I wanted to hate Bar Method but I can’t.
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Bar Method SouthPark
I wanted to hate Bar Method. The no-impact workout franchise with a celeb-studded client list is calculated, precise, restrained and dare I say kind of dainty, a description that stands in stark contrast to the general freewheeling messiness of my own existence.
But where my life opposes the regimented, composed nature of a Bar Method workout, my body aligns with it (literally, in a physical sense) in a way that suggests maybe a little restraint is exactly what I need to unleash explosive strength I didn’t even know was there. I hate being wrong about hating things.
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I barreled into the brand new SouthPark studio 15 minutes late for class (of course), cursing the standstill traffic on Sharon Road and marveling at the unexpected luxury of it all. The last time I took a Bar Method preview class over the summer they were in a stark makeshift temp studio on Kings Road. Now there’s a chandelier and fresh flowers in the locker room.
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Owner Autumn Frk led our class with an expert-level understanding of alignment and motivating, personalized cues. Jen DeCurtins, who I’d argue is one of the best fitness instructors in the country let alone Charlotte, was in class with me and told Autumn afterwards that she’s an incredibly talented instructor. I think that says a lot.
Bar Method classes are composed of tiny and precise movements, corrected by the instructor in inches. “Shift your torso three inches forward. Drop down an inch lower. Lift your chin.” The repetitive exactness is reminiscent of a ballet class, although contrary to popular misunderstanding, there’s no dancing going on in these classes. It’s a lot of pulsing and lifting and tucking with the occasional use of light weights (2-5 pounds), an inflatable ball and floor cushions.
Personally, I don’t sweat in this class and I suspect Bar Method doesn’t expect you to since the studio flooring is a beautiful, spotless white carpet. (My water bottle looked out of place in the studio because I was the only one who brought one.) But while you may not feel a rise in temperature, a deep muscular burn is guaranteed within seconds.
I still feel that burn today, particularly in my thighs and triceps. And that, my friends, is why I can’t hate Bar Method. Because it works.
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(Photo credits: Workout photos and studio panoramic via Bar Method SouthPark’s Facebook page.)