On January 28th, I awoke to my usual crowded email inbox of NYU memorandums, Victoria’s Secret promotions and unopened messages from companies I’ve been too lazy to unsubscribe from. In the midst of my scrolling, I came across an email from my older sister with the subject line, “Do you remember your first time?” Confused and a bit disturbed, I opened the email to see a forwarded first-timer promotion for Barry’s Bootcamp. I had previously heard of Barry’s Bootcamp through my sister and friends, yet most of their experiences were simply described with either “it was so hard” or “I died.” Yet, I hesitated to give up a workout that was FREE for beginners in February. So last Thursday, I decided to participate in the promotion and “Pop my Barry’s Cherry.”
Because I love to run, I was actually looking forward to the class despite the rigorous expectations. Barry’s Bootcamp was very accommodating in helping me finalize a 4:20pm class at the Noho location. When I arrived, two muscular employees happily greeted me at the check-in desk. After learning my treadmill and floor space number assignment, I made my way through the dim brick hallway to the pristine locker room. If you’ve taken other boutique workout classes (i.e. SoulCycle, Shadowbox), the locker room amenities of Barry’s were very similar to those (i.e. “C-lock” lockers, extra toiletries, etc).
Now, the workout. Each Barry’s class alternates between rounds of treadmill and floor exercises that depend on the weekday (i.e. Arms & Abs Mondays, Butt & Legs Tuesdays, etc). My instructor was Chris H. and I specifically chose to attend a Thursday class to strictly work on “Hardcore Abs.” Here’s a bit more about the two components of the workout.
Treadmill:
You start off with what some may consider a run, but really a “jog” at Barry’s. With a speed between 5-7, I began to adjust pace to match that of the rigid platform. Essentially, Chris made us adjust the incline and speed levels either almost every 30 seconds or minute that passed. A “run” is considered between a speed of 7-9 and a sprint is at least over 9. For someone who has rarely used incline during a jog, running at a speed of 8 with an incline of 5 was a killer 30 seconds. I definitely appreciated the small increments of walking in between. Ultimately, you are in control of your workout. The instructors suggest the speed and incline levels, but only you can push yourself to break that last sweat. Also, the instructor CONSTANTLY yells out how many seconds are left in the interval. So what may seem as the longest minute of your life may actually not be that bad. Personally, I was able to somewhat manage the treadmill portion. It’s not as bad as you think! P.S. don’t look at the speed levels of your neighbors!
Floor:
After about 10 minutes on the treadmill, we each grabbed a mat and weights to head to the floor. As for any abs-oriented workout, most of the exercises included some form of crunches, planks, sit-ups, or leg raises. The floor portion did give a sense of relief from the previous “shock” of running, yet then I’d suddenly feel that burn in my core after 30 seconds of Russian twists. So while this component is non-cardio, you’ll definitely still be burning enough calories to feel sore the next day. But, Chris did a great job in cooling us down with stretches at the end. And just when you think you’ve caught your breath, it’s time for round two of treadmill! The workout ultimately ends after three rounds of treadmill and floor each, totaling an hour.
Overall, I highly recommend heading to Barry’s Bootcamp! You’ll definitely feel exhausted afterward, but that’s when you know you had a worthy workout! If you’re a running enthusiast, Barry’s is right up your alley. Bring a friend to help you through it! P.S. don’t forget to head to the “Fuel Bar” after for an awesome protein shake. Have fun!