Final Results:
3.5lbs lost
Half an inch decrease in my waist
I heard the name Tracy Anderson decades ago when a photo of her walking between Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna in London around the mid-2000s was posted in a some magazine. According to the photo headline, Tracy was the personal trainer for both women and the person behind keeping them in their best shape. I thought very little of it at the time, but as the years carried on the Tracy Anderson name continued to pop up when well-known people mentioned their workouts or she’d be featured on a morning news station promoting her one-of-a-kind workout that she developed, the Tracy Anderson Method (TAM). However, it wasn’t until I began searching for a new workout to dive into that I gave the TAM a try.
Lifting weights had begun to bore me with the monotony of “pick up and put down” and I wasn’t getting the results I desired. I believe I now know the reasons for my lack of success, but at the time the idea of finding something new that was totally different sounded like a perfect change and when the YouTube algorithm tossed a TAM review video my way, I got interested. Tracy Anderson is very lean, but healthy-looking and as she was nearing fifty, I thought she must be doing something right. I have nothing against taking workout advice or direction from someone in their 20s, but knowing that Tracy Anderson had been doing her workouts for decades and was closer to my age range, gave me hope that I could also get positive results even in my mid-40s. According to Tracy Anderson, her workouts focus on the small muscles, rather than the large muscles to strengthen the body.
I watched a few more YT videos of other users of the TAM and even found a few workout videos by Tracy Anderson that I completed which only piqued my interest more. After doing a little digging to find out how I could do her program on a regular schedule, I learned that she had in-person classes (not in my budget or my neighborhood), a streaming platform or a set of videos from 2015. I went with the videos.
Before I made my purchase of her 90-day Omnicentric program, I read as many comments as I could find from other TAM users, past and present, to get an idea of what results I could expect in her 90-day program and quickly found that there are a lot of very happy TAM users but also some not-so-happy ones which is to be expected with almost anything in life. Nothing will please everyone. Some of the complaints ranged from the dance cardio portion of her video program being too hard on the knees, her lack of verbal instruction when performing the exercises, and the subpar music were some of the most popular ones and it didn’t take me long to agree with these complaints as they were all true. However, it didn’t mean that I also couldn’t get a good workout in spite of these issues.
Day 1 started in April 2024 and I was excited to get going. When using the 90-day Omnicentric program, you’re supposed to complete a session six times a week, but my goal was five with a weekly average closer to 4.5. Most weeks I hit five workouts, but not every week. Although it’s a “90-day program” it doesn’t mean you’re done in three months; it means there are 90 days of exercises so although I started in April, I didn’t finish until September.
I have been taking monthly progress pics of myself (though seeing little progress) so I was very hopeful that by the end of her 90-day program I’d finally see some real change. Her program was broken up into 9 sections (each being performed for 10 days six days a week), a daily dance cardio portion, and a meal plan that she later admitted was not the healthiest so I stuck with my normal meals and focused on eating healthy about 80% of the time. Recalling there was a lot of criticism against her dance cardio being hard on people’s knees with all the jumping, I pushed that aside and gave it a try since I had been doing dance cardio workouts on YT for years so I assumed it would be something similar. Nope, the criticisms were correct in my opinion as the workout was too rough on the knees and I worried I’d have knee pain if I continued. To try and stay as consistent to her plan though, I did my own dance cardio or rebounding cardio instead.
The lack of verbal instruction was another comment that I kept seeing and after completing her program, I get it. She does give a few sentences of how one should be performing an exercise sometimes, but for the majority of the workout you’re expected to watch and follow along with what she’s doing. The problem is that if you’re on your hands and knees (which you often are during the leg workout), a simple queue stating one movement has stopped and the next has begun or direction on how I should perform or where I should feel the effort would be helpful. She has stated she doesn’t want to talk during working out, but that’s not required in videos as narration can be added in during post-production.
The music is also not great. My husband heard it once and thought I was playing a video game, but one reviewer recommended muting the sound and adding in your own music which is what I did. Each new workout set I performed once with the music, but on the other nine days I would mute and play my own.
Although I mention the criticisms above, it doesn’t mean that I think the TAM is a bad workout or a waste of time. In fact, I think TAM has a lot of good and I can understand why she’s remained popular for over two decades.
The workouts (non-cardio dance portion) only take about 30 minutes, can be completed at a time convenient to you, don’t require much equipment (you only need 3lb weights and a mat) and don’t require much space when using her videos or streaming. TAM can be done in a small apartment without disturbing your neighbors (excluding dance cardio). It’s also a simple program that doesn’t require planning as you simply follow from day 1 through day 90 and the workouts get slightly harder as you progress. For those that find it hard to stick with a program, TAM may be a great way to get into a workout program. You know exactly what you’re supposed to do each day so it’s easy to stay consistent. That doesn’t mean they’re easy workouts though. You will sweat. But that sweat comes with a sense of accomplishment as each time I completed a day, I knew I did something good for myself. Even though I’d be squeezing my butt until it caused a burn, I still got on that mat (I’d recommend a thick one for your knees and wrists) without much self-arguing each day, although some days were much easier than others. The leg workouts always left me drenched in sweat. Even with air conditioning, I always had sweat pouring down my arms during this portion of the workout.
Whether I would recommend TAM to someone else would depend on what their goals are and where they are in life. If you are just getting started on following a structured program and want an easy-to-follow plan or have stuck with mostly cardio exercises and want some “toning” of your muscles, then TAM may be good for you (although I’d never recommend the dance portion of her videos for the sake of your knees). Although my results weren’t as drastic as I had hoped (specifics are above), I did notice my legs, abs, and arms felt harder and stronger starting around day 50 of the program. It would be on me to lose more fat for those results to be more visible, but my body was definitely tighter in those areas.
If you are trying to gain legitimate muscle and strength, which I would recommend we all do especially if you’re 40 and over, then TAM probably isn’t a good fit for you unless you’re just beginning. The lack of weights over 3lbs aren’t enough to push muscle growth past the very beginning phase. Before TAM I was able to do a curl up from a dead hang, but I dropped all strength training when starting her workouts to keep the results fair. However, when I attempted a curl up again I could no longer complete one which was a huge bummer as I need to hold onto all the muscle I can and continue to add more to avoid weakness and possible injury as time continues to creep by.
Now that the 90 days are over will I continue with TAM? No. Near the end of the program I started to miss lifting weights. With the failure of my curl up and the worry of muscle loss, I returned to strength training, but this time I took some lessons from TAM and implemented a structured program with an easy-to-follow plan to help me stay consistent. I was also growing bored with the TAM workouts (this is a pattern of mine). My mood and reluctance to complete the day would sometimes depend on the level I was doing as some workouts were far more enjoyable than others. When the 90 days were over, I was ready to return to weights and make the old new again.