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442 of 456 found the following review helpful:
 3-month reviewMar 13, 2009
By Aimee
I wanted to write a review from someone that had been doing Tracy's workouts for more than just a couple of weeks, because I feel like that was clearly missing from the reviews I have read in the site so far, so here it goes...
I mostly recommend this workout for people that have had some dance background or enjoy dance type aerobics classes at the gym or have done other dance workout dvds. If that's the case this is for you! If you consider yourself clumsy and not a dancer then really, what are you thinking? Find something else. So for you dancers and dance inclined people out there here's the scoop...
You are going to have to resign to the fact that this is a choreography oriented workout. However, this is not darren's dance grooves and she's not going devote the entire time to counting out and teaching you the dance because I think her point is you learn it and then just pop the dvd in and get straight to it. She breaks it down for you and I recommend you watch that part, but that doesn't really help you learn at all you'll forget once she starts at full speed. Use the format where she faces away from you. For sanity's sake the best way to learn this dance is to take 1-2 dances a week and learn them by just trying to follow along. So do warm up do two routines then stop it and go to the mat workout. Yes you will mess up but if you've gone to any dance class you know the key is to keep moving and then jump in again. She repeats the same choreography over and over throughout the song just switching sides so eventually it sinks in. After six weeks you should be able to get through six dances and some of you might linger here because after dance six it gets a bit difficult to get through all of this. That's ok eventually add the last two. By this point you will realize that her lack of cueing is actually and advantage because it makes the video less irritating.
Also, I must state that this is a bit of bouncy workout so if you are not a runner or a jump roper your calfs might not be ready for this. From my time doing this I have found that if you give yourself more than two rest days your calfs will get even more sore on the second day but doing the dance helps release some of that lactic acid so its best to just keep doing and eventually your calfs will be up to it. Also, some parts where there's a lot of jumping (plie-jacks for example) you might have to substitute doing another move in order to manage getting through the routine. This is a good rule of thumb if its too hard move from side to side or do something simple for that move and then get back in the routine until you build up the stamina.
What's the catch then? Well, it is hard to do both workouts 5-6 days for a total of two hours a day. Who has that time? So if you go for this goal you will not keep it up and your money will go down the drain cuz you'll shelve this dvd in no time. But in the beginning just alternate them each day for five days. I wish her mat workout had chapters, which would help only do legs one day and arms another. I fast forward (and catch my breath) and do this for a 1hr 30 min workout (skip her mat warm up after doing cardio, you are plenty warmed up). This works best for me and is worth trying.
Basically, the best way to lose weight is to do her cardio 5 times a week. If you can get through the entire thing and do the cardio 5 times a week for two weeks, while eating healthy (nothing drastic) you can lose 2-5 pounds in that time. Her mat workout is important though because working out your muscles not only tones but helps you shred more calories faster, not to mention I sweat tons doing her leg series alone. I have the mat workout and not the post pregnancy but I wouldn't buy both just buy one of these and save some cash. I'm sure either will get you slim in no time to start with.
Lastly, the music is not the best I KNOW but it helps you keep pace... just try not to think about it too much. After you get the moves down you can try them to other songs you like (mute tv/blast radio). Like she says, don't over think it, just get in your zone (kind of like running) and you'll be done before you know it.
Hope you find this helpful.
85 of 85 found the following review helpful:
No BS Review from a Non DancerSep 06, 2010
By LOHAS575
Before I started doing the dance cardio, I had been warned by other reviewers that it wasn't for non-dancers and that the instruction was limited. But I was so interested to try something different, I didn't really care - so what if it's hard? What if I look stupid? I'll get used to it. I am an AWFUL dancer and am not graceful. I have rhythm but I am by no means a ballerina, and I get dizzy with spins. But I am a runner and I'm fit. If you're in terrible shape and have no ability to dance and are extremely overweight, then no, you shouldn't do this video. Isn't that obvious?
When I put the DVD in and started with the first dance, I knew right away that I would have to learn dance by dance and not try to learn them all within the first day. The key to this program is patience, which no one has. Once I learned the first dance, which did involve watching 50 times, I was stoked to have memorized it and be able to dance and actually get a work out without counting or worrying about form. Granted, I only did one song. I did the same thing the next two times I did the video- just the first song and I did that over and over again (so that I got a total of 20 minutes of cardio). The repetition was a little boring at first, but I got good at it. Then I moved onto the next song and so on for the rest. I can do all 6 songs in a row with the choreography memorized. But this did take WEEKS not HOURS.
Honestly, after you've done this for a few weeks, you are so thankful that she doesn't talk. I've done P-90X and Slim in 6 and all these others where they just babble the entire time and it's like shut up already. You do not need instruction after you've learned the dances, which is what Tracy says. Trust me - you just have to be patient.
Here are some tips for getting through her videos with some modifications:
-You do need a lot of space. Particularly if you plan on doing all of the jumps, turns, and traveling movements to the full extent, don't try to do this in a small bedroom. That is the one downside. Luckily I have a large living room and I'm not in an apartment, but I imagine if you're in a building, the people below you will be pissed at the stomping.
-Stretch your calves. I'm a runner, so my calves were already used to bouncing. If you're not, this video will do you in. Stretch them out, soak them in hot water, do what you can to keep them from locking up. It's a lot of hopping, jumping, skipping, and bouncing around.
