Tracy Anderson’s Postpartum Pregnancy Workout Video
I’ve been trying to lose the last 10 pounds from Graham’s pregnancy since Christmas. I think I gained a few pounds over the holidays which didn’t really help matters much–BUT, I have 8 pounds to go. Boy are they stubborn this time. I don’t know what is making the weight stick around–it is because I am in my 30′s, have some thyroid condition, or am just too lazy but I really want to get back to my original weight. And wear all my clothes. And look good in them. Oh, I can wear them, but I have a muffin top that I can’t stand. I have been consistently working out 3-4 days a week, mostly on the elliptical running machine but the pounds haven’t been falling off like they used to. I never really bothered losing weight right after Graham was born because I am one of those (unlukcy) women who don’t lose the last pregnancy weight until I am done nursing. With child one and two I was back to my prepregnancy weight within 3-6 months after the last sip of breastmilk was drunk. Graham quit nursing in October–4 months ago. I thought I’d be seeing more progress than I have been seeing.
I started thinking that maybe the elliptical machine wasn’t enough. Walking and Pilates had done the trick losing the weight with my first two kids. I have a great video to do with an exercise ball that I enjoy but I wanted something else to throw into the mix. I read an article in Cookie magazine about Tracy Anderson, who gained 60 lbs during her pregnancy. She is a dancer and had battled some weight issues before. She started doing a lot of research and trying her methodology on women of all different genetic shapes. Her methodology worked on women with all kinds of body types. The basic idea is that we overwork all of our large muscle groups and need to work on the smaller muscles to pull in the larger ones. She put together a post pregnancy workout routine to help moms target the problem areas after having a baby.
My stomach got so stretched out carrying all 12 lbs of Graham that it is in some serious need of muscle work! I read some of the reviews on Amazon and decided to go ahead and buy it. Of course, with most exercise–if you do it regularly you will see results. I’m still trying to figure out how to incorporate fitting cardio in with this workout routine. And how much should I do of both? She says to do the postpregnancy workout 4-6X a week.
On Monday I did video and I was using muscles that I didn’t even know I had. The first half of the video is abdominal work–which makes sense. Your abs get the most stretching and lack of use while you are pregnant. The last half works on legs and arms. All you need is a set of 3 lb. weights. Every stomach muscle I have is sore! I skipped Tuesday and did the workout again on Wednesday. My muscles were crying as I did the video again. They were tired from the Monday workout and were having a hard time keeping up. One thing I like about the video is that I will be able to see improvement in my own strength as I keep it up. I keep thinking that I’m 17 months postpartum so I can’t imagine how challenging it would be to start doing 2 months postpartum. It is worth it though. I don’t think it matters if you just had a baby or not–this workout is a challenge for anyone. I got my husband to do a few of the exercises and he was shaking right along with me!
She uses classical music in the background which I find relaxing–especially if I am having to workout with all 3 kids running around me. My only “wish” about the video is that it would be nice to see different angles of her doing the exercises more often. Some of the arm movements aren’t explained and it would be nice to see them from a different perspective.
I am hoping to get rid of the last tummy jiggles but I am trying to tell myself that even if I never lost the last 8 lbs. I am still doing some healthy for myself and my kids.
Have you heard of Tracy Anderson’s Postpartum workout video? Have you tried it? What other post pregnancy workout videos or activities have you done? Does anyone know how much you should combine cardio with strength training?
Share the fun: Email + Del.icio.us + Digg + Technorati
I haven’t heard of the DVD. I can tell you that as a personal trainer I would suggest you do 3 strength trainings and 5 days of cardio for a minimum of 30 minutes. As a general rule we usually don’t recommend working the same muscle groups(abs excluded) on consecutive days.
The DVD should help you lose those last 8 lbs since you will be building strength and gaining muscle. A pound of muscle burns 3x as many calories as a pound of fat. Plus strength training helps prevent osteoporosis. I’m at 2 months postpartum and not seeing the results I want becuase I have not had time to add a strength training program to my cardio sessions.
I might have to add this DVD to my collection!
If your abs are your worse body part, then why do you keep training them last, at the end of your workout? Which muscles groups will receive the highest priority when you train? The ones done at the start of your workout or the ones done at the end of the workout? Of course, the ones done at the start of the workout while you have the most energy and focus. If abdominals are the muscle group you wish to prioritize, then don’t be afraid to disagree with the ‘experts’ who say “Never train your abdominals first because you’ll weaken your core muscles for the rest of your workout…”. I completely disagree with this and often reply, “Show me the evidence.” The typical response is “Nobody does abdominals first…”. That is pure BS. This just supports the notion that many people who work out don’t ever question what they hear or do. They want to be spoon fed answers and follow the trends of others without thinking for themselves. I ALWAYS train abdominals first in a workout if they need the highest attention.
Thanks Kristi–that is helpful!
Tim–I think you might have misunderstood either what I was saying or what Kristi was saying. I never said anything about training the abs last–nor did Kristi. But thanks for the tip.
Kristi — Can you clarify what you mean by “3 strength trainings and 5 days of cardio for a minimum of 30 minutes”? Do you mean work out five days a week, and do additional strength training on 3 of the 5 days? Because, you know, I need a weekly routine, and that would add up to 8 days if I did them separately. Just curious!
Does walking up a hill with a stroller laden with groceries (and a toddler) count as cardio or strength training? Or perhaps a little of both?
Thanks for posting.
With my first, the pounds melted off within two weeks.
With this second, it’s been almost 9 months and I still have 20 pounds to go!
What happened?!
How long is the entire(abs and legs and arms) Tracy Andreson post partnum workout?
Ryan-the entire video is 45 minutes long. It goes by pretty quick but the ab section is the longest.
Great thank you!
I’m on week 2 of doing Tracy’s workout video–and I love it to a degree. It’s all about many, many, many specific reps with a focus on abs and thighs (I’m finding the thigh work even harder than the abs). I’m loving it — I’m feeling parts I hadn’t felt for years before being pregnant with my 2nd son (and I’m pushing 40). However, and a big HOWEVER, I feel she puts undo stress on lower back for the ab work, so watch out. So many instructors are HYPER sensitive to lower back, so watch yourself.
I recommend it thoroughly.
I remembered you posted about this. I am glad I came back to re-read it now that it applies to me. I really want to get out of maternity pants, because I only have 2 pants and 1 pair of shorts that fit me right now.
It took me 9 months to lose everything and feel back to normal last time. But I also gained more this time and had a bigger baby, so it is taking longer this time. I need to change my diet and get serious about this. Maybe the video will help (and I can get Daniel to do it with me.) Thanks for posting about the video!