5 Reasons barre classes can help you achieve your fitness goals

5 Reasons why barre classes can help you achieve your fitness goals

MF editorial team

06 Jun 2017

1/5
It was started by an actual ballerina!
When it comes to trendy workouts, they often start out and end as mere fads. This is not the case for barre. Started by a ballerina in the 1950s, Lotte Berk decided to combine her dance conditioning practices with physiotherapy after an injury to her back. She focused on strengthening and building core stability, without harming her body further. This means that the roots are stamped with a seal of approval for ballerinas, modelled after an actual ballerina’s routine. And who doesn’t want a body like a dancer’s?
2/5
It is suitable for everyone
No matter your age or how fit you are, barre classes are for everyone. As the workout focuses on tiny, repeated movements, it does not take much coordination or require any dance background to be good at it. The class starts on a mat, where you would warm-up, before you are brought over to the barre for practice, followed by a return to the mat. So, no, you wouldn’t learn how to do a triple pirouette, but this means everyone can join in the workout without fear of lagging behind.
3/5
It’s a workout for your whole body
It’s easy to think it’s only your legs getting a workout when you are on the barre. After all, how hard can it be to hold a barre for twenty minutes, right? Barre classes, however, challenges that notion. By holding, squeezing, and pulsing (known as isometric movements) different parts of your body at the same time, you ensure that your whole body is getting a complete work out, especially in regions that cannot be targeted by regular exercise like crunches. By the end of the lesson, we can guarantee that you would be shaking, but it’s a good type of shake.
4/5
It is low impact
Instead of working your body out faster and harder, barre classes focus on slowly working on the same muscle, pushing it deeper and further. Most trainers define low impact exercises as ones where your feet are planted on the ground, and since barre classes don’t require jumping or hopping, your joints and muscles won't be strained. So if you have a previous injury; arthritis; or are just afraid of getting injured, barre is the way to go.
5/5
It is fun
This is the most important thing, really. The way to continually workout and exercise is to enjoy the workout. With barre, you get a good workout that is reminiscent of dance (but isn’t), set to the pumping beat of fun music, with an instructor and other people grooving to the same choreography. And if you’re having fun, your body is having fun getting a good workout in. So, what are you waiting for?

Barre classes might sound intimidating, but it’s the latest way to workout around town!

Who here has ever had a childhood dream of becoming a ballerina? Perhaps you did take ballet classes when you were young, the pink tutu cementing itself in your memory as your most prized possession. Maybe you didn’t, and only had the chance to watch the dancers through the mirror of a nearby studio. Or, it could never have been your dream at all, and you’re more interested in toning up and gaining definition and grace. Either way, we have the perfect exercise for you to undertake to achieve your goals.

Introducing to you: barre workouts. The name itself is a clear indicator of what the exercise is about. Pronounced “bar”, it uses the ballet barre (the handrail that ballerinas hold onto) and a series of repeated movements in a small area to achieve toning and strengthening in hard-to-target regions in your core, arms, and legs. Not only that, but you’ll also become more flexible and have better posture, much like how a ballerina’s body is. Plus, it’s a favourite of Victoria Secret’s models like Alessandra Ambrosio and Candice Swanepoel, and that’s always a good sign!

Sound too good to be true? Don’t worry, here are five reasons to convince you why you should add barre classes to your workout regime.

Lee Hui Bing

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