Who Is Tracy Anderson?

Unless you’re a fitness fanatic, the name Tracy Anderson probably has little meaning for you. To others, the name either brings about recognition of a trainer to the stars or outright hatred for a woman many see as a fraud and as a thief. So what is her story?

Tracy Anderson is foremost a fitness trainer, but is also an author, and entrepreneur of several gyms. She is best known for the Tracy Anderson Method, with many famous clients including Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Courtney Cox, Shakira, , Jennifer Aniston, Ashley Greene, and Jennifer Lopez.

Tracy Anderson started dancing as a child, and at age 18 she traveled to New York to achieve her life-long dream of becoming a professional dancer. After putting on the pounds, she developed a technique that helped not only get rid of the extra weight but to keep it off permanently. After 10 years of using her own body as a test subject, Tracy designed a regime anyone could follow and lose weight . It is undeniable that this method has helped countless women achieve bodies they can be proud of.

So why all hate? Because Tracy Anderson has a checkered past at best.
Looking at Anderson's fitness training past includes six lawsuits in the state of Indiana, scores of unhappy customers who were left in the lurch when several of her studio locations closed without any notice ( and not refunding their membership fees) and two ex-lovers who say she is a scam artist. Her claims about her past don’t help the accusations.

Anderson claimed she studied at Julliard School of Dance, performed in the musical Cats and was the pink Power Ranger. Other than the fact she did study at Julliard for all of three months, nothing else is true.

According to a story in the Indianapolis Star, Anderson "hired a celebrity photographer for promotional photos, drove a luxury SUV through a neighborhood where her husband was thousands of dollars behind on homeowners-association dues, signed leases for businesses but didn't pay the rent, and lived in a meticulously maintained Noblesville subdivision but didn't pay the sewer bill."

After filing for bankruptcy and starting even more gyms without the financial ability to support them, Anderson teamed up with Glynn Barber to build her a "Hybrid Body Reformer.” After multiple machines were built, Tracy Anderson decided not to pay for them but instead started a relationship instead. “She used her female charms to manipulate me to invest $1 million in her company," he confessed in an interview, adding that the couple eventually went broke.

Presently, Tracy Anderson’s New York gym was recently in the press for failing to certify it's personal trainers. And Madonna’s arms as of late aren’t exactly the kind of advertising any workout guru would want people talking about.
Tracy Anderson is still the trainer to the stars despite her past. But everyone else might want to be a little wary in investing in a gym where the owner might close it down at a moment’s notice and taking your hard earned money with her.