Barry’s Bootcamp

I know that posting about your workouts is the text equivalent of a shirtless selfie, but here I am, a full 20 minutes after class has ended, still dripping sweat onto my phone as I type this.
Sorry, Lyft driver. :(
PS: Minus one star because holy hell, is this place expensive.

I popped my Barry’s cherry about a month ago on a Friday (Full Body Workout). Tommy was my instructor and man, oh man, what a great workout this is. I gave birth 4 months ago and getting back in to shape has been hard. I gave the girls at the front desk a heads up and they let Tommy know. I was a little intimidated at first because everyone attending the class seemed to be in great shape. Once we entered the room, my jitters went away and I was blown away at how much I liked the class. I took extra breaks since I am still getting back in to shape and it was great that I didn’t have to worry about getting yelled at.
Treadmill and weights in intervals. I was a little confused by this at first but everyone is friendly and helps you out. I settled on my treadmill and away we went. After about 6 – 7 minutes on treadmill, we switched and then I went to the floor for my weight training. We did 3 on treadmill and 3 on floor. The class went by super fast and my entire body was sore by the time I was done. It’s a club like atmosphere with SUPER loud music and lights. I didn’t mind it at all. It kept the class fun and exciting.
I come to Barry’s and max out my 3 classes through Classpass and may even add on more classes. I am hooked!

Definitely one of the toughest workouts you will find in all of San Francisco and quite possibly the world! Not a lot of places can drag me out of bed at sunrise or away from work during prime time commuter traffic, even in the rain and TWICE A DAY!
The workout consists of running on the treadmill at varying speeds to awesome high energy music and inclines, followed by weights that target different body parts depending on the day. Basically:
Mondays are arms & abs (Tommy torture or Nicole P will both make you suffer in a good way) ‚
Tuesday is Butt and Legs (Highly recommend Erica if you can find a spot! or Gabby),
Wednesday is Chest and back (Chris and Tommy drain every ounce of energy and sweat from you body),
Thursday is hard core abs,
Friday, Saturday & Sunday are full body (Again Tommy and Erica take the lead as incredibly dedicated instructor.
You’ll notice a change in your conditioning, your body and quite frankly I just feel accomplished getting through the workout. I would also recommend it for cross training for a half marathon.
The trainers are all different with different styles. Tommy and Erica are by far my favorite — They are super encouraging, always on point on when to switch from running to jogging or walking. Music and ambience (lighting) is great too. That just care so much about form and pushing you to your utmost potential
If you are looking to push yourself, give it a shot. You will never leave a class saying «that was easy.» Congrats on opening in the Marina!
Homie Nomi ;-)

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to write a review, but anyone who knows me knows that I love Barry’s Bootcamp and the fit fam there!
I know a lot of people I talk to have said that paying $$ per class is crazy, but honestly, this is an investment in myself and every dollar spent there is well worth the results.
I’m by no means a stellar athlete and working out isn’t something that comes naturally to me. I am definitely the type of person who needs constant motivation and works well in a group setting and Barry’s offers this and more. Like other Unilocalers have mentioned, the class is set up where you train on both the floor and the treadmills, and no workout is ever the same, which is great because I am never bored and love not knowing what is going to happen next.
I appreciate that each trainer brings their own expertise and coaching style to each class. However, they all share one thing, and that is to provide the best workout in the world.
San Francisco doesn’t have a shortage of great gyms and fitness studios, but to me, Barry’s is #1. The trainers really care about their athletes and it really does feel like a family. It’s so great that they not only love to chat with everyone before or after class, but they also use social media provide motivation & advice to their students too.
One of my favs, Erica Stenz (yes her class is always almost full because she’s that amazing #RackedHottestTrainer2014) has engaged her athletes to not only workout but to also focus on their diets by introducing challenges such as #Whole30 #NoSugar #NoAlcohol etc. Which is great because they believe in a holistic approach to health.
Another favorite of mine, Joel Corpus, is always motivating his students with the hottest playlists — which is so helpful during his evening classes after work!
Last shout out to Gabby as well — I brought a bunch of my friends there for my birthday this past October and she has such a great energy and definitely worked all of us! (Sorry for leaving the class early btw!)
For any person who has yet to try out Barry’s bootcamp or is skeptical about the class, let me tell you, my husband (who is very athletic and refused for the longest time to take a Barry’s class) took his first class with Erica with me a while ago and could not believe how challenging the class was for him! Since then, he’s been hooked! We try to go to classes together, and sometimes we make a date night out of it :)
The Barry’s Fit Fam has honestly changed my outlook on fitness for the best and I will forever be grateful for that. Can’t wait to check out the new Marina location soon!

