Tracey Staehle has been teaching fitness for many years, most recently in
Connecticut where she lives with her husband and two dogs. She teamed up
last month with Producer Greg Twombly to shoot her first three DVDs
(hopefully the first three of many), and off to Philadelphia she went, along with
a cast of four of her fitness friends.
Did they survive? Did they return home intact? Will they ever do it again?
Ahh . . . the suspense!
Let's go behind the scenes with Tracey and crew as she films her very first
fitness DVD.
Connecticut where she lives with her husband and two dogs. She teamed up
last month with Producer Greg Twombly to shoot her first three DVDs
(hopefully the first three of many), and off to Philadelphia she went, along with
a cast of four of her fitness friends.
Did they survive? Did they return home intact? Will they ever do it again?
Ahh . . . the suspense!
Let's go behind the scenes with Tracey and crew as she films her very first
fitness DVD.
My name is Tracey Staehle. I am new to the business of making fitness
videos. I have just finished filming three advanced DVDs with Greg Twombly
as my producer. This is a detailed description of my very first filming
experience.
I must start this by saying if anyone thinks filming a fitness video is easy,
please relax, pour yourself a glass of wine, and read this. I know others who
were first-time video makers and had similar experiences, but they would
never reveal what you are about to read. I do not want to pretend I am
superhuman; I am here to share the experience.
videos. I have just finished filming three advanced DVDs with Greg Twombly
as my producer. This is a detailed description of my very first filming
experience.
I must start this by saying if anyone thinks filming a fitness video is easy,
please relax, pour yourself a glass of wine, and read this. I know others who
were first-time video makers and had similar experiences, but they would
never reveal what you are about to read. I do not want to pretend I am
superhuman; I am here to share the experience.
Two Days Before Shoot Day
Well, I do my best to control everything I can, but I realize too late I failed to make good with Mother Nature.
The day before I leave for Philadelphia, we have a horrendous storm and we lose power for 24 hours. We are
supposed to have a final rehearsal at my gym, but the gym also loses power and is closed. I still have nine
pairs of pants to hem for the shoot, but cannot use my sewing machine. We have no water, no electricity, no
internet access . . . . I have to pack everything in the dark walking around the house with candles. I wake up
early the next morning to recheck my blind packing job and still no power. Therefore, off I go to my debut as a
fitness video star with no shower, a bunch of pants to hem by hand, and barely any sleep!
The good news is we make it to Philly in one piece and have a fun trip down. We watch fitness videos in the
car, laugh, and joke about what to expect from our own shoot.
Mother Nature decides to pull a double whammy on me when we arrive in Philly and it is nearly 100 degrees
outside. We arrive at the studio, meet Greg Twombly, put down our stuff, and get to work rehearsing. I feel hot
after only a few minutes of my routine and ask if there is any air conditioning in the studio. The response is "it's
on." I then look up at the ceiling and see that the studio is encircled in giant lights -- not little lights but giant
studio lights -- hot studio lights. Hmm, that cannot be a good thing in this weather. Lights, by the way, can add
an extra 15 degrees of heat. I just make a mental note to drink water every five minutes when filming and think
"at least we will look like we are working really hard!"
Film Day 4:30 A.M.
I am up -- it is hard to sleep. I get on my laptop, check e-mail, and reply to questions. I shower and change
into comfortable clothes.
5:45 A.M.
Our phone rings at 5:45 for the wake-up call. Allison hates me right now. Dani is starting to show signs of life.
6:00 A.M.
I open the shades and get the girls up. We need to be at the studio for hair and makeup by 7 a.m. Everyone
knows I want to leave the hotel by 6:35. Allison showers and gets ready. Dani is ready to go.
6:35 A.M.
One of the girls in the other room has gone to the lobby for coffee and left word for us to pick her up there.
Little do we know we have to get on the highway to do so! We are parked in the parking garage on the third
floor and apparently there is no way to drive to the lobby without leaving the airport, getting back onto the
highway, and circling back to the hotel. Am I beginning to feel stress? We leave the parking garage, get on the
highway, circle back, and pick her up. We arrive at the studio at 7:20; not too terrible, but not the start to the day
I was hoping for.
Well, I do my best to control everything I can, but I realize too late I failed to make good with Mother Nature.
The day before I leave for Philadelphia, we have a horrendous storm and we lose power for 24 hours. We are
supposed to have a final rehearsal at my gym, but the gym also loses power and is closed. I still have nine
pairs of pants to hem for the shoot, but cannot use my sewing machine. We have no water, no electricity, no
internet access . . . . I have to pack everything in the dark walking around the house with candles. I wake up
early the next morning to recheck my blind packing job and still no power. Therefore, off I go to my debut as a
fitness video star with no shower, a bunch of pants to hem by hand, and barely any sleep!
