Tracie introduces Staying Power as Volume 2 of Tracie Long Fitness’ Longevity Series.

I’m reviewing this workout after doing it twice.

General workout breakdown: This 52.5-min. workout contains a cardio & weights circuit (aka “intervals”) followed by some old school-inspired floorwork.
- Warm Up (4 min.)
You’ll begin with squat with reach overhead, then lower arms and shoulder roll; this set reappears several times during the warm-up. It is followed by slow rotation side to side. You’ll then speed up the squats and alternate them with lunges, incorporating some upper body movement to warm up the shoulders and upper back. Next come hamstring curls with arms crossing in front. You’ll then sway the arms side to side with a squat, which becomes a single – single – double (with a double step), to which leg abduction is added.
- Medicine Ball Cardio (4.5 min.)
You’ll begin with legs wide and arms moving in a figure 8. Next move is a triple step or mambo with an overhead extension on one side and a serve on the other; this moves into a cross behind with a reach up into a low squat and reach down. Next come alternating side lunges, which leads into weaving the ball behind the leg. In between comes plie with push overhead, which becomes plie with a jump. The whole sequence is then repeated on the other side.
- Squats & Kicks (4 min.)
This begins with squats with figure 8 weaves behind the hamstrings, squat kicks (holding dumbbell in front of your chest), and squats w/ arms pushing overhead. You’ll then do a squat and pivot, which leads right into alternating upper cuts and jabs.
- High Intensity Cardio (just under 5 min.)
You’ll hop forward & back, then side to side, doing these in different combos. You’ll shuffle to one side and do upper cuts, shuffle to the other and do jabs. In between you’ll inhale and “push it away.” Next come sumo squats walking forward and backward, followed by jumping jacks. You’ll then repeat the hops and shuffles on the other side.
- Triceps, Shoulders & Legs (almost 4.5 min.)
In warrior position, you’ll bend the front knee as you do triceps kickbacks and 1-arm rows (w/ rotation at the top). You’ll stand with legs together for overhead French press, which then becomes a combo with a squat and chest press (bring the weights down to the front and push them overhead). You’ll then repeat the rows and kickbacks on the other leg.
- Medicine Ball Cardio (just over 4 min.)
This begins with a combo of sumo circles, heel lifts with push to the side, and circling the ball. You’ll then do repeaters, rocking horses, and take a walk with a push overhead and a tap back w/ rotation (this becomes a hop and a lunge back). The whole thing is repeated on the other side.
- Shoulder, Biceps & Legs (almost 4 min.)
You’ll do a mini squat into a leg lift with overhead press, then switch to leg abduction with biceps curls. Next come squat side to side with arms pushing; the squats then change direction, stepping out wide toward the back corner. You’ll then lunge forward & back, which leads into a combo with the back leg sweeping around to the front, landing and leading into pulsing deep lunges, then lunge backward & forward again. The segment ends with the beginning mini squat sequence, then squats with overhead presses.
- Medicine Ball Cardio (4 min.)
This begins with step taps behind with the ball circling side to side, then over the top and back. After some V-steps with a knee, you’ll do high knee jogs. Your recovery step is to step out, then back for a triple step. You’ll repeat the v-steps, jogs, and recovery several times before returning to the cross backs.
- Chest & Core (almost 5 min.)
You’ll come down into push-up position, lowering & lifting the knees with push-ups in between. At first you’ll be doing push-ups from the knees, but then you’ll do them from the toes, with the final all push-up set on your knees. After a quick child’s pose and chest stretch, you’ll come back for alternating triceps and wide push-ups. Another quick child’s pose follows before you lower from hands to elbows and back up again (this is called various things by various instructors, including spider push-ups and walking push-ups / planks). A final set of triceps push-ups followed, after which comes a down dog. You’ll then grab dumbbells for chest flyes on your back.
- Core, Hips & Butt (just over 5 min.)
This segment is about quadruped (on all fours) legwork, lifting & lowering the leg as it’s straight out to the side, then walking it back toward the back corner for more lifts & lowers, circles, and knee to elbow & kick out. After that comes lift & lower straight behind with dumbbell behind knee; this is repeated on the other side, and then the rest of the hydrant series is done on the other side.
- Abs & Bridge (4 min.)
Begin on your back with 1 leg extended up and the other out for crunches, then quick punches toward the leg reaching up. You’ll then circle the straight legs, with a reach through at regular intervals. Next you’ll bicycle the legs, then add the upper body rotation. Next comes a bridge series, first pulses with the med ball between your knees with both feet on the floor and then with one foot up.
- Final Stretch (just under 4 min.)
You’ll begin in butterfly with a forward bend, then a seated spinal twist, into straddle with a forward bend, then side bend. You’ll then stretch the hamstring in head to knee, lean to the side for a seated quad stretch, and maneuver around for a hip stretch in pigeon. You’ll then come up to standing, releasing your legs in a squat into standing forward bend and rolling up through your low back. This is a quick stretch to which you may want to add some additional stretches for the upper body.

