Barely Made the Bar with Zayna Gold’s Boston Body Barre DVD
If I once was a Bostonian, am I always a Bostonian? I’m not quite sure, nevertheless the pride which comes from living in Boston for five-years has always stuck with me. It’s one of those things, like when you see a Boston Red Sox cap or a Patriots jersey and you just want to call out “Hey, I used to live on Boylston…” (only in my best Boston accent, of course). This type of pride creates a common ground for many strangers, so you can imagine my reaction when I was asked to review the Boston Body Barre workout DVD by Zayna Gold. I was ecstatic. Did I mention it was made in Boston? But unfortunately, unlike the Red Sox, this DVD did not hit a home run.
This beginners’ DVD, a Pilates and barre fitness program, consists of a 60-minute routine to target many of our problem areas—you know, the hips, thighs and tummies. With a background in ballet, Zayna Gold leads participants through lower-body barre exercises, such as plies and standing leg lifts. Although I did feel my buns burn in the lower-body workout, I couldn’t help but feel as if I was watching Samantha Jones from Sex and the City teach me how to hip thrust. Even with Zayna’s clear and detailed cuing, I still found myself unmotivated and mindlessly following along.
Once I moved on to the rest of the workout, I was continuously disappointed with the amount of time spent on upper body, cardio and abdominals. Each segment was very quick, and I never once broke a sweat. I had even put the DVD to my infamous heart rate monitor test only to find that I burned 80 calories—320 less than promised!
FBG Rating (Out of 5):
Instruction: ★★★
Long-Term Likeability: ★
Music: ★★
Fun Factor: ★
Meets Expectations: ★
Overall: ★1/2
Fit Bottomed Line: While Boston Body Barre may be a good starter for individuals just beginning their fitness journey, for me, this DVD barely made it off home base. If you do want to give this DVD a try, be aware that it requires resistance bands and a squeeze ball to give your body that extra burn.
Has anyone ever experienced one of Zayna’s actual Boston Barre classes? Did you like them? —Raquel