Get Your Body Back

The previous reviewers have done a great job breaking down the exercises in this workout, so I will restrict my comments to my own impressions.

I found this workout super cheap at a retail outlet. I was in my third trimester and thought, why not get it? I had no experience with Tracy Mallett as an instructor, but had read good things about her here on VF.

This is definitely the best impulse-buy workout I have ever bought! I love circuit-style workouts. I am now six weeks post-partum and the timer feature and bite-sized segments fit my lifestyle perfectly.

The exercises tend to work the upper back very well, which is great during and after pregnancy. I would say this is a great, versatile workout for any stage of life. It's very easily modifiable up or down.

NOTE: I received a free review copy of this DVD from the instructor.

Like its sister DVD, Lose the Belly Flab, Get Your Body Back is part of fitness instructor Tracey Mallett's Super Fit Mama series, which also includes the book Super Fit Mama: Stay Fit During Pregnancy and Get Your Body Back after Baby. Mallett designed this workout with new moms in mind in several ways. First, the workouts consist of two phases, "Phase 1," which is shorter (about 25 minutes total) and uses light weights only, and "Phase 2," which is a bit longer at 32 minutes and uses two sets of weights. The second way in which this DVD is tailored to new moms is that each phase is further broken down into circuits: Phase 1 has three 7-minute circuits, whereas Phase 2 has two 6-minute and two 8-minute circuits (each phase also includes a 4-minute warm-up).

The Main Menu of this DVD reads as follows:

*Introduction

*Phase 1

*Phase 2

*Baby Cellulite Blaster

*Stretching

*Play All

*Circuits

Mallett works out on the same white living room-type set used for Lose the Belly Flab. The 4-minute warm-up, which plays automatically when you select either phase, features Mallett alone. She begins with simple marches, side steps, and squats, and performs some flexion/extension for the back. She then does static stretches for the hip flexors, calves, hamstrings, and quads.

For Phase 1, Mallett is joined by two background exercisers, Ariela and Kristina, who is modifying. She begins with a plie squat that moves into a side lunge with bicep curl. (Note: almost all of the strength exercises involve compound movements.) Next comes a rear lunge with an overhead press, and than the first cardio, twists with a knee in. This is followed by pulsing squats with a little jump. For the second circuit, Mallett performs a side lunge with a punch followed by a back row with a rotator cuff pull (scarecrow). For cardio, she does a hopping twist. This is followed by more shoulder work, a waist twist, and then gallops with split jumps. The last circuit starts with a traveling side plie with shoulder raise; lunge with back work follows, and then the first cardio is a jumping v-step. The strength work concludes with a windmill row and a plie with rotator cuff work; the final cardio is side kicks.

Andrea and Melanie are with Mallett for Phase 2, with Andrea modifying. This time, Mallett starts the strength work standing in 4th position with an overhead press and then moving to triceps kickbacks with a side kick. For cardio, she does jumps out and in. Next come static back lunges with a twisting row and side steps with a "present" to the front; the cardio is a side steps with an optional jump. For the next circuit, Mallett begins with a side lunge/fly, coming in for a tricep extension, and then, single leg lunges with row. Cardio is step touches with rock. This is followed by one-legged squats with row, shoulder work in plie, and gallops to kicks for cardio. With two more circuits left, Mallett performs a walking lunge with bicep curls and then the same back row with rotator cuff pull (scarecrow) from Phase 1. For cardio, she does ski rotations. Mallett moves down to the floor for the next strength segment, which includes plank pose with alternate knees in and push-ups. But then it's back to standing for curtsey squats with a side leg lift and ballet jumping jacks. For the final circuit, Mallett starts with a squat lunge using one heavy weight; she then does a triceps extension with standing side crunch. The cardio involves "fast feet" (a.k.a. football run), which is followed by what Mallett calls "body builders" (a.k.a. burpees). The final moves in this circuit are a front lift with attitude leg and front/side kicks for cardio.

Since the credits roll at the end of each workout, in order to get to the 2-minute Stretching segment, you need to go back and select it off of the Main Menu. Mallett is alone again here. She starts standing but then moves on to mostly seated stretches such as butterfly, one-legged forward bend, and wide-legged forward bend.

At 9.5 minutes, the Cellulite Blaster is a nice little bonus which uses no weights and which focuses mainly on the lower body. Again, Mallett is working out alone, and there is no warm-up or cool-down to this segment. Instead, Mallett jumps right in with a side lunge/lift/curtsey lunge combo, ending with a pulsing curtsey. Next, she alternates between squats and plie squats, pulsing between the two. Coming back to standing, she lifts one leg behind for a pulsing rear leg kick, then slowly leans the body forward and returns to standing for balance work. Mallett finishes on the floor for leg lifts from a side plank position.

