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Yesterday's goop x Tracy Anderson Method teaser has resulted in today's five minute preview to Anderson's new DVD Unleash Your Inner Pop Star, plus an accompanying interview.
The Gwyneth-Tracy mutual girl crush allows for some serious one-on-one time with the fitness guru (to be fair Tracy is super friendly with most people, including Racked). She takes the time to explain how she can make new moms' bodies even better than before pregnancy as well as the philosophy behind her forthcoming DVD. And the best news from the long chat is that you can stop doing ab workouts every day of spring because she doesn't recommend "compartmentalizing the body in any way" during workouts. Also, you can have sour cream on your Chipotle burrito.
Obviously, her Method is the better option, since it will keep you from plateauing. Here's the logic:
The brain maps muscle movements, which means that muscles get very smart, very quickly. Performing new patterns that have the same outcome but different ways of getting there is powerful. Performing new patterns of movements that all have different outcomes is messy. Performing the same patterns while adding weight leaves room for weaknesses and builds strength in an unbalanced way. New patterns have the ability to rewire neural pathways in the brain. If your brain is on during your workout, not only will it help you design your body, but it will improve your mood, sex drive, and passion for life.
Also, bonus! You're stretching wrong.
Research shows that static stretching before your workout actually inhibits your ability to connect and control. My warm-ups are designed to stretch you enough: I created the free dancing arm patterns to start pumping the blood through your body and warm up your brain, which is essential for anyone who likes to multitask and needs to be forced to focus. As counterintuitive as it may sound, easing off on the stretching actually reduces the chance of injury. We need to foster circulation, focus, and connection in order to execute a workout at our full potential.
Head on over to goop to have Tracy clarify her feelings about weights, what to do during an injury and her revelatory suggestion that you have sour cream on your Chipotle burrito. Yum. Brave new world.
· Spring Break Prep [goop]
· 50 Insanely Motivating Fitness Instagrams to Follow [Racked]
· Trainer Tracy Anderson and the Epidemic of Self-Sabotage [Racked]