The studio at Align is small- only 20 people per class. The teacher today was "Michelle", who was a cutie, which seemed to increase my husband's enjoyment of the class.
Michelle had us use "Magic Circles" (pictured below), which I had never used before. Most of the moves required the circle to be placed between the thighs, and squeezed while doing squats. It definitely increased the intensity, though the same effect was achieved with the playground balls (see below)
The class started with traditional mat pilates, some cardio (jumping jacks, cardio boxing) and then the Magic Circle. Then came some pushups (oh boy, am I weak!), planks, and upper body work with 3-4 lb balls like this. Now, I know 3 or 4 lbs is nothing (especially for the 6 MEN in the class) but after many sets, you definitely feel the burn!
We also used "playground balls" for leg work, squats and pulsing while squeezing the ball.
In closing, I think that barre is probably a little more appealing to ladies, who enjoy the concentrated butt toning. However, I think the D-man would agree that it was definitely a workout for men too!
Thanks hubby for joining me at the class!
Readers- does your husband or boyfriend ever tag along with you to try out a new workout that you love? What does he like/dislike about the workouts?
