
Improves Posture: Barre focuses on strengthening the muscles of the shoulders, chest, core, and hips which are all very important for posture and typically the parts of our body that become weak with sitting and working all day long.Ģ. Here are the top 10 benefits of doing barre workouts as part of your health and fitness routine. Both types of workouts are great for weight loss and blood sugar control. In barre classes, you will find yourself pulsing for 20, 30, or 50 repetitions of glute bridges in different positions to fatigue a specific muscle group. Conversly, Pilates uses a very specific flow of movements as your muscles work hard to control the transitions through each movement. However, barre separates itself from Pilates by doing more repetitions of various positions at a faster tempo to help “burn out” a muscle group and improve your overall muscle endurance and strength. Barre and Pilates are very similar in their focus in that the goal is to improve posture and core strength. You may notice many similarities between barre and popular workout classes like yoga or Pilates. Your feet, knees, and hips are together as you sit back into a low squat like you are sitting on a chair. Chair: This is performed at the barre and hands holding on for balance.Tuck: Standing with feet together, pelvis tucked underneath you while engaging your glutes and pulling your abdominals in.Your spine is neutral, and you are standing tall to keep your shoulders aligned with your hips. Second Position: Similar to the first position, except now your stance is wide, and your feet, knees, and hips are all facing outward.First Position: Standing tall with your heels together and toes pointed out as if making a small “V” with your feet.There are a few movements you should be familiar with before going to a barre class as these positions are a foundation for many other aspects of the workouts: 6 After the burn, the class usually ends with yoga-type stretching and a cool down. Most barre classes are structured to start with postural awareness and warm up at the actual “barre.” 5 The instructor will start with arm exercises, either standing or on the mat, then move to core and glute exercises using various weights and props. You will feel your heart rate increase and sweat pour in this type of barre class. This differs from Traditional Barre due to the bigger, more dynamic movements. You may even be asked to flow through more dance-like movements like those done in Zumba. 3,4 One example is doing a squat with a shoulder press using dumbbells and moving through each repetition quickly. Cardio Barre is a specific type of barre class in which more full-body or dynamic movements are performed faster and intensity. Props (weights, balls, bands, etc.) add extra resistance and challenge to the movements. Think of holding a lunge and pulsing up and down until your quads are shaking. Traditional barre involves small movements and sustained positions requiring you to push your muscles to their maximum endurance. You can take many types of barre classes to get different workouts of various intensities and movements. But don’t worry you don’t have to know anything about dancing or ballet to be successful in a barre class. 2 Today, barre classes utilize aspects of classical ballet, yoga, and pilates to help improve flexibility, muscular strength, and cardiovascular endurance. Later, she moved to London to open her own barre studio, combining her love for ballet and knowledge of physical therapy to create a low-impact, full-body program for improving core stability, posture, and strength. What is Barre?īarre was created by a ballet dancer, Lotte Berk, in Germany who used her dance training to help recover from a back injury. 1 Here are the benefits of barre workouts that might surprise you, as well as tips on starting your barre workouts at home or a studio today. Everyone from celebrities like Natalie Portman and Madonna to NFL players and Olympic bodybuilders uses barre to help with core strength, muscle endurance, stability, and power. Barre is a full-body, low-impact workout that has gained immense popularity over the years because it is effective, fun, and surprisingly challenging.
