It’s no secret that exercising regularly is a crucial part of leading a healthy life. And luckily, there are plenty of types of exercise out there, from fat-blasting HIIT to calming yoga (which can also do wonders for your core strength!). However, it can sometimes to be difficult to find a method that not only targets your health goals, but is also enjoyable. If you’re sick of running on a treadmill to burn calories or repeating the same old ab exercises every day, it might be time to shake things up with an exercise that can help you transform your body while having fun at the same time. If you haven’t tried barre yet, we’re here to tell you to hop on board.
But what exactly is barre, and what are the main benefits? To get the 411, we spoke to fitness expert Tanya Becker, Co-Founder of Physique 57 Method. She told us that barre incorporates a little bit of everything, from Pilates to dance, to tone your muscles, shed weight, and more. Find all of her expert insight below.
What is barre?