WHAT IS BARRE?

Barre Workout Exercises

Barre workouts incorporate principles of Pilates and yoga with a focus on holding positions for extended periods of time in order to improve endurance while toning and strengthening muscles. The exercises work your core while protecting your back. Exercises that fully extend your arms require you to point your toes develop balance. Other barre workout poses and moves require the use of the ballet barre to support the body’s full weight, pushing endurance skills and muscles to their limits. Your muscles will be lengthened, strengthened, toned and sculpted. Your flexibility will vastly improve as you develop great posture and the physique of a dancer.

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Who can Benefit from Barre?

Participating in a Barre workout requires no previous experience or fitness ability. People of all ages enjoy and benefit from Barre as the classes are tailored to challenge participants at their level. Whether you are seasoned athlete, beginner, marathon runner or someone looking for a new way to work out, you can sweat it out together on the ballet bar in your next barre class at BU!

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Barre Workout Benefits

Barre workouts incorporate slow and fast moves, providing multiple physical and other health benefits, including:

• Full body aerobic workout

• Tone, lean muscles

• Muscle strengthening

• Interval training

• Proper body form

• Perfect posture

• Increased metabolic rate

• Calorie burning

• Targeting of small, often overlooked muscles

• Precise ballet technique

• Dance conditioning

• Core strengthening

• Increased extension

• Greater flexibility

• Increased stamina

• Better balance

• Improved physical and mental fitness

• Boosted energy levels

 

What is a Barre Workout?

Barre workouts are the latest fitness craze, attracting anyone seeking a strengthening, lengthening, toning form of exercise that pushes their muscles to the limit. Incorporating moves from the worlds of ballet, pilates, and yoga, Barre workouts are named for the ballet bars used; a “barre” refers to the supportive stationary handrail used in ballet training and warm-ups. Today, bars are increasingly utilized not only for dance but as part of general fitness programs. If your goal is to have the physique of a dancer, a full-body Barre workout may be your ticket.

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What to Expect in a Barre Fitness Class.

A barre fitness class is not a dance class although it does incorporate dance training skills and dance techniques such plies and pirouettes. In addition, a barre workout class at Barre Unlimited may incorporate:

• Light 2lb weights

• Resistance bands

• Resistance balls

• Sliders

• Squats

• Stretches

• Kicks

• Torso twists

• Leg lifts

• Thigh work

• Abdominal crunches

• Floor exercises

• Arm work

• Push-ups

• Tricep dips

• Barre Leg Work

 

Barre workouts are best known for targeting all of the leg muscles groups from head to toe, causing the thigh and glute muscles to burn. Using the ballet bar and designed to tone your butt and shape your inner thighs and calves, the leg work portion of a barre exercise class is probably the most difficult.