What is Barre? (and why it should be part of your fitness routine)

A classic barre workout move!

What is Barre?

Barre fitness, or as it’s most commonly referred to, Barre, is a style of workout that blends ballet, pilates, yoga, and strength training together. In a barre class, you can expect some dance class vibes, both because of the ballet inspired moves, and because all of the moves match the rhythm of the music. But don’t be fooled–barre is NOT a dance class; it is truly a full body workout, one that can leave you feeling sore in the best way!

Barre as a workout style was created in the 1950s by Lotte Berk, a dancer who created the exercise routines after suffering from an injury. She combined ballet moves with rehabilitative exercises to form a fitness regimen that has stuck around for decades!

So what can you expect in a barre class?

Most barre classes incorporate mat work and standing work (with or without a barre). Exercises target every part of the body, including the core, arms, shoulders, hips, thighs, and lower legs. 

High repetition is a main characteristic of barre classes, so you can expect to work the same muscle group for several minutes at a time! Many barre styles use the term “pulse” to describe holding a position and then moving up and down in that position an inch or two for several repetitions. In this high repetition work, the goal is to reach the point where you can’t continue the exercise anymore (what we call reaching fatigue). 

Working out in this way helps us to build resilience in both our body and mind! There’s something really satisfying about finding the edge of your capabilities, and seeing how your capabilities grow with consistency.

Is barre a “good” workout?

Barre is really great at building muscular endurance, which is a critical component of any well-rounded fitness routine! When it comes to muscle strength, there are 3 general categories that we can look at:

• Muscular endurance: the muscle’s ability to work for extended periods of time

• Muscular strength: the muscle’s ability to move a maximum amount of weight, once

• Muscular power: the muscle’s ability to move a certain amount of weight very quickly (often thought of as strength x speed)

There are other components of fitness that are important as well, such as flexibility (which barre will help with!), and cardiovascular fitness. 

Muscular endurance is an important part of fitness, and working on muscular endurance can be an easy win because 

a) it does not require a large learning curve (it is very safe since you are not lifting heavy weights, and your form will improve quickly because you do so many repetitions–as long as you are intentional about it)

b) it does not require extensive equipment (most barre exercises use less than 10lbs or bodyweight), 

and c) it is the type of muscular strength that is used most often in day-to-day activities. 

Think of it like this – how often do you do the same thing for more than a minute, such as hiking, playing with your kids or dog, or doing household chores? When people work on muscular endurance, they quickly see results in their daily activities, such as being able to do activities for longer, or having less pain in the activities they enjoy.

What makes barre and pilates different?

In my mind, there are two main differences between a barre class and a pilates class. The first is that barre is set to music. Every single workout in a barre class matches the beat and the rhythm of the music, and your workout will ebb and flow with the energy of the playlist. Pilates on the other hand (at least, classical pilates) is not set to music, and is instead meant to flow with the breath. 

The second difference is the number of repetitions. As we discussed above, barre is a high-repetition workout, with a goal of working towards muscular fatigue. It is expected that you will need to take breaks during a barre workout, because the repetitions are so high! In contrast, pilates classes traditionally do only a few repetitions of an exercise, but instead are focused on very precise alignment and control.

Nowadays, I see lots of “pilates” workouts being posted that are set to music, and have high repetitions. To me, those classes are just barre rebranded! So, if you like pilates, I think you will like barre as well.

Where can I take barre classes?

There are some great online barre teachers, popular barre franchises like Pure Barre and Barre 3, and we are excited to be able to offer barre here at White Mountain Dance Studio in Pinetop, AZ. I am a certified and licensed Barre Eclipse instructor, which is a style of barre that focuses on rhythmic, fierce, holistic workouts and body-affirming language. You can expect lots of positive vibes, fun playlists, and fiery workout combos in our classes!

Head over to https://whitemountaindancestudio.punchpass.com/classes to save your spot in a barre class! We can’t wait to workout with you 😊💪

-Skylar

We are proud to be Barre Eclipse certified & licensed!