- I have no idea what to expect,
but I do expect that I am about to be
in for a world of pain.
- [Crystal] You guys are looking great.
(yells)
Almost there.
Last count.
Round one.
- Ahhh!
(classical music)
- Today we're trying barre method.
- I have no idea what a class looks like.
- I think that it'll remind me of dance which is fun,
but also trick me into working out, which is also fun.
- I feel like barre method is one of those things that
beautiful girls who wear yoga pants
but still look really put together all the time do.
I'm not really put together.
- I think it's gonna be a lot of the stuff
that I used to do at a bar, like this forever.
I don't know.
- And then you like, plie and you like lift your leg.
Yep, oh, this is plie.
- My name is Crystal.
Welcome to the Bar Method Downtown L.A.
The Bar Method is an interval class.
We utilize certain elements of a ballet class,
like the bar, and stretch.
Anyone can do this workout, it's safe and effective.
- How do you think we're going to do?
- You guys obviously are very fit, you enjoy working out.
I think you guys are gonna do amazing.
- We're ready to go when you are
- Alright guys, so today you're gonna be joined by Grace.
She's one of our instructors here.
So if you ever need a form reference,
she's here to keep you guys on track.
Right away you're gonna start to
lift your knees up to the height of your hips.
Lift, Lift.
- So the warm up starts,
and it's already pretty intense from the get-go.
I already feel it in my abs.
(laughs)
- You're gonna feel it more right now.
Release, come down to the floor for a plank.
- We're doing push-ups, and arm movements.
I've got these three pound weights behind me,
and we're just doing these tiny little pulses,
but it's the hardest thing.
- This is the warm up right?
- Yes.
(everyone laughs)
- The warm up is incredibly hard.
My body is already on fire.
This isn't what I expected at all.
- We get through the warm up,
and we go into this nice stretch.
- And she reminds us that we're gonna stretch
after every exercise, which is like a dream come true.
- I wish the stretches could last forever.
They feel great.
- This is so calming.
- It is nice.
- Yeah.
- And before I know it I'm back at the pain.
Shaking so hard.
- [Crystal] Shaking is good, kind of.
- We're starting to do a couple reps and I'm thinking,
oh this isn't so bad.
And the next thing I know we're doing
10 reps, 20 reps, 30 reps, 60 reps.
- Last 10.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
I got you, eight.
- I did not know that holding my leg up
was going to be so hard.
My left butt is tired.
- [Everyone] Yes
- How is this happening?
We're about half way, and it is a slow burn.
- It's a fast burn for me.
- We're doing strength.
You got it, you got it guys.
Here it is, last 20 and you're done.
- Immediately followed by stretching,
immediately followed by intensive, high rep strength.
- We've got these mats up against the wall,
and I'm thinking to myself,
oh this can't be so bad,
we're literally leaning against a wall.
I was wrong.
This is terrible.
My abs burn, my quads burn, my butt burns.
- Now we're in the abs section,
and abs are always one of my favorite parts of working out.
I am having a great time, but also I am in pain.
- We're almost done!
It feels like little fire ants are just crawling on my abs.
- As I started getting over how hard it was,
and just dealing with it, I kind of started having more fun.
- I feel like Beyonce.
- We are Beyonce right now.
This class was absolutely nothing
like I thought it would be.
I thought that I was in for a world of ballet.
And it turned out to be a really cool combination of ballet,
pilates, yoga, all in one very difficult package.
- It was so hard.
It didn't feel like a dance class to me at all.
I think what is similar to dance
is having to lift your own body,
and your own body being the thing that's keeping you back.
- This is one of those things that's really, really hard,
but also really really fun, and really really good for you.
So I had a good time, and I would definitely come back.
- You guys are all done, give yourselves a hand.
(girls applaud)
(upbeat music)