As a workout junkie, this is my drug of choice. It is by far the best workout class in SF. It’s always challenging and the instructors help me run faster and work harder than I ever would on my own.
Barry’s Bootcamp is a combination of cardio (intervals, hills, sprints and endurance runs) on Woodway treadmills and exercises with weights. Each day has a different focus — for example, Monday is arms and abs, Thursday is abs day, and Friday through Sunday are all full body. During each class, you’ll switch off between the treadmill and the floor, and complete between two to four sets of treadmill/​floor during the class. So if there are two sets during the class, and if you start out on the treadmill, you’ll go to the floor next, then back to the treadmill and finish on the floor.
Signing up for the first time is a bit confusing. You reserve one spot and whichever spot you choose is where you start your rotation. So if you choose T10, you’ll start at treadmill 10 (the treadmills are numbered) then go to floor 10 (the floor stations are also labeled at the back) for your next round. There’s one other option, DF, which stands for double floor. This means you’re doing strength training the whole duration of the class (no tread) and do each floor set twice.
There’s showers stocked with Malin and Goetz products, toiletries, hair dryers and even a Chi flat iron in the ladies room. There’s tons of lockers. No water dispenser but you can buy bottled water for $ 2 or ask the smoothie bar to help fill up your bottle. The smoothies are AMAZING. I love the skinny PB — both chocolate and vanilla are delicious — and I typically ask them to throw in half a banana.
The trainers are really talented and each bring their own style to the table. Erica, Tommy, Nichole and Alvin have taught some of the best classes I’ve ever taken!

Ass-​kicking workout!!! If you can’t handle the fast pace, loud music and tough workout, Barry’s isn’t for you!
Felt energized the ENTIRE day!
officially hooked.

I didn’t like it too much. It feels like a little bit of a snobbish workout place.
Having two groups (Treadmill and floor) going at the same time meant that there is really no individual attention. If someone isn’t doing things correctly, the instructor won’t really be able to see and help to adjust. As a first time goer, I was a bit confused sometimes.
Overall, this place reminds me of Manhattan and a rat race where everyone is running due to peer pressure. Being in California, there are so many others things you could do… go into the nature!
I also wonder how safe it is to run so fast on treadmill in a dark room.
Having said that, it is a concentrated 60 minutes of high intensity exercise and perhaps a good place to be on a cold grey winter day.
I do like the quote on their wall «60 min is only 4% of your day, no excuse»

Me=intermittent fitness enthusiast.
I’m goal oriented, I’m social, I like to lift weights and push my body to the extreme.
I exercise for the therapeutic benefit and my «thing» currently is strength training. My cardio and conditioning of late has been on the DL.
Some friends actually dragged me to Barry’s. I’m someone who really doesn’t need a lot of equipment or encouragement to get a good workout in and I think that my initial thought about
Barry’s was similar to my thought about Apple products… uhmm…cult-ish.
Yet, I went for Jeff L’s class last Friday (all over body) and I have to admit, it was a good break and shake up to my normal solo or partnered weight slinging. It also is definitely more intense than my normal HIIT sessions or group classes. I left SWEATING and PANTING like I had been in Bikram combined with a good track workout while lifting (does that make any sense?).
I was running late (advisable to get there 5 – 10 minutes early and probably earlier for 1^st timers to get oriented), but they let me in (they can give your space away if there are waitlists).
My first impression: CLUB lights, EDM and exercise on steroids.
Barry’s is NO JOKE.
You will sweat, you will push limits and you will get an amazing endorphin rush from the synergistic effect of music, exercise and general good vibes from those around you.
One word of advise to first timers — go lighter on the weights so that you can actually make it through multiple sets of floor exercises. You aren’t weak, just doing hella reps through the course of one song is EXHAUSTING!
I left feeling like I was willing to drink this sugar-​free kick a@% Kool-​Aid.
Big props to Barry’s Bootcamp for the great conditioning session.

