Tracy Anderson 4 DVD Set

Hipcentric is a tough workout! Not only am I an advanced workout person in high condition, I did many of her other DVD’s daily for six months before starting this one in January. I enjoyed my 2-3 hour workouts. 30 mins arms, 30-45 mins legs, 1.5 hours of cardio (mix of step, Zumba, spin, kickboxing), stretching.Level 1, I couldn’t complete the leg routines. The high impact cardio hurt my shins even though I danced on thick carpet. There’s 40 reps for each leg movement. I had to stop, catch my breath, and continue on. By the 2-3 day, I could complete the workout. I found the arm section too short and not hard. Same with abs. Only ten mins for arms/abs combined. First month, I did my own cardio. I bought 2 lb hand weights and freestyled to pop radio 45-60 mins. Did Zumba, step, or cardio kick box on occasion.Into the second month, I really struggled with motivation. Some levels I completed over several weeks rather than ten days. The leg lifts do change, however the boredom and reps really got to me. It’s like my body rebelled doing the same thing over and over. I kept thinking there has to be a shorter route to get these results, 90 days is a LONG time! I took closer to 40 mins to complete the floor workout because of rests during the leg lift sections. Had to brace myself and make sure I had time that day as the start of a new level was tough. I did feel triumphant getting stronger each session so that towards the end of a level, I could comple the leg section without stopping. Mastery instead of dread felt good!By level 6, by chance I did the cardio dance since my legs were stronger. I flew through the workout with no soreness the next day. I figured I had strengthened the muscles enough to absorb the shock. Since I need variety, I may add this back in or learn her dance like a Popstar DVD.I have already been clean eating. Her plan seemed like a minor shift for me, however I can see for others how strict it is. I kept to my own eating plan.So I just started level 7. Here’s my results so far. I wish the arm section was longer (as in her other DVD), still doesn’t seem enough of a workout, still not as defined as TA and still have that jiggle, although I have consistently did her arm workouts from other DVDS for past 8-9 months. I’m not certain remaining levels will do the job. There are many plank type movements in later levels, so that might help arm, shoulders. That being said my upper body went from medium to small sizes in tops. My skinny jeans went down an inch. Instead of 31/31, the 30/31 fit and a bit loose. I have received compliments about my more lifted derrière. However still have thick upper thighs, not the long lean legs I was hoping for. My abs are stronger but still have layer of dimply fat, can’t see definition yet.It is winter but I’m really struggling with motivation. 90 days is a long time to get big results. I like to complete what I’ve started so that is keeping me going. I also don’t want to lose my conditioning. However I definitely take more than ten days to complete a level. I also wonder how much more *transformed* my body would be had I completed each level in ten days, and did her meal plan? I’m considering doing it again now that I’m familiar with the routines and my body is stronger, maybe for 7 days rather than ten.I think this program was created during the fitness craze for *90 day programs* I keep thinking there has to be a way to get these transformed results in less time, 30 days, even 6 weeks. I love Tracy’s approach to fitness: strengthen muscular structure, and cardio. The moves are unique, and you definitely feel it and see changes (transformed changes I’m still working at it). I will never do HIIT classes or weight training again as I think they do a disservice to women. Other than the dance cardio, her moves are low impact and easy on my body. I can see doing these moves well into senior years.

On day 42 of the 90 day "metamorphosis", so far so good but now I'm left wondering if I should have tried the omnicentric or glutecentric instead of hipcentric. Let me start by saying I've been into fitness for 30 years now (certified instructor/trainer) and have tried just about every tape, DVD and workout craze out there. I was very skeptical and not exactly the dance-y type aerobics person so at first glance the moves looked pretty strange to me especially since you only use 3lb weights but I figured if it could work for the celebs, I'd give it a try. The dance cardio takes awhile to get used to and I don't like the fact that TA doesn't cue at all. She says it's so you don't have to learn a "routine" but the dance cardio is a routine so more cueing and better editing would be helpful. It would also be nice to have a second dance cardio option just to break up the monotony. That being said, I do look forward to my dance cardio daily. However, I just use the voice only option with my own playlist.The moves in the strength section are much more challenging than I expected and the 3lb weights during the arm moves add a nice challenge (even though I'm dying to add more, I've held off and stuck with the 3lb weights). The strength section changes every 10 days or so and becomes increasingly challenging which is nice.Although I do enjoy the workouts, I feel like I'm looking skinny fat and am not quite as defined as I would like to be and was my hope from this DVD set but, I'll keep plugging along to the end and report back. Stay tuned...

You know what I love about Tracy? She doesn’t BS you. She tells you right away that it is not going to be easy— that, in fact, it’s going to be really hard. Because that’s how bodies work: they resist change. I am so tired of trainers telling me how “easy” it will be to “transform my body.” Lies! If it was easy, everyone in the world would be in great shape and super skinny.Despite how “easy” it is to “walk off the weight” (or whatever tripe they are selling these days), I have been carrying about 15 extra pounds for my entire adult life. I tried everything and could not lose it. I eventually gained another 15 pounds and realized that I needed to make serious changes. I started running 4 miles a day. I mastered the legendary Buns of Steel video (with the magnificent Greg Smithy). I counted every last calorie that passed over my lips. And I didn’t drop a pound.Enter Tracy. Her moves are changing my body. I am on level 9 and I have lost 20 pounds (!) and I continue to lose. I was in pretty good cardio shape when I started but I could not get through the cardio portion without taking a few breaks. If you are serious about losing weight and are ready to put in the work, then get this program. My only regret is that I did not start it years ago.That said, all of the negative ones on here almost discouraged me from getting the set! So, I wanted to respond to some of the criticisms. First and most importantly, I do not think this program is for beginners. As I said above, I was already in pretty good shape when I started and I STRUGGLED with it. If you are just starting out with a fitness program, I would recommend staring with some of her beginner videos and working your way up.And yes, the cardio is 30 minutes of jumping and free-styling. It is still one of the most intense cardio workouts I have ever done. It absolutely looks silly. But don’t let that discourage you! Listen to your own music and get some shoes with a lot of arch support (or some shoe inserts). After I got the hang of the moves, I started have a lot of fun with it.I did not follow the diet, so I cannot speak to that. I looked over it when I got the program, and it does look intense. It’s my impression that Tracy does not intend for the emphasis to be on restricting calorie intake— rather the diet is designed to eliminate unhealthy foods and reset your system to not crave junk. I don’t think you need to follow it to get results, but if you want to lose weight you do have to choose some kind of diet. Weight loss really is 80% about what/how much you eat, so adopting some kind of restricted diet is extremely important.In all, if you are serious about changing your body and are ready to put in the work, then get this program. Don’t be discouraged by some of the bad reviews on here (many of those reviewers never even made it past level 1!). If you put in the work, this program will give you results.

DVD is clearly used. Has scratches and no plastic protective sleeves that new item would have.