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If you find free weights intimidating or the typical class is too boring, you may want to try Bar Method. When I read about Bar Method, on the first glance, I saw similarities between Bar Method and Yoga or Pilates and even ballet because of its focus in stretching and strengthening of the core muscles. But, after doing more reading and watching some video clips, I agree that Bar Method has its own unique features which may be loved by many women. If you haven’t heard about the Bar Method and want to get in shape, read on.

How Does Bar Method Shape The Body
The Bar Method’s intense strengthening workout changes the body in three ways:

• It elongates each major muscle group.
• It burns away body fat around these muscles.
• It stretches tight muscles, including around the hips and lower back (that get that way in part from hours of sitting and driving).

Core muscle groups are targeted with slow burn exercise and muscle sculpting workouts.

What Does Student Do In The Class
The class is usually an hour long. It has 8 or 9 strengthening exercises excluding the stretching at the end of the class. The strength workouts use mainly body weight with controlled and small moves. Whether Bar Method is really that good, let’s look at what the students do in the class.

1. Warm-up
   • Students work on the quads (our largest muscle group) to warm up.

   

2. Push-Up and Shoulder walks
   • You will work the upper body with push-ups. Free weights are used to work on the shoulders and upper back.

   

3. One-weight lifts
   • Triceps kickback is performed to firm up the flabby upper arms. Its principle is to work on the more neglected side of the body - area which you seldom see in the mirror.

   

4. Stretch at the bar
   • You put one leg onto the bar and stretch. You reach your upper arms overhead and to the side. This stretch targets at the lower back muscles which are tight due of long hours of office work.

   

5. Thigh-work
   • You lift your heels and bend your knees. Then, you move slightly up and down with your toe. This move is challenging, not only on your thighs, but also on your calves.

   

   

   Thigh work: High heel parallel

   
   Thigh work: Diamond Shape

   

   Stretch after thigh-work

   

6. Standing Seat-Work
   • You tighten your glutes, then lift one leg back and hold the position. This workout lifts the buttock, stretches the lower back and works on posture. The end results are to sculpt the legs to have long and straight upper thighs with a lifted butt.

   

   

   

   Foldover Seat, a modified version of Standing Seat-Work

   

   The stretching after Seat Work

7. Pretzel
   • On the floor, you position one leg in front and the other leg slightly behind hips. Then, by using bar in front of you, you lift the back leg off the floor. Pretzel shapes the side of butt and it also trims down love handles (sides of the waist).

   

   

8. Flat-back
   • You sit with your backs against the wall. Grip the bar with both hands and then raise your legs off the floor. This workout targets on your lower abdominal muscles. Bar Method uses the weight of your legs to shake these muscles up.

   

   • You scissor your legs in and out up to 150 times for five minutes, exhaling on every repetition. Doing this movement with feet off the floor challenge your already exhausted thighs, abs, arms and legs, moving their bodies into an aerobic mode that burns calories and fat.
9. Curl
   • Curl is the modified version of typical crunch. You lie on the mat, then lift your shoulders off the floor. Hold the position as long as possible. Unlike sit-ups, Bar Method curl uses sustained holding power to work on the abds and stretch your back. Doing this exercise near to the end of the class allows warmed body to deeply stretch the back muscles to keep them limber.

   

   

10. Back-dancing
    • After the intense abs workout earlier, now, you lie on the floor and lift your hips to music. It is fun yet you are working on the butt.

    

11. Final Stretch
    • In this cool down exercise, you stretch your butt, backs and hamstrings while lying on the mat. The goal of this workout is to tone your hamstrings to be longer.

With the combination of basic strength training and aerobic, at the end of each class, you will probably experience an endorphin rush and exhausted. By challenging body strength and working different muscle groups together, students are trained to be strong.

The entire 60 minutes of class will make your heart rate elevated. Like other fitness class, music played are very motivating. In addition to body weight, light hand weights and medicine balls are used occasionally too to increase the difficulty of the exercise.

Is Bar Method different from Pilates ?

• In terms of intensity, Pilates works the small muscle group whereas Bar Method works the large muscle group.
• Pilates uses machines and mat work whereas Bar Method uses body weight.
• Pilates gives bodies a slender feel whereas Bar Method focuses on strength and muscle “cut” definition.

I do not think Body Method is better than Pilates and vice versa. Each uses different approach and therefore produces different result.

How About Yoga, How Bar Method Different From Yoga?
The spiritual Yoga focuses in posing the body in arches, bends or bows. It increase flexibility and strength. Bar Method complements Yoga in a way it works muscles that Yoga may have missed. Bar Method work the muscles until they tremble because its objective is to shape the shape the muscles when it is fatigued.

Just like Yoga, for beginners, it is common to have muscles shaking while holding posture while doing Bar Method.

What Makes Bar Method Stands Out

1. The use of ballet bar and emphasis on stretching has made many students feeling like ballerina. However, no dance experience is required. You may think most workouts have small range of motion, but they are slow burning exercise which your quads or abs will scream for you to stop while you are holding the position. You will sweat.

   

2. Bar Method uses multiple body parts in one exercise. Core muscles are involved to stabilize. Major muscle groups are first isolated, then pushed to exhaustion and then stretched. What it really differentiates is the area it zeros in. For example, the under used lower abs which are underdeveloped. Others include shoulders, triceps and lower backs. However, what makes many female students fell in love with Bar Method is its focus in butt and legs workout.
3. Third, by working front and back of the body, muscles are stretch as the opposing muscles contract. This approach alternates between working muscles.

The end result is clearly visible change in appearance including lifted butt, narrow things, defined hamstring and flat abdominals. Bar Method enthusiasts believe that once muscles look longer and more defined, the body becomes leaner, frame becomes straighter and more graceful.

For now, Bar Method classes are limited to only few places in California, San Francisco, New Jersey. The founders are embarking franchising program to expand it to other places in United States and to other countries. So, if you do not stay in those areas, you either have to wait or check out The Bar Method DVDs.