The good news is we make it to Philly in one piece and have a fun trip down. We watch fitness videos in the
car, laugh, and joke about what to expect from our own shoot.
Mother Nature decides to pull a double whammy on me when we arrive in Philly and it is nearly 100 degrees
outside. We arrive at the studio, meet Greg Twombly, put down our stuff, and get to work rehearsing. I feel hot
after only a few minutes of my routine and ask if there is any air conditioning in the studio. The response is "it's
on." I then look up at the ceiling and see that the studio is encircled in giant lights -- not little lights but giant
studio lights -- hot studio lights. Hmm, that cannot be a good thing in this weather. Lights, by the way, can add
an extra 15 degrees of heat. I just make a mental note to drink water every five minutes when filming and think
"at least we will look like we are working really hard!"
Film Day 4:30 A.M.
I am up -- it is hard to sleep. I get on my laptop, check e-mail, and reply to questions. I shower and change
into comfortable clothes.
5:45 A.M.
Our phone rings at 5:45 for the wake-up call. Allison hates me right now. Dani is starting to show signs of life.
6:00 A.M.
I open the shades and get the girls up. We need to be at the studio for hair and makeup by 7 a.m. Everyone
knows I want to leave the hotel by 6:35. Allison showers and gets ready. Dani is ready to go.
6:35 A.M.
One of the girls in the other room has gone to the lobby for coffee and left word for us to pick her up there.
Little do we know we have to get on the highway to do so! We are parked in the parking garage on the third
floor and apparently there is no way to drive to the lobby without leaving the airport, getting back onto the
highway, and circling back to the hotel. Am I beginning to feel stress? We leave the parking garage, get on the
highway, circle back, and pick her up. We arrive at the studio at 7:20; not too terrible, but not the start to the day
I was hoping for.
7:20 A.M.
I immediately go up the steep 50-step stairwell to see Linda,
the make-up artist. Did I mention she is delightful, and a dog
lover like me!
We chat about our dogs and exchange pictures and the mood
is immediately lightened -- until one of my girls comes in and
tells me she cannot be in it.
I ask, "Why not?" and she says, "I'm too nervous, I'm scared, I
can't do it." I say, "Sure you can, snap out of it, you’ll be fine." I
know I am not being my empathetic and concerned self, but I
have no time for this, and I leave to go get my cover pictures
taken.
Ten minutes later my backup girls and I are posing, smiling,
and hamming it up for the lens, and then we hear . . . "Okay,
let's warm up!"
I immediately go up the steep 50-step stairwell to see Linda,
the make-up artist. Did I mention she is delightful, and a dog
lover like me!
We chat about our dogs and exchange pictures and the mood
is immediately lightened -- until one of my girls comes in and
tells me she cannot be in it.
I ask, "Why not?" and she says, "I'm too nervous, I'm scared, I
can't do it." I say, "Sure you can, snap out of it, you’ll be fine." I
know I am not being my empathetic and concerned self, but I
have no time for this, and I leave to go get my cover pictures
taken.
Ten minutes later my backup girls and I are posing, smiling,
and hamming it up for the lens, and then we hear . . . "Okay,
let's warm up!"
8:15 A.M.
We then hear, "music in five, four, three . . . " and on goes my
warm-up music. I have done this warm-up over 100 times in the
past few months -- why it became so difficult I will never know! Is
this not always the way? The hard things are easy, but the
simplest things become the bane of my existence! Needless to
say, the warm-up takes us longer than 7 minutes. I am so dead
set on getting everything done in one take (I put lots of pressure
on myself) that when it is not going the way I planned, I feel like a
complete moron! I am thinking, "Are you kidding me? I am doing
this fancy 60-minute super-advanced step workout, and I am
messing up the easiest part of the bloody routine!"
Finally, after what feels like days later, is the "that's a wrap" on the
warm-up.
We then hear, "music in five, four, three . . . " and on goes my
warm-up music. I have done this warm-up over 100 times in the
past few months -- why it became so difficult I will never know! Is
this not always the way? The hard things are easy, but the
simplest things become the bane of my existence! Needless to
say, the warm-up takes us longer than 7 minutes. I am so dead
set on getting everything done in one take (I put lots of pressure
on myself) that when it is not going the way I planned, I feel like a
complete moron! I am thinking, "Are you kidding me? I am doing
this fancy 60-minute super-advanced step workout, and I am
messing up the easiest part of the bloody routine!"
Finally, after what feels like days later, is the "that's a wrap" on the
warm-up.
