The popularity of barre is on the rise. Barre classes combine attributes of Pilates, dance and functional fitness training, typically set to motivating music. Barre workouts are great because they’re appropriate for all fitness levels — from beginners to advanced athletes.
Vie: Fitness & Spa in Ann Arbor, Michigan is a host site for Barre Intensity. Its method incorporates small, isolated movements to fatigue the muscles, large-range motion to elevate the heart rate, and sequencing that incorporates upper and lower body to make every minute count. This results in a total-body workout that leaves your members mentally strong and feeling accomplished.
Here, Lauren Casanova, the co-owner of Vie: Fitness & Spa, explained why they decided to become a host site for Barre Intensity.
CS: How did you hear of Barre Intensity? What intrigued you?
LC: A former Vie instructor brought Barre Intensity to Vie in 2009. At the time, it was such a unique workout, targeting the entire body and appealing to our majority demographic at Vie. It’s smart, fun, difficult and it requires only a few toys — your body and a desire to have fun while changing your body. It’s a low-impact workout any client at any fitness level can succeed at.
CS: Why did you decide to make Vie Fitness & Spa a host site?
LC: Heather Dupuis, founder of Vie, and I decided to make Vie a host site because we appreciate the value in bringing certifications to Vie to inspire new people to teach, to grow a strong team and help keep the “oldies” learn new things. It is so important to continually grow your people to develop a strong program and to do justice to the Barre Intensity method. We believe the best way to do that is to start from the ground up.
CS: What benefit does your facility get from being a host site? Any monetary or ROI benefit?
LC: Stephanie Lyons, the president of Barre Intensity, has kindly offered us an incentive to introduce newbies to the program. For every three people we bring to one of her training weekends, Vie receives the opportunity to put one trainee through the program, free of charge.
CS: How do you think Barre Intensity compares to other barre certifications?
LC: Every trainee that comes out of the 2-day workshop weekend seems energized and excited to teach. They often tell me how much they learned and it shows in that they are usually able to put together a great demo that next week. The program is well-rounded and effective. Barre Intensity is also a creative method, allowing each instructor to choose their music and develop their own cues and teaching style to motivate students. It’s not a cookie-cutter brand.
CS: What else can you tell other club owners about the benefits of Barre Intensity?
LC: Barre Intensity has been a staple class at Vie for 7 years. It’s a class that people love and commit to and see real changes in their bodies. Even with many competitors opening barre studios in the Ann Arbor area, our Barre Intensity classes continue to be our most consistent and strong classes on our schedule. I believe in the Barre Intensity method and would love to see it spread across the country.
For more information on Barre Intensity, click here: https://www.barreintensity.com/.
