

The isometric contractions that make up the bulk of a barre class occur when the muscle tenses without changing length. Those tiny movements can help you get stronger. So really, can the $20 to $30 spent on each class truly help lift your rear, tone your thighs, improve posture, and deliver a dancer’s body? Here’s what the experts say: 1. “In fact, you’re getting a killer workout because the one-inch increments are enough to fire up the muscle and make it more elastic, but not too big to tear the muscle.” The Benefits But that’s absolutely not the case, Leonard says.

That’s why you’ll often hear, “Down an inch, up an inch,” repeated by barre teachers.įor someone who’s used to HIIT or CrossFit, it may seem like you’re not working hard enough. So what’s the difference between barre and a typical strength training class? Rather than larger, compound movements (think squats and shoulder presses), you’ll perform tiny, one-inch increments called isometric movements, says Burr Leonard, fitness expert and founder of The Bar Method.

And while most studios recommend wearing socks with sticky grips on the bottom, others let you go barefoot. For lower-body work, a soft exercise ball is often used to help engage leg muscles. Basically if your neighborhood doesn’t have a barre studio, it’s safe to assume it will soon.Īs for gear, the moves are typically bodyweight only, but you can use light hand weights (usually two or three pounds) or resistance bands to level up your arm exercises. Several brands, including Barre3, Beyond Barre, and Physique 57 also offer online streaming and on-demand videos. In fact, Pure Barre has almost 300 locations, while The Bar Method just opened its 82nd studio. Barre has morphed from a class for nimble dancer-types to become the workout of choice for fitness fiends everywhere-and studios are springing up in droves across the U.S. To say the barre trend has heated up in the last 10 years is an understatement. In fact, so many teachers eventually left the original Lotte Berk Method studio that it ended up closing its doors in 2005. Over time instructors began branching off to create their own variations of the workout, such as Physique 57, The Bar Method, and Core Fusion, among others. Lydia Bach, an American student of Berk’s, brought the workout back to the states in 1971, when she opened the first Lotte Berk Method studio in New York City. She opened her first studio in 1959 in her London basement, where famous faces such as Joan Collins and Barbara Streisand regularly came to lift, tuck, and curl. After injuring her back, Lotte Berk, a German dancer living in London, came up with the idea to combine her dance conditioning routine with her rehabilitative therapy. On days you find yourself with a little more room in your schedule, check our any of our other barre videos and enjoy some new moves.Considering that the basic equipment (ahem, a ballet barre) and many of the moves are based on classic ballet positions, it’s no surprise barre was developed by a ballerina. We also kept it simple using no equipment – only bodyweight! This saves time and money on purchasing and locating equipment. We’ve designed this barre cardio workout to get the job done in 10 minutes. With a busy life it can be challenging to find time for a workout. No one has an abundance of time leftover in the day. No jumping needed! Once you’ve conquered this barre cardio workout step it up a notch and challenge yourself to our high intensity barre cardio workout! WHY CHOOSE THIS WORKOUT? No pounding on your joints or connective tissue. Lindsey’s energy is infectious so you’re sure to have fun while you work! And remember, it is all entirely low impact.
#BARRE MOVES FOR ABS SERIES#
Adding a splash of low impact cardio helps to get your heart rate up without putting extra stress on your joints or leaving you in pain.įollow Lindsey Bomgren through this barre cardio workout as she takes you through simple, but effective moves to tone you up with a nice boost of cardio to get your heart going! Lindsey guides you through an amazing plank series to start things off and give you a tight, strong core! Next up are moves for your thighs and glutes like a squat and lunge series with a plié heel lift for inner thighs and calves. Using nothing but bodyweight, we keep it simple but effective drawing from the foundation of barre training known for it’s amazing results. This 10-minute low impact barre cardio workout is designed to help you tone and tighten your legs, butt and core while getting your heart pumping and calories burning.