We begin the step routine and I
am now in my own. This I can
do in my sleep. Warm-up
swarm-up, this routine is where I
excel . . . until we get to the
intervals. In rehearsals, if
someone jumps higher than
someone else does, it is not
really a huge deal. When you
are filming a DVD, it pretty much
is.
We have 10 step combos and
10 two-minute intervals, and
guess what? Those 10
two-minute intervals quickly
become 40. Take, retake, and
retake . . . For the love of God,
are my legs going to snap off?
Who choreographed this? Oh, I
did . . . what was I thinking?
Certainly not that we would be
doing 40 intervals!
am now in my own. This I can
do in my sleep. Warm-up
swarm-up, this routine is where I
excel . . . until we get to the
intervals. In rehearsals, if
someone jumps higher than
someone else does, it is not
really a huge deal. When you
are filming a DVD, it pretty much
is.
We have 10 step combos and
10 two-minute intervals, and
guess what? Those 10
two-minute intervals quickly
become 40. Take, retake, and
retake . . . For the love of God,
are my legs going to snap off?
Who choreographed this? Oh, I
did . . . what was I thinking?
Certainly not that we would be
doing 40 intervals!
Any hoo, we wrap up the entire step routine at 1 p.m. Now I'm thinking, "Okay, that 90-minute routine I knew so
well just took us 4-1/2 hours to do -- and I have two more videos to do by 6:00 p.m? I had better get on it!" I
have never learned anything without first making mistakes.
1:00 P.M.
Lunchtime! I am beginning to feel major signs of stress and anxiety; something I am not used to feeling. I sit
down to eat knowing I've just paid good money for all of this food, and I love food, so I'm darn well going to
enjoy it! The camera crew, my girls, Linda the hair and makeup girl, the control room guys, and everyone else
are now piling food onto their plates like it was their last supper! I have to say, I got many snaps for my choice
of food being in the bovine family. The food is good and I do my best not to overstuff my belly knowing I have
lots more jumping to do.
1:30 P.M.
I eat like a jackrabbit, shower in less than five minutes, change into my next fabulous outfit, and get back into
the makeup chair with Linda. We decide to do delightful braids for the kickbox DVD. She touches up my
makeup and I am off for my cover pictures. The pictures are quick and we're ready to get started.
2:20 P.M.
All I can think of is "don't screw up, just keep going." I am not sure if you are familiar with teaching kickboxing,
but one thing about it is, it is FAST. In addition, when you are filming, your right hand is actually your video
LEFT and vice versa. So here I am under stress to get this all done, and done WELL, and I’m trying to go over
the routine in my head and cue the girls and remember to call my right my left and tell them which side they
need to be on etc. -- just a tinge stressful -- and did I mention it is about 90 degrees in the studio? Did I also
mention that I have never done this before? The making a video part, not the teaching part!
At the start of Kickboxing, I am feeling great physically, I have just eaten, I am showered, rested, looking
adorable, and love my outfit -- what more could I want! However, the studio has not cooled down and I am
feeling anxious to get this done and done beautifully and in one take! We begin Kickboxing, the warm-up is a
snap -- I think we even do it in two takes (a vast improvement from Step) -- and I am feeling like Rocky (well, I
am in Philadelphia).
2:35 P.M.
We begin with combo 1 and so far so good. I am just waiting to hear the voice of God, I mean Greg, coming at
me through the walls. We continue on to combo 2 and then combo 3. At this point, it is getting hot and I do not
mean, "Oh it's hot out." I mean, "Someone please dump a bucket of ice over my head!" Did I mention that in
between each combo we do drills? Yes, we do -- more plyo jumps and harder cardio drills than the workout
we had just finished, and all of this in the oven, I mean the studio. The heat becomes my nemesis. It is getting
hard to focus. Every time I make a mistake, we stop and bake under the lights. The more we stop, the hotter I
get. I do keep hydrated (my redeeming feature), but it is so hot and I am sweating so much from all of the
exercise that I cannot drink fast enough. I keep thinking, "Please mess up so I can get a damn drink!" At one
point, I just talk into my chest as if I was Sydney Bristow and say, "I've got to get a drink!"
Now you are probably reading this thinking, "Why don't you just stop and cool off?" If I stop to cool off, I'll lose
the momentum. Every time I stop, it is more difficult getting back to the flow of the routine. I want to keep
going, and the clock is ticking. Now the heat from exercising, the lights, and outside being so hot, causes the
studio to become hotter than normal, which makes me feel tired. You know when it is so hot and humid out
sometimes it makes you feel exhausted? Well, try standing under hot lights and jumping around for five hours
-- are you with me here? My skin starts to turn cold and tingly and I know I have to stop and cool off. I also
know I have to keep going and finish. I take five and go to cool off.
well just took us 4-1/2 hours to do -- and I have two more videos to do by 6:00 p.m? I had better get on it!" I
have never learned anything without first making mistakes.