I had to leave half way through my first class at Barry’s! Holy cow. I think the weight part is fine, but the sprinting on the treadmill portion is so intense. Their club setting does make the workout more enjoyable and you feel like you can do it — but let me tell you — haha I always feel like death during the class. I save Barry’s classes for friday afternoons so i feel like I can eat more over the weekend and not feel as guilty =P
You can also order a smoothie from the smoothie counter before class and they’ll have it ready for you with encouraging words at the end of class. So far I’ve gotten the strawberry smoothie and the acai berry smoothie. Both were not very sweet and tasted pretty healthy =)
All in all, I can see why these classes are $ 30 each and I have no doubts that if you committed to coming to barry’s 5x/​week you’ll be in amazing shape in just a month or two!
If I ever have to be super fit & skinny for an event, I’d get a membership and come here everyday!

Achieved my first ever exercise high after the legs and butt Bootcamp class. Sore for days but in that good way.
I’m not the most for person so it was great that though I was pushing myself to –about to throw up– limits I was able to go at my own pace. For anyone intimidated by the idea of going here I’d say that’s it’s waaaaay more welcoming than expected. The smoothies make up for a lot of the pain. Oh and it’s nice and dark so no one will see you cry.

Yo, I’m still sore.
I need to whip my ass into shape and I’m cutting corners by not cutting corners and maxing my class pass at Barry’s. To be honest, if I’d live closer, I’d forgo Classpass and just join Barry’s. The music is pumpin’, the trainers are rad and totally motivating/​encouraging, the workout is challenging and is constantly changing. Most importantly, you feel like you’ve worked muscles that never been worked before.
The premise: ½ the class is treadmill, both speed and incline and the other half is on the floor, exercises dependent on the class you sign up for. In most cases it’s cut into quarter or less intervals, but they do change it up! And, get ready to WORK it.
Locker rooms are small and there is a pretty awesome smoothie bar, so I think the one plus cancels out that one minus.
Overall, Barry’s, you’re worth the price tag and I just wish you were a tad closer to my home base. Soon to come… Barry’s Bootcamp Oakland?

I needed to lose weight after intense period of drinking and binging, and after being dissatisfied with one class of Barre, I knew I needed something more grueling to get me back into shape.
I had heard about Barry’s through a friend who was yoked after not seeing him for a long time. First time I signed up, I was hooked. The first class kicked me hard but I kept coming back for more. After doing Barry’s for four weeks, three to four times a week, coupling it with a paleo diet, I was back into shape and my friends noticed a difference. No wonder celebs endorse Barry’s.
The classes are set up as interval training with a club like atmosphere. Trainers that look like demigods and with unreal bods teach the class with enthusiasm and energetic music to match their personalities. Aside from my first class with the owner, no trainer has ever called me for not doing ¹⁰⁄₁₀ incline/​speed on the treadmill. My short legs can only run so fast!
The class goes by quick and I think Thursday’s hardcore abs are my favorite class day. My favorite trainers have been with Chris, Tommy Luke, Erica, and Alvin. Chris especially with his humor and energy!
Classes are expensive but I’ll pay an arm and a leg to *try* to get toned abs.

Barry’s is a good workout, but I think that it’s a good workout only if you know how to workout already. That might sound confusing, but I mean that there’s not a lot of personal attention and it’s a fast-​moving class, so if you don’t already know how to do a lunge correctly, use free weights properly, etc. you aren’t going to get the best workout because you’ll probably be doing things incorrectly.
The class is split into cardio and strength training intervals. The cardio is done a treadmill where the teacher will guide you on how fast to be running and what incline to be running on (you can follow what he says or adjust for a good pace and incline for yourself). Then, the weights are done on the floor with body or hand weights. The length of each interval will change from teacher to teacher.
The room is really cool and like a club. It’s dark with different color lights (it kind of reminds me the interior of a Virgin flight). Then, there’s music blasting that makes you feel like you’re at a club in Vegas. The 2 long walls are completely covered in mirrors, so you get to stare at yourself while you’re running on the treadmill and battle yourself to run harder and faster.
I think that the cardio component of Barry’s is the main benefit of going because the class really pushes you to RUN. When you’re running/​sprinting with 19 people next to you and 20 people hitting weighs behind you with house music blasting and fans blowing, you’re going to feel amped to run FAST. In my experience I’ve been able to keep up running when I know that I normally would’ve started walking if I was on my own. However, if you have injuries that prevent you from being able to run, I think that there are better workouts out there for you that have cardio sessions that don’t involve running.
The strength training component to Barry’s isn’t my favorite and I don’t feel super sore or challenged from the weights. You won’t do that many reps of anything, and because the class moves so fast and isn’t tailored for your body you may not be pushing yourself as hard as you want to or can.
The main reason I go to Barry’s is for the cardio. I stick to other studios like Core40, Empower, and Skyefit for strength training.

