Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Hipcentric DVD Workout

The first thing I need to say about Tracy Anderson is her body is ridiculous.

RIDICULOUS.

Slender, toned, defined long lean muscles, nothing jiggles, nothing moves, but still feminine. What percentage of body fat does this chick have? 15%? No wonder Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Richie and Madonna are friends/clients of hers---I wanna hang out with her too and maybe I'll become super slim by osmosis. Ridiculous. Inspiring and maybe a little annoying. ;)

The second thing I need to say is she is definitely a dancer. I am not. I was an aerobics instructor for years, but I was more militant than dancer, so trying to do her 30 minute dance workout in my livingroom doesn't even get my heart rate up because learning the moves, which she does not cue at all, takes too long. I do my own cardio at the gym instead of the cardio DVD included with Metamorphosis.

I wish this 4-set DVD (1 cardio, 3 toning) included 1 short segment where Tracy describes the moves and breaks them down; a training section. I also wish she cued people when she switches from one move to another. My only requirements for any fitness class I take is the instructor has rhythm and can be on the beat of the music, and she cues properly, so working out with a Tracy DVD is a little awkward at first, and you're always 1-2 moves behind her because she doesn't cue the next move. That's a little annoying.

So on to the toning DVDs of Metamorphosis Hipcentric...

First, when buying the DVDs ($90), you choose the set for the area you want to concentrate on. For me, that's hips, thighs, and glutes, so I bought Hipcentric. (There is a workout just for glutes, but the website describes it as a workout for people with a flat bootie--I don't have that for sure! ;) The workout changes every 10 days over the course of 90 days so your muscles are constantly confused and don't get used to doing the same thing so they continue to work hard the full 90 days.

Hipcentric starts out by working arms and abs before getting to hips, thighs and glutes. Some of the moves are similar to what you see in other toning videos or even in some pilates toning videos, but Tracy does hers with more intention. There's no flowing through the movements, they are precise with a stopping point after each movement. There are also many more repetitions than you do in most other toning classes or DVDs. I mean A LOT more repetitions. There may be 35-40 repetitions of one exercise on the same leg before going into a slightly different exercise on the same leg, while working that leg for 10 minutes nonstop (feels like 30 minutes nonstop ;). The whole point is to exhaust the muscles---mission accomplished! Even if you workout regularly, you'll be hard pressed to do all of the repetitions the first several times you do this workout.

What there ISN'T in this workout---the same old boring squats and leg lifts you've always done and that stopped working long ago. Also not included: pre-workout stretching. I recommend some serious upper and lower body stretching before popping this DVD into the player.

At the end of this workout, you feel good. You feel like you've worked your muscles but not beat them down with weights. It's not easy, but it's also not so hard and/or boring that you don't feel good afterward.

Will this workout "transform your body" as Tracy suggests in the infomercial, particularly if you're already someone who works out regularly? Not sure---let me get back to you in 30 or 60 or 90 days with an update!

In the meantime, I recommend this DVD just because of how you'll feel afterward. That's priceless whether or not there's "transformation" in 90 days! :)

Have you completed 90 days of Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis? Come over to my Facebook page and tell me about it!