The Class: I took the 50-minute 5:30pm class on a Tuesday.
The Appeal: Interval training is perfect for my short attention span, and TreadBarre’s reviews on ClassPass were almost effusively positive. I don’t love running, but I’d heard that TreadBarre (much like Beyond 500) doesn’t make you feel totally inept if you didn’t do cross country in high school.
The Instructor: Sue taught our class. She was bubbly and approachable and gave a very helpful rundown of what to expect before class started. I’m always impressed with anyone who teaches a HIIT class (it’s like teaching two classes at the same time), but Sue was easy to follow.
The Space: Located just a few doors down from its sister studio, PilatesBarre, in Snider Plaza, TreadBarre is a small studio, but it’s clean and bright with nice Woodway 4Front Treadmills and a playlist that suits the SMU crowd.
Who’s There: The SMU crowd, and Park Cities dwellers in their twenties and thirties. My class was all women.
What to Wear: Shorts or leggings would be equally fine here. Tennis shoes are a must. I personally was disgustingly sweaty, so maybe stick with a tank or a supportive bra over a heavy t-shirt.
How It Went: Fast! Half of the class starts on the treadmills while the other half works with free weights, the Pilates chair, or a springboard in the middle of the room before alternating after about 10 minutes. On the treadmills, we did a lot of quick sprints, a slight uphill jog, and maybe a 10-minute run where you slowly built up speed (although I didn’t feel any pressure to do so). I’d never really seen anything like the Pilates chair in the center of the room, and it was not my friend, but I’m coming back to take it on again soon. I will conquer you, chair!
The Aftermath: I’ll reiterate my aggressive sweatiness, but for a person that generally goes out of her way to avoid running, TreadBarre left me feeling invigorated instead of winded. I also felt that I deeply deserved the second glass of wine often required to watch Bachelor in Paradise later that evening.
Loved: The workout was obviously great, but honestly, the crowd was cool. Maybe it was just Sue’s effervescent personality, but the vibes in TreadBarre were awesome and — unlike some other HIIT classes I’ve taken — didn’t feel super competitive.
Didn’t Love: There’s only a single bathroom, and a couple of students (including me) ended up starting the class a tiny bit late due to a line. That kind of thing always stresses me out.
Difficulty: I work out about five times a week, and this was a challenge. The cool thing is that you can really make the workout as hard or easy as you’d like, and no one (or at least not Sue) is going to judge you for lifting lighter weights or not running as fast as your neighbor.
Bottom Line: TreadBarre lived up to those effusive reviews. I will definitely be back. I’ll just make sure I went to the bathroom first.