-Avoid the spins if you get dizzy - every time she spins, I do a jumping jack. I am not a coordinated dancer, and the turns were just too much, so I skip them. Easy.
-Stay casual - particularly in the third dance, she messes up and doesn't keep the choreography perfect. You can even tell where they edited the video to repeat her moves over again. Just be easy. I've read people complain that the dance wasn't perfect and THAT'S why they stopped. Please. The woman is incredible, so cut her some slack and just go with it. So your dance is a little interrupted - cry me a river.
-Do the cardio BEFORE the mat workout, not the other way around. You want your muscles warm during the mat stuff and you don't want your legs to give out during the cardio.
-Dont' quit, just skip a series - if you get tired, just bounce in place during a full combination and jump back in when you can. Don't give up - the cardio is totally doable for someone who is in moderately good shape.
-Watch those hips - esp if you do this with the mat workout, your hips might lock up. If your hips start to hurt, lower the intensity of kicks or jumping jacks to minimize the range of motion.
So yes, Tracy is not the best dance instructor in the world - but this is not meant to make you a better dancer, it's meant to help you lose weight. The dancing part is just means to the end, so don't worry about whether or not the combination is perfectly taught to you. I read reviews all the time from people complaining how she's a bad dance teacher so they stopped doing it - that just sounds like laziness to me. Yes the program takes at least 1.5 hours/day 4-5 times/week, yes it's a time commitment. But guess what - no one gets toned and sexy doing nothing. It requires hard work - so if you're not willing to put in the time and effort and patience, then try jogging for 2 hours/day or stop eating.
I wrote this about her mat video, too - the moves are not straight forward. Just watch it over again to learn it, but don't complain that the video didn't magically make you drop 5 pounds instantly. Tracy is not a genie. It is challenging, hard work but it gives results. I went from size 6 to size 2 within 2 months.
283 of 306 found the following review helpful:
 not too impressedOct 20, 2008
By L. Miller
OK.. well I was super hyped when I saw Gweneth Paltrow on Oprah and heard her talking about this workout. I have been a professional dancer for almost 30 years now so this seemed like it would be perfect for me... So I ordered both of the videos.. the Dance and the Matt workout. There is a lot of cool things about this video but more importantly, I think the Dance workout is dangerous. No wonder Gweneth threw her knee out.. although I'm not sure if it was from doing this workout but I think it would be very easy to get injured performing this class. It is a great challenge just to complete all of the dances in a row and follow Tracey but this kind of workout is better done in a class with a live instructor and mirrors where you can see all angles as well as a proper floating floor to help you withstand all the jumping and direction changes. Tracy's cueing is not great either and that can be very frustrating as well as her constant pouting into the camera.
I am such a big fan of Karen Voight and The Method Pilates workouts with percise timing and cueing and a no nonsense aproach, that these workout DVD's left me very disappointed.
You WILL work up a sweat and the matt workout is great but I think you could do a much more efficient work out in one hour (rather than 2 with Tracey)with the same results if not better with Karen Voights "Slim in 10" dvd workout... as well as prevent yourself from being injured!
44 of 45 found the following review helpful:
 Stick it out, IT GETS FUN!Apr 29, 2009
By Denise K
"Denise"
I've been reading through these reviews and am really shocked that so many people give up because they can't memorize the dances right away...
I started this workout two weeks ago. It took me TWO DAYS to memorize THE FIRST combo (there are 8) - now I can do the first combo in my sleep.
It took me an hour to learn the second combo. Now I can do the second combo in my sleep.
The third took me 20 minutes to memorize. And the fourth was even easier. Now I have the first five combos memorized and plan to work up to the last three in the next few days.
I am uncoordinated and a TOTAL BEGINNER and 100% out of shape. When I first started, I felt like I was going to die after 2 and a half minutes. The next day I made it to four minutes. Today I hit 25 minutes. And good God, IT IS FUN!!!! I still have a long way to go, I think the whole workout is 45 minutes long - I'll be SO PROUD of myself when I get there.
SET GOALS FOR YOURSELF, DON'T GET FRUSTERATED! She's adorable and totally fun - the moves AREN'T that hard and the ones that are, well, you'll love them more once you actually DO get the hang of them!
I'm down ten pounds in two weeks.
Buy this and DON'T get frusterated when it takes you two days to get the first combination! Your brain gets accustomed to memorizing dance combos after a few days and they get way easier to memorize.
80 of 88 found the following review helpful:
 Big DisappointmentSep 29, 2008
By Kristie Berg
I was really excited to recieve this video, but it really falls short. I danced my entire life and still found this to be hard to follow. The way the video is set up is there's an instructional section that runs through the eight combinations. She does this without ever doing any of the combos to music (which for me actually cements the routine). Once she runs through the combo (once slow, once up to speed facing forward and once up to speed facing backward) she moves on to the next one. She does this eight times in a row. By the third combo, I have NO idea what the first two were, let alone the five to come. From here, you go straight to the cardio dance, wherein she says NOTHING, except for 5-6-7-8 at the begining. She doesn't talk at all through the routine, including to tell you which combo you're actually on. This is a big disappointment.
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