Tracy Anderson: Personal trainer to Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez…and me?

Tracy Anderson and I after our workout!

Tracy Anderson with her a pair of her well-known clients (Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna)

Ok, that’s a bit of a stretch. The truth is Tracy Anderson (best-known for sculpting the bodies of celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, and Shakira), is also Venus‘ new Celebrity Fitness Expert. To celebrate, I was invited to get my ass whooped learn some of the same leg-sculpting moves she used to help get J.Lo goddess-ready for her own Venus campaign.

Our Venus-themed gym mats

I have to admit, I was beyond excited. I have been all up on Tracy’s tips ever since I first learned that she was the mastermind behind the most famous bods in Hollywood when we featured her in Marie Claire. In all of my three years on staff at the magazine, that was probably the only time I literally ripped out the pages in my copy of an issue and hung up her workout on my wall (yes, I still have it too!). The thing I like most about her methods though is that she has extensively studied the muscles and figured out workouts that will really target problem areas, and her belief in natural methods (working out regularly, first and foremost) is what I was most drawn to. Well that, and she’s a big foodie — she personally doesn’t believe in diets (unless it’s dictated by a health issue), and her philosophy is more along the lines of ‘as long as you workout and balance,’ you can pretty much eat what you want (yes!). Recently, she came out with her own collection of workout DVDs, Metamorphosis, tailoring workouts to address different problem areas.

Tracy Anderson

And so, along with a handful of other writers, we met at a gym in midtown. She sat down with us first to tell her about her involvement with Venus and how much she truly loves their new ProSkin MoistureRich razors (which have shave gel consisting of a triple-blend of body butters to protect skin). “It’s the best razor I’ve ever used, and I really mean that.”

Venus ProSkin MoistureRich razors

She then told us a little bit about her story and start as a trainer, and how through word-of-mouth, she ended up working with Gwyneth Paltrow (who had to lose pounds of baby weight in time for her next role), and subsequently lived with Madonna while she was on tour. Soon after, we took to our mats. The music started and before diving in, she turns to us and says, “I don’t really talk as I go…it’s a little weird, but you’ll see.”

And the workout begins!

She wasn’t kidding. I think I could assume most of us are used to being talked through the next moves in a class. Tracy, on the other hand, goes through swift motions silently, and in an attempt to keep up, most of us (read: me) ended up just flapping around.

Working it out...

Each move engaged so many muscles at once though, I tried to just find my balance as I followed, flexing limbs in the air trying to look half as graceful as Tracy (I wasn’t). As she powered through a 20-minute workout, I felt the sweat dripping down my forehead and back like woah.

Trying to keep up

But it was a high-energy, and fun workout and I felt pretty accomplished right after. And oh, did I FEEL it the next day. But if it means I’ll get J.Lo legs, I’m signing up.

Tracy giving us tips after our workout

She might have lied to us when she said we did good...

Want to try some of the exercises yourself? Here are some of the moves she taught us!


EXERCISE 1

A - Step 1

B - Step 2

C - Step 3

A) In a push up position with your knees down and a weight in the working hand, do a push up
B) Lift all the way up to a kneeling position, reach the weight over head and then punch forward while the same side leg kicks in the opposite direction
C) Return to your knees and back down to push up position. Repeat on the other side


EXERCISE 2

A - Step 1

B - Step 2

A) Balance on a three pound weight with both hands; the non-working side elbow should be on the ground. Start with your knee bent and pulled in towards your shoulder
B) As you extend the leg behind you, lift your elbow off the floor. The finished position has both hands on head of weight balancing with leg extended behind. Repeat/switch sides


EXERCISE 3

A - Step 1

B - Step 2

A) From a plank starting position, place your right knee on the mat at an inverted angle
B) Kick the right leg up and behind, holding it about a foot and a half higher than your hip, while making sure your hip stays angled toward the mat and your butt stays down. Bring leg back and repeat/switch sides


EXERCISE 4

A - Step 1

B - Step 2

A) With both hands and knees on the ground, position your right leg so that your right knee tucked behind your left knee in a pretzel-like position; left elbow should be down on the ground and right arm bent slightly
B) Extend your right leg up into a full leg extension, keeping your right foot behind the left leg. Bring down leg and repeat/switch sides

With the combination of a steady workout routine and an Venus’ advanced new ProSkin MoistureRich razors, your legs will be summer ready in NO time (and if you use our workout as any indication of that, I’d easily bet on it!). Venus ProSkin MoistureRich with two replacement cartridges, is available at mass retailers for $10.

Do you have any trouble working out your legs? Would you try these exercises?


x
Shy


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4 Comments

  1. Jess B wrote:

    You are SO LUCKY to have worked out with her, she is amazing, a video her and Nicole Richie working out to JLOs “Get on the Floor” got me hooked to her methods and techniques. Great post and i will definitely be trying out some of these moves…less than a month to go before I’ll be having to look at beautiful legs in California all day everyday!

    Posted 5.20.11
  2. Archana wrote:

    Weeeeeeerk it, Shy

    Posted 5.25.11

Comments are closed.