Article Link Tracy Anderson's 5 (Surprising) Workout Rules

[Chomper]

Originally Posted by holliholli915

WOW! There's a whole debate going on over on TA's IG page about her statements in that Well & Good article, including a response from TA herself.

Her response clarifies her points. But, if she really feels the way she does in her IG comment, I don't understand how W&G got it so wrong in their article. It's either a case of extremely bad journalism or she read it and realized how flawed her statements were in that article and is now back-tracking.

Some of her followers, tho. It's scary how much they just co-sign anything she says and defend her no matter what. You can be supportive of someone and still recognize when they say/do something wrong. SMH

Bad journalism is definitely a thing, and she seems to be strongly stating that that was what was going on here. She says her words were twisted and chopped up and put out of context. But, it reads to me like back-tracking because she was surprised by all the negative feedback.

I have a knee jerk reaction to hero worship, so I feel you ladies.

[aspidistra]

I need to comment on her five rules. These certainly appear to be in her own words so I don't think a journalist took them out of context.

1. Look past the large muscles.

I don’t like roadblocks—and I consider when a large muscle is built up to be a roadblock. The key is to not use more than what you need, and to learn that less is more. If you want to be longer and leaner you’ve got to stay away from 10-pound, 15-pound [weights] and calling to action the bicep, the quad, the glute—the very direct large muscles that know exactly how to work in very specific ways.

I was longer and leaner when I used 7 and 10 lb weights before I heard of her. I have pictures to prove it! Yes you can get fit and thin using her method but my arms were much more carved and beautiful when I used the heavier weights. However, I believed her and exclusively used her 3 lb. weights and never got the gorgeous definition.

The stronger one muscle gets, the more it shuts up all the other things. As you age, the stronger you make your bicep, the worse your skin [under your arm] is going to sag. You can’t ever get to it because the [bicep] is too overbearing. It’s like your muscles get in an abusive relationship with themselves. The strong ones say “go to sleep” to the smaller ones.

This makes no sense. In no way is my bicep muscle affecting the sagging skin and fat under the arm. My stronger muscles are not saying "go to sleep". Is she talking about the triceps muscle needing more work? There's no evidence that the strong bicep makes the tricep weak. This is vague.

2. Our brains should be included in our workouts.

“In research, the number of muscles in our body keeps going up because [scientists are] starting to look at smooth muscle differently. We need to be connected. Everything needs to be called into action, and our brains—which remain one of the most mysterious objects in the universe to this day—have got to participate.”

Nothing wrong with this statement but it says nothing really.

3. Yes, you should be getting sweaty every. single. day.

I really believe in exercise every day. When I first started, people were still being told exercise 30 minutes a day, three days a week. I have gotten literally an army of doctors and scientists behind me over the years. The work I deliver is not something that is damaging the muscles; it’s something that is actually good for you to do each day. You brush your teeth every single day. Your teeth are so tiny, they take five minutes to brush. The rest of your body, in comparison, deserves 30 minutes, in my opinion.

This contradicts her instruction to exercise 6 days and rest 1 day a week. So she watered down her original conviction, to make her method more palatable for the masses? Not nice. Just like the ones who say you will damage your body by not resting enough. Give people some latitude instead of giving hard and fast rules for the rest/exercise ratio. And tooth brushing is not a good analogy for exercise. It's absurd.

4. The body learns exercise like it learns a language.

Say you want to learn a foreign language: If one day you take French, one day Spanish, and one day Japanese, you’ll never learn a foreign language. But focus on Spanish and your brain will actually start to grow fatty acids and you get double bonds. The better you get, the more you’re able to challenge yourself and get to a new level to achieve physical change, fight disease, [and] fight aging.

This contradicts her and other trainer's wisdom that you have to change your exercise routine frequently or the body gets used to it and doesn't respond. Pick one truth and stick to it! You couldn't learn Japanese by taking it for ten days and then switching to Spanish. But that is what she directs you to do - change workout after ten days.

5. Fitness trends—and kettlebells—can be dangerous.

There are a lot of boutique fitness practices that wear and tear on your joints or are not super healthy. Or people flinging kettlebells—you don’t really know where the force is ending up. I see more people with injuries in my studios from kettlebells than anything. It seems like everything [has gotten] very extreme: We watch weight-loss shows where people are pushing cars up hills. It’s just wrong.