1:00 P.M.
Lunchtime! I am beginning to feel major signs of stress and anxiety; something I am not used to feeling. I sit
down to eat knowing I've just paid good money for all of this food, and I love food, so I'm darn well going to
enjoy it! The camera crew, my girls, Linda the hair and makeup girl, the control room guys, and everyone else
are now piling food onto their plates like it was their last supper! I have to say, I got many snaps for my choice
of food being in the bovine family. The food is good and I do my best not to overstuff my belly knowing I have
lots more jumping to do.
1:30 P.M.
I eat like a jackrabbit, shower in less than five minutes, change into my next fabulous outfit, and get back into
the makeup chair with Linda. We decide to do delightful braids for the kickbox DVD. She touches up my
makeup and I am off for my cover pictures. The pictures are quick and we're ready to get started.
2:20 P.M.
All I can think of is "don't screw up, just keep going." I am not sure if you are familiar with teaching kickboxing,
but one thing about it is, it is FAST. In addition, when you are filming, your right hand is actually your video
LEFT and vice versa. So here I am under stress to get this all done, and done WELL, and I’m trying to go over
the routine in my head and cue the girls and remember to call my right my left and tell them which side they
need to be on etc. -- just a tinge stressful -- and did I mention it is about 90 degrees in the studio? Did I also
mention that I have never done this before? The making a video part, not the teaching part!
At the start of Kickboxing, I am feeling great physically, I have just eaten, I am showered, rested, looking
adorable, and love my outfit -- what more could I want! However, the studio has not cooled down and I am
feeling anxious to get this done and done beautifully and in one take! We begin Kickboxing, the warm-up is a
snap -- I think we even do it in two takes (a vast improvement from Step) -- and I am feeling like Rocky (well, I
am in Philadelphia).
2:35 P.M.
We begin with combo 1 and so far so good. I am just waiting to hear the voice of God, I mean Greg, coming at
me through the walls. We continue on to combo 2 and then combo 3. At this point, it is getting hot and I do not
mean, "Oh it's hot out." I mean, "Someone please dump a bucket of ice over my head!" Did I mention that in
between each combo we do drills? Yes, we do -- more plyo jumps and harder cardio drills than the workout
we had just finished, and all of this in the oven, I mean the studio. The heat becomes my nemesis. It is getting
hard to focus. Every time I make a mistake, we stop and bake under the lights. The more we stop, the hotter I
get. I do keep hydrated (my redeeming feature), but it is so hot and I am sweating so much from all of the
exercise that I cannot drink fast enough. I keep thinking, "Please mess up so I can get a damn drink!" At one
point, I just talk into my chest as if I was Sydney Bristow and say, "I've got to get a drink!"
Now you are probably reading this thinking, "Why don't you just stop and cool off?" If I stop to cool off, I'll lose
the momentum. Every time I stop, it is more difficult getting back to the flow of the routine. I want to keep
going, and the clock is ticking. Now the heat from exercising, the lights, and outside being so hot, causes the
studio to become hotter than normal, which makes me feel tired. You know when it is so hot and humid out
sometimes it makes you feel exhausted? Well, try standing under hot lights and jumping around for five hours
-- are you with me here? My skin starts to turn cold and tingly and I know I have to stop and cool off. I also
know I have to keep going and finish. I take five and go to cool off.
3:30 P.M.
At this point, I could easily give into the game my mind
is trying to play on me. I could just throw in the towel
and say, "I'm done. I'll come back and finish when it's
50 degrees outside." I go into the bathroom to splash
cold water on my face, when I realize this is not the
best idea since I am wearing more makeup than a
circus clown. I start to think of all the wonderful and
kind people who are looking forward to these DVDs
and who have now become my friends. They have all
sent me encouraging e-mails and wished me luck and
success, and all I can think of is, "I can't let them down,
I CAN do this, I will do this." I dismiss all the negative
thoughts that are racing through my brain, look at my
reflection and say, "Yes, it's hot, but you are not giving
up. You've come too far, you've worked too hard, you
will not let anyone or yourself down." Stay focused on
your goal and you will see it through.
At this point, I could easily give into the game my mind
is trying to play on me. I could just throw in the towel
and say, "I'm done. I'll come back and finish when it's
50 degrees outside." I go into the bathroom to splash
cold water on my face, when I realize this is not the
best idea since I am wearing more makeup than a
circus clown. I start to think of all the wonderful and
kind people who are looking forward to these DVDs
and who have now become my friends. They have all
sent me encouraging e-mails and wished me luck and
success, and all I can think of is, "I can't let them down,
I CAN do this, I will do this." I dismiss all the negative
thoughts that are racing through my brain, look at my
reflection and say, "Yes, it's hot, but you are not giving
up. You've come too far, you've worked too hard, you
will not let anyone or yourself down." Stay focused on
your goal and you will see it through.
