In a 15-minute workout video posted on Goop…the lifestyle website of Gwyneth Paltrow…Tracy Anderson shows how to tackle those bulky ‘problem areas,’ which exercises like running can exacerbate, she says.
The 37-year-old fitness guru explained: ‘While running and cycling may burn calories, they do not design feminine muscles or get rid of an imbalance that may masquerade as a “problem area”—even on women who are genetically thin.
‘Performing repetitive movements in fitness…such as running…creates a distinctive imbalance in the muscular structure and causes the large muscles in the legs to charge up,’ she added.
While she admitted the concept of ‘calories in and calories out’ is not a myth, she emphasized it is how you burn those calories which has a direct effect on how your muscles change, and your overall weightless.
‘Running a marathon is a real and measurable accomplishment, but if you’re looking to lean out and lose weight, training to complete 40 plus kilometres isn’t going to give you the physical results you crave,’ she said.
Ms Anderson is well known for her six days a week, an hour a day, ‘for the rest of your life,’ intense fitness regimes, and has specialised in the removal of post-baby weight since she gained and lost 25kgs during her first pregnancy.
She explained: ‘To combat real problem areas, there needs to be enough routines and movements to keep genetic weaknesses and imbalances awake, alert, and engaged.
‘In my method, the routines change every 10 days, and are customized to different body types and shapes. Not only does this require your brain to stay connected to your body, but it demands the participation of more of the small muscles, rather than just relying on – and charging up – the larger muscles, which can add bulk.
Having remodelled half of Hollywood (Ms Anderson has a long list of other celebrity clients – including men – whose names she won’t reveal), it stands to reason that Ms Paltrow called her ‘freaking awesome.’
Debunking some famous weight-loss myths, like doing cardio on an empty stomach enables your body to immediately target fat cells when you start exercising, she said: ‘Those who can’t make it through at least 45 minutes of intense cardio aren’t going to make it to the point where their bodies would begin to burn fat effectively on an empty stomach.
What normally happens is that they feel weak, and the workout ends up being a waste of time,’ she said.
However she advises to be ‘smart’ about what you eat before training.
‘If you eat a bagel or spaghetti before working out, you will not burn as much fat. Substitute something like 2 scoops of protein powder with half water and half coconut water for that bagel, and you’ve got a win-win: Fat is broken down faster, and you can still go the distance to create real and lasting results,’ she explained.
by Susan Floyd
