The Bar Method- Designer Sculpting
Equipment needed: a ballet barre or sturdy chair, light weights (I used 5 lbs, but 3 lbs would also work)
Level: Intermediate
Bottom line: This relaxing barre workout is one of the classics, but it is much easier than many other barre workouts available. Still, you will feel this the next day if you execute it properly.
I recently discovered barre workouts, and before I started doing DVDs at home, I attending a few live local classes so I could learn proper form and get a feel for the workouts. I'll be posting more about barre on Lifetiquing soon, but in the meantime, I'll just talk about this workout, which is considered to be one ot the original barre classics (the next generation of the Callanetics series and the Lotte Burke Method series).
This DVD is far easier than any of the live classes I've attended. There are fewer repetitions, much longer breaks, slower pacing and fewer exercises. I've had some gasp-inducing lactic acid moments because I've learned how to work deeply into the moves, but they are not as prolonged as I've experienced in other barre workouts.
I remember quite clearly that as a result of all this, I wasn't expecting to feel anything after doing this workout for the first time. I was shocked when I woke up the next morning to find my glutes and upper thighs on fire! I had been skeptical of reviews I had read about people achieving fast results from this workout, particularly given my advanced level of fitness, but I think there's something here even for advanced exercisers.
I found the instruction particularly clear and appropriate in the video, and the style of shooting made it easy to see how to perform the exercises. This video is probably the one, out of the barre workouts I've done, that I would recommend to those who are new to barre or those who'd like to work on their form. Form is the key in these workouts, so it would be worthwhile to do this DVD once in a while to brush up on it using the excellent cuing.
Overall: Clear instruction, slow pacing and less strenuous exercises make this a good choice for those new to barre workouts or more advanced exercisers who want to get back to basics.