3:40 P.M.
On we go with combo 4 (my favorite). Thank God for my
excellent taste in eclectic, upbeat workout music! The
music is so encouraging. Even though we have more
drills to do and I can hear Donna and Dani groaning
behind me, we power through. I keep saying, "Don't worry,
we're almost there." I can feel their evil glares singeing my
flesh, but I need to move on. We are at our last plyo move
of the day (hallelujah) and I can smell the finish line. The
dreaded jump kicks. Now just the word kick at this point is
nearly comical, but throw a jump in there, too? What was
I, a masochist? Donna and Dani know what is coming
and I look over my shoulder at them and say, "Must we?,"
and Donna says (and God bless her!), "This is an
advanced DVD. You have to do these." More groans of
anguish, but then I think, heck, yeah we do, and then we
wrap this puppy up! The thought of being done with
Kickboxing just lifts me through those dreaded jump kicks,
and we sail through the cooldown. A little more effort will
provide a sweet reward.
4:30 P.M.
After we wrap Kickboxing, we immediately have to set up
for our next 40-minute segment, which is body sculpting. I
have all of these heavy weights sprawled out in front of me
with the big idea of actually lifting them -- and not only
lifting them, but lifting them on one leg, flexed forward at
the hip and staring at the floor. What? I must have written
this routine in my air-conditioned house! Well, I cannot
NOT do this -- this is the whole idea behind my fancy
sculpting routine. A "balance challenge" -- it is my thing. I
am determined, but I just need to tweak the poundage
down slightly. The 20-pound weights are mocking me.
Am I kicking myself for not ordering sand-filled weights? Is
everyone behind me wishing they were home in bed with
a pint of Ben & Jerry's? Pretty much, but I must say I am
relieved we have no more PLYO jumps!
On we go with combo 4 (my favorite). Thank God for my
excellent taste in eclectic, upbeat workout music! The
music is so encouraging. Even though we have more
drills to do and I can hear Donna and Dani groaning
behind me, we power through. I keep saying, "Don't worry,
we're almost there." I can feel their evil glares singeing my
flesh, but I need to move on. We are at our last plyo move
of the day (hallelujah) and I can smell the finish line. The
dreaded jump kicks. Now just the word kick at this point is
nearly comical, but throw a jump in there, too? What was
I, a masochist? Donna and Dani know what is coming
and I look over my shoulder at them and say, "Must we?,"
and Donna says (and God bless her!), "This is an
advanced DVD. You have to do these." More groans of
anguish, but then I think, heck, yeah we do, and then we
wrap this puppy up! The thought of being done with
Kickboxing just lifts me through those dreaded jump kicks,
and we sail through the cooldown. A little more effort will
provide a sweet reward.
4:30 P.M.
After we wrap Kickboxing, we immediately have to set up
for our next 40-minute segment, which is body sculpting. I
have all of these heavy weights sprawled out in front of me
with the big idea of actually lifting them -- and not only
lifting them, but lifting them on one leg, flexed forward at
the hip and staring at the floor. What? I must have written
this routine in my air-conditioned house! Well, I cannot
NOT do this -- this is the whole idea behind my fancy
sculpting routine. A "balance challenge" -- it is my thing. I
am determined, but I just need to tweak the poundage
down slightly. The 20-pound weights are mocking me.
Am I kicking myself for not ordering sand-filled weights? Is
everyone behind me wishing they were home in bed with
a pint of Ben & Jerry's? Pretty much, but I must say I am
relieved we have no more PLYO jumps!
4:45 P.M.
So we are now all in place and the girls are
behind me, and I hear Donna (the
49-year-old powerhouse who is the only
one besides me who is in every single
bloody routine) say, "This is your forte,
Trace, let's do this." Now I am feeling the
strength begin to return to my limbs. Do not
ask me how I am able to balance on one
leg after 8-1/2 hours of non-stop cardio, but
I am. I credit it to my gymnastics
background.
Sculpting is pretty darn great. The only time
we HAVE to stop is when I try to do an
exercise on the ball and the ball keeps
hitting the weights. I am pretending it is not
a big deal and trying to do the exercise
anyway, but we have to stop and fix it. I
cannot even laugh; I am too focused on
getting through it all and doing it great.
So we are now all in place and the girls are
behind me, and I hear Donna (the
49-year-old powerhouse who is the only
one besides me who is in every single
bloody routine) say, "This is your forte,
Trace, let's do this." Now I am feeling the
strength begin to return to my limbs. Do not
ask me how I am able to balance on one
leg after 8-1/2 hours of non-stop cardio, but
I am. I credit it to my gymnastics
background.
