Outside Online
advertisement
  • Home
  • Travel
  • Gear
  • Bodywork
  • Culture
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Photos
  • Archives
  • Subscribe
Subscribe to Outside Magazine


You Are Here:   Home  >>   Fitness and Bodywork   >>  Star Power

Q&A with Chris Carmichael

Today's Question
What type of bike seat should I buy to avoid damage downstairs? answer

How can I develop my chest? answer

Lab Rat
  • Row Bike
  • Tread Lightly
  • Holding My Own
  • Legal Aid
  • Elevated
Browse Fitness
  • Cardio
  • Endurance Training
  • Flexibility
  • Injury Prevention
  • Recuperation
  • Running
  • Sports Nutrition
  • Swimming
  • Triathlon
  • Weight Training
  • Yoga

Online Favorites

  • "Into Thin Air"
  • Best Adventure Books
  • The O Files: Unsolved Mysteries
  • Dream Towns
  • Dream Jobs

Special Issues

  • Family Road Trips
  • Interactive Colorado
  • Literary All-Stars
  • Adventure Lodges
  • Oceanic Endeavors
  • Adventure Goddesses

Photo Galleries

  • Mark Jenkins in Tibet
  • Syria
  • Bhutan
  • Women Who Rock
  • Kelly Slater
  • Olympic Cities
  • Exposure: Sara Carlson
  • See All Galleries
share this article del.icio.us DIGG Facebook StumbleUpon

Outside Magazine, November 2006

Bodywork: Hollywood Fitness
Star Power
The Bar Method

By Adam Skolnick

Forza | Yoga and Spinning (YAS) | Budokon | The Bar Method | Gyrotonic

The Bar Method
Illustration by John Cuneo

Curb your testosterone and dance!

Origin: German-born dance instructor Lotte Berk developed this workout—based on orthopedics, yoga, and modern dance—as a rehab-and-maintenance practice in the sixties. Her student Burr Leonard refined it and brought it to California in 2001. Who's Doing It: Kyra Sedgwick, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen
The Workout: Full disclosure: Aside from lessons in pole dancing—another fad workout sweeping Southern California—this may be the least macho exercise of all time. But while men in these classes may stick out like Michael Moore at the Oscars, that's not necessarily bad. Says longtime participant and aspiring actress Sara Giller, "Chicks dig dudes who take the Bar Method." And those brave guys will get one of the hardest workouts on the planet. Practitioners of the Bar Method balance on their toes with one leg on a ballet bar, then grip the bar and lower into quad-rattling squats on tiptoe for long, agonizing sets. Weights are incorporated to tone the triceps, biceps, and delts but not to build bulk. Hamstrings and obliques are worked into the drill via a variety of seated and horizontal positions. It all adds up to what Joey Decker, manager and lead instructor of the Bar Method in West Hollywood, accurately describes as "one hour of hell."
They Say: You'll benefit from strengthened and elongated major muscle groups, increased fat burning, and improved posture.
I Say: My body quaked involuntarily more than once during the hourlong class. My wind was tested, and my hamstrings were stretched to the limit. Best part: The tiptoe squats seemed to stabilize my chronically weak ankles. Worst part: I didn't get a date with Sara Giller.
Where to Find It: barmethod.com; $20 per class



Next Page: Gyrotonic

Forza | Yoga and Spinning (YAS) | Budokon | The Bar Method | Gyrotonic



L.A.-based ADAM SKOLNICK has written for Wired and Travel + Leisure.

• Subscribe to Outside and get a FREE Gift!

• Give the gift of Outside Magazine!

• Subscribe to Outside Online's free weekly e-mail newsletter featuring gear reviews, fitness advice, galleries, podcasts, and more.
BlogVideosPodcastsPhotos
TODAY'S NEWS UPDATE!
Video: Dean Potter freeBASE
Back in October 2007, we predicted one of the next milestones of adventure would be a freeBASE, a climb ...

Bike Commuter Act Rides the Bailout ...
It's law! The Transportation Fringe Benefit to Bicycle Commuters got tucked into the 451-page,...

