Bodyweight routines are a great way to build strength without any equipment, but sometimes doing endless squats, lunges and push-ups can get a bit boring. Want to shake up your schedule? Try doing a barre session.
Barre incorporates elements of ballet, Pilates and yoga. It features a lot of isometric holds, which are positions that force your muscles to continually contract (think planks, glute bridges and wall sits). From these positions, you move through small ranges of motion to target specific parts of your muscles.
“Barre is an accessible way to improve your coordination and body awareness, which can lead to better posture and improved stability,” says Katelyn DiGiorgio, a trainer at Pure Barre.
DiGiorgio has shared a fifteen minute workout that you can do from home with no equipment. You can use a light dumbbell for some of the moves, but the workout will challenge you without weights, too. If you don’t own any dumbbells but still want to try the weighted variations, substitute in a bottle of water or a can.
Katelyn DiGiorgio’s Pure Barre bodyweight workout
1. Push-ups to pike
Time: 30 seconds on each side Rest: 10 seconds
- Come down to the floor. Place your hands slightly wider than your shoulders and walk the feet back, so that they’re hip width apart and parallel.
- Bend your arms and bring your chest to the floor to do a push-up, then ‘pike’ the hips back and up into downward dog.
- Lower the hips back to plank and repeat.
2. Forearm side plank crunch
Time: 30 seconds on each side Rest: 10 seconds in between each side
- Lie on your right side, with your feet stacked on top of each other. Place your right forearm and elbow on the ground and push up, so that your body is off the floor. Reach your left arm up and over your head.
- Float your left leg upwards. Slowly bend your left knee in towards your torso and bring your left elbow down to meet it, then extend your leg and arm again.
- Repeat then switch sides after 30 seconds.
3. Hundreds to roll up
Time: 30…
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