Fit For Pregnancy

Tracey Mallett
Year Released: 2009

Categories: Pregnancy/Postpartum



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I'm 21 weeks pregnant and looked forward to trying this DVD to give my Denise Austin Fit & Firm Pregnancy a much-needed break. It's not perfect, but it's a solid workout that I expect to use often. It's more intense than Denise Austin, but less intense than The Perfect Pregnancy Workout, a good halfway point. I'm giving this a solid B+.

The layout of the DVD is interesting and it contains much more than I expected. There are five sections: 1st & 2nd trimester, 3rd trimester, Core Conditioning/Butt Blasters, Total Body Flexibility, and post-natal Core Conditioning. The set is nice and bright with a modern living room in the background. Tracey leads the workout with two women, one in her 2nd trimester, one in her 3rd. The music is there, I guess, but it was neither good nor bad.

Each of the sections contains more than one segment. I did the 1st & 2nd trimester, and there were three 6:00 sections containing intervals with light cardio (marching in place, side to side steps) followed by weighted sculpting sections with compound moves. I loved these! The cuing is sometimes a bit off, but I used 5 lb. weights and felt my upper body got a good work over.

I then moved on to the Core Conditioning/Butt Blasters section. I liked the Core Conditioning part a lot. Most of the core was worked on all fours which gave me a break from my back-supporting pillow tower. There were different variations on cat/dog which were also a welcome break from the norm and had the benefit of stretching my lower back. One editing glitch should have been fixed: when Tracey is cuing the cat/dog section, her voice is louder as her head gets closer to the microphone she has on her shirt during the rounded back part. I thought it was the DVD until I looked at the screen.

I wish the Butt Blasters section had been as good. My main gripe was that the sides were worked alternately instead of all at once, and moving from side to side has become a real challenge in Month 6 due to a sore pelvic bone and a slight flare up of the SPD that left me immobilized in my first pregnancy. Still, she works the lower body thoroughly.

The number of workout sections justifies the slightly higher than normal cost. The list price on Amazon.com is $17.99, $2.00 less than Tracey's website. I bought my copy from a private Amazon seller and paid $12 including shipping. If it weren't for the slightly off mirror cuing, the microphone issue, and constant moving from side to side on the floor work, it would be perfect.

Instructor Comments:
This is my first experience with Tracey Mallett. I found her to be very helpful and non-annoying.

f1mom

08/01/2010

This workout is similar to Lindsay Brin’s Moms Into Fitness series in that it alternates cardio and sculpting. There are two separate workouts (one for 1st and 2nd trimester, one for 3rd trimester) that each include three 6-minute circuits. Each workout also has a 3-minute warm-up, so you’re basically completely done in 21 minutes.

I’ll eliminate some of the suspense now and say that the workouts for the trimesters are the same, meaning she incorporates the same moves (e.g. tricep kickbacks with lunge). The only difference is that for the third tri, she sometimes uses a chair for balance, and does just one side then the other, which makes the third trimester workout move along a bit more slowly.

Tracey appears in both workouts. In the 1st and 2nd tri circuit, she is accompanied by Hillary, who does the 2nd tri version of each exerciser. The other exerciser in the third tri circuit is Jenna, who Tracey says is in her 3rd trimester. Tracey suggests 3-5 lb. weights for the workout. I did the circuits while approximately 30 and 32 weeks pregnant and used 5 lbs. throughout.

MENU:
Introduction
First and Second Trimester
Third Trimester
Core Conditioning/Butt Blasters
Total Body Flexibility
Bonus: Core Foundation
Workout Segments

WARMUP:
Both workouts use the same low-impact warm-up with about a minute of side steps, stretches for the hip flexors, upper back, and hamstrings. Then you walk up and back a few times, and do some pelvic tilts with Kegels while in a plie position.

CIRCUIT A:
Static lunge with tricep kickbacks, lateral shoulder raise with attitude leg lift (leg is slightly bent and in front of you, lift to side). 1 minute cardio – side step, lift knees. Plie position pelvic tilts with lab pulls, squat with lat rows. 1 minute cardio – tap foot back and lift up.

CIRCUIT B:
Plie with bicep curl and later shoulder raise, rear delt fly. Cardio – two side steps, then to other side. Tricep kickbacks with side leg lift, bent arm side lateral raise and bicep curl.

CIRCUIT C:
No weights needed. Plie with calf raise, pulsing plie with arm circles (hold arms up and out to sides, move in small circles). Cardio – hamstring curls. Reverse curtsy lunch, v-press (stand, leaning slightly forward, lift arms overhead in a v) for upper back.

CORE CONDITIONING:
On hands and knees, rotate pelvis around. Wag the tail – move hips to right, curl pelvis, then to left and curl. Put small ball between knees, squeeze ball, tilt pelvis, release. Lie on side and do clams (both legs folded with knees bent, lift and lower top leg). Do other side, then back to first side for leg lifts, then back to second side. Lying on your back (1st tri), on pillows (2nd tri) or sitting on a chair (3rd tri, I sat on a stability ball), lower feet to floor, touching lightly to work abs. Get on hands and knees and do Supermans (AKA bird dog, with one leg extended straight back, opposite arm extended forward). Side plank (t-stand) on hand and knee.

TOTAL BODY FLEXIBILITY:
8 minute stretch. Third trimester modifier uses a chair. This workout includes several short stretches and a few strengthening exercises. A sample: squat, tree post, hamstring stretch, sitting side stretch, hip flexor stretches. A band is used for the last minute to stretch the chest; you could easily substitute a towel.

CORE FOUNDATION:
Postnatal ab workout, which I didn’t try.

The workout is done in a white room with a sofa and wall hanging, so overall kind of a plain, uninteresting set. The music is similarly unremarkable. I liked that the circuit workouts incorporated cardio because I love the idea of getting through a prenatal workout in half an hour or less. However, I was completely disappointed that the third trimester workout wasn’t unique. The Core Conditioning and flexibility segments are great add-ons, and of course you could also do just one or both of those if you’re tired or pressed for time.

Overall, a decent buy as long as you realize you’re not getting two different circuit workouts. Like the other prenatal workouts I’m doing in these last few weeks of my pregnancy, I know I would have found this one too easy earlier on, but now it’s exactly what I need. The chapter menu makes it easy to mix and match segments, and even now, nearing the end of my pregnancy, I can do these workouts without modifying.

Instructor Comments:
Tracey is mild, pleasant, and encouraging. She gives some pointers and mentions Kegels, but doesn’t go in-depth into explanations of pregnancy-related modifications. I think I prefer working out with a pregnancy instructor (as in Bar Method Pregnancy) but am glad Tracey has at least been pregnant and therefore does understand what a woman doing the workout might feel.

Pratima

06/07/2011