What is a Barre Workout And Is It Worth A Try?

As many fitness trends come and go, only some have the staying power.  Hence, the ballet inspired barre, rooted in a centuries-old form of dance, well-known for creating slender, graceful bodies is surely worth your attention. 

 

What is a barre workout?

While barre comes under low-impact training, well-suited for all fitness levels, in contrast to a conventional boot camp where the trainer’s screaming in your face, it’s a deceptively intense practice that intricately combines the basis of yoga, Pilates and ballet rendering dramatic results in the form of a slimmer, more toned physique. It basically leads you to sculpt into a dancer's body without any spins and twirls. Barre also has a substantial cardio-affect you can’t get in a traditional Pilates or yoga class. Having said that, barre had better be merely one of the things you’re doing in order to achieve your fitness goals and not your end, be all. 

 

The workout is named after the main tool it applies – the barre, which enables you to target the tinier  muscles that dancers use, so in due course of time you begin to look like a lean dancer without really being one per say.  You can alternate the barre with either a stationary chair or a window sill when practicing at home as you follow a YouTube video or attend an online barre class. 

 

Now if you don't wish to look like bulky body builders as a by-product of conventional weight-training and wish to see changes like long lean muscles, sculpted abs, toned thighs and calves with an improved posture full of poise, take to barre and enjoy the following five benefits:

 Get Stronger

In no time you’d notice a definition in your shoulders, triceps and upper back once you start practicing barre as little as thrice a week. Barre requires you to use your own body weight as resistance to work against and the ballet barre to hold onto for support or stretch muscles. As these workouts focus on arms, core, legs and glutes, you’re surely in for a well-rounded toning.

Improve That Posture

Not only those slouched shoulders are unpleasant to look at, they pretty much hinder your exercise routine as well. While a strong posture is crucial for balance, it also directly impacts your alignment and form.  The posture correction you’ll achieve with barre will also make you less prone to injuries while performing other tasks in day to day life far more efficiently.

Intensify Your Calorie Burn

If you’re a regular exerciser, you must be aware of the term ‘after-burn effect’ which suggests that your body is in a decent calorie burn mode way after you’re done with your workout.  Now that alone is a huge perk of a barre practice that sculpts, strengthens, and elongates the body, all while really elevating your heart rate. So, if you're looking to lose weight, barre can be an interesting add-on to your regimen alongside clean-eating.

Be More Flexible

Think ‘ballerina’! Expect that kind of elegance in your movement after being at it for long enough. Since barre consists of stretching and elongating of the body, not only does it help with injury prevention and increased strength but also makes you feel fabulous as you progress from one exercise to the other in a given session, week after week. 

Increase Your Mental Stamina

Regular barre girls often tell how sharper they feel mentally as they enjoy an improvement in their ability to focus & concentrate. To add to that, barre is a beautiful stress-buster.