The Benefits of Barre
After my first Barre class, I was sold. I loved the concept of getting deeper into the moves while using the ballet barre for balance. With the focus of tone and on muscles you didn’t even know you had, you will definitely feel these workouts. In a Fitness Magazine article, Sadie Lincoln, the founder of barre3 fitness says,
“Most barre-based classes use a combination of postures inspired by ballet and other disciplines like yoga and Pilates. The barre is used as a prop to balance while doing exercises that focus on isometric strength training (holding your body still while you contract a specific set of muscles) combined with high reps of small range-of-motion movements.”
The article continued with the many benefits of barre…
- Improved Posture
- Muscle Definition
- Weight Loss
- Increased Flexibility
- Reduced Stress
- Low Impact making these workouts doable during pregnancy
- May help with Imbalance and Stability during pregnancy
- Combines Strength Training and Cardio
Some added benefits…
- You don’t need any special gear – just a yoga mat, chair (use as your barre), and sometimes light hand weights and resistance bands
- *You don’t need any dance experience*
I have loved adding Barre workouts to my weekly routine. Unfortunately, barre studios can be pretty costly. However, I discovered that you can find quite a few options of Barre workouts on Youtube to do at home. Last week, I tried out these At home Barre workouts from Brit + Co. Each video is a different style of barre so it really shows you the variety that each class can have. Also, take advantage of your local studios that give a free class to try!
What are your favorite workouts or most recent workout trends to do at home?
