Checking Off My Bucket List: Barry's Bootcamp
One of the things on my 2020 bucket list was to try Barry’s Bootcamp just because I wanted to know what the hype was about. I honestly didn’t know too much about it except that it’s a HIIT (high intensity interval training) class, a lot of celebrities swear by it, and the sessions are insane.
After convincing my sister that this will only be a one time thing, we signed up for the 8:15AM session in San Francisco’s FiDi studio. When we arrived, I was very intimidated by the sweaty people walking out of the previous session, but we were welcomed by everyone at the front desk and greeted by our instructor, Paul, so at that point, we couldn’t back out.
A little background on myself, I danced for seven years (from high school to college), but I only really started regularly going to the gym since I started working—so for about 7 months now. For some reason even though I danced for so long, when I started working out I could not do a single push up or jog at 4mph for more than 5 minutes without straining my knees. I wouldn’t say I’m as fit as an athlete now, but I’ve definitely made major improvements, and in preparation for Barry’s, I took Les Mills BODYPUMP classes once a week in addition to my regular workouts.
Going back to Barry’s, we walked into the “Red Room” and started at our reserved spots on the floor. We rotated between the step bench and the treadmill for 12-minute, then 8-minute, then 6-minute intervals. The music was blasting, people were cheering and encouraging one another with fist bumps, Paul was going around the room pushing us beyond what I thought I could ever do. And let me tell you, I have never been so sweaty in my life. The most difficult part for me was the treadmill because I do not like running at all, but running on the Woodway treadmills and in intervals made it a little more bearable. I’ve never pushed myself to run at 10mph with a 4% incline before, so during that portion I was just so scared my legs were going to give up and I was going to fall and crack my skull open.
From the one hour session, I learned what it takes to get a “full” workout, and as cliche as this may sound, that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. I can attest to this because when I took my first Les Mills class a month ago—my face turned pale because I couldn’t keep up, and the only reason I couldn’t leave was because I was too far from the exit. But I did not have too much trouble keeping up at Barry’s Bootcamp, and it was overall such an uplifting experience for me.
Barry’s Brunch smoothie
10/10 I would recommend it to anyone who wants to push his/her limits and get the most out of a workout session. But even though the instructors say you can go at your own pace, I would not recommend to people who have not taken any HIIT classes before, and especially not to those who do not exercise regularly. My sister, who is more into yoga did not enjoy it as much as I did.
I am definitely planning on going again, but I probably won’t be able to go as often as I would like to because of how expensive the classes are. But one thing—their Barry’s Brunch smoothie is SO good. I would go back just for that.
Tips:
Don’t eat before you go, but if you must, only have a small snack…or else you might throw up.
Order your smoothie before you go in so that it’s ready for you when you are done with your session. Trust me, you’ll want it.
If you don’t like loud music, there are ear plugs at the front desk. I thought the music was too loud at the beginning, but I didn’t even notice it afterwards because I was so focused on the workout.