I love this location of Barry’s. And here is why:
–WORKOUT: The workout is consistently hard in the best way possible, and you will leave feeling absolutely incredible but extremely sweaty.
–STAFF: I usually come here when I am in town right before heading to the airport and they always watch my suitcase behind the front desk while I workout and are incredibly kind.
–SMOOTHIE BAR: The on-​site smoothie bar is a wonderful way to get your protein in post-​workout.
Only complaint is the small locker room! I come here with ClassPass and highly recommend it.

Wow. This was an amazing workout. My friend invited me to a friend of her’s birthday party at Barry’s. I have been wanting to go to Barry’s for some time but have never had the chance to and I’m so glad I was finally able to try it out.
First of all, I’m a pretty non athletic person and it takes a lot for me to get going. This place didn’t scare me off at all. Our instructor, Joel was motivating and very helpful. He also had a great selection of ‘90s hip hop music which the birthday girl requested. I left like I was in a club but instead of dancing, I was working my ass out.
When you start, you can start on the treadmill or on the floor. I prefer starting on the treadmill because it gets me a better warm up for the floor work. You are assigned a number on the treadmill and should remember this number so when you do floor work, you go on the same bench. The switching was seamless. I loved everything. Time flew by and I wanted more by the time I left. If you’re a newbie, they give you the details so you’re not running around lost. They run this place very well! The facilities are also very clean and they have lockers so you can keep all your stuff securely away while you work out. There are 2 showers so it can get pretty crowded in the ladies locker room. I love that they have Malin + Goetz bath and body items which I love.
You are literally sweating your ass off, so don’t even bother to wear any makeup. I was one of the girls who just got off work so I had makeup on and didn’t take it off prior to working out. Within 10 minutes into the workout, I was a sweaty mess. So if you have your face all made up, it would probably be a good thing to take all that stuff off prior to your work out sesh.
I woke up early the next morning wanting to work out some more. Seriously, this place will get you back into shape pronto. The only negative I can think of, are the high prices of the classes but everything else was perfect! I can’t wait to return for my next class. Check it out! You will not be disappointed.

Spoiler: Hours after the workout I still felt great; energized! All the good feels!
I was nervous. It looked hard. There was a lot of sweat everywhere, but everyone walking out of the class looked really happy. That was a good sign.
I hopped on the treadmill, and away we went. The next hour was filled with grunts and weights and shouting, and I was smiling the whole time.
It was awesome!
Bonus: I walked out of the class all smiles and I was greeted with a smoothie! What?!?
Five Stars!

If you’re looking for a kick-​ass work-​out, this is it!
I’ve been to this BB location three times (and once in NYC). I’m now anxiously waiting for a Barry’s studio to open close to my home in Phoenix.
You won’t find a workout that will push you as much as this one… Sure, in spin classes, you can get away with «pretending» to add that resistance, but not on the treadmills or weights at Barry’s. The trainers are pretty hard core here. They will call you out if you are slacking at all… My first class here was taught by Tommy and the next two were Erica. Just look at either of them for some inspiration! Tommy definitely adds some humor to his class, and Erica is tiny but mighty!
The only things I don’t love about BB are:
1 — the mom in me gets a little nervous that someone is going to fall off their treadmill due to the lights being so dim. I hope I’m wrong…
2 — the locker area can get a little crowded… not exactly pleasant rubbing up against other sweaty bodies after class!
3 — I wish you could go early and warm up or stay a few minutes late to cool down a bit. I’d absolutely take advantage if they had a little leeway on either end!
Regardless, as I tried to push myself during my treadmill workout at my own home gym over the weekend, I thought about how hard I worked during the classes I took from Barry’s… It just isn’t the same without Tommy, Erica, or said trainer pushing you and the rest of the packed class to give it your all — take it up a notch, do another rep, etc… Barry’s Bootcamp has it down. I just wish I could go more often.
On another positive note, I like that they have the café onsite… I had an awesome smoothie after one of my workouts and love that they can just charge the card on file and your order will be ready right after your class!
Needless to say, I’ll be back for more ass kicking on my next trip to SF… and hope to see Barry’s come to AZ in the future too!

