BARE-ING IT ALL

BARE MANILA is the latest, most intense fitness studio to hit the Philippines

It was with excitement and a healthy dose of trepidation that I walked up to BARE Manila. The latest in the boutique fitness craze to hit the capital, BARE makes use of full-body, high-intensity workouts combined with a nutritious outlook. “We believe that looking good and feeling good comes with living a healthy and honest lifestyle,” says studio manager Yael Umali. “We are not considered a gym, but a lifestyle and training facility that is best known for delivering dramatic transformation results.”

The workout I was scheduled to do was the BLACK Workout, a 55-minute session in a dark room with a club-like atmosphere that conflates cardio and weights, the aim of which is to increase metabolism and test strength through weights, high-intensity reps and the treadmill. According to Yael, you can burn up to 1000 calories in a class.

I was understandably nervous, my only workout being indoor cycling. Stick me in a room with a bike, my favorite instructor, and great music and I’ll happily spin away, but I know nothing about actual gym training. When our instructor started reading off the reps on the wall, I understood nothing. How many sets is a “set”? (It turns out, 12 to 20 but I ended up just following people around me). How do I do a burpee? (I was terrible) When the instructor says set your treadmill resistance between 9 to 14, is it possible to do so? (For other people, yes. For me, no. I did most of the run clutching the handles white-knuckled, a look of fear on my face because Isabelle Daza was running next to me and I didn’t want to fly off in front of her).

It was plenty intimidating but Yael and the rest of the partners at BARE know this, which is why they make sure to maintain a welcoming atmosphere in the studio. “BARE Manila is more than just a gym, we are a community. We like to keep the atmosphere in our studio very friendly and approachable,” says Yael. Even

during the intense workout session, the instructor was very engaging, encouraging me to lift higher, run faster, and stretch further. Along with that, everyone I was working out with had the same positive mindset.

“BARE is not just about the workout and how you feel after, because your BARE experience starts from when you enter the studio, and ends with you killing the workout and meeting new people,” says Yael. In place of a reception area, they have a health bar, where you can come in before or after the workout, order a protein shake, and chat with everyone. “We want you to feel like you’re working out with pals!” says Yael.

Other than the BLACK Workout, they also offer the LAB class, which focuses more on functional training. This weight training session is split into two: strength and conditioning. “All in all, we offer group classes because we believe that working out is more fun and motivating when you have like-minded people around you,” says Yael.

After the class, my arms hurt and my legs felt like jelly, and I knew it was going to feel terrible the next day. But I felt a rush of adrenaline and a healthy sort of competition with myself. I want to go back and get better (maybe after I practice running on a treadmill and actually figure out reps and sets). The most insane part of the class was the “parachute” session, where you run on the treadmill on parachute mode in groups of three. It was hard and I was probably terrible but hearing my group mates cheer on me made it all worth it.

According to Yael, anyone interested should give it a go and come with an open mind. “We at BARE are open to anyone who is curious to give our classes a try. You can’t do a move? No worries, we will adapt it for you,” she says.

BARE MANILA is located on the 2nd Floor, 8 Forbestown Rd, Taguig, Metro Manila