Through work, I got a complimentary class to Barry’s Bootcamp. I haven’t tried it out before, so I was interested in seeing how it was. I assumed that it would be a similar style to solidcore and my coworker mentioned that it was a bunch of running and some weights. Looking online, I saw that Barry’s is a High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout class.
I arrived to the class a little bit late, but was welcomed in by the people at the reception. I didn’t really understand their terminology about which spot I was supposed to take and the difference between Treadmill, Floor, or Double Floor. It turns out, the classes are broken into 4 sessions. 1 Treadmill, 1 Floor, 1 Treadmill, 1 Floor. If you are designated as a Treadmill spot when booking, you start on treadmill. Otherwise you start on the floor exercises with a couple dumbbells. Double Floor means that you just do the floor exercises for the entire class. Each of the treadmills and the floor stations are marked with numbers, so if you are on treadmill 1, you rotate to floor station 1 for the next session. I dropped my stuff off at a locker, the lady at the reception gave me a towel, and I headed into the class.
The floor exercises consisted of various exercises with the dumbbells and other legs exercises. Today I did lunges, bicep curls, chest press, rows, and a few more exercises. There are numerous types of classes which target different body parts, so the floor exercises probably vary per class. The treadmill workout consisted of varying different running speeds and inclines for short intervals. For example, 30 seconds at speed 7, then 30 seconds jog, then 30 seconds of sprinting, then 1 minute of recovery.
I found that Barry’s was a good workout. There were a lot of people attending this class, so it seems pretty popular. The class consisted of men and women, ranging from 20s to 40s. The peoples’ bodies ranged between an average body to a really fit body. I didn’t see anyone that seemed overweight or fat, but of course I’ve only attended a single class so it was a pretty small sample size. The instructions from the trainer was clear, but due to the fact that he was giving instructions to both the people on the treadmills and the floor exercises at the same time, it was easy for me to get distracted. In both the floor exercises and the treadmill, there were opportunities to reduce or increase the difficulty level, which was nice to see. At the end of the class, there was a short stretching session and the trainer gave some words of encouragement on how well the class did and how they can confidently face the work week. As I left, I dropped the towel into a bin and grabbed my belongings before leaving. There was a section of the building where you could buy merchandise and drinks and I noticed that there were a few people who ordered smoothies beforehand so that they would be ready right after the workout.
Comparing Barry’s and solidcore, I would say that both of them have a similar atmosphere. Dim lights, loud music, a trainer shouting instructions and giving encouragement. The main differences are the exercises performed in each class.
The one standout thing about Barry’s for me was the quality of the treadmills. I have never run on a treadmill that was so smooth as this treadmill. The changes of incline and the changes in speed were handled really well by the machine.
Like the other fitness class options out there, Barry’s can be a bit pricey per class – at least $30 per class.
My fitness goals have changed a bit since I started this blog. The various fitness advice videos that I’ve seen on YouTube has mentioned that sessions of HIIT are good complements to building muscle and losing fat. I may try to introduce more HIIT into my weekly workout routine, but it is relatively packed at the moment.
Jeffrey's Thoughts 