Tracy starts you off with a warm up for your abs and hip flexors. A little different but good, then on to ab work; she begins with crunches with your legs on the floor and straight out. You then progress to raising one leg bent with the ab crunch and one leg straight. From those to oblique side crunches, crunches with your legs in table top, ankles crossed then legs extended out straight. Next using a 3lb weight more crunches with legs in what she calls the “Pike” series. First leg and arm meet for a crunch, then both leg come up to meet your arms holding the weight. Then onto Frog crunches; with the weight in your hands and legs meeting in the middle, then legs extending out straight and repeat. Tracy shows and performs a modification so you can work up to a full Pike. All these reps vary in count. Some were 15 some were less. I tried counting to keep my left and right even but I just gave up and went with Tracy’s number.

Finally you lay on your side, hips stacked, legs straight out and stacked, elbow on the mat and raise your body up and back to the mat. Then, same position and leg in towards your shoulder in a bent position. Next, what I would call a side frog; one ankle crossed over the other, bring legs in and back and return to the front. On to plank work; elbows on the mat legs out and hold the position for a few seconds. Then back up to plank, knees touch the mat and repeat for 5 reps. Back to plank and lift right leg up and point toes, back down then left leg up and point toes, repeat for 10 reps. Next is an odd move, you are in an incorrect push up position where your pelvis and hips are on the mat, torso up, legs wide, then lift your butt up and lift one leg up and to the side in an attitude position, then back to the mat and you perform the same rep on with your opposite leg up and to the side. This position is done for 10 reps. On to your other side and repeat side lying series and the Plank series. The ab work clocks in around 20 to 25 minutes. Finally you are done. Killer ab work!!

Next is leg work primarily focusing on your glutes and outer thighs. Tracy has you on your hands and knees with one leg straight out to the side and leg lifts for 20 to 25 reps (or so). Then leg bent, behind your other knee and leg lifts (in an attitude position). Next is knee bent and raised level with your hip and comes forward toward your elbow. Last leg lift, start with leg straight, toes pointed and touching the floor on your opposite side; lift leg up in a semi-circle as high as you can to the other side. Sort of like your windshield wipers. End of one side on to the other to repeat all of the above. The leg work last 10 to 15 minutes and that is perfect for me. My glutes and outer thighs are just burning.

Last is arm work without weights and the last reps with weights. Tracy’s arm work is hard to describe as it’s somewhat like TTapp and Dove’s arm work. The arm work with weights is very brief and somewhat like Squeeze. This part is very short and last maybe 5 minutes. My apologies for not describing the movements, but I just can’t find the words to adequately use.

Finally a cool down that is Ok but I continue to stretch after Tracy is done. I feel my abs and glutes just need more stretching.

Tracy cueing is not bad on this DVD. It’s not great but she is talking to a new Mom who is trying to get her old body back and is really encouraging her to work up to completing the workout and keep going. Tracy seems to really shine in expressing her compassion and knowledge that “If I can get my body back, so can you”. By comparison, I have her Mat Workout and she just doesn’t cue at all on that one. But that’s another review. To my surprise I like this workout. I'm far from a post-pregnancy mom but I keep coming back to do this workout. The arms work I can skip but it's so short that I just go ahead finish the workout. This one is a keeper.

Maria

Instructor Comments:
I have been practicing Pilates little over 3 years along with kickboxing, Kettlebells, step aerobics and yoga here and there. I’m also a firm believer that you got to shake things up and try something different. I purchased the original Squeeze and was totally humbled. I’ve read all the threads on Ms. Anderson and through the YA YAs decided to take a chance and see what it was all about. I’ve done this DVD 4 times.

The intro has Tracy stating that the workout is close to her heart as she gained 60 pounds during her pregnancy. Being only 5’ tall the weight gain scared her and was the driving force in creating a workout that would get rid of the “baby-fat”.

Maria