I’ve reported in the past on the growing popularity of barre classes, which incorporate yoga, Pilates and ballet, in order to sculpt and tone participants. In fact, barre has become so popular, many clubs are now offering barre classes, some even going so far as to create entire studios dedicated to the exercise.
However, reporting is one thing — experiencing is another. That’s why last Thursday, I decided to check out what all of the buzz is about, and took my first-ever barre class.
The class was held at my gym in its group exercise room (there is no dedicated Pilates or yoga room at this particular gym). Upon entering, I was told to pick up two hand weights and a small ball, and position a chair in front me. Right away, the instructor began searching for first timers, noticing the person next to me was new. I unfortunately wasn’t identified as a first timer, but it didn’t bother me too much as I figured I’d be able to keep up just fine.
That was the kicker — I extremely underestimated the difficulty of a barre class (at least this instructor’s version). Right away, we started off doing different versions of squats and lunges, and within the first five minutes, I was sweating. And it didn’t stop there. What’s the one thing you need to know about barre? First off, if you’re not a fan of lunges or squats, this isn’t the class for you.
Doing lunges and squats almost the entire time, with very little rest in between, we periodically used the hand weights and balls to intensify the exercises, giving the moves increased sculpting power. The chair we were instructed to place in front of us at the beginning of the class was used for support during some moves. Within 30 minutes, my legs felt like Jello and I was one lunge away from needing to be rolled out in a wheel chair.
Forty-five minutes later, at the class’ completion, I could see why the class is extremely popular for toning purposes. Like I said, the class consisted mostly of lunge and squat moves, with some arm sculpting and core exercises thrown in as well. A day later, I could feel muscles throbbing that I hadn’t even know existed.
My gym’s barre class is held two times per week, and due to its sculpting power, I’m considering adding one to my weekly routine. Overall, it was a fantastic workout, no doubt about it. I highly doubt I would have the motivation on my own to challenge myself the way that particular instructor did.
What do you think? If you’ve experienced barre, do you think it’s just a fad, or a great workout worthy of a spot on any gym’s group fitness schedule?
Rachel Zabonick is the assistant editor for Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@clubsolutionsmagazine.com. Reach out to her about exciting events or programs your club has implemented, or to share the amazing accomplishments of a member.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
I feel so bad you had such an awful experience taking this “barre” class. I have been teaching Pilates for 20 years and when barre started to become popular, I too was skeptical. However, I was amazed at the integrity of the work in barre. I found that posture and form were at the forefront of this method and I was surprised at how many smaller muscle groups I had to recruit to perform the routine. After class, I felt energized, elongated and challenged. I soon got certified in Balanced Body Barre and love teaching it. So many people teach classes without understanding anatomy of movement and that is why people like the author of this article got duped into thinking they were taking barre. It is obvious she was taking another typical gym class with squats and lunges calling itself “barre”. Please try a reputable class: Booty Barre and Balanced Body Barre both follow the principles of Pilates and work to align proper posture through this method.