Boys at the sports barre

Let’s face it. Even when the Chargers are at training camp, even when the NBA has left their b-balls behind in the locker room, and even after the best part of the sports year comes to a close and the FIFA World Cup field lies empty, getting a guy to a sports bar is a no brainer.

But a ballet bar? Not so much, right?

Wrong. The game-changer is Studio Barre Bird Rock, where the barre(tenders) are serving up the perfect happy hour mixer. Yup, a co-ed class, at the barre.

Every Friday evening, the Boys and Beer and Men and Margaritas classes are free for the guys, and guaranteed to work you out hard enough to sweat the what-kind-of-dude-works-out-on-a-ballet-bar attitude right out of you.

When Discover SD caught up with co-owner Jennifer Cosco at the studio, she explained the idea behind getting guys to the barre. “This is an extremely challenging workout and it definitely doesn’t look as challenging as it is. The guys are intimidated because it’s so feminine, and they start out saying things like, ‘What’s this ballet thing?’ Then they get in there and start saying, ‘OK, I’m not moving that much, but I’m dying here. And why are my legs shaking?’”

One-hour Friday afternoon classes, followed by margarita playtime. Seems kind of counter-productive, until you try it.

You won’t just work off what you’re about to drink, you’re guaranteed to have that one workout-hangover the next day where you’ve toned your abs so much it hurts to laugh and tightened your gluts and thighs so much that you feel micro-muscles with every move you make. And there’s just enough yoga stirred into these elixirs to keep the zen flowing through your body.

“What my sister and co-owner Lindsay and I loved about barre from the first workout at our original home studio in La Costa was that we came from complete opposite ends of the fitness spectrum yet both saw such amazing results,” Cosco said. “She’s all about surfing and yoga and working out in the most natural environments possible, and I played Division I volleyball and run ultra-marathons. And this specialized barre class enhances both of our fitness lifestyles. Sure we add the margaritas into the mix, but that’s more about people not coming here just for a workout, but coming to be part of a family that shares goals and has fun together.”

Imagine all of the elements of your generic, core-cardio-power-sculpt class, minus the bootcamp barking. Then add the subtle, lean-muscle toning of pilates and yoga. Now tuck, plié, and stir - and in 60 minutes you’ll have worked every muscle group into core strength, redefined.

Studio Barre has four San Diego County locations in Bird Rock, La Costa, Mission Hills and Carmel Valley and studios in San Juan Capistrano, Newbury Park, Rhode Island, and South Carolina, which is a really good thing because once you try it, you’ll come back.

And for the definitive boy-meets-girl-meets-happily-ever-after of fitness practices, check out their Bird Rock studio on Friday nights for Men and Margaritas at the Barre. No tutus required.

At the barre

Where: Studio Barre Bird Rock, 5705 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla

When: 4:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Fridays

Online: StudioBarre.com/BirdRock

Contact: (858) 459-1900, BirdRock@StudioBarre.com

Anna Mueco has been a student of hatha and kriya yoga since 2003. Mueco became a yoga instructor in 2006 and currently teaches in Pacific Beach. Send your thoughts about the yoga world to her at anna@HyperNinjaYoga.com.

Source: DiscoverSD