247cm fotografija | Kristina Thomason
247cm fotografija | Kristina Thomason
'I don't think I've ever sweat this much in my life,' I think as I watch beads of perspiration rain down on the wood floor in front of my mat. I'm in the middle of the second Tracy Anderson Method class I've taken in a week, and let me tell you, it is ne darosi lengviau.
Jei Tracy Anderson metodas (dar žinomas kaip TAM) skamba pažįstamai, tikriausiai todėl, kad studijos vaizdo įrašai su ryškiomis, atspariomis juostomis išklotomis lubomis ir garsenybių klientais (Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow ir Tracee Ellis Ross visi yra lojalistai) – galėjo būti jūsų socialiniame kanale.
Fitneso metodą, kurio studijos dabar yra Niujorke, Los Andžele, Madride, Londone ir Hamptonuose, Andersonas sukūrė daugiau nei prieš 25 metus ir greitai išpopuliarėjo 2000-ųjų pradžioje, kai Anderson susivienijo su Gwyneth Paltrow.
Iš esmės fitneso būdas yra „viso kūno pusiausvyros sukūrimas, apimantis jūsų protinį, emocinį, fizinį ir dvasinį aš“, - sakoma. Olivija Elias , instructor and training manager at Tracy Anderson Method Studio City. It centers around low-weight, high-rep exercises, and each class is designed to strengthen the whole body. The mission, Elias adds, is to help people continue to feel good while moving their bodies, throughout every stage of life.
Nors TAM egzistuoja jau kurį laiką, pastaruoju metu ji sulaukia papildomo ažiotažo, kai šį metodą atrado nauja karta (ačiū, socialinė žiniasklaida). Taigi, natūralu, turėjome tai patikrinti patiems.
Kaip atrodo Tracy Anderson metodas?
When I walk into my first class at TAM Studio City, it feels like I've somehow teleported from winter in Los Angeles to mid-August in New York City — that is to say, it's wildly hot and humid. And no, the AC wasn't broken. The mugginess is by design. 'Our studio environment is a little bit different than other spaces,' Elias says. 'We have heat and humidity to make the body feel more flexible , more mobile, and encouraged to move.'
I'm here to take the MultiTAsk Band class, and the studio manager explains to me that all I need to do is follow along with the instructor, ideally using the same color/level of resistance bands as her. As a longtime health and fitness writer, I've taken a lot (and I mean daug ) kūno rengybos užsiėmimų, todėl jaučiuosi gana pasitikintis savimi, tačiau greitai suprantu, kad tai labai unikalus treniruočių tipas.
Viduryje grindų randu vietą, kurioje yra kilimėlis, rankšluostis, maži svareliai, kulkšnies svarmenys ir . . . didelis metalinis strypas su kabliuku gale. Man prireikia daug laiko, kad suprasčiau, kad minėtas strypas yra tam, kad padėtų man ištraukti pasipriešinimo juostas žemyn nuo tos vietos, kur jos ištemptos per lubas, kad galėčiau jas panaudoti (prašome pasimokyti iš mano painiavos).
247cm fotografija | Kristina Thomason
The instructor cranks the music and, without saying a word , begins moving through a series of movements with the resistance bands pulled to her sides. Everyone in the class follows suit, mimicking her every move. 'We call it tracking the movement,' Elias says. This taps into our natural instincts, she says, because 'as babies we learn by tracking or mimicking.'
Iš pradžių jaučiuosi nerangiai manevruodamas su grupėmis – ir, tiesa, šiek tiek lyg būčiau marionetė NSYNC „Bye Bye Bye“ muzikiniame vaizdo klipe (IYKYK). Tačiau netrukus suprantu, kad norėdamas jaustis valdomas, turiu iš tikrųjų sutelkti dėmesį į savo pagrindą ir stabilizuodamas mano bagažinę . Ir, anot Elias, tame ir yra esmė.
Once I get the hang of the bands, the class is actually a lot of fun. It reminds me a lot of a dance class (which, admittedly, is not my forte), but it definitely forces me to engage my brain just as much as my body. By the end of this class, I am dripping (truly, varvantis ) in sweat — so much so that my light-blue activewear set is now an entire shade darker and I realize why most of the women in class are decked out in all-black treniruočių drabužiai .
So, when I return to the studio to try out their Intermediate Muscular Design class a few days later, I come prepared in an all-black ensemble (seemingly the unofficial uniform of TAM members).
This class skips the bands entirely and instead begins with a dance warmup sequence, which they call the 'arm-opening ceremony' at TAM, Elias says, 'because it introduces the dialogue with your body, so you can check in with how you're feeling that day.' This sequence begins with bodyweight only, and then we add small free weights to the mix for a little extra arm challenge.
Toliau mes užsidedame savo kulkšnies svarmenys and move down to the mat. This is where, for me, things feel a bit more tricky. Similar to the band class, there are no verbal cues or instruction, and I find it's challenging to keep up with the choreography while maintaining proper form. That's especially true for the moves on all-fours, since I need to crane my neck in order to watch the instructor.
For other TAM beginners like me, Elias recommends first trying the online 30-minute beginner class, which is guided with verbal and visual instructions, similar to a more traditional fitness class. This class serves as an introduction to the types of movements you'll do in class, which can help build a bit of base knowledge and confidence before jumping into the more challenging routines. 'Once that 30-minute zone feels good and manageable for your body, then moving to the intermediate muscular design class online is going to be the best place,' Elias says.
Be to, svarbu atkreipti dėmesį, kad nesvarbu, kiek laiko lankėtės TAM užsiėmimuose, negalėsite be vargo pereiti į rutiną. Programavimas keičiasi kas savaitę, todėl protas ir kūnas yra nuolat stimuliuojami ir iššūkiai, sako Elias. „Tracy mėgsta naudoti kuo daugiau raumenų, bet kuriuo metu, kiekvieną dieną – ir tai galioja ir mūsų smegenims“.
After a challenging lower-body- and core-focused sequence on the mat, the class wraps the way we started: with a lively dance sesh. At this point, I am (yet again) drenched in sweat and thoroughly exhausted — but I also feel really proud of myself for sticking it out through the tough spots and giving it my best effort.
Ar Tracy Anderson metodas tikrai veikia?
I won't sugarcoat it, this workout class did feel a bit intimidating during my first (and second) try, but I genuinely felt supported and welcomed by the instructors and TAM community.
It's also important to keep in mind that even if you feel awkward or silly as you acclimate to the movements, no one else in the class is noticing you, because everyone is just as focused on learning the moves.
„Atminkite, kad tai buvo pirmas kartas visiems“, - sako Elias. „Taigi aš rekomenduoju įsitraukti į atvirumą, smalsumą ir suvokti, kad turinys nuolat keičiasi“.
Kristine Thomason yra gyvenimo būdo rašytoja ir redaktorė, gyvenanti Pietų Kalifornijoje. Anksčiau ji buvo „Mindbodygreen“ sveikatos ir kūno rengybos direktorė bei „Women's Health“ kūno rengybos ir sveikatingumo redaktorė. Kristine darbai taip pat pasirodė 247CM, Travel Leisure, Men's Health, Health, Refinery29 ir kt.
