What Is A Barre Class? – A Beginner's Guide to Barre Workouts
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There have been plenty of innovations even in the field of fitness and workout. The popular Barre workout is the latest addition to the varied forms of working out. If fitness is your passion, then you may have heard of Barre within your fitness circles.
Although not too recent, Barre workouts gained popularity in the last decade. It’s a form of workout that Lotte Berk invented in 1959. She was a ballerina who incorporated elements of ballet into a new form of exercise. The term ‘barre’ refers to a ballet barre(bar) used for ballet training.
So, what is barre all about? Let us dive head-first into this fun and intensely calorie-burning exercise.
What is a Barre workout?
A barre workout consists of multiple exercises that combine elements of ballet, pilates, yoga and strength training into a single workout. It’s a vigorous exercise that can burn a lot of calories. It involves small isometric movements that focus on particular groups of muscles. It has many benefits, like building strength and endurance and working up under-utilized muscles.
Benefits of Barre workout
Barre workouts have plenty of benefits, with the most related to flexibility, strength, posture and balance.
Barre workouts can be quite vigorous, requiring constant contraction and relaxation of muscle groups. Since it’s a form of resistance training that uses your own body weight, you can be sure that you’re loading those muscles and strengthening them significantly.
The continuous repetitions of a Barre workout are the main reason why muscles get an excellent burn and get leaner and fitter. Barre classes usually have workouts that will engage
your core, sculpting and strengthening your abs and back.
Since the Barre workout is derived from ballet, it naturally brings with it the flexibility required in the dance. Your muscles and joints are stretched, improving flexibility and mobility. The ballet-inspired exercise steps may include stretchy movements of the arms and hips.
Barre exercises rely on exhaustive repetitions of lighter loads, as opposed to lesser repetitions with greater weights. This means you go long with barre workouts, testing your strength and stamina. You have to hold positions for longer, but the lesser weight means you can really focus on what muscles are getting activated.
Many exercises in a typical barre workout focus on your core muscles. A strong and flexible core can significantly improve your gait, posture and agility.
Barre workouts do not put unnecessary stress on your joints because they are low-impact exercises. There’s no jumping involved and there’s no contact with hard surfaces. Barre is excellent for those with prior injuries who want to continue working out. They’re also great for pre and post-natal women.
What to Expect in a Barre Class
If you’re new to barre workouts, here's what you can expect on your first day.
- The workout starts with a warm-up.
- The instructor may then start you with leg exercises using a bar or stool.
- You may follow that up with core exercises on a mat.
- Weights or blocks may also be used as you progress with your barre workout
- The last exercise is usually a cool-down workout like yoga or stretching.
Beginner Tips for Barre Workouts
Find your own pace: Barre workouts can move on quickly with fast repetitions. If you feel the workout is too fast for your body, there’s no harm in slowing down a bit.
Divide your workouts: Beginners can divide their barre workouts into two segments done at different times of the day. Doing it in two parts may be easier for some.
If you’re looking to start your barre training classes, then Download the FITPASS app and start finding the best barre classes near you. Not only that, but the comprehensive fitness app can also lead you to pilates workout classes, calisthenics and yoga classes.
Barre classes can improve your muscle strength, give you better flexibility, improve endurance, and help you burn calories and lose weight.
Even though barre is derived from ballet, you do not need any dance experience to take a barre class.
You will need a yoga mat to practice barre workouts. Other props that come in handy for barre are stability balls, bands, weights, and blocks. Your gym may have these props available for you. If you’re practising barre at home, you may need to have your own.
