Jane Magazine, March 2004

ATHLETIC GUINEA PIG: Bar Method
By Claudine Ko

The last time I was in Los Angeles, I met my friend Betty for lunch a Roscoe’s House of Chicken ‘n’ Waffles. And while it was hard to think about anything but the butter-and-syrup-drizzled fried goodness, I couldn’t help but notice how great Betty’s bum was looking. Betty, who used to be an exercise hater, said it was because of the bar method. And that’s how I ended up with my right foot twitching vigorously away in a carpeted, mirrored roomful of suburban ladies in Greenwich, Conn., in one of the most difficult workouts I’ve endured since the bar hang during the President Physical Fitness Test.

Bar method found Burr Diehl even flew into town to lead me through a class, which has similar properties to Pilates and ballet, like intense stomach crunches, buttock squeezing and leg-lifting action, interspersed with stretching. I’ve always felt a little uncomfortable in closed-room group workouts. I’m not sure if it has to do with the acoustics, big mirrors, herd mentality or all three. There was a moment I thought I was going to start laughing – somewhere in between short, pulsing pelvic thrusts and a series of overexerted-thigh-muscle spasms – but I hurt too much. And though I’m typically against the kinds of workouts that draw celebs, the classes are only an hour long, and I can’t stop thinking about Betty’s you-know-what.

DOES THIS WORKOUT DO ANYTHING?

ENDORPHIN QUOTIENT: Magnificent

SORE SPOTS: Pretty much all over.

GOOD TO KNOW: You shouldn’t do this more than four times a week, And Burr suggests you combine it with exercise that has a lot of movement, like bicycling or surfing.

ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION: Burns fat, carves muscles, lifts your butt.

SEE FOR YOURSELF: So far, bar method studios exist only in Connecticut, San Francisco and Los Angeles, but they’re spreading. Buy the videos at www.barmethod.com.

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