Barry's Bootcamp is a high-intensity interval workout, aimed at toning muscles and maximizing fat loss through a combination of strength and cardio exercises. And it is famous across the globe for being among the hardest workout routines in the world.

Celebrities like Adriana Lima, Kim Kardashian, and the Beckhams, as well as tens of thousands of customers across their 42 locations worldwide, swear by Barry's classes and their effectiveness in burning fat.

So, I, a self-proclaimed couch potato, with a daily average of less than a thousand steps, decided to give it a go as well. And as you can imagine, it was a hard couple of days for me following the 'hardest workout class in the world'.

I booked a slot at the Canary Wharf branch, which I found quite hard to locate. In fact, I was about 10 minutes late to class and missed the start of the workout because of it.

When I finally found the branch, I walked into a very welcoming atmosphere, and their very friendly receptionist showed me around. I was provided with a towel and some instructions about the training session.

While the workout room was relatively small, it did not feel like it once I was actually in there, as Barry's pride themselves on having small class sizes. Plus, everyone has their own workout station pre-assigned, so there is none of the normal confusion on where to stand or sit.

The room was dimly lit with dark red lights, with mirrors everywhere. My first impression was that it looked like hell, and wow, I was right! After completing the workout I had no more doubts, it was the hardest workout I had ever done.

One thing that immediately stood out when I entered the class, was that every single person participating was really toned and fit. It was like I had walked into the set of a fitness magazine shoot. Whilst it was slightly intimidating for a self-proclaimed couch potato, I thought 'this workout must work!'.

The music was really loud so I couldn't hear some of the instructions that the super fit training instructor, Henry Kher, was giving. But, I thought, 'no need to worry everyone in the room is a pro', so I peaked at what my station neighbor was doing and just tagged along.

The majority of Barry's classes involve a circuit of running on the treadmill, then doing a weighted exercise, and repeating that all over again.

By now, you have probably guessed that running is not a strength of mine. Henry was shouting motivating mantras to encourage us, as well as giving instructions like "speed 9.5". I knew I was not going to be able to run that fast, so I hit speed 7, hoping that I could at least cope with that. But, nope, I was completely wrong.

As the treadmill started gaining speed after hitting 7, I couldn't keep the pace and was about to fall off the machine, when my kind station neighbor, and her quick thinking brain, immediately hit 3 on my machine. I think she potentially saved my life, thank you, kind stranger lady!

Then it was time for another round of abs, squats, and planks, and once again it was hard as hell. But, while sweating more than I have done in my whole life combined, I thought 'I bet a whole month of training like this would make drastic changes, so I may just sign up to do it again'.

However, one thing I did notice was that the coach does not seem to correct your mistakes or explain exercises the way a personal trainer would at a standard gym. But, I guess it is expected that those participating in the 'hardest' workout class, would know what a burpee is, and how to do it properly.

Right away, I felt a sense of relief, and pride. I didn't particularly feel any pain, I wasn't even extremely tired, I was mostly just sweaty and couldn't wait to just get home and take a nice hot shower.

Aches and pains however started the morning after! My abdomen and my legs were literally burning, and I wasn't able to move all day! But, I guess that means it worked, right?

Three days later and my abdomen and legs were still in absolute agony. It's incredible what one 50-minute (40 in my case) workout can do to your body.

This class was the hardest workout I have ever done (or tried to do), and I would definitely recommend it if you are in good shape, and want a hardcore exercise class. The people were nice and the training session did exactly what it promised.

However, if you, like me, spend half of your day in bed and the other half on the sofa, you should probably start going to the gym first, and then try again once you have even a decent level of fitness.

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