After a grueling Barry’s Bootcamp in NY a few weeks ago I was ready for more torture… this time with Tommy in San Francisco. Based on the full 6am class on a Monday I’m thinking he’s a popular guy.
I took the arms and abs class. This is how this particular class was broken up (I believe it switches up each time):
— 6 minutes of running on the treadmill
— 6 minutes of abs/​arms
— 8 minutes of running
— 8 minutes of abs/​arms
— 10 minutes of running
— 10 minutes of abs/​arms
By the end of the class I could hardly move my abs, arms AND legs! Tommy had a lot of energy & was somewhat motivating (basically by making you feel bad about yourself if you stopped). At one point he actually asked me if I’d like him to get me a coffee when I stopped an especially difficult ab exercise. At 6:30am on a Monday I considered taking him up on his offer.
I did like this slightly better than my NY Barry’s experience, but likely because I prefer an abs/​arms workout to the butt/​legs workout I did there. I’m sure I“ll be back for more torture soon!

Pros: Excellent workout, motivating instructors. Also the smoothies looked great (next time I go, I’ll get one).
Cons: It’s filled to the brim with Marina types. There will be copious bros and blonde… bro-​ettes (?). There will be grunting by the bros. There will be whoos and yeahs! by the girls. But the music and your heart will be thumping so it’s easy to ignore.
Also just to clarify for those that are anxious about this class — I’m not a fantastic runner (I get winded at 6 mph at 10 minutes on the treadmill at 1% incline) and felt an unreasonable level of anxiety about this class due to the previous reviews. I had this incorrect misconception that you would be sprinting at 9 mph at various inclines for the entire 10 minutes on the treadmill. Instead, the treadmill portion is VERY interval based. You will be recovering a lot (walking or jogging — typically at an incline) and then sprinting for typically tens of seconds. It’s challenging but it won’t kill you or make you hurl. For reference: I started working out approximately a month ago so I’m fit but not in athlete shape.
So don’t worry and give it a try!

(new trainers edit) September = 7 months in & I’m so addicted I started going 40 days a month. (Yeah you make sense outta that.) This is my fave place in SF, not just gymwise but anythingwise.
** New Instructors **
BIGBULL (PAUL)
workout: Stay with the pace!
music: Uncontrollable dancing
effect: Like I drank a ton of coffee
BRIAN
workout: OG techniques mixed in
music: Blink 182 & Blink 182 ;p
effect: Rounded out
GABBY
workout: Addictive way of talking
music: Hey girl, is that you Gwen?
effect: Fun torture
JEFF
workout: Burns! It burns!
music: nnts nnts nnts
effect: Jelly legs
MANDY
workout: Smiles the most
music: TLC #riplefteye, Beastie Boys, et al
effect: Class is already over?
VANESSA O
workout: Squats for dayssss
music: Blackstreet, ACDC, Outkast, more
effect: Get your badonkadonk did
** Classic Instructors **
ADAM
workout: Like a peptalk for your body
music: Boots&pants & boots&pants!
effect: Motivated
ALVIN
workout: Sore in unexpected places #thatswhatshesaid #nobromo
music: New & old rap /​R&B
effect: Who’s up for karaōke!
CHRIS
workout: Form focused, goal oriented
music: 80s/​90s + Internet memes
effect: «Get to a better you»
ERICA
workout: Dem motivational mantras doe
music: blingblingghettofabwatwat
effect: #rrmrrzrrng
JOEL
workout: Professor Pain
music: Diva hall of fame orshouldisayflame!
effect: Done, son
NICHOLE
workout: Welcome to sweat city, beezys
music: Spice Girls, dope boyz, 1000miles
effect: Like I just got out the pool
SHAUNA
workout: Not jazzercise trick crunkercise
music: Reeeeeeemmmiiiiiiiiiiiixx!
effect: Zesty
TOMMY
workout: The innuendos grow on you #thatswhatshesaid
music: Rap, rock, movie soundtracks
effect: Call the amberlamps
LOW LIGHTS
Good, you don’t see me fail like half the exercises.
LOUD MUSIC
Masks my roaring like a tazmaniandevilsharkbothoneybadgzilla.
CONFUSION
Check your neighbors (but they may be #doingitwrong).
TREADMILLS
Dunno, I do floor weights the whole time.
CLASSES
Different body parts per day = work around injuries. #AnooL
RSVPING
Super easy. Mind the 12hr cancellation window plzthx.
SMOOTHIE BAR
Order before class, ready for pickup after class.
DAT MALIN+GOETZ
Signature lobby aroma — I’d recognize it anywhere.
$$$$$
Worth it. Reason I pay month after month is *results*.