Congratulations to my sister-in-law Allison who won the 2010 Seattle-Eastside Bar Method Fitness Transformation Challenge! She really has transformed her body in a very short amount of time and looks amazing. She inspires me to brave the traffic and swallow the expense to hit Bar Method classes and I only wish I could do it more than once or twice a week. While I can't see my deltoids, I can definitely tell a difference in my ass. Bar Method can't perform miracles so I'm still struggling with gravity, but for the first time in my entire life, I can clench my cheeks and there's a solid muscle in there. It's the craziest thing to feel that for the first time in 35 years.
Here's Allison's testimonial letter to the Seattle Eastside Bar Method team (Bev, Luke and Maika). It's so inspiring...
After two pregnancies within two and a half years (during which I gained 40 pounds each time!), I knew it was time to find a new exercise regime to "kick start" getting me back to my old self. My intent was to try Bar Method in the hopes that it would ease me back into the hardcore running and weight lifting I had always done prior to having my kids. So to Redmond I went and boy was it interesting. The first class I attended, which was on the studio's opening day and taught by Burr Leonard the founder of The Bar Method, is a blur to me now. What was all of this stretching and flexing of the foot? What was this tuck? Why were my thighs quivering, why did it seem so hard to move my leg only an inch during seat work and what in the heck were kickstand curls??? I may have left class feeling confused about the moves I just did, after all they are so different than the aerobics classes of the 90's and even early 2000's, but my body sure felt like I had really done something challenging. From there I was hooked.....
After a few weeks of class I started to see my tummy tightening up a bit, my thighs appeared leaner and stronger and my seat was beginning to "lift". Any new Mom knows that the beloved spare tire that child birth leaves you with is very very difficult to get rid of and here it was starting to disappear. I decided that this wasn't going to be a program to "kick start" getting me back to my old routine, but rather going to takeover as the only program I would need to get myself not only back into the shape I was once in, but maybe even tackle some of my troubled areas that have never been affected by lifting heavy weights and/or doing cardio - namely arm definition. My confidence was growing as I felt I was getting stronger in class, attempting some of the more advanced positions/options and learning to love hearing Bev call my name accompanied with the order to "relax your shoulders". J I started with 2 classes a week, but quickly begin wanting to attend more ultimately settling on 4-5 classes per week. The results at 4-5 days really blew my mind. I now crave the release I get from the hour workout and the muscle fatigue I feel after each class! The long and short of it, it really works. Not only has my body changed tremendously (I now can fit into clothing that I haven't worn since before I was pregnant over 3 years ago), but I also see my classmates transforming and gaining the same confidence that I feel too. And guess what, I can actually see my deltoids!!!!!!!! Yay!!!!!
So, it is obvious I feel a connection both in body and spirit to The Bar Method and am thrilled at the results I am seeing. The icing on the cake is the camaraderie, support and love I feel for the group of people I take with, and for my incredible teachers Bev and Maika. I can't thank them enough for making each day so enjoyable as we tuck, go lower in thigh and curl together day after day. It adds an element to the program that is un-talked about when discussing why a workout "works" for a person. My new found friends keep me looking forward to each class and that is an important factor in making sure that I stick with a program long term. I have met an incredible group of women that I hope are in my life for many many years to come!!
Bev. Luke and Maika - you have changed my life, and many others, in so many positive ways. I am forever grateful for your dedication to all of us students and your tenacity and drive to keep The Bar Method at such a high level. I feel better than I have in years and am continually amazed at my transformation and that of those around me. THANK YOU for everything you do!!! You are stuck with me for the long haul, I am hooked for life!!!
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