Barre classes may seem intimidating to those who don’t have a dance background, with people standing in formation around a ballet barre like ballerinas.
But it’s actually an accessible form of exercise and caters to people of all fitness levels. In fact, barre was the fifth most popular workout in 2022, according to ClassPass’s 2022 fitness trends report.
“Barre exercises are primarily bodyweight, and we target each major muscle group at a time, working with high repetition and light resistance, so we fatigue each muscle group. And then we combine some stretching in between each section of work, so we’ve got flexibility, mobility and strength training in every single class,” says Katelyn DiGiorgio, Pure Barre’s director of training and technique.
What is barre?
Barre is a style of fitness that weaves together elements of dance, Pilates, and yoga into one workout that offers full-body strength training.
Barre’s history dates back to Lotte Berk, a German ballet dancer in the 1940s who created the method to help her recover from a back injury, explains Alexis Sweeney, a barre instructor at Equinox. Berk left Nazi Germany and opened a barre studio in London, where she fused her dance training with physical therapy.
Fast forward to today, barre’s movements are still based on postures from ballet, but are much more approachable for non-dancers, Sweeney said. And given that the popularity of other forms of low-impact exercise like Pilates and yoga are on the rise, we predict that barre’s popularity will continue to soar.
If you’re thinking of signing up for a barre class, here’s a breakdown of barre’s benefits and what to expect at your first workout, plus three moves to try at home.
The benefits of barre workouts
Wondering why you should give barre workouts try? Here are four good reasons.
It’s easy on your joints
Whether you live with arthritis, are recovering from an injury or are pregnant, barre’s low-impact nature makes it a great…
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