If you haven't heard of Barry's Bootcamp before then where have you been?! here's what you need to know.
For around an hour (if you haven't passed out or been sick, yes that happens) your body is put through the most brutal, effective and actually incredibly good fun, workout ever. Combining cardio, weight training and high intensity training, you'll run, lift and squat your way to a league of fitness that you never thought possible.
It's so good that it's built up a semi-cult like following with celebs, athletes and us norms all crediting their new god-like bods to Barry. Whadda guy.
So why should you put yourself through the pain? Here's 18 reasons...
1. You burn HOW many calories?
You get promised a 'major calorie burn' from just about every class in your gym but we can bet you hands down, nothing will beat Barry's.
At the most, an average-good round of HIIT circuits will burn about 500 calories but Anya says that in just one Barry's class, you can burn anything from "800 to 1000 calories in an hour".
W. T. F.
2. Your body never gets trapped in 'endurance' mode
If you go to class after class of spinning or regular gym sessions you might notice something, around the 3 month mark your progress start to even out. Your body finds your sesh a swizz and your weight starts to plateau due to your body adapting to your workout. Well this is never going to happen with Barry's.
Anya says: "There’s no plateau as every class and every instructor is different. Effectively it’s the same structure every time but not the same routine so the body is always being shocked."
Just beware that when she says 'shocked' she isn't exaggerating.
3. It's a TOTAL body workout
When they say Barry's is a total body workout, they aren't lying.
Anya says: "Every day is a different body part. So essentially you can come every day without over stretching one particular body part or muscle group. So Monday is arms and abs. Tuesdays butt, legs and shoulders. Wednesday’s chest, back and abs, Thursday’s hard core abs, Friday, Sat, Sunday full body so you can work a different body part each day."
You'll also be running on a treadmill each session so on top of all of that extra work, you'll get your basic all over body training anyway.
4. You'll increase your muscle mass and decrease fat percentage FAST
No-one wants to look like the incredible hulk but what you do want to look like is toned and generally, HOT. The only way to really do this is to do weights and in Barry's, weights are a big part of your workout.
Anya says as well as burning fat percentage through cardio you'll be "building lean muscle mass through lifting heavy weights, light weights and resistance training."
But don't be scared by the words 'muscle mass' it's a big positive and helps you look sculpted rather than 'muscly'. But there's other advantages too.
"Basically when you’re building body mass you’re just changing body composition and becoming a more effective furnace. So you’re burning more calories and burning energy more efficiently through muscle mass rather than fat percentage." Anya explains.
5. Your core strength is a core concern
Everyone wants great abs but core strength is about a whole lot more than that and at Barry's, Anya says this is something that you will put as a priority.
"Core stability is incredibly important; from having good posture and preventing injury, to having well defined abs. It’s designed on strengthening your core muscles, your abs, your back, your glutes to make you strong all over." says Anya.
6. You get a CRAY arm workout
As a general trend, girls are a little wary of doing a lot of arm work as not many want huge guns. But it doesn't have to be like that. If you want to get rid of those bingo wings or slim-line your upper arms for summer, this is the place to do it.
Anya says: "The most simple exercises are the most effective. So on arms day just hammering out your biceps from every angle - so biceps curls, why curls, tricep dips - in quick succession, you’ll really come out and feel like you’ve had a real arm workout."
7. You'll feel like you've accomplished something major each time
Ever been to a class where your heart's not been in it and come out feeling pretty 'meh' about the whole experience? There's no chance of that at Barry's. Because the trainers are ON you the entire time to push yourself, you don't get the opportunity to half arse it - which is exactly the kind of praise/pressure combo you need for success.
As Anya says: "The best thing about it is that it’s a challenge. So you feel like you’ve actually achieved something for the day after a Barry’s Class."
8. It's got a very low chance of injury and can actually prevent it!
With any exercise there's going to be a chance of injury and if you're running a lot then, you can already be quite high risk. However, the treadmills at Barry's have taken care of all that.
Anya explains: "Running can have a big impact on your joints and a lot of people end up with high impact injuries. Woodway treadmills, which are flatter and designed to set your joints, are used by professionals like Manchester United and the US Navy Seals." And these are the treadmills they use at Barry's.
Because of their specialist design, "they’re not like your usual treadmill in your gym where you land and you’ve got that big impact. These absorb the impact through running and are a really great way to prevent injury."
9. There's even a bit of Tabata...
You can also get a bit of a Tabata style workout from these treadmills (like seriously, these are miracle machines).
Anya says that the Woodway treadmills are "also great as they’re a bit more inventive so you can work your body in different ways. There’s a dynamic mode, which is a bit like Tabata on treadmill, where you can push your body weight against the treadmill rather than have it motorized." Cool huh?
10. Check. Those. Endorphines.
When you're doing this much exercise in such a short period of time it means your endorphin levels are going hit the roof. As Anya simply puts it, "it creates a more positive state of mind." We bet it does.