Sculpting is pretty darn great. The only time
we HAVE to stop is when I try to do an
exercise on the ball and the ball keeps
hitting the weights. I am pretending it is not
a big deal and trying to do the exercise
anyway, but we have to stop and fix it. I
cannot even laugh; I am too focused on
getting through it all and doing it great.
Sculpting becomes a dream compared to the previous 8-1/2 hours. I am entering a zone. I know the hard part
is over and I can just focus and enjoy myself now. So I start to increase the amount of repetitions even though I
can hear the whimpering behind me. I want to throw in a few more (unrehearsed) reps, but realize I don't
want to actually kill anyone, so I pay attention to the cries and wrap it up. I really do not have a choice, because
if I keep going, the girls will get up and leave.
Okay, so we are now stretching, and my voice is soft and calm (doesn't happen often), and I am actually
relaxed and thinking wow, this is almost over. Too bad we do not have enough time for ab work. No matter
how bad you think it is, there is always someone out there who has it worse.
5:45 P.M.
After sculpting wraps, I am actually feeling better, a twenty-second wind perhaps. I look at the clock and it is
almost 6:00 p.m. I know the crew is done and this is it, and I am feeling a tinge sad. I then see Greg emerge
from his kingdom and say, "Okay go get changed, we’re doing abs." My eyes perk up and elation floods my
body, and then I realize, "Holy hell, this is overtime." But honestly, I could not care less. We are going to do
this, YIPPEE. So I sprint up the stairway of death (all 50 of them) and relish in the thought that cardio is over --
with the exception of going back down those stairs. I run to my phone booth to change into my favorite outfit of
the day -- a delightful pink halter top with stunning black pants -- and go to find Linda. I realize Linda went
home for the day at 5:00 p.m. This is okay, I am sure I am not completely hideous. I peek at myself in the
mirror . . . not totally horrendous, but not so fabulous either. I rip out my fancy braids and wince at the afro
propelling in every direction from my scalp. Okay, no time to dicker with hair. Thank goodness for long hair;
you can just clip it back. I am like lightning, back on the set in five minutes flat! It is now 6:20 (okay, maybe it
wasn't five minutes, we did have to wait for the others to change) and we get set up for abs, one hour of abs.
How am I feeling, you ask? Elated! I love abs, I could do abs for three hours, not a problem, and this is it, we
are done after this. There is actually an end to this hellish day after all!
At that moment, Dani comes up to me and says, "Do you absolutely need me in this one?" "Heck no," I
answer, "Go get changed and relax. You've been fantastic." She does not want me to be upset with her. I'm
thinking, "Are you kidding me, less people to screw it up, let's do this."
6:20 P.M.
Let me just tell you, from the time the music fills the room, something surreal comes over me and leads me
through a flawless abs workout, non-stop for 37 minutes, until I crush the microphone with my chest and hear
the word "CUT." Hearing that word is like hearing "You're fired!" Panic comes over me and Greg comes out
and says, "You're doing great; you just can't lay on the microphone." So I take that opportunity to rid myself of
the 20 gallons of water I have been storing in my bladder. When I return, Dani, who is in the control room with
Greg and the crew, comes out and says, "You are doing an unbelievable job" -- just hearing those words after
the day I've had is enough to amp up my adrenalin and carry me through to the end of the workout. I have to
say, the abs workout is flawless and fantastic. It is all pretty much a blur. It feels like we did only 20 minutes
and we did 60. It is an out of body experience; I am definitely in a zone. When we stretch and wrap it up,
Donna comes up to me and says, "That was freaking fantastic, I’m buying that one!" Then Greg comes out,
looks at me in amazement, and says, "Now why couldn't the other two have gone that smoothly?" A little
encouragement is all I need to keep me going strong.
I cannot begin to describe to you the feeling of accomplishment I have from ending this hellacious day with a
kickbutt routine. After 11 hours, something finally went smoothly. Do I have the hang of it now? I'd say so.
7:20 P.M.
Our cameraman Dave comes up to me and says, "I have never seen someone work that hard for that long
under these conditions. Great job." We then hug our fabulous crew, say our goodbyes, and gather up our gear
to head back to the hotel, shower, and change, and make our 9:00 celebratory dinner with our fantastic
producer Greg. All I can think is, "There is no way he's going to want to go with us after all of that," but he
does!
is over and I can just focus and enjoy myself now. So I start to increase the amount of repetitions even though I
can hear the whimpering behind me. I want to throw in a few more (unrehearsed) reps, but realize I don't
want to actually kill anyone, so I pay attention to the cries and wrap it up. I really do not have a choice, because
if I keep going, the girls will get up and leave.
