The Workout Scene: The Bar Method, Tampa

Tampa workout junkies, say hello to the Bar Method, a full-body exercise program using a ballet bar fitness technique while drawing from the principles of isometrics, dance conditioning, interval training and physical therapy.

Think: dance, pilates and yoga.

Tampa Bay resident and Bar Method enthusiast Jeanette DePuy celebrated the opening of Tampa's first Bar Method studio at MetWest International in Tampa’s Westshore Business District on January 12th. DePuy trained at the Bar Method's flagship studio in San Francisco with founder Burr Leonard, ultimately falling in love with the workout.

“I didn't love any of the things I was doing to be fit until I found this. The way that your body changes because of it is different than any other workout, targeting muscles differently and sculpting hard-to-reach areas,” DePuy says. “I knew I had to open my own studio.”

Calling the hour-long workout “fun and addicting,” DePuy wanted a central location for the studio, ultimately finding the perfect 2,800-square-feet studio in MetWest International, MetLife's 32-acre mixed-used development in Westshore.

“We opened with a full schedule, raring to go and already have a lot of activity from the surrounding office buildings,” she says. “The commuity class members who have tried the Bar Method are already hooked.”

Noticeable results from the workout, she says, include firm, elongated muscles; reduced body fat; high muscle definition in the chest; improved posture; long, narrow thighs; defined hamstrings; increased stamina and energy; strong, flat abdominals; and extended youthfulness.

“Overall, it's just a very intense workout that quickly and safely reshapes your body,” says DePuy, who already has plans to open an additional studio in New Tampa; third and fourth studios may make their way to South Tampa and Pinellas County.

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Jeanette DePuy, The Bar Method