Lifting differently, on purpose
NextGen Growth Rings is Tracy Anderson's strength-training system — 'the art of lifting differently.' The official framing draws a sharp line: this is 'not simply to lift weights, but to enter a thoughtful strength curriculum that designs the body intelligently — tightening the skin to the muscle, refining definition, optimizing metabolism, and protecting how you move for life.'
That last phrase is the point. Where conventional lifting programs optimize for load on a handful of repetitive patterns, Growth Rings applies the Method's core principles — multidirectional movement, strategic variation, accessory-muscle engagement — to resistance training. The stated outcome isn't a bigger one-rep max; it's 'strength that transforms how your body looks, feels, and ages.'
Six sets of weights, one system
The apparatus is six sets of weights unified into one cohesive system, 'designed to give your body exactly what it needs at every stage of strength development.' Rather than buying progressively heavier dumbbells as you advance, the system is built to span the whole progression from day one — the ring form factor supports grips and movement angles that straight-bar and dumbbell training doesn't.
Like every TA apparatus, it exists because the movement Tracy wanted couldn't be produced with standard equipment — the same impulse that produced the Hybrid Body Reformer (2005), the Cube (2008), the Super-G Floor (2009), and MYMODE (2022).
Pricing: hardware plus curriculum
The NextGen Growth Rings set is $499. Class content is sold separately: active Online Studio members add Growth Ring programming for $19.99/month, or it can be purchased standalone for $39.99/month. Founding Growth Ring owners received 50% off the NextGen purchase and keep content access with an active Online Studio subscription.
The economics favor pairing it with the Online Studio: for members, a full year of Growth Rings programming costs about $240 — less than two sessions with a typical personal trainer — layered on top of the weekly Method content you already have.
The longevity case
Strength is the fitness industry's best-supported longevity lever — muscle mass and strength protect metabolism, bone density, joint stability, and independence as you age. Growth Rings is Tracy's bid to deliver that lever without the costs of conventional lifting: the repetitive single-plane loading, the joint wear, and the bulk-first aesthetics.
The official language is explicitly about aging well: designing the body 'intelligently,' optimizing metabolism, and 'protecting how you move for life.' In the Method's ecosystem, Growth Rings is the strength pillar of a longevity portfolio — mat work for muscular structure and control, dance cardio for the heart, MYMODE for multidimensional movement, and Growth Rings for the strength that keeps everything else possible for decades.
How it fits your practice
Growth Rings is programmed as a curriculum, not a replacement for the core classes. The natural stack: Online Studio core classes for the Method's weekly progression, Growth Rings sessions as your strength lane, and electives (dance cardio, body boosts) around them. Because the content rides on the Online Studio platform, everything lives in one place with one login.
If you're choosing between apparatus programs: MYMODE is the full four-plane movement universe (and the bigger investment); Growth Rings is the focused strength system at a fraction of the price — and the most natural first apparatus for anyone whose goal is aging strong.