Fitness Rx

CLUB SCENE — August 2005:
By Carol Ann Weber

THE BAR METHOD — Building a Beautiful Body from the Core

Since the opening of her first studio in San Francisco in 2001, Burr Leonard has been garnering exuberant praise and accolades from her devoted practitioners. Many even call her Bar Method workout "addictive." Part of the reason is that with the Bar Method, you get noticeable results rather quickly. The other part is that after an hour of this intense and demanding workout, you feel really good about yourself. "It is inspiring to students to see a change in their bodies," says Burr. "They walk out of class with a long, lean and centered feeling. They feel very released from their center, yet feel very strong."

Ms. Leonard developed the Bar Method after spending a decade practicing the Lotte Berk Method, a system of strengthening and toning developed by a dancer who escaped the Nazis during World War II. Burr kept the ballet barre and a few Lotte Berk dance movements, but added more physical therapy techniques and fat-burning moves, as well as making it more fun. "The Bar Method is basically a sculpting system that leans down muscles, burns fat and stabilizes joints," Leonard explains. "Because people are running too much, they need to balance the muscles around the joints. This keeps their bodies intact for the long haul, even into their seventies and eighties."

In approximately an hour workout, the system works all the major muscle groups in an ordered sequence, interspersing strategic orthopedic stretching, so as to ensure full contraction and full release, which is the key to creating a harder, more toned body. Of course, strengthening, stretching and stabilizing the hip flexors, abdominals and lower back, all part of the "core" muscles, is essential.

But there's a second set of "core" muscles, according to Burr. They're located around the back of the shoulders and underneath the shoulder blades. "Today, a lot of people have weakness across their shoulder blades. It's essential to strengthen that area for better posture, stability and beauty."

The Bar Method employs a way of holding the muscles in a certain pose, then making smaller movements within that hold. There is always a corresponding stretch to each contraction. (See exercise examples.)

"Our deepest philosophy is the inter-connectedness of the muscles," says Burr. "In each exercise, the entire body is engaged. Even though it is a 'non-impact' workout, you get major results. And you can take this all your life and it will just keep making your body better."

The Pretzel

Lifts and defines the seat muscles; narrows the upper-outer legs; tones the waist.

. Sit on a carpeted floor.

. Bring one leg onto the floor in front of you, with your knee at a 90 degree angle.

. Extend the other leg behind you so that the knee of that leg is about an inch farther back than your hip. Keep this leg about three-quarters straight. This is your " working leg" .

. Lean slightly forward and put your hands lightly on the floor. If you're working with a stable, waist-high ledge such as a counter or a bar, you can hold onto it for stability.

. Now lift your working side knee slightly off the floor. You'll immediately feel the muscles in your seat and your waist engage.

. Contract your working seat muscle even more. Notice that your working knee moves back a bit. Hold it there!

. Keeping holding for about 15 seconds! During the hold, pull in your abs, lift your chest and press your shoulders down.

. Next, perform 30 tiny (one-forth inch) lifts with your working leg. Keep your hips still as the leg moves!

. Gently place your working knee onto the floor for a moment (keep your foot up, however.)

. Finally, perform 30 tiny presses back with the work leg. Again keep your hips still and bend at the seat only.

Stretch

1. (Glute stretch) Bring your working-side foot over your other thigh so that your shines are stacked one under one over ("the half lotus"). Work into it slowly and hold for about 20 seconds.

2. (Waist stretch) Next, extend the NON-working side leg to the side onto the floor; raise your working-side arm upward; and bend side from the waist towards your extended leg.

3. (Back stretch) Finally, turn your chest downwards over the extended leg so that your nose points down towards your knee. If you can, take hold of the foot of the extended leg to deepen the stretch. Repeat with the other leg.

For Abs: The Curl

Tones and flattens the abdominals; stretches the back; strengthens the glutes

. Sit on a mat or a carpeted floor.

. Rest on your elbows; bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.

. Grip your glutes and contract your lower abdominal downwards.

. Now take hold of your outside thighs, one in each hand. Bend your elbows so that they point out to the sides.

. Square your shoulders and tuck your chin back towards your throat.

. Now lean your ribcage more downwards towards your navel by bending your elbows more and contracting your abs more intensely. Your waist comes slightly off the floor while the small of your back and your glutes stay pressed down.

. Exhale sharply 50 times, pulling the abs down with every exhale.

. Come back down onto your elbows.

. Repeat the 50 exhales, this time reach your arms forward only if you can maintain the position.

. Again rest by coming onto your elbows.

. Now extend one leg upward and the other outward.

. Hold onto the upper leg with both hands.

. Exhale 30 times as before.

. Finish with 20 last exhales for this leg optionally reaching your arms forward.

. Repeat this sequence with the other leg extended upward.

. Release onto the floor.

Stretch

. Lie down on your back.

. Draw both legs up into your chest.

. Extend your arms outward onto the floor, one on each side like wings.

. Bring your legs over to one side onto the floor. (Important!) Keep your knees and thighs close to your chest as they come to the floor!

. Repeat on the other side.

. Now turn over onto your back and perform a gentle "cobra," lifting your chest as high as is comfortable. Keep your hips down!

. As an alternative to the cobra, you can do the "cat stretch". Come onto your hands and knees, crawling style, then arch and round your back several times.

. Finish with the "child's pose:" Sit on your heels, lower your forehead to the floor, and rest your arms at your sides.

There are eight Bar Method Studios in the U.S.; three in Connecticut and five in California. Co-owner of the company, the Bar Method, Inc., is Carl Diehl. Ms. Leonard is currently working on a book. For more information and to purchase DVDs or videos of Bar Method home exercise classes go to www.barmethod.com

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