When you picture someone being light on their feet like a ballerina, you probably wouldn’t think of a football player. But you’d be surprised.
The Bar Method, located within Arcadia near 44th Street and Indian School Road, is offering bar classes for bros to tone their muscles and strengthen their mental focus just in time for football season – no tutus required.
Elissa Scannell is the owner and an instructor at Arizona’s first Bar Method studio, which opened in December. Bar Method offers fitness classes revolved around isometrics, interval training, dance conditioning and physical therapy to burn fat, reshape muscles and improve posture.
The classes are all developed with a physical therapist to ensure safety.
The Bar Method has generated some buzz. Athletes are quickly taking notice of the benefits found within the studio and professional football players are known to attend classes. Don’t dismiss these workouts as being either feminine or masculine. All classes are open to both men and women.
“Every guy that takes the class leaves saying it was significantly harder than they thought. It’s just getting them through the door,” Scannell said.
Isometrics is based around small movements which can include holding poses and advancing in one-inch range movements. There’s a “mental toughness that traditional workouts don’t have,” Scannell said. There’s also an emphasis on stretching that is included in the workout rather than it being a separate entity.
“Every class is 100 percent full-body with stretching incorporated. It’s designed by a physical therapist to help increase speed, agility, balance and flexibility. Those are things every athlete needs. They like that we focus on some of the underutilized muscles,” Scannell said.
There are five to six hour-long classes offered daily with a few different formats available, but more are to come. There’s also Express Bar which is a quick 45-minute workout. Whether you’re a beginner or expert, the classes are mixed level so everyone can take part.