Okay, so we are now stretching, and my voice is soft and calm (doesn't happen often), and I am actually
relaxed and thinking wow, this is almost over. Too bad we do not have enough time for ab work. No matter
how bad you think it is, there is always someone out there who has it worse.
5:45 P.M.
After sculpting wraps, I am actually feeling better, a twenty-second wind perhaps. I look at the clock and it is
almost 6:00 p.m. I know the crew is done and this is it, and I am feeling a tinge sad. I then see Greg emerge
from his kingdom and say, "Okay go get changed, we’re doing abs." My eyes perk up and elation floods my
body, and then I realize, "Holy hell, this is overtime." But honestly, I could not care less. We are going to do
this, YIPPEE. So I sprint up the stairway of death (all 50 of them) and relish in the thought that cardio is over --
with the exception of going back down those stairs. I run to my phone booth to change into my favorite outfit of
the day -- a delightful pink halter top with stunning black pants -- and go to find Linda. I realize Linda went
home for the day at 5:00 p.m. This is okay, I am sure I am not completely hideous. I peek at myself in the
mirror . . . not totally horrendous, but not so fabulous either. I rip out my fancy braids and wince at the afro
propelling in every direction from my scalp. Okay, no time to dicker with hair. Thank goodness for long hair;
you can just clip it back. I am like lightning, back on the set in five minutes flat! It is now 6:20 (okay, maybe it
wasn't five minutes, we did have to wait for the others to change) and we get set up for abs, one hour of abs.
How am I feeling, you ask? Elated! I love abs, I could do abs for three hours, not a problem, and this is it, we
are done after this. There is actually an end to this hellish day after all!
At that moment, Dani comes up to me and says, "Do you absolutely need me in this one?" "Heck no," I
answer, "Go get changed and relax. You've been fantastic." She does not want me to be upset with her. I'm
thinking, "Are you kidding me, less people to screw it up, let's do this."
6:20 P.M.
Let me just tell you, from the time the music fills the room, something surreal comes over me and leads me
through a flawless abs workout, non-stop for 37 minutes, until I crush the microphone with my chest and hear
the word "CUT." Hearing that word is like hearing "You're fired!" Panic comes over me and Greg comes out
and says, "You're doing great; you just can't lay on the microphone." So I take that opportunity to rid myself of
the 20 gallons of water I have been storing in my bladder. When I return, Dani, who is in the control room with
Greg and the crew, comes out and says, "You are doing an unbelievable job" -- just hearing those words after
the day I've had is enough to amp up my adrenalin and carry me through to the end of the workout. I have to
say, the abs workout is flawless and fantastic. It is all pretty much a blur. It feels like we did only 20 minutes
and we did 60. It is an out of body experience; I am definitely in a zone. When we stretch and wrap it up,
Donna comes up to me and says, "That was freaking fantastic, I’m buying that one!" Then Greg comes out,
looks at me in amazement, and says, "Now why couldn't the other two have gone that smoothly?" A little
encouragement is all I need to keep me going strong.
I cannot begin to describe to you the feeling of accomplishment I have from ending this hellacious day with a
kickbutt routine. After 11 hours, something finally went smoothly. Do I have the hang of it now? I'd say so.
7:20 P.M.
Our cameraman Dave comes up to me and says, "I have never seen someone work that hard for that long
under these conditions. Great job." We then hug our fabulous crew, say our goodbyes, and gather up our gear
to head back to the hotel, shower, and change, and make our 9:00 celebratory dinner with our fantastic
producer Greg. All I can think is, "There is no way he's going to want to go with us after all of that," but he
does!
9:00 P.M.
We eat, we drink, we laugh, we
yawn, and we smile a lot!
Finally, at midnight, we return to
our hotel and order dessert from
room service. There is not an
iota of guilt from it either. I feel
like when the sugar hits my
system it immediately
disintegrates from the overflow
of adrenaline that is still
pumping through my veins.
1:00 A.M.
We pass out from exhaustion,
and are checked out and on the
road back to Connecticut by 10
a.m. the next day. Dani drives --
I am extra sleepy!
ONE WEEK LATER
I'm on a train right now, on my
way back home from another
trip to Philadelphia. I write this
as I look over at the Manhattan
Skyline. It is a gorgeous New
England evening. I've just spent
the day editing my step and
kickbox videos with Greg and
Jonathan (his fantastic editor). I
am beyond excited. A sense of
peace is filling my body. I am
speechless about the finished
product. Knowing everything I
experienced last week, I was
expecting to leave the studio
feeling upset and disappointed.
Instead, I am filled with pride
and accomplishment. All of my
hard work, time, energy, sweat,
and money have been well
worth it. I have invested my true
self in this project and have
been involved in every detail.
