Is Tracy Anderson responsible for Madonna's arms?

Hmmm...
I've had a few clients ask me about the Tracy Anderson 'method'. The first question about Tracey Anderson came about 2 years ago when a high profile client who was shacked up with a major Canadian Indie rock star asked me if she could get a Gwyneth Paltrow body doing it the Tracey way.

Honestly, don't ask me about trendy Hollywood fitness trends. I might have to swallow back the barf in the my mouth listening to the crap that Hollywood endorses that essentially is a major part of fucking up so many women's body images throughout the Western world. I have to wonder, what kind of thank yous do Hollywood stars get for endorsing their trainers' stuff? If a Hollywood star is going to put their name on something, it ain't going to be for nothing unless it's a Haiti fundraiser or for children dying of AIDS. So please...let's start looking at the machine of capitalism more objectively when it comes to the fitness industry.

I've trained 'famous' people and I'm too freakin' weirded out by asking them to give me a public endorsement. I've never been able to go there in a serious way. I feel like a BIG cheeseball. The relationships I build with clients famous or not are intimate and not based on 'what can you do for me'. How can YOU make me rich.

This is what Tracy Anderson says on the home page of her website:
"Tracy Anderson is helping countless women to achieve toned and defined bodies through the release of a new dvd series featuring her signature moves. Tracey Anderson's innovative method has transformed Gywneth Paltrow, Courtney Cox and Shakira to their tiniest, strongest points."

First of all, I hate the word 'toned'. What is toned? Basically to look toned you have to lose body fat and build muscle. Toned is a word of the past. It's about nutrition and body composition. There's no magic exercise that converts fat to muscle. Lose the word 'toned' from your vocabulary. It reminds me of the leg lifts I used to do in late 80s aerobics. "Tone those butts girls! Ooh ooh!" Plus she encourages 50 to 100 reps for her 'toning' exercises. Yikes! What's science is she basing this 'method' on. Not any I've read in the last 20 years.

She also says to NEVER lift more than 3 lbs. Ok ladies. Good thing you've got two full time nannies and a housekeeper and gardener so you don't have to build functional strength for the day to day activities that require real strength. God forbid picking up a child would interfere with having Tracy Anderson arms. Those heavy crying kids wanting attention might create the dreaded muscle bulk these superstars are trying to avoid. GAG

And second, when did these three freakin' gorgeous women ever not look fantastic. I don't remember them needing a 'makeover'. She's also Madonna's trainer du jour. Um excuse me but I can't remember a time in the last 20 years that Madonna didn't have the body she has. Pretty hard to whip Madonna into shape for sure.

And last and the biggest point I have to make in this rant is, changing your body composition is at least 80% food related. Tracy Anderson has an eating plan that you're supposed to follow. The eating plans that accompany any workout DVDs include a huge disclaimer saying something like, "results are only guaranteed if you follow the diet plan enclosed" or something like that. If you do some regular resistance exercise of any type and eat clean (these famous gals can afford chefs who make sure of that) of course you're going to look way more defined and ripped.

So good on anyone who decides to exercise and start taking charge of how they feel about their bodies. Doing something is ALWAYS better than nothing. But please please please don't be fooled by celebrity trainers who pretend they have a magic bullet. Throw out the extra chocolate easter eggs, stop binge eating and maybe even drinking and stick to a regular strength training routine. Don't take more than a week off at a time and sweat when you work out. Life weights especially your own body weight and stop looking for shit that celebrities endorse. Believe people wherever you are, who don't make things sound too sexy because losing weight and getting defined bodies takes a lot of consistent work over a long period of time.

I'd endorse Weight Watchers over a celeb trainer that cheeses things up for profit any day.

Good luck to you.

Jane Clapp