Level: I’d recommend this to intermediate through int./adv. exercisers. Experienced low int. or even beg./int. who know how to modify to their level (Tracie does offer some suggestions, but she doesn’t show them for long) should find this a doable challenge, something to work up to. Low adv. exercisers looking for an active recovery workout might find this useful, although you may have to find ways to increase the challenge compared to what Tracie shows (e.g. use heavier dumbbells, although you won’t be able to go truly heavy, maybe no more than 12-15 lbs., add ankle weights during the floorwork, etc.).
I consider myself an int./adv. exerciser. I found this appropriately challenging with the appropriate weight: the trick really is to go heavy enough that it’s hard to complete the last rep or two with perfect form. It’s one of those workouts that leave me feeling worked out without feeling wiped out, so I can be more active throughout the day rather than feel compelled to flop on my couch for the next few hours to recover. According to my heart rate monitor this is just a tiny bit less intense than Staying Power, but they’re pretty close, and YMMV depending upon what weight you use for dumbbells and the med ball, how much oomph you put into cardio moves, etc. (Both easily beat Defining Shape, however, but for me lag behind Step Forward, which I find very easy to spice up in terms of intensity and heart rate.)

Class: Tracie alone, instructing live.

Music: I’m struggling to describe the music. It’s instrumental and mostly upbeat, but it’s hard to identify with a specific genre, nor does it have a real melody. It’s original stuff, although I thought I heard someone else using one of the tunes (and of course now I can’t remember who). If you’re passionate about the music used in your exercise videos, watch as many clips as you can (currently Tracie Long Fitness, Collage Fitness Videos, and Total Fitness DVDs all have clips available).

Set: a bright interior studio with a brick wall, windows over which white shades have been drawn, and plants and exercise equipment neatly arranged around.

Production: clear picture and sound, although the music is sometimes on the soft side in relation to Tracie’s voice, sometimes not. You should be aware that some people have been very vocal about the sound issues in the Longevity series, particularly fluctuations in volume with regards to the music and/or Tracie’s voice, and to be honest I may not have noticed if people hadn’t pointed them out, as I don’t have a good sound system or the ability to crank up the volume.
The camera angles here are primarily helpful and straightforward.

Equipment: You’ll need a medicine ball (preferably one that’s soft touch or at least easy for you to palm, pass hand to hand quickly, etc.; I use 3-4 lbs., which is on the light side, but I think it’d be a bit much to go beyond 5-6 lbs.) and 2-3 pairs of dumbbells (I use 10, 8, and 5 lbs.). You’ll also want sneakers, and depending upon your flooring you may also want a mat.

Space Requirements: Tracie does the entire workout on 8 puzzle mats. If hers are the same size as mine, she’s working out in an area that’s 8’ long by 4’ deep.