Any exercise is dangerous if it is done wrong. Of course kettlebells should be handled carefully. But I broke my toe from running into a 10 lb weight that I carelessly left on the floor once. And I injured my back in high school gym doing a standing forward roll. And more to the point I've read this and other fitness forums where numerous people have reported severe injuries doing the TA exercises.

I really prefer it when a trainer offers their methods without criticizing other methods that have worked and continue to work. It is this precious exclusivity she emanates, that only she knows the answers, that everybody else is wrong, which make her rub people the wrong way. Including people who see the good parts of her workout. I'll probably still do them because I love them, but I don't like her comments.

[LizEMA]

Originally Posted by Chomper

I have a knee jerk reaction to hero worship

Me, too. The more rabid one's fans/followers are, the more I doubt and question the "expert". I don't believe in dogma, and I don't believe in a "one-size-fits-all" mentality for ANYTHING. Anyone who subscribes to that kind of thinking and tries to convince others of it gets an "X" in my book. There is no "only way" to do something.

ETA: Even worse is a "guru" who, as others have stated, criticizes (tried and true) methods of other professionals and spouts literal nonsense that can't be backed up by even one scientific study or found anywhere in the reams of physiological research that exist.

[MomOf2Gremlins]

I'm doing TA workouts on and off and have yet to believe anything she says! LOL I just like to mix things up and her workouts seem to work my body nicely (not that I can see any big changes, but I feel the burn ) but the next day when I do a KB workout or pull out a KCM, I'm just as happy!

It's a shame she can't just stick to her stuff and let other workouts be without making such ridiculous statements!..

[Sue B]

Originally Posted by holliholli915

WOW! There's a whole debate going on over on TA's IG page about her statements in that Well & Good article, including a response from TA herself.

Her response clarifies her points. But, if she really feels the way she does in her IG comment, I don't understand how W&G got it so wrong in their article. It's either a case of extremely bad journalism or she read it and realized how flawed her statements were in that article and is now back-tracking.

Some of her followers, tho. It's scary how much they just co-sign anything she says and defend her no matter what. You can be supportive of someone and still recognize when they say/do something wrong. SMH

I don't see where she's clarifying anything. It's just the usual "poor me, so misunderstood and criticized" whimpering.

[Nuggie's Auntie]

I couldn't read all the IG comments. Apparently they've been deleted, but the sense that I'm getting is anyone who has the temerity to challenge her is full of 'hatred' and 'negativity' and really needs to 'look inside of themselves' rather to pick on poor little Tray-Tray. It's great if people like her workouts, but I wish she'd put on her big girl undies and just stand by what she says. She's backtracking left and right.

[Chomper]

I agree. I read what I could. Some critical comments are gone. But the "clarifying" she did was to pretty much deny she believed or did any of the things she said in the article. For example, she said she does use resistance sometimes and that kettlebells are okay as long as you know what you're doing with them, and that she actually likes, values and trains the large muscle groups too.

[Nuggie's Auntie]

Originally Posted by Chomper

I agree. I read what I could. Some critical comments are gone. But the "clarifying" she did was to pretty much deny she believed or did any of the things she said in the article. For example, she said she does use resistance sometimes and that kettlebells are okay as long as you know what you're doing with them, and that she actually likes, values and trains the large muscle groups too.

Yes, I would have had more respect for her if she had said, "I don't like kettle bells. I think the risk of injury is too great." That's her opinion and that's fine, but don't peddle it as fact, then backtrack when you start getting heat for it.

[KarenP]

TA has been saying ridiculous stuff since back in the days when she got famous training Madonna. Why should she stop now? It's made her very wealthy.

[videofit]

I don't understand why people get their knickers in a twist. Different trainers say their way is the best. Different bodies respond differently.

When I used heavier weights in the days of The Firm, my body looked okay and I got stronger compared to doing only cardio. Switching to slightly lighter weights for Margaret Richard workouts really improved the way my body looked so I've stuck with endurance and body weight workouts for several years now.

I do agree with the article stating that diet gives the most dramatic results in terms of weight loss. That is common sense but common sense is uncommon these days.