Regardless of how graceful your plies and pirouettes are, a ballet-inspired barre fitness class will take your body and confidence to new levels.
Here are 10 convincing reasons to hit the barre…
Foster Flexibility
Sure, working out at the barre brings to mind ballet shoes and tutus. However, it also calls in aspects from yoga when it comes to stretching, toning, and promoting overall body flexibility, starting at the core and improving balance, gait, and overall movement.
Perfects Posture
Barre workouts focus on our core muscles (the abdominals, lower back, and hip flexors). And the more these are engaged and stabilized, the better your spine, shoulders, neck, and back become aligned. As a result overall posture improve and we feel taller and more balanced.
No Fancy Equipment Required
Almost every workout requires new equipment—mats and straps for yoga, spin shoes for cycling, cleats for soccer, and so forth. However, barre workouts don’t require new shoes or clothes (but you can buy that bodysuit and tutu if you really want to). Ballet shoes aren’t even required for barre. Just dress comfortably and go barefoot, as long as you’re comfortable.
More Effective Than Push Ups
We’ve already established that barre focuses on the core muscles by contracting, holding, and toning as muscles are stretched and lengthened. The core engagement of barre builds enviable taunt tummies in no time—minus the need for crunches.
Improves Balance
As your balance improves with barre class (resulting from core strengthening) aspects of your posture will correct themselves. Suddenly you’ll no longer slouch, and you’ll feel more balanced and surefooted, putting less stress on your body with normal movement.
Agile Angel
With strength, flexibility, and balance come grace—and regular classes at the barre will certainly make you look and feel more graceful. Long lean muscles created from this core-focused workout build long, lean muscles not a stocky, bulky physique.
You Can Practice At Home
Like running, barre classes can really be done anywhere. So if you can’t afford a studio membership, don’t put your pirouette dreams away just yet. A high chair or countertop can easily substitute for a ballet bar in a pinch—and I’ll bet you have one of each at home.
Whole-Body Workout
It all starts from the core, and once the core is working a domino effect occurs. Suddenly, the surrounding muscles in the upper abdominals, hips, buttocks, legs, arms, and entire body are also working to stabilize your barre exercises.
Pirouettes at Any Age
No, you don’t need to don a frilly pink tutu for barre class to workout like you did in ballet when you were 6-years old. It’s never too late to start, even if you’re 60-years old, there is room for you at the barre and classes for every age group.
No Dance Experience Needed
Just like yoga, anyone with any body type can benefit from barre. And you don’t need any dance experience to learn the basic moves and build on them as you burn calories, shred fat, and tone your body.
