This sponsored feature is part of a yearlong series called Farnoosh and Mike Get Healthy. If you’re a business owner and would like to inquire about spotlighting your wellness services or products, please get in touch.
📍Bar Method, 493 Bloomfield Ave, 2nd Floor, Montclair
🔐 Use Promo Code MONTCLAIRPOD online or on the Bar Method app to redeem a free class (expires February 28, 2026). Valid 1 per customer.
❄️ The studio is also offering a winter promo: 30 Days of Unlimited Class for $78.
It’s the start of 2026, and like everyone else, we’ve sworn this is the year we get healthy, fit, and absolutely unstoppable. That naturally brought us to Bar Method in Montclair to see what all the buzz is about with this low-impact, full-body work out that tones, strengthens, and improves your posture. Located on Bloomfield Avenue, our Montclair studio welcomes all — first-timers, regulars, and fitness veterans alike.
Mike and Farnoosh had a chance to meet Jenna Smith, the owner of Bar Method, to learn more about workout offerings and the physical benefits of this challenging workout. “Every single exercise that we do in class has been developed by a physical therapist. So our program is super safe,” said Smith. “It is very low impact, so for people who are maybe in their middle ages, it’s very safe. Our movements are very small, and that helps us work deeper into each muscle. Once a muscle group is fatigued, we stretch.”
Mike and Farnoosh took a 45-minute Express class, shaking, squeezing, and pulsing right up until the final moments, when the much-needed cooldown stretch finally began.
What to Expect in Class
Bar Method is a full-body workout designed to help you feel strong and balanced, all without jumping or high-impact movements. Think ballet, Pilates, and yoga rolled into a 45- or 60-minute class that works your muscles deeper than you might expect.
Before your first class, be sure to pack a water bottle and wear comfortable clothing that allows for easy movement. You will also want to bring grippy socks to help prevent slipping on the carpeted studio floor.
When you arrive, students take the back steps to the second floor of 493 Bloomfield Avenue, where you will check in at the studio. After checking in, you can browse the shop stocked with stylish workout apparel and accessories, or pick up a pair of grippy socks before class. Personal belongings can be safely stored in the cubbies and lockers located throughout the studio.
The studio setup is simple and welcoming. Students enter a bright, airy workout room overlooking Bloomfield Avenue and choose a spot along the wall-mounted bar, which you will use throughout the entire class for balance and support. Once you have claimed your spot, head toward the windows to grab light and heavier weights, a small ball, and a mat to support your knees or back.
From there, the instructor starts the music and the 45- or 60-minute class begins. You may be surprised by how quickly the low-impact movements start to burn, in the best way. The combination of stretching and strengthening is designed to build endurance and improve overall body awareness. “You pulse. You squeeze. You shake,” says first-timer Mike.
Instructors also provide hands-on corrections to help keep alignment safe and intentional, especially during your first class.
Why People Keep Coming Back
Bar Method is more than just a workout in Montclair. Many clients return for the familiarilty of seeing their regular instructors and fellow Montclair locals at the same time each week.
And it’s not just the faces that stay consistent; the results do too. Maureen, who started attending in 2017 to get in shape for her wedding, now comes three times a week. “It’s a lot of small, repetitious movements, but you get real definition. Everything feels tighter — posture, confidence, all of it,” she says.
Beth, a longtime client, has been attending since the studio opened 15 years ago. “This studio has carried me through pregnancies, perimenopause, injuries, aging, and major life moments too. It’s my community.”
That mix of expert guidance, effective exercises, and a supportive environment keeps students coming back class after class.
Listeners to the Montclair Pod, here’s a special discount: the studio is offering a free class to our audience. Just use the code MONTCLAIRPOD at checkout when you book on the Bar Method app or website. The code is valid through February 28, 2026.
If you’re ready to go all in, the studio is also running a 30-day unlimited class special for $78, a total steal for anyone looking to kickstart their fitness routine.
