Raising the Bar: Why this local fitness studio has everyone shaking

In the last few years, it has become increasingly more important to me to find workouts that are sustainable as I am getting older. Swimming, weight training, walking and yoga continue to be leading contenders, but I felt that something was missing from my repertoire. Something fun.

Like always, I started doing some research and that is when I found The Bar Method on Anacapa. 

As with any new class, I searched for video snippets to see what I was getting into. The workouts looked engaging and accessible but what was with the shaking legs? They actually bragged about it. They looked like my 10-year-old Golden Retriever when I run out of his glucosamine supplement. But this kind of shaking is good, I was told. It is what the teachers and students alike strive for. According to The Bar Method themselves, “The shake we all love to hate starts deep in the muscle fibers and is a result of the type of exercises and challenges we use in The Bar Method. In most physical activities, your muscles are able to turn on and off as they contract and relax through a cycle of movement; however, in The Bar Method we challenge the muscle endurance by holding sustained contractions for longer periods of time before coming out to change positions or stretch. This sustained stress causes the muscle to burn through its reserves of fuel to the point of exhaustion. Once that local fuel store is almost depleted, the muscle starts relaxing and contracting at a high rate of speed to conserve the remaining energy and help you remain in positions for those last 20 or 30 counts.” 

Honestly, none of that makes sense until you experience it firsthand.

I decided to jump right in so I signed up for a class and I was immediately hooked. The atmosphere is unlike any class I have ever taken. Every instructor is open, kind, friendly, and very knowledgeable. And the students it attracts were as much a part of the appeal for me as the class itself. Everyone I spoke to was very warm, welcoming and represented a broad age span ranging from 17-80. As a newbie, I was a bit intimidated going in but that was dispelled the minute I picked up my three-pound weights (don’t judge). The instructions are easy to follow. Unlike yoga, when you totally miss or fall a little behind on how to do a particular exercise in The Bar Method, the move isn’t over before you can get the hang of it. The idea behind Bar is that the sheer focus and repetition of these tiny moves is what leads to the changes in our bodies.

We started in the mirror lined studio, each of us armed with light weights in our hands and grip socks on our feet (mine have dogs on them). The instructor began with warmup stretches before we moved into a series of exercises. After about 15 minutes, we moved to the barre (the term for the handrail used in ballet) where we began another series of moves focusing more on the lower body. Don’t let the “barre” fool you; these classes don’t require any prior dance experience or the suppleness of a feline in Cirque du Soleil. While it isn’t an intensive cardio experience, this 45-minute class left me feeling truly stretched, worked, and energized, walking a bit taller as I made my way to my car.

The workouts looked engaging and accessible
but what was with the shaking legs?

I left wanting to know more about The BM (no, not that kind), so I reached out to the owner of the Santa Barbara studio, Jenna Shahak.

Jenna started doing bar in 2011 after realizing that sitting at her desk job for eight hour stretches at a time was beginning to take its toll on her body. “My posture was compromised, my energy level was consistently low, and I had random aches and pains. I had never enjoyed ‘gym life’ as I found it difficult to stay motivated and would often feel bored. A friend of mine was training to become a Bar Method instructor and invited me to one of her classes. I loved the attention to detail, the small movements, the targeting of various muscle groups. I was hooked from day one! As someone with a chronic knee injury, I also found that the Bar Method was not only safe, but extremely effective in changing my body-and my mindset.”

With so many studios here in town, I asked her what sets this apart from other workouts, “The Bar Method is a sustainable workout for the long-term and designed to promote longevity, no matter what stage you’re in on your fitness journey. The Bar Method exercises are also developed with input from physical therapists, ensuring that there are always modifications available. Results go beyond the physical to mental conditioning as well. Just ask our instructor Amy, a professional physical therapist, or our instructor Kara, a professional psychotherapist! I also think it’s important to highlight that The Bar Method is such a great complement to so many other workouts – because Bar Method works consistently on your stabilizer muscles, improving balance, reaction time, posture and flexibility, it pairs well with other activities like running, hiking, surfing, martial arts, pickleball, and more. Our exercises build functional strength for everyday activities like walking on the beach, reaching into cabinets overhead, and lifting heavy objects safely outside the studio.”

Shahak is an active participant in her business. You will often find her in the studio greeting customers by name, offering community classes or supporting local organizations like Teddy Bear Cancer Foundation. Her enthusiasm is contagious and is one of the many reasons it made a believer out of me.

So what are you waiting for? Sidle up to the bar and order a shake!