New year, new me! Last summer, I started to take my health seriously. I began to exercise more, eat healthy (or at least try), and try to live a healthier lifestyle. I started experimenting with different workouts, like HIIT (high intensity interval training), and various workout classes. I’ve done Pilates classes on a reformer and cycle classes at SoulCycle. Recently, I tried Barry’s Bootcamp.
I wanted to try Barry’s Bootcamp for months after hearing all the hype. On the Barry’s Bootcamp website, they claim you can burn up to 1,000 calories or more! Intrigued, and somewhat intimidated, I decided to check it out.
Here’s what happened:
When I arrived at Barry’s Bootcamp, there was no turning back. I checked in at the front desk and looked around. At this Barry’s location, there was the studio, locker rooms, and a fuel bar. The locker rooms were nice. They were brightly lit, had showers and toilets, and many lockers to put your stuff in. At the fuel bar, you can order delicious smoothies that can be ready for you right after you finish class. Since I love smoothies, I obviously ordered one (I got the Cacao Mint Chip smoothie). The studio where the classes actually happen was dimly lit in the color red…pretty intense, am I right? The studio always was fully equipped with all the equipment you may need for class.
Before you start class, you should grab a towel and fill up a water bottle, because you’re going to need them. When you enter the studio, you grab a set of either medium or heavy weights and any other equipment you need (the instructor tells you) OR you go to the treadmill. The type of workout changes each day at Barry’s, from arms and back workout, legs and butt workout, a chest and abs workout, to a full-body workout. I went to legs and butt day, and let me tell you…it kicked my butt.
The 60-minute class really got me. My legs were SHAKING. At Barry’s, you alternate floor work with cardio on the treadmill two to four times. You can start either on the treadmill or floor. I started with floor work that day. The floor work for that day consisted of squats, prison-style lunge pulses, weighted squats, toe taps and squat jumps with a floor tap, side lunges, and one-legged squats with weights. For that class, we used heavy weights that started at 15 pounds.
After seven minutes of floor work, I went to the treadmill. Just so you know, I am not a runner. I actually never run for a prolonged period of time unless I’m feeling adventurous.
For the first round, I ran for seven minutes. In those seven minutes, we jogged at five to six-speed and did slides to the front and back of the room at three to five-speed, and then back to a jog. The next round on the treadmill was for eight minutes which consisted of a 30-second run, which is two points higher than your starting jog, followed by a one-minute recovery. Then we did another 30-second push, and repeat. The last round on the treadmill in the class was another eight minute round, but with faster speeds. In this round, we started with a two-minute jog, 30-second recovery, and then a 30-second sprint. I got to a 9.5 speed!
At the end of class, we did a short stretch. I was shaking at the end of class, but I felt so proud of myself because I was really scared. Before I went home, I picked up my Cacao Mint Chip smoothie that I order before class and enjoyed the well-deserved treat.
Barry’s Bootcamp was definitely NOT easy. However, if you’re looking for a kick-butt workout that will make you sweat, I definitely recommend you try Barry’s!
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