What to expect in a Pure Barre class!
If you’re staying on top of fitness trends, you know that Barre workouts are all the rage these days. While all barre workouts differ slightly in structure, most methods incorporate exercises done at a ballet barre. Barre exercises rely mainly on one’s bodyweight for resistance and the moves challenge your core stability and balance. Barre workouts are becoming more popular because they provide participants with strong, sleek and streamlined results!
While running is one of my favorite exercise activities, overtime, I was beginning to notice that I needed to work on toning my muscles to become stronger during my races. Even though barre technique is high intensity; it is very low impact, meaning that you get a great workout without putting extreme pressure on your joints! Pure Barre has become my go-to fitness studio! Since signing up for their classes, I’ve noticed that my muscles have become stronger and leaner over the past couple of months. Each of the classes focus on very tiny isometric movements which has helped my stability as a runner. Many Pure Barre exercises use either a small ball, little hand weights, or some sort of tubing for resistance as workout tools. Typically, classes include a short warm up and light weights to work your upper body. Then you move to the barre to work your lower body (thighs and seat). After that, you typically do floor work that includes abdominals and lower body exercises. This is followed by a cool down and final stretches. I love the variety because I’m never bored and I get a full body workout!
There is often a misconception that you need to be in tip-top physical shape or be a former ballerina to be able to rock a barre class. That really isn’t the case! Walk into a Pure Barre studio and you will see a room full of strong, dedicated people that span many age groups and fitness levels. Taking a Pure Barre class is a low-impact workout and can seriously be done by anyone. Trust me, as long as you can hold onto a ballet barre, you can do a barre workout – no dance experience required! The instructors are great about setting up the exercises and circulating the room to help ensure we stay in proper form and get the most of our time in class.
I chatted with Molly at Pure Barre and she said, “Allow yourself to be a beginner. You may feel out of your element at first, but that’s normal. Stick with it and we’ll show you what you’re really capable of. Here’s a little secret: it never gets easier; you’ll just get stronger.” Pure Barre studios are everywhere nationwide and for those who don’t want to leave the comfort of their own home, they offer a variety of workout DVD’s too. To learn more or to find a location near you visit
www.purebarre.com/ltb/
See you at the Barre! #isurvivedpurebarre
-Katelynn
