The Bar Method

I'm so excited! Bright and early tomorrow morning I take my first of two "Bar Method" classes that I bought via Groupon. I'll let you know how it goes, right back here in this post. In the interim, here's one review of the method.

UPDATE
Ok, so strengthening, toning, stretching...that's how I'd describe the class. It's that kind of hard that when you're in there, you're like HOLY CANNOLI, THIS HURTS. But now an hour outta class, I'm all like, "I could do that again."

Body check
Arms/Shoulders=jello. I have the upper body strength of an old woman. With osteoporosis.
Thighs/Hamstrings/Hips=okay. Right now, they just feel a little tight.
Calves=they feel sad. That's the only way I can describe it. They're angry at me.
Abs=My abs are a trooper, I can go all day with abs exercises. You won't break me that easily.

Teacher/Facility
My teacher Sarah seemed knowledgable, helpful and made me feel right at home. She talked to me and one other new person after class for a few minutes, also, about how we did, what to expect if we continue, etc... The Lakeview facility is nice, and on a not to busy street (at least in the early morning when probably 2/3 of working people aren't even up because they took the week off...or something.) I liked that you keep your socks ON (ew, feet...Bikram Yoga....shudder.) I also liked that since the class is not cheap anyway, they don't continue to try and squeeze money outta you, lockers (with LOCKS) are free, and parking is validated, should you need it. And I also like that the new member special can start AFTER you've taken your first class, or in my case, used both of my groupon classes. I've been to some places (ahem-Bikram) where they're all like "MAKE A DECISION TODAY, NOW, OR YOUR CHANCE IS FOREVER LOST AND YOU'LL BE FORCED TO PAY EXORBITANT FEES LIKE THE REST OF US!!!" That's not fair. Hate that.

Others in the Class
Bad side: I felt like a bloated moose. Everybody there looked good, like they'd been doing the method for years. Or at least they weren't as big as me. Ah well. I guess that's better than going in there and seeing a bunch of huge people and wondering if this stuff even works. right? But on the flip side, more people than just the teacher were helpful. In fact, one chick next to me, turns out she's also a teacher there, helped me a few times with getting the position just so. That was cool. People seemed genuinely nice and helpful. THe other new girl had on a Big 10 shirt like I did (mine: Illinois, hers: Indiana-boo) so we chatted for a bit about that and the class, etc... I'm rambling. Overall, the people were nice and didn't make me feel like I shouldn't be there.

Miscellaneous
1. I liked that I left class and could still maybe run an errand or something if I wanted, unlike Bikram, when upon leaving I look like I just ran 5 miles in the Sahara. With a heart condition. And no water.

2. I stretched my back and shoulders just so, that my old raggedy sports bra unhooked! ACK! Nobody knew why I left the room for a minute, but how embarrassing. Time to toss that one. :) Shhhh, don't tell anyone, that was kinda embarrassing. (Please note: Moving Comfort sports bras are awesome. But this one might possibly be about 4 years old, which is shameful. With as much running as I've done since I discovered them in late 2006, there's just no excuse. They do have a lifetime expectancy, you know. One human year is like 4 decades in the life of a sports bra.

Anyway, that's my assessment. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. (insert evil grin here.)