Barry’s Bootcamp

Oh Barry’s. The self-proclaimed “Best Workout in the World” is for serious exercise aficionados. Different from the “find your intention” type workouts that litter San Diego, this is where you go to seriously train, without the personal trainer price tag. If you’re looking for a high intensity, butt kicking workout, this cult-like sensation might be for you.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

To say we had no idea what the eff was going on would be a huge understatement. We had to base our entire class off of what the person next to us was doing. And quite frankly, we don’t think that person was doing the same treadmill workout as everyone else. It was bad. The silver lining was that we have, in fact, taken Barry’s before and understood how the overall workout should progress. You have the option to start on the floor or on the treadmills. You’ll spend approximately 12-15 minutes there then switch. By the end of the workout, you’ll have spent 25 minutes on the treadmill and 25 minutes doing floor exercises. Since it was Monday (aka Arms & Abs day), all of our weight training exercises centered on building these muscles. There were curls, pushups and band work. The women were encouraged to use 10-15 lbs, which, based upon the number of repetitions, was more than appropriate. From what we could piece together on the cardio portion of the workout, there were supposed to be interval sprints at various inclines. Unfortunately, it was so unclear that it was hard to really keep up. But we were a bit sore the next day so it wasn’t a total waste.

INSTRUCTOR

Although we didn’t personally interact with Guiliana, we assume she must be a crowd favorite since it was a packed 7:50pm class. But the lobby was where the excitement wore off. When we entered the studio, there was no personal introduction or pre-explanation of the workout. Once everything started, Giuliana called out all the motions with drill sergeant speed. Everything was announced so quickly and close together that it was hard to tell what to do. And the sound system did her no favors, as the microphone seemed a little wonky, and her voice didn’t carry over the music. All that said, we appreciated that she demonstrated some of the strength exercises during the workout. She also gave multiple cheers to the regulars. At the end of the day, though, we wouldn’t attend this class again. If you know what you’re getting yourself into, you may enjoy it more than we did.

SPACE

When you walk into Barry’s Bootcamp Hillcrest, there’s a large lobby with a check-in desk off to the left and lots of Barry’s swag for purchase towards the right. About five minutes before class, you’ll be allowed to enter the studio, or “The Red Room”. The studio space is packed with treadmills on the left side, weight benches on the right, a set of old school lockers by the entrance and one bathroom in the back. If we’re being honest, the space is a bit tired. The floor is slippery and it feels very cramped. Considering the cost of these classes, we expected more. Barry’s Bootcamp Hillcrest is centrally located in the HUB of Hillcrest within the same center as CorePower Yoga, CycleBar and Studio Reform Pilates. Parking can be a bit of a struggle, but if you’re willing to walk, there are almost always spots located in the garage under the Ralphs.