The Bar Method

Have you heard of The Bar Method? It’s the slight movement workout that will leave your entire body hurtin’, but wanting more. More intense than Pilates or Yoga, the Bar Method is a routine that’s designed to work every muscle group in your body – and celebrities like Kelly Ripa and Drew Barrymore swear by it. Ripa even had news hunk Anderson Cooper sweating on the studio floor in an on-air workout.

Typical workouts are one hour long, but they can be expensive. Individually, sessions cost $24, but you can save by buying multiple passes. Studios are mainly on the East and West Coasts (with one in Chicago), but those who don’t live near a studio can buy The Bar Method DVD.

The Bar Method is based on ballet and dance, and keeps your heart rate elevated via constant, though small, movement. Its objectives include elongating and strengthening muscles, burning fat around muscles, and stretching muscles that are typically the tightest. For the best results, you should complete Bar Method workouts three to five times per week. The focus is on detailed, precise movements that strengthen core areas of your body. There is a major focus on legs and glutes, but all areas of the body are worked. Using a carefully designed system, the Bar Method relies on intervals that consist of short spurts of energy with long, deep stretches. It’s no wonder that Bar Method fanatics are losing weight and kicking their bodies into a higher gear!