Any fitness junkie worth their salt has heard of Barry’s. A favourite amongst celebrities, models, and the Instagram elite, Barry’s Bootcamp is somewhat of an institution. It promises the best workout in the city that will ‘tone muscle and maximise fat loss with a combination of running and weights’. No wonder it has such a cult following. And if it’s good enough Harry Styles (not to mention Posh & Becks), it’s good enough for me, right?
That being said, I put off going to Barry’s for a long time. In fact, I used to walk past it every day on the way to uni, dreaming about the day when I’d be the sort of person that would go to a class there. Of course this is absolutely ridiculous. Anyone can go to a class. It is easy to be put off by Barry’s though. It seems like you need abs of steel and a bottomless pit of money to be able to work out there, but, after finally psyching myself up to go, I was pleasantly surprised. The experience was a bit like labour – painful but also kind of cool.
Class: Arms & Abs
Location: Barry’s Central, Euston Road
Instructor: Gemma
How to Book
Booking onto a Barry’s class is actually really easy. All you have to do is go to their website, sign up for an account and book on to a class.
Barry’s classes are split into two parts. For part of the class, you’ll be on the studio floor lifting weights. For the other you’ll be sprinting it out on the treadmill. When booking a class, you’re able to decide which you’d rather do first. I plumped for the number 17 floor space, meaning I’d start my workout here and switch to the number 17 treadmill. All of the spots are numbered so it’s easy to know where you’re meant to be moving to during the class.
When I arrived at Barry’s, the lovely lady at the front desk asked me if this was my first time, to which I replied yes (was it that obvious?). She kindly let me know that she was going to move me to spot number 3, as I’d be able to get a clearer view of the instructor. To my dismay, this also meant that the instructor would get a clearer view of me, something I wasn’t sure I wanted. It turns out that the instructor moves about a lot anyway during the class, so there’s no way you’ll get away with slacking wherever you are.
First Impressions
There’s no getting away from the fact that Barry’s is luxe. This is clearly where the cool kids do their crunches. The changing rooms are kitted out with GHD straighteners, hairdryers, and Malin & Goetz products, so you can leave the place looking like you haven’t just sweated enough to fill a swimming pool. The showers are not only beautiful but also powerful, and the complementary towels are fluffy. This is certainly a big step away from the budget gym I’d frequented during my student years in London.
Perhaps it’s a hangover from high school but I often equate ‘cool’ with ‘scary & judgemental’. Turns out this wasn’t the case at Barry’s. Everyone working there was friendly, eager to help and easy to chat to. I was also relieved to see that my fellow classmates weren’t all chiselled Greek gods. Although there were a few six packs in the room, there were plenty of other body types too, and I realised that people don’t get fit to come to Barry’s, they come to Barry’s to get fit.
The Studio
Since visiting the Central (Euston) branch, I’ve also tried the brand spanking new one at St. Paul’s, and whilst each studio is slightly different, the ‘red room’ always remains very similar. This is where the magic (or torture, depending on your perspective) happens. It’s a very dark room with red lighting and wall-to-wall mirrors. State of the art treadmills line one wall, whilst benches line another opposite. It’s super luxe and something about the dim lighting makes you (or at least me) feel kind of badass. I also really liked being able to see myself as I worked out. Being able to look myself in the eye as I sweated and struggled my way through the class really motivated me. I felt like I could really tap into something deeper to keep me going.
The Instructor
My instructor was called Jemma and she was amazing. As it was my first time, she took me into the red room before the class to show me how everything worked. She was super thorough, friendly, and funny, and made things feel way less intimidating. She also remembered the names of all the people in the class, including mine, and shouted them out in encouragement, which was super motivating.
The word ‘bootcamp’ had me thinking that she’d be screaming in my face to do better, but that wasn’t the case at all. Instead she was positive and energetic, pushing us to our very limits in a way that felt fun and exciting. I’ve since also been to a class with Naomi, who was also great at explaining and motivating the group.
The Workout
As previously mentioned, the workout consists of two parts: running on the treadmill, and lifting weights on the floor. The hour can be split in different ways. One week you might do 3 rounds of 10 minutes on each. Another week you might do 2 rounds of 15 on each. The instructors mix it up to keep things interesting.
When on the studio floor, you’ll be lifting weights. What weights you decide to pick are up to you, although the instructor will advise you on how heavy to go at the beginning of the class. Barry’s works different body parts on different days:
Monday: Arms & Abs
Tuesday: Full Body (Lower Focus)
Wednesday: Chest, Back & Abs
Thursday: Abs & Ass
Friday: Total Body
Saturday: Full Body (Upper Focus)
Sunday: Total Body
So what moves you do will depend on the day you go. I went on Monday (arms & abs), so we did 10 minutes of continuous arms & abs moves. These included crunches, bicep curls, arnold presses, planks, skull crushers, chest presses, and many more. The goal is to do as many reps as you can in the allotted time, so it’s always difficult no matter your fitness level. Trust me, this burns.
When you’re not lifting weights, you’re on the treadmill. Here the instructor will call out various inclines and speeds, taking you through sprints and hill climbs. This bit is tough. And will get you super sweaty. The instructor always calls out 3 different speeds (e.g. 7, 8, 9), so you can pick depending on your fitness level.
Top Tips
Try an arms & abs class on your first time – this means that you won’t have to jump on a treadmill right after doing jumping squats
Start on the floor – a lot of people recommend starting on the treadmill because this is the hardest part. I actually prefer finishing on the treadmill because then you can use that final burst of ‘oh my god this is nearly over, let’s give it everything’ energy and really smash your final sprints
Wear as little as possible – It gets hot in the red room. Now is not the time to be conservative. Wear as light and as little clothing as possible.
A good sports bra is a must – I’m not exactly blessed in the boob department, meaning that for a lot of my regular workouts I’ll wear a fairly low impact bra. But trust me when I say that you’re going to want something a little more supportive for those sprints!
Go with a friend – I went to Barry’s alone the first time I went and completely fell in love with it. So much so that I dragged my boyfriend along for a second hit. He also fell in love with it and it was so fun for us to do it together. He also liked that he could come with someone who already knew how everything worked.
Give it your all – It’s easy to hold a little bit back for fear of falling to the ground and not being able to finish the class but I promise you’ll regret it if you hold anything back. When you give your all, you’ll come out feeling completely amazing.
Rating: 10/10
I’m completely obsessed. Barry’s is my new favourite workout and if the classes were a little less pricey/I wasn’t newly graduated, I’d go multiple times per week. My boyfriend Rory also fell in love with it and I bought him a gift card for 5 classes, which I think is a great idea for the fitness-obsessed person in your life!
