Revisited The Bar Method today…

alisoncooks · 01-21-23, 06:36 PM

All this Callanetics talk caught my interest…which led me back around to my old favorite, The Bar Method. I haven’t done a barre video in ages, but (back in the day) TBM was my ride or die. I had such great results with it after my second child was born.

Anyway, I pulled out Change Your Body this morning and commenced and…it has not aged well.

The amount of off-putting skinny-talk is unreal! “This will make your butt look great in jeans!” “You’ll lose two jeans sizes” and etc. It just feels gross to me now. I don’t know why/how it didn’t bother me before, but I almost didn’t make it through the video.

It is a shame but there it is. It’s become dated (for me), with its over-the-top focus on appearance. I’m as vain as the next person, but I’ve come to appreciate my function over form. This dvd has always remained on my desert island list, even when I’ve not used it in a long time, but now I believe it will be replaced in my top faves list.

cowfishpro · 01-21-23, 07:20 PM

Thank you for sharing about this Alison.

I also loved TBM and even wondered if that might be a more interesting alternative to Callanetics. Although, there is some nice variety on the Callanetics TV.

Your latest assessment has been helpful in my decision making process.

prettyinpink · 01-21-23, 08:05 PM

I don’t remember that one, maybe because I didn’t do it as much, but some of the P57 DVDs are like that. I tuned it out at the time, but a few comments stuck in my head (cellulite, bye bye

).

Many videos talked about burning the fat off, and some of the covers and titles weren’t the best, either.

fatkat555 · 01-21-23, 08:21 PM

I’m pretty good at tuning out the stupid “selling point” conversation, so I still enjoy these workouts. Honestly, I don’t remember that talk too often in my beloved Firm classics and I appreciate that KCM doesn’t throw that mess in her workouts. From the Callanetics dvds that I’ve done I haven’t noticed that talk in there, but yes Bar Method loved to include it. I think a marketing rep (who didn’t exercise to dvds) told them it’d be awesome.

bfit · 01-22-23, 02:09 PM

I used to love The Bar Method in live classes before the pandemic, but I never tried the DVDs. It was the only lower body work I ever did where I saw definite results. Then the studio closed for a while because of the pandemic, and by the time they had reopened I had broken my foot, and I can't do barre any more at all. At any rate, even if the DVDs have some shortcomings, I really recommend the method itself. I never really knew what "results" were until I did barre.

prettyinpink · 01-22-23, 02:48 PM

The streaming was very good when I did it for a while a few years ago, and more challenging than the DVDs. If that is anything close to what the live classes are like, I can understand why someone would love them. Someone who used to post here said how good they were with in-person form correction and precision in class.

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01-21-23, 06:36 PM
alisoncooks Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: TarHeel country	Revisited The Bar Method today… All this Callanetics talk caught my interest…which led me back around to my old favorite, The Bar Method. I haven’t done a barre video in ages, but (back in the day) TBM was my ride or die. I had such great results with it after my second child was born. Anyway, I pulled out Change Your Body this morning and commenced and…it has not aged well. The amount of off-putting skinny-talk is unreal! “This will make your butt look great in jeans!” “You’ll lose two jeans sizes” and etc. It just feels gross to me now. I don’t know why/how it didn’t bother me before, but I almost didn’t make it through the video. It is a shame but there it is. It’s become dated (for me), with its over-the-top focus on appearance. I’m as vain as the next person, but I’ve come to appreciate my function over form. This dvd has always remained on my desert island list, even when I’ve not used it in a long time, but now I believe it will be replaced in my top faves list.

01-21-23, 07:20 PM
cowfishpro Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Near Chicago, IL	Thank you for sharing about this Alison. I also loved TBM and even wondered if that might be a more interesting alternative to Callanetics. Although, there is some nice variety on the Callanetics TV. Your latest assessment has been helpful in my decision making process. __________________ Relaxation is the new strength...Miranda Esmonde-White ~ Dr. T aka Cowfishpro Last edited by cowfishpro; 01-21-23 at 07:21 PM. Reason: correction

01-21-23, 08:05 PM
prettyinpink Join Date: Jun 2009	I don’t remember that one, maybe because I didn’t do it as much, but some of the P57 DVDs are like that. I tuned it out at the time, but a few comments stuck in my head (cellulite, bye bye ). Many videos talked about burning the fat off, and some of the covers and titles weren’t the best, either.

01-21-23, 08:21 PM
fatkat555 Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: New Orleans metro area	I’m pretty good at tuning out the stupid “selling point” conversation, so I still enjoy these workouts. Honestly, I don’t remember that talk too often in my beloved Firm classics and I appreciate that KCM doesn’t throw that mess in her workouts. From the Callanetics dvds that I’ve done I haven’t noticed that talk in there, but yes Bar Method loved to include it. I think a marketing rep (who didn’t exercise to dvds) told them it’d be awesome. __________________ Fatkat You have to make a mess, sometimes, to clean it up. DISCLOSURE: I have a professional relationship with a seller or producer of fitness videos or products. For details, please see my profile.

01-22-23, 02:09 PM
bfit Join Date: Nov 2005	I used to love The Bar Method in live classes before the pandemic, but I never tried the DVDs. It was the only lower body work I ever did where I saw definite results. Then the studio closed for a while because of the pandemic, and by the time they had reopened I had broken my foot, and I can't do barre any more at all. At any rate, even if the DVDs have some shortcomings, I really recommend the method itself. I never really knew what "results" were until I did barre.

01-22-23, 02:48 PM
prettyinpink Join Date: Jun 2009	The streaming was very good when I did it for a while a few years ago, and more challenging than the DVDs. If that is anything close to what the live classes are like, I can understand why someone would love them. Someone who used to post here said how good they were with in-person form correction and precision in class.