Everything You Need To Know About Barry’s Bootcamp’s New Class Lift

Photo Credit: Barry’s Bootcamp

For 21 years, Barry’s Bootcamp has been teaching the same class to thousands of dedicated followers. Alternating between the treadmill and floor, with a series of high-intensity interval training movements (HIIT), Barry’s is a grueling, yet rewarding class that works wonders on the body. In recent years, the boutique fitness brand has been in expansion mode, especially in the Bay Area. New locations have popped up in Burlingame, Palo Alto, and the Castro district of San Francisco, with San Jose slated to arrive later this fall.

Photo Credit: Albert Law

The studio in the Castro is the largest yet, with a spacious lobby and fuel bar area with seating, and an extra weight room called the flex studio. The Castro Barry’s isn’t the only new location with an additional workout area—Barry’s in Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Houston also have flex studios. To make use of the flex studios, Barry’s has launched its first new class, Lift.

“Our double floor in the main room has become more and more popular, and there are only a handful of studios around the world that are larger, like the Castro, where you have the extra square footage,” Adam Shane, partner of Barry’s Bay Area recently told Haute Living from the Castro studio. “It’s a smaller space without the treadmills, and our clients were asking for more opportunities to strength train.” Thus, Lift was born.

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The 45-minute class is entirely different from a standard Barry’s class. While things in the traditional Barry’s routine move at a fast pace, Lift is slow and methodical. However, it’s far from boring and not easy. Lift starts with a five-minute warmup and is followed by a series of rounds, in nine- and five- minute intervals. There are only 16 people in the class, and everyone is encouraged to take heavier weights than they would in the normal Barry’s class. Dumbells, benches, and resistance bands are used. It’s similar to doing double floor, but the main focus at Lift is primary and secondary muscle groups—leading to hypertrophy, failure or exhaustion, with planned recovery for muscle recuperation.

Photo Credit: Barry’s Bootcamp

“It’s much better when strength training to take your time,” Barry’s instructor Paul Wright says, explaining that this type of workout is one of the most efficient ways to change your body composition. “That’s why I say to move like molasses. Take your time. This is a different vibe than the regular room. It’s more about savoring your resistance. The idea is to take your time and let your muscles understand what you’re doing to them. By repeating that chest press, you’re sculpting and developing the muscles.” Wright is one of the instructors who teach Lift, which is on the schedule at the Castro studio every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Photo Credit: Barry’s Bootcamp

Both Shane and Wright stress that Lift is a superb supplement to Barry’s regular programming. “Because it’s repetitive with the movements in your body, Lift is going to help progress and change your body faster,” Wright says. “When you do consistent things in an hour to your muscles, they’re going to last. They’re going to react longer after the workout.” Adds Shane, “It’s a great way to build muscle—not necessarily bulk up, but it’s a great way to tone up. Strength training is the best and only way to build lean muscle, and what you do in the flex room is a great complement to the main room where you’re doing a lot of HIIT.”

The duo recommends adding Lift to your weekly routine and alternating it with the classic Barry’s class. Sign up to take the workout now at Barry’s Bootcamp.