to counteract all the peanut butter i consume i’m a big fitness enthusiast and always eager to trial different ways to exercise. so when the opportunity to test out barry’s bootcamp came along i didn’t miss the chance to get my arse kicked and work up a sweat.

barry’s is an hour workout favoured by the likes of jessica alba, amanda seyfried and christina applegate not to mention kim kardashian who featured the new york studio on her reality show. don’t expect any tracy anderson-style teeny tiny weights or grapevines here – the workouts mix up medium to heavy weights, fast sprints and little to no breaks in between. you will be pushed, you will feel like quitting, but you will walk out with a huge sense of achievement… and a few aching muscles too.

working up a sweat

i visited the class five days in a row over the course of a working week, taking in two full body classes and three ones that target different parts of the body. to learn a little more about the class i spoke to barry jay who had the idea for the bootcamp back in 1998. he told me what makes the workout different and said: ‘the instructors are the best in town and the bootcampers are hard working willing souls who love to push and be pushed. there’s a sense of community from your first class that is rare!’ he added: ‘ it’s a workout-party where you work harder than you ever dreamed you could and laugh through the pain.’

joey teaching at the NYC studio

inside barry's class

joey, who has trained the likes of kim and kourtney kardashian, claims each class can burn up to 1000 calories an hour through the high intensity interval cardiovascular work and strength training. he told me: ‘cross train, cardio, lift, stretch. do it all. and always shock your body, that’s what barry’s gives you in just one class.’

by the end of my trial i felt fitter, stronger and happier plus i had plenty of ideas to take into the gym for my solo workouts. i attended the hollywood studio but there are barrys across america, one in norway and the fitness craze is even coming to london with a studio hoping to be open in time for the olympics. sign.up.now.

working the weights before hitting the treadmill

to read my in-depth review of the class for work see here and you can view a video below, it’s a little cheesy but true!