The sacrifices I made to do this
have not been in vain. I can
honestly say these workouts are
everything I hoped they would
be. In my mission to break into
the advanced workout market, I
set out to make fun, challenging,
and intense advanced workouts
and I really think I nailed it! I
look forward to sweating with
you!
We eat, we drink, we laugh, we
yawn, and we smile a lot!
Finally, at midnight, we return to
our hotel and order dessert from
room service. There is not an
iota of guilt from it either. I feel
like when the sugar hits my
system it immediately
disintegrates from the overflow
of adrenaline that is still
pumping through my veins.
1:00 A.M.
We pass out from exhaustion,
and are checked out and on the
road back to Connecticut by 10
a.m. the next day. Dani drives --
I am extra sleepy!
ONE WEEK LATER
I'm on a train right now, on my
way back home from another
trip to Philadelphia. I write this
as I look over at the Manhattan
Skyline. It is a gorgeous New
England evening. I've just spent
the day editing my step and
kickbox videos with Greg and
Jonathan (his fantastic editor). I
am beyond excited. A sense of
peace is filling my body. I am
speechless about the finished
product. Knowing everything I
experienced last week, I was
expecting to leave the studio
feeling upset and disappointed.
Instead, I am filled with pride
and accomplishment. All of my
hard work, time, energy, sweat,
and money have been well
worth it. I have invested my true
self in this project and have
been involved in every detail.
The sacrifices I made to do this
have not been in vain. I can
honestly say these workouts are
everything I hoped they would
be. In my mission to break into
the advanced workout market, I
set out to make fun, challenging,
and intense advanced workouts
and I really think I nailed it! I
look forward to sweating with
you!
| What's It Really Like to Make a Fitness Video? The Inside Scoop by Tracey Staehle, with Ann Stevenson October, 2006 © 2006, Fitness Organica LLC |
 | |  | |  | |  |
| © 2004 - 2010 Fitness Organica LLC. All rights reserved. |
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Preparation/Training
I've been preparing for this day for five months,
strengthening my cardio endurance with crosstraining,
rehearsing four days a week -- six days as we got
closer to filming -- and spending close to four hours a
day in the gym. My days consisted of endless
workouts. Twice a week, I'd do twelve 100-yard sprints
and then I'd swim two miles. After that, I'd go back to
the gym and rehearse in the morning, then return at
night and rehearse my step routine with the girls
(Allison, Dani, Donna, and Linda, who are my
background crew on the DVDs). On the days I was not
swimming and sprinting, I would run and weight train
or take a cycling class.
So every single day, I was not only teaching my regular
twelve-class-a-week schedule, but I was also
rehearsing and adding in all this extra crosstraining. I
started boxing and weight training in the water. I
would swim with a 10-pound weight or throw the 10-
pound weight and go retrieve it and swim back.
Needless to say, my body has never felt fitter, my
cardiovascular endurance has tripled, and I cannot
imagine ever feeling tired. I am ready to rock and roll!
If you want to succeed, you need to double your heart
rate.
My preparation has not just been physical. I have been
very busy networking, developing my web site,
marketing, and reading as much as I could about what
to expect when filming. One smart thing I did was read
an article on Fitness Organica called “Making a
Fitness Video”. The article enlightened me and made
me realize that even though you may be fully prepared,
anything can go wrong.
I've been preparing for this day for five months,
strengthening my cardio endurance with crosstraining,
rehearsing four days a week -- six days as we got
closer to filming -- and spending close to four hours a
day in the gym. My days consisted of endless
workouts. Twice a week, I'd do twelve 100-yard sprints
and then I'd swim two miles. After that, I'd go back to
the gym and rehearse in the morning, then return at
night and rehearse my step routine with the girls
(Allison, Dani, Donna, and Linda, who are my
background crew on the DVDs). On the days I was not
swimming and sprinting, I would run and weight train
or take a cycling class.
So every single day, I was not only teaching my regular
twelve-class-a-week schedule, but I was also
rehearsing and adding in all this extra crosstraining. I
started boxing and weight training in the water. I
would swim with a 10-pound weight or throw the 10-
pound weight and go retrieve it and swim back.
Needless to say, my body has never felt fitter, my
cardiovascular endurance has tripled, and I cannot
imagine ever feeling tired. I am ready to rock and roll!
If you want to succeed, you need to double your heart
rate.
My preparation has not just been physical. I have been
very busy networking, developing my web site,
marketing, and reading as much as I could about what
to expect when filming. One smart thing I did was read
an article on Fitness Organica called “Making a
Fitness Video”. The article enlightened me and made
me realize that even though you may be fully prepared,
anything can go wrong.