11. It'll boost your motivation
Going to the gym is good and all, but when you've got someone that can do it with you it's obviously a hell of a lot easier to get your butt there. Anya says that's one big advantage of coming to Barry's.
"The great thing about Barry’s is that we’ve managed to create a real community atmosphere so you’re never alone, although you’re turning up on your own. So if you don’t come into class there’s a barrage of ‘where were you, your treadmill was empty last week’ (in a friendly way) so there’s a real community feel." she says.
12. There's a programme called 'Hell Week'. In a totally non-ironic way
Anya explains: "Hell Week is a seven day programme which is almost a commitment to yourself. You come in every day for seven days a week on a programme working every, single body group. It’s brutal but its lots of fun and everyone gets in good spirits about it."
Tempted?
13. It’s like going to a full on club and NOT getting a hangover
Sometimes you can't help but need to get your fix of club-land beats. But going to a nightclub sober - no thanks. Thankfully Barry's has come up with a solution - 'health hour'.
"So normally if you go to the gym you turn up, do your workout and leave. But because we have our bar and do community DJ nights, it makes the whole experience a lot more fun. So instead of ‘happy hour’ we have health hour where you come and workout with a DJ on a Friday night rather than going to the pub or club." says Anya.
Drinking your body weight in breezers is no-one's top choice.
14. It will help strengthen your bones
This might not be a big focus for you right now but the earlier you start to think about your bone health, the easier it will be to stay healthy when you age. Unfortunately Anya explains that us girls are prone to bone problems (osteoporosis) when we're older so it's best to get on board now.
"By lifting weights you’re loading up the muscle weight bearing exercises, which help prevent osteoporosis by making your bones more dense." she says.
12. You'll be challenged with different exercise techniques
When you go to the gym, the chances are that you'll stick to the treadmill and bikes and not reeeeally have much to do with anything else that you're not too sure about. What Barry's will do is take you out of that comfort zone and challenge you with equipment that will intensify your workout and target the places you actually want to target.
"Each trainer brings their own spin on the class, like I personally like resistance bands. People think they’re going to be easy but actually they’re very challenging as you’re using your own body weight against you and you can modify it to your own strength. You can use it on arms, you can use it on legs, you can squat with it you can shoulder press with it you can us it to work out your chest.", says Anya.
It's always a good idea to really learn what equipment will work your body best.
13. You'll squat for your life
If your bum and legs are a big concern to you then you'll be more than happy about the set up at Barry's.
Anya says: "So butt and legs day you’ll normally do squats and lunges. I’m doing a whole section of body weight exercises like explosive squat jumps, wall sits against a mirror, planks, donkey kicks. Then on the floor with heavy, heavy weights so sumo squats and side lunges, glute bridges and then into the kicks. A lot of butt and legs days I’ll use bands as within minutes your butt cheeks are on fire."
Dat booty's gonna be lookin' fine.
14. You can visibly SEE your progress
We all know that getting positive proof of your weight loss is going to keep you going but sometimes those scales can be misleading.
At Barry's they have body composition tracking so you can visibly see and record the changes in your body, like muscle mass and fat percentage, instead of just relying on the scales, which can be wrongly disheartening.
Anya says: "There’s such a misconception about weight with women. Women will worry as they’ve put on weight but that’s because they’ve changed their body composition into muscle mass."
If your clothes don't fit anymore but you've put on weight just think which way round you'd rather it be.
15. It tones absolutely everything
If you want to tone up one specific area then Anya says Barry's is a fine place to do it, but that's not the point. The purpose of having a class each day is so no bit of your body escapes the blitz.
So even if you attend one of the classes there is still the treadmill. So "in terms of running it will tone your entire body and you will see results all across your body."
16. You get quick results
Anya says that you can expect to see changes to your body very quickly but most people who commit to the class can see them "transform their body within six weeks."
In Anya's opinion, Barry's "really is the best workout in the world as you’re hitting up every aspect of what women want in changing their bodies."
17. You cover all areas
Yes, there are more than a few combination classes out there. We've seen spinning classes start to embrace weights and upper body workouts but nothing will work your body in every way like Barry's.
Anya says: "A lot of people will run or just spin or they’ll just weight lift but here we’ve got everything under one umbrella. You’re improving your cardio fitness but also improving your strength – all in an hour."
18. Anyone can do it!
Although it is very intense Anya assures us that anyone can do Barry's.
"We have athletes and people who have never been on a treadmill before all in the same class as the trainers are all aware of your ability. There is a massive sense of competitiveness within the class –whether it’s people against each other or, if you’re a beginner, it’s the trainer who’s pushing you on, but it's always fun."
If you're game you can try Barry’s Bootcamp with Anya Lahiri on Saturday 29th March at Be:Fit London. For tickets, visit Be:Fit London's website.
We're convinced but are you? Have you dared to try it? Tweet us at @sofeminineUK