More Blogs:
  • Urban Cycling Update
  • Private Companies Help Reach Space
  • Fossett's Remains Found
  • Featured Blog: Green Issues
  • Blog Home
Photo Guide
The tricks, tips, and gear of our favorite photographers.
photo guide video Watch

Parkour video
Parkour
El Cap video
El Cap
Drilling video
Drilling

More Videos:
  • Fittest Real Athletes
  • Malia Jones
  • Adventure Filmmaking School
  • The Ultimate Grill
  • See all Videos
Mike Rowe Speaks
Mike Rowe talks about his long strange trip to TV's dirtiest dream job.
Mike Rowe podcast Listen

Q&A: Climbing El Capitan with Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Ivo Ninov
Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Ivo Ninov on guiding Dave Hahn.
El Capitan podcast Listen

More Podcasts:
  • Q&A: Maggie Anthony On Son Eric Volz
  • Q&A: Photographer Danny Clinch
  • Q&A: "Coca Is It!" Author Joshua Hammer
  • Q&A: "Strange Bird" Author Carl Hoffman
  • See all Podcasts
Malia Jones photo gallery
Malia Jones
pirate photo gallery
Pirates
Rwanda photo gallery
Rwanda

Burma photo gallery
Burma
Julia Mancuso photo gallery
Julia Mancuso
Amanda Beard photo gallery
A. Beard

More Photos:
  • Cousteaus
  • Cuba
  • Rally Car
  • Submit Your Own Photo
  • See all Photos

advertisement




Subscribe to Outside Magazine!

Crocs Inspiring Soles

special featrues

Gear Spotlight: Adventure Electronics
Our esteemed Gear Guy hones in the FAQs of the digital world in this exclusive archive.
The Green Issue
Earth Day may fall in April, but global awareness should be a 365-day concern. Let us help you stay focused.




Vacation Packages

More Travel Deals
  • Mexico Vacation Packages from $505
  • Getaway in September from $151
  • End of Summer Beach Vacations from $496
  • Spend a Weekend in Vegas from $207
Sign up for our Travel Deals Newsletter


More From Outside Online

Outside August 2008

  • Best Towns
  • Jeff Lowe
  • Burma Cyclone
  • Triathlon Training

Special Issues

  • 2008 Summer Buyer's Guide
  • 2008 Winter Buyer's Guide
  • Outside Blog
  • Unsolved Mysteries

Outside July 2008

  • Andy Roddick
  • Fitness Special
  • Summer Road Trips
  • Canadian Adventures

Online Exclusives

  • Spooky Spots and Terrible Tales
  • Literary All-Stars
  • Oceanic Endeavors
  • Adventure Goddesses

Outside June 2008

  • Malia Jones
  • Weekend Escapes
  • Satellite Radio
  • Joe Papp

Online Favorites

  • Outside Gear Blog
  • Gear Guy
  • Fitness Q&A
  • Adventure Adviser

Outside May 2008

  • Anderson Cooper
  • Best Jobs 2008
  • Surf Genius
  • Russell Brice

Outside Classics

  • Into Thin Air
  • The Whale Hunters
  • Raising the Dead
  • The Long Way Home


Vacation Ideas from The Away Network

Outside's Best Towns 2008

  • Crested Butte, CO
  • New Orleans, LA
  • Portsmouth, NH
  • Washington, DC
  • Rest of the Best

Gay-Friendly Vacation Guides

  • Asia
  • Europe
  • South America
  • United States
  • All Vacation Destinations

Best Fall Foliage

  • Black Hills National Forest
  • Glacier National Park
  • Great Smoky Mountains
  • Monongahela National Forest
  • Shenandoah National Park

Trip-Planning Tools

  • Cheap Flights 101
  • Cheap Hotels 101
  • Compare Rates
  • Travel Insurance Tips
  • Vacation Rentals Index

Top Scenic Drives

  • California's Deserts
  • Mountain Tours
  • Upstate New York
  • Weekend Road Trips
  • See All Drives

GORP's Fall Outdoor Guides

  • Where to Camp
  • Where to Fish
  • Where to Hike
  • Where to Mountain Bike
  • All Fall Guides

GORPTravel Trips

  • Active Resorts
  • Horses & Riding
  • Nature Observation
  • Culinary Tours
  • Volunteer Vacations

Fall Travel Guides

  • Active Travel
  • Cultural Travel
  • Outdoor Travel
  • Romantic Travel
  • All Monthly Travel Guides



  • Home |
  • Travel |
  • Gear |
  • Bodywork |
  • Culture |
  • Videos |
  • Podcasts |
  • Photos |
  • Archives |
  • Feedback |
  • RSS Feeds |
  • Subscribe to Outside Magazine |
  • Join/Login




  • About Outside |
  • Advertise |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Subscription Services |
  • Sponsorship Policy |
  • Outside Info |
  • Site Map |
  • Press Room

  • Outside Magazine Media Kit |
  • Photo Department |
  • Privacy Policy |
  • Contact Us |
  • Contributor's Guidelines

Partner Sites:
  • Away.com |
  • GORP.com |
  • Orbitz |
  • Cheaptickets |
  • ebookers |
  • HotelClub.com |
  • RatesToGo.com |
  • asia-hotels.com |
  • Outside's Go


©1994-2008 Mariah Media Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of material from any pages without written permission is strictly prohibited.