Tracy Effinger's Squeeze Stronger (fitness workout)

This is a terrific DVD! I'm actually surprised there aren't more reviews of it. It is a great workout! It surprised me, but I actually liked the music and the video effects. I also liked the fact that she seemed like she was working hard. Some of it might be manufactered, but I found Tracy inspiring. I have a couple other videos where the trainer seems like she isn't putting out any effort and keeps getting up to discuss the form of the people working out with them. Tracy is not like that at all, and has no assistants.There are options for a full workout, two premixes, or selecting your own workout. The menu for selecting your own workout is very slow, and sometimes it is hard to see what is actually selected, but the workout more than makes up for the menu problems. The premixes do not include the "warm up" that is included in the full workout.WARM UP:Three rounds of deadlifts, she recommends 8-15 lb handweights, combined with marching knee raises.UPPER BODY and WAIST:I really loved this workout. "Thorough" is the word that comes to my mind when I did it. I plan on making this a regular part of my routine. All exercises, except pushups, are done standing. For my first couple times through I used 3 lb weights, although I quickly progressed to 5 lbs for the biceps and shoulder work after doing the routine a few times. My shoulders were getting fatigued by the time I got to the chest, back, and tricep portion.Bicep curls: three sets each of three variations. I believe her when she says you would have nice biceps if you did this portion three times a week.Shoulder: three sets each of three variations, designed to hit the front of the shoulder, top of the shoulder, and back deltoidScissors:Front raises with arms crossing, one arm high the other low. She mentions good posture while doing these.Chest, Back & Tricep:Variations of chest flies and chest press.Four versions of tricep kickbacks.Waist:2 rounds of side bend variations and standing side kicks. You will need a broomstick or her the stick she has designed for the side bending. I did these exercises and really did feel it in my waist.Pushups: 2 sets, one wide grip, one narrow. Knees bent.One arm tricep pushupsUp through here the Preset routine took about 30 minutes. Stretching is at the end.LOWER BODY:I did not do this portion of the DVD. The sections are:V PlieSissy Squat PlieWide leg ball squatKnee dancingStretching sequencePretzel/Clam combo - this section is 12 minutes and looks like a killer.ABS:Proof that an ab routine does not have to be long to be effective. My abs felt nicely tight after completing this 10 minute routine. My abs are pretty strong, and rare for me, but I actually had to take a few second break at one point. A broomstick or similar is required for this.BACK DANCING:Several bridge variations.FINAL STRETCH

I am advanced exerciser and did not find this workout that challenging or fun. Too much talking and too much squeezing. I was more annoyed than anything.

This workout was ok. It would probably be more challenging for someone who just started working out. I didn't break a sweat throughout the entire workout. Also the disc wouldn't play at first & when it did it made a whirring sound. The instructor makes it look harder than it is which was frustrating because I was pushing it but not getting any oomph out of it.

This is an excellent workout utilising high reps, with weights used for the upper body and gravity (which is plenty, believe me!) for the lower body. Tracy targets the muscles from all angles and will move smoothly from one exercise to the next hitting the muscles at slightly different angles to fatigue the area. For example, she uses three different exercises one after another focused on different areas of the bicep. The endurance aspect of this is quite different from most regular weight or interval training workouts I have (and I have about 40 at a guess). I do those regularly but still found this to be a real challenge, and oh did I feel it the next day! The whole workout is quite long, alternatively, it can be split into upper and lower body.My only gripe is the music. Obviously music is a personal thing but it is the same track for the entire upper body, and then another track for the lower body. Admittedly, the variety and pace of the workout does help with that, but I really don't want to hear the same music for over 30 minutes, which is why I couldn't give this five stars. For that reason alone, I could not do this workout multiple times per week, but no-one else has mentioned it so I assume it doesn't bother most people. Aside from that, this is an excellent workout with precise cuing from a very engaging instructor.