Social media, with all of its filters, has gotten everybody all messed up. When you take a look at some of these people, especially celebrities, their social media feed is filled with pictures and videos that have special angles and filters to make it look better. And that’s not real life.
But have you seen actress Tracee Ellis Ross lately? Recently, the star just turned 53 and we were reminded of her youthfulness when she released a number of pictures showing off her fit and shapely 52-year-old body–which looks amazing!
“It’s my birthday,” the black-ish star posted on her Instagram. “… I’m filled with gratitude. I LOVE getting older and I LOVE my life.”
“I’m so grateful to be living this life I’m in. I’ve worked so hard to feel good in my skin and to build a life that truly matches me and I’m in it and it feels good. I remain curious and teachable and so it will all keep getting better. No filter, no retouch thirst trap! Boom!”
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So, how does Tracee stay in such amazing shape? Well, she works out three or four times a week and only eats foods that make her feel good afterward, according to People. She also hydrates, drinking about four liters of water per day, People reported.
As for her specific exercises, Tracee prefers sweating it out in a fitness class to cardio machines. “I have to say that Tracy Anderson’s workout the last five years has been really good for me,” she told Health.com in 2017.
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“I find that, as adults, we stay so regimented in our movement, even if we get on a treadmill. The music changes all the patterns, and my body gets to move freely, so you feel amazing—which is ultimately the point of the workouts, too.”
The other reason she loves workout classes is the camaraderie and body positivity in the room, especially among older women. “One of the things that’s most encouraging is you see a roomful of women working their asses off looking beautiful,” she said. “You see women in their 40s wearing jog bras and their stomachs out proudly, walking in a stance that says, ‘I love my body,’ and that’s exciting to me.”
Here are some more pictures below and on the next page.
Go ‘head Tracee! And happy birthday!
Tracee’s Training Philosophy & Routine Overview
Ross’s workout routine is grounded in a few central ideas:
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She emphasizes consistency, working out regularly (though not obsessively) — typically 3 to 4 times per week. Women’s Health+2Women’s Health+2
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She follows the program of celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson (the “Tracy Anderson Method”) for many of her workouts, citing it as being “very good for me” over several years. Women’s Health+2Women’s Health+2
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She values functional strength, endurance, variety, and engaging muscles in unique ways (rather than only heavy lifting). For example, workouts with lots of resistance, high reps, and endurance-style work. Women’s Health
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She prioritizes recovery, sleep, and making space for the body to work well. For Ross, fitness isn’t just aesthetic — it’s about how she feels and how her body functions. Women’s Health+1
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She believes in mixing things up — new movements, new routines, shifting patterns. Ross notes that the Tracy Anderson workouts change frequently so boredom is avoided. EBONY+1
Snapshot of Her Workout Split
Based on Ross’s reported routine and information available publically:
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Frequency: About 3 days per week regularly; sometimes 4. Superhero Jacked+1
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Session Length: Many of the workouts she uses are ~60 minutes: ~30 minutes of “muscular structure work” + ~30 minutes of cardio (in Anderson’s method) according to one summary. Essence
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Structure:
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Warm-up
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Resistance/muscular work (arms, legs, glutes, core)
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Cardio (often dance, movement, or elevated heart-rate work)
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Cool-down / recovery
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Key Movements and Focus Areas
Here are some of the exercises and movement patterns Ross emphasizes:
1. Glute & lower-body strength
Her routine frequently includes glute-targeted moves: squats, standing glute kickbacks, side-kicks, leg lifts. For example: “standing straight-leg kickbacks and some standing knee-tuck-to-leg kickbacks” focusing glutes, hamstrings and core. Shape+1
The Essence article states: “Her Tracy Anderson method routine includes a lot of glute work, squats, standing glute kickbacks, and side kicks… The dance-based cardio and resistance-training classes usually take place in a hot room.” Essence
2. Resistance with light weights / high reps
Rather than always very heavy weights, many of the workouts focus on lighter weights with high volume, hold times and movement variations. For example, one writer noted: “We did so many reps… …the ‘light’ weights felt like lifting boulders.” Women’s Health
3. Cardio/movement + dynamic flow
Her sessions mix in cardio (often dance or elevated movements) alongside sculpt/strength work. The variety helps build endurance, burn calories, and support cardiovascular fitness.
4. Arms & upper body sculpting
Ross also includes targeted upper-body work (arms, shoulders) in her routines. Her earlier commentary mentions standing arm series with weights. Women’s Health
5. Core & full-body stabilization
Throughout her program there is core work and stabilization — both as part of the resistance segments and in movement flow.
