there, buy it!
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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I think this will be amazing - but you cannot give up!, 28 Jan 2009
Ok, so I was not holding out much hope for this when I saw other reviews, but I've just watched it through and think this is going to be amazing.
Ok, so I can see why people are not happy - it IS hard. Infact, watching her do the routine to music is a bit daunting - because unless you're a pro you will NEVER do it as well as her.
But I think this is not meant to be an easy routine - you don't get her body without hard graft! I've already planned to learn dance one before I even consider dance 2 and so on and so forth. I think those who have tried this once and slated it are selling it short. The DVDs that are easy to learn don't work in my eyes as they offer the watcher the option of being slack in the moves. There is NO WAY this can be done without effort and so, given the chance, will burn calories and tone.
Don't give up on this - I know it's going to take me ages to get to dance 8 but I am looking forward to it. It was the same with the Hot Pants DVD - it took weeks to master and boy was it worth it.
If you're serious about working off those pounds or maintaining a toned body - you will not get it by giving up right away. If there was an easy quick fix solution, that would be the only DVD out there. The only other way other than persevering is liposuction!!!
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