The Bar Method- Change Your Body
Equipment needed: ballet barre or chair, mat or towels, a strap or belt
Level: Intermediate to intermediate/advanced, depending on the depth of the movements
Bottom line: This superbly cued, classic barre workout with wonderful stretching is both intense and an absolute delight.
Ahhh, doing this workout is like drinking a steaming mug of chili hot chocolate. It's delicious and an absolute treat, even through the burn. The workout doesn't look like much- those seemingly innocent isometric holds and Burr's soothing voice may elicit a scoff from an observer- but push into those moves, and boy, it hurts!
This workout is classic in its structure- upper body first, then thigh, glute, core and ab work. I was extremely pleased by the thigh and pretzel work. The repetitions did not seem endless, but I was in absolute agony by the end of each set. Part of the reason for this is Burr's superb cuing. This has the best instruction of any barre DVD I've done. There is great emphasis on form and the tiny, controlled movements that make barre so effective.
Additionally, I found that Change Your Body is a definite upgrade from Designer Sculpting in terms of difficulty. There seemed to be more exercises for each body part and the pacing was faster. That said, the workout does not sacrifice the deep (almost painful) stretching that is an essential component of barre work.
The weak point of this workout is a recurring theme for me for barre workouts- the upper body section was on the flimsy side. I'm not just being picky- I've done live barre classes that have completely fried my upper body, and this one did not. Also, I do like standing glute work, of which this workout has none, but I got plenty yesterday when I did Physique 57, so it was nice to change things up.
Overall: This superbly cued workout has a wonderful flow and feel and is suitable for a wide range of exercisers, as the intensity will depend on how deeply the moves are performed. I would highly recommend this as a first barre workout DVD (although it would always be best to go to at least one live barre class to learn the form before attempting a DVD) or even for long time barre enthusiasts.