DVD Notes: The main menu pops up quickly, with your options of Play All, Chapters (in addition to the Intro, see my general workout description for the chapter list), Premixes (Go Strapless, about 22 min.; Lean not Mean, about 12 min.; and Belly, Bust, & Butt, about 12 min.), and About Us.

Comments: Staying Power is the Longevity that stands out the least for me, mainly because it doesn’t bring something that seems so unusual or different enough to the table, at least compared to the other Longevities and my video collection. Step Forward is (so far) unique among the series for its step cardio, Defining Shape has the balance and side-lying leg series which sets it apart, and Back Up is split into different types of cardio and strength training, making its organization different than the others. In many regards SP is the most straightforward and conventional of all of the Longevity series; it is less functional fitness-influenced and has more of the feel of your typical cardio & weights circuit. And to me it is the one that overlaps the most with the others and the TLTs because it uses so many of the same or similar exercises. Perhaps things like the fact the cardio is mostly low impact also keep me from making big mental sticky notes about this one, letting it fade into the jumble of the different workouts I try to keep catalogued in my brain. All that said, I do like this one. I’m not normally the biggest fan of cardio and weights circuits, but this one has a few things going for it that endear it to me: 1) its strength training segments actually accomplish something, 2) I like that at least some exercises have a functional flair or come from kickboxing, and 3) perhaps most importantly it moves along at a decent pace, devoting enough time to one thing but never too long (no frenetic “Let’s do weights! Now cardio! Now back to weights!”). I’m also not normally the biggest fan of quadruped floorwork and crunches, but these decently short segments are bearable.

Although I’m starting to appreciate the Longevity series in its own right I’m still disappointed these aren’t a second round of TLTs, which were my introduction to functional fitness and are still unlike anything else on my shelves. (I haven’t done any Tracie Long workout earlier than the TLTs, nor have I done any workouts from the FIRM or related systems, so I can’t compare the Longevity series to those efforts.) Tracie has pulled back from the functional fitness feel of the TLTs, although she hasn’t given it up entirely, to include more conventional gym-style training. From the insert included in the DVD and the workout itself I get the impression the Longevity series is targeted at 40-somethings who want to get back into shape so they feel and look better. (Full disclosure: I’m a decade away from falling into that category, and my main fitness goals are more to be happy and healthy, strong and fit, rather than to fit into a certain type of clothes or a specific article of clothing.) To that end the functional fitness aspects are there to improve health and functionality while the more traditional moves are to shape and firm up. Here, despite the title that might make you think there are more of the functional elements, the latter dominates. Like Defining Shape, this one promises to strengthen your core, strengthen and sculpt your lower body, and sculpt your shoulders, although I agree with Denise that your triceps get hit pretty hard here, too, with some added cardio in the hopes of burning off any fat on top so you can show off your muscles.
In some ways Staying Power strikes me as being to the Longevity series what Endurance for Movement is to the TLT series. Although EfM doesn’t really have equivalent cardio intervals – actually, SP’s cardio segments remind me a good deal of those in Strength in Movement – and SP doesn’t have the stability ball bits nor quite as much challenge, both are total body strength routines with some good plankwork and of course some old school floorwork for the lower body and abs. Additionally, both work in some kickboxing moves that complement the muscles just worked with weights. (Tracie’s Kick Back from the Focus series continues this theme, at least for the first two segments.)

Instructor Comments:
Tracie is the consummate fitness professional, focused on cuing the workout as she demonstrates how to execute the moves precisely. She might have a few comments about how this exercise is good for a certain body part or the upcoming segment will burn a lot of calories, but that’s about it for anything resembling extraneous chatter. I find her cues aren’t the most descriptive, so I need to watch her closely to figure out exactly what she’s doing, although this isn’t really an issue here compared to some of her others because the exercises are for the most part straightforward. Tracie does mirror cue.

KathAL79