Current Toning/Strength Workout

After I finished the 30 Day Shred I knew that I wanted to keep up with the toning/strength workouts instead of slacking off on them, as I usually do, and sticking to mostly cardio. I eventually decided to buy a workout that I’ve actually been looking for quite awhile but haven’t purchased until now. I’m totally kicking myself that I didn’t buy it sooner because I have fallen in love with it. In love, you guys. And what is that workout, you might ask? The Tracy Anderson Method Mat Workout. I think one of the reasons I stayed away from it until now is that reviews for it are so mixed. It looks like there isn’t a lot of middle ground on this one. You either love it or you hate it. Here’s why I’m in the love it camp:

1. It’s an hour long and yet that hour flies by. I’m now in my third week of using this program and it still feels like no time at all. And, as I’ve stated before, I get bored with workouts easily, so that’s quite the accomplishment.

2. I feel the burn while working out and I like feeling like my workout is actually doing something.

3. I also feel really good. When I finish the workout I feel energized and just… good. I know. Really descriptive, but that’s how I feel.

4. I feel stronger. Her arm workout is killer. She talks about what to do if the arm workout is too easy (because she doesn’t want you to use weights larger than three pounds in order to prevent you from building bulk) and I’m standing there thinking, “How could this ever be considered easy?” But after three weeks it’s already getting easier. I mean, that’s not to say that I think it’s easy. I won’t be doing the arm workout twice in a row yet! But it’s not quite as hard to get through now as it was when I first started.

5. I feel more flexible. And I’m not very flexible at all, so that’s cool.

6. It doesn’t hurt my foot (BIG plus!) and I think it’s easy on the knees too. I don’t have knee issues, so I couldn’t tell you 100% that it won’t bother knees, however it doesn’t have any squats or lunges. There are some plies. The workout reminds me a lot of a ballet toning video but she has you do some of the moves at different angles to hit different muscles.

I think what I’ve discovered about staying interested in my workouts is that I want variety and I want to be moving throughout the workout. I never liked yoga until I found vinyasa flow. I love dancing, but the workouts that keep me interested for the longest period of time are workouts like Zumba, that teach you a dance or that switch up the routines throughout the video. With the TA Method Mat Workout, there’s a good flow to the workout. You’re constantly moving and I like that.

Someone jumped up on the chair to check in during my workout last night.

I can’t tell you how long each section is, but here is a quick overview of the program:

1. Warmup.
2. First legs section, you stand and use a chair for support. (I just keep a chair in my workout area now.)
3. First abs section. This is also standing and it’s a series of chest isolations. It takes a couple of tries to pick up the “choreography” of the section and it might take a little bit longer for people who aren’t used to chest isolations.
4. First arms section, without weights.
5. Final arms section, with weights.
6. Final legs section, on the mat.
7. Final abs section, on the mat. (This is probably my favorite section on the whole DVD.)
8. Cool down.

I think I’ll talk about workout-related topics more often on the blog, but probably no more than once a week (if that). Working out is seriously becoming a hobby of mine again and I’ve been talking about it to anyone who will listen in my day-to-day life. Some people have asked for updates on this workout and others have expressed interest in what I do while choosing exercise DVDs. I do quite a bit of research when picking one out and rarely dislike a workout that I buy during the first try. So, if you’re interested stay tuned for more workout chats!