This DVD was a nice surprise, mainly because I found the workouts to be significantly more challenging than I had expected. I am not a new mom, and I generally consider myself to be an intermediate exerciser; I definitely felt sufficiently worked out during BOTH phases. As noted above, I do think that the format of this DVD is excellent for new mothers, but at the same time, I also think these workouts would be best suited to those who were active BEFORE their pregnancies. Others who choose to use this DVD to get back in shape should not hesitate to 1) follow the modifier, 2) use very light (1-2 lbs.) or even NO weights at first, and 2) only do as many circuits as current strength, stamina (and baby!) allows.

In the end, whether you are a mom or not--if you are an experienced exerciser who is crunched for time and who enjoys circuit workouts, Get Your Body Back just might be the perfect solution!

This workout was well-broken down by the previous reviewer so I will just add my thoughts. I have done this workout many, many times.

I used this workout as it is marketed, to "get my body back" after the birth of my most recent baby. It was a nice intro back into tougher workouts. It has two "phases." Phase one uses one set of light weights. Phase two uses heavy and light and is a intended for use after you outgrow Phase one. Both phases are comprised of short circuits between 6 and 8 minutes long, with phase one clocking in at 21 minutes and phase two at 28. They share the warm-up and cool-down. The primary focus is toning using mostly compound moves, getting the heart rate up. The cardio is athletic and at one minute intervals, with maybe two per circuit. Generally I ended my workout nice and sweaty. The great thing is the short segments. You can do whatever you have time for. I started Phase one a week or two after giving birth (a personal decision) and sometimes all my baby would let me do was 20 minutes. I moved pretty quickly on to Phase two so I'm glad it was included. The additional segment is a 10 minutes of bodyweight toning. This workout is well-chaptered. I used this maybe every other day for a month or two and enjoyed it quite a bit. I rate it as intermediate and overall it's a nice circuit workout for any exerciser, not just new moms.

Get Your Body Back is a series of 7 6-8 minute circuits, combining 2 minutes of weighted exercises and 1 minute cardio blasts to help keep your heart rate up and a 10 minute "baby cellulite blaster".

The circuits are divided into two groups, phase 1 and phase 2.

The DVD goes straight to the menu. You choose whether you want to watch the introduction or not. Play options are

- Introduction

- Play phase 1

- play phase 2

- cellulite blaster

- cool down

- circuits

- Play all

Phase 1 consists of 3 7 minute circuits. All exercises are done with light weights. Tracey teaches the exercise by doing it slowly once, and then she takes it up to tempo. She does a lot of compound moves, working the upper and lower body together, and often adding an element of balance to work the core. Christina, a mom who recently had a baby, shows all modifications, while Tracey and Ariele move on to the more advanced version of the exercise.

Phase 2 consists of 4 circuits, two of which are 6 minutes long, and two are 8 minutes long. I don't know why she did it this way, but it didn't bother me.

This phase ups the intensity a little, but can still be done low-impact. Andrea, a mom who recently had a baby, shows modifications.

The pattern is the same as with Phase one, but Tracey incorporates heavier weights for some exercises, there are more balance challenges and some tougher exercises like slow mountain climbers and bodybuilders.

I felt the cardio blasts were more intense too. Quick squats to jumps, fast feet, front and side kicks, jumping jacks...

The 10 minute cellulite blaster is done by Tracey alone. She takes you through a series of lunges, leg lifts and glute lifts followed by little pulses and an exercise where she has you standing on one leg, the other stretched back, and you bend over forwards and stand back up again. This was very challenging, especially because she does all the exercises on one leg and then moves on to the other. You spend some time balancing on one leg.

Finally, she takes you down to the floor to a side plank with leg lift. She was shaking doing these. They are tough! I can see how these exercises would help tone up your butt and thighs if done consistently!

The cool down is a bit short. I added some stretches of my own.

I really like that Tracey has real moms exercising with her, and that these real moms are at different places in their fitness journey. This is very encouraging.

The set is pleasant. It looks like someone's (very tidy, roomy and clean!) living-room. Coffee cup on the coffee table included. Tracey and her companions are dressed decently. No low necklines or waistlines, all color-coordinated.

I didn't notice the music, which means it wasn't amazing or disruptive.

I love the versatility of this workout. You can do as little as one segment, and as much as 60 minutes of non-stop exercise.

What I didn't like about this DVD:

I felt that her cuing was not always enough. Some exercises could have used a bit more instruction, but they are not complicated so you can pick them up easily just by watching.

The camera angles are not always helpful. She may be demonstrating a lower and upper body exercise, but the camera only shows Tracey's upper body.

The modifier gets little camera time.

All things considered, I'm glad I finally bought this workout. The exercises are simple enough for a beginner to pick up easily, there are no choreographies to learn, you can do as little or as much as you can, want, to or have time to do, and the segments flow naturally.

While the workout is marketed for new moms, it is really a great circuit workout that is easily modified up or down as needed.