The previous sections have revealed the truth of the old adage “no pain, no gain.” You burn more fat, for example, when you fight during your training than when you do it effortlessly. You also gain more endurance and strength, nourish your organs, stay young, and even lift your buttocks. There is yet one more benefit to add to this list, one that happens to be the most important of all. The butt kick exercise is habit forming.

Believe it or not, the benefit Bar Method students mention most often, even more than its body-changing powers, is its addictive power over them, and with good reason. In the end, what matters most in the realm of exercise is that you stick with it, and what better way to succeed than by getting hopelessly hooked?

Why exactly are highly challenging workouts like long-distance running and the barre method (which has been called “worse than work” and “ooooow! but in a good way”) so addictive? On the one hand, we human beings love a challenge. We instinctively look for evidence that will take us to the furthest end point of our resistance. This final point, sometimes we call it “the edge”, is a place that we humans find especially interesting, sometimes even illuminating. It is that moment before we are afraid to shout “no more” when we witness a clash between our courage and our cowardice. How will we handle a moment that seems to last forever? How close to the edge do we dare to play it today? Has our courage grown since the last time? We immerse ourselves in this plot more passionately than in an exciting movie or an elaborate puzzle. If we’re lucky, our inner action figure, the guy or girl who gives us this very personal advantage, not only shows up, but continues to fight for us throughout the rest of the day, empowering us to deal with problems that once seemed insurmountable.

Your fighting spirit isn’t the only part of you that gets drawn into the fray during those final fiery moments in intense training. Your mind is also captive. The final push is too demanding for you to be simultaneously thinking about that unanswered email or what you’re having for lunch. You are obligated to give the situation your full attention. In this way, greater mental focus becomes part of the exercise. Corporate executives, mothers of several young children, and others with highly stressed lives appreciate the power of the Bar Method to temporarily shut down their frozen brains, allowing them to reset their inner monologues. Other less stressed students enjoy the intellectual appeal of having their minds directed so sharply.

Then of course, as we already know, there are all those endorphins. What’s especially great about the post-workout high is that it lasts. Relaxing massage stimulates endorphins mainly as you work. The physical challenge cooks up a pot of endorphins that are still bubbling up hours later. As a Jane magazine reporter wrote after taking her first Bar Method class from her: “Endorphin quotient: Magnificent.”

What’s better, the Bar Method keeps working, even after the students make a profit. Endorphin junkies are delighted to discover that The Barre Method can always be relied upon to give them a kick-ass workout followed by an all-day hormonal rush. Without a doubt, the Bar Method is just one of a vast field of endorphin-generating activities. Other options include mountain climbing and biking, running marathons and triathlons, bodybuilding, boot camps, pole dancing, gymnastics… the list goes on and on. All these sports will change your body and strengthen your spirit.

However, chart the pros and cons of these options and you’ll find three checks in the Bar Method pros column that are missing from most others. First of all, the Bar Method class provides the thrill without the bandaged knees. His movements are safe and gentle on the joints, while also providing something akin to a runner’s exhilaration. Second, the Bar Method burn hits you square in the solar plexus. Gym routines can be tough, but they often leave a part of you uninvolved. A force set of Bar Method crashes inescapably against your intestine and does not disconnect until the end “release!”

Last but not least, a Bar Method class leaves you stress-free and at peace. Other hard-hitting options will give you energy, but they’ll also likely knock you out a bit. For this reason, many athletes whose injuries prevent them from fully participating in their sport find the Bar Method a blessing. Do not misunderstand. Peaceful and undemanding exercise has a very important role to play. Walking on the beach with your dog, going to a yoga class, playing Frisbee with your kids, dancing – these hobbies create the texture of our lives. But when your goal is to make positive changes in your body and spirit, keep in mind that your body not only benefits from the challenge, it wants it too.

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