“The Best Workout in the World”
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| welcome |
Now that’s a big statement…and when Barry’s Bootcamp landed in London I was eager to try it! I finally made it…
10pm Wednesday night: Set alarm for 6.30am
10:30pm: Go to bed
6.10am Thursday morning: wake up, check time …what’s the point in pretending to sleep for twenty minutes?!
6.15am: get out of bed, get showered, dress, eat small breakfast
7am: leave home
7.55am: wander around Euston looking for Barry’s Bootcamp
8.05am: BINGO! sign up, get ready!
I was lucky that I had company for my very first visit (3 other lululemon’s) which kept the nerves / anticipation / excitement away! All I knew was that some running was involved and some strength training!
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| what’s my name?! |
This is how it went down.
8.20am: time to rock’n’roll! …The studio was lit like a night club with a row of treadmills down the length of the wall with weights, steps and other equipment on the other side. There was no time for messing around, we jumped straight onto the treadmills and got stuck into the warm up.
Our instructor, Anya, introduced herself and welcomed us all to the class. I stuck my hand up when she asked if it was anyones first time. The treadmill got pumped up to 5.0. I wondered why it was so brisk then I realised it was in miles per hour as opposed to the usual kilometres per hour…
A series of sprints and hills…15 minutes, done. Then onto the steps for some Abs & Arms (Thursday is Abs & Arms day FYI). Ouch…good ouch. Another 15 minutes done. Do I need my arms anymore?!
Anya says “lets jump back on the treadmill and take it slow” …to me this means it’s cool down time by which point I’m smiling, ecstatic that I had survived. Only to be informed that actually we are only half way through and have to do it ALL OVER AGAIN!
The next 15 minutes on the treadmill was emotional. The class is given 3 options for every interval – beginners, intermediate and advanced. By this point, my arms were unable to help me run – I had to go between 0.5 and 1.0 mph slower than even the beginner pace! I regained some composure in time to blast my abs with v ups, lunges with torso rotations, russian twists…OH not finished. We ended with some plank to pikes on the treadmill – feet on the treadmill belt (safety catch off of course) and hands on the ground. Killer. Final. Exercise.
Next thing I know, we are ACTUALLY done. I actually lived to tell the tale and finished with a smile! I think I giggled through the entire class…mostly in disbelief that I was there! The funniest moment had to be during the first 15min treadmill running – we had to walk fast up a VERY steep incline with our hands above our heads for 30 seconds. Anyone who dropped their arms earned the group a 5 second penalty. Julie (on the treadmill next to me) was in her own world and dropped her hands so you guessed it, with 10 secs left we got an extra 5. This made me laugh, which made my core relax momentarily, in turn bringing my arms below my head and earning us ANOTHER 5 seconds! It was a struggle to keep those arms up after that whilst giggling…
Post class, I munched on a protein bar and hoped to be able to stay awake! …I felt totally energised and couldn’t actually stop smiling all day 🙂 Everyone was hugely supportive post class making for a great vibe!
The studio was beautiful; great location, facilities and friendly staff. They even have a ‘Fuel Bar’ with all the options of protein shakes you could possibly desire!
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| with our instructor Anya (centre next to me) post class! |
Will I be back for more?! Heck YEAH! Especially as I will be working on speed next year these sessions would really give me a kick up the derriere!
I don’t wanna be too hasty and declare Barry’s Bootcamp as the best workout in the world, but I can say it definitely is a serious contender!
Have you tried Barry’s Bootcamp before?! Or thinking about going along for a class sometime soon?!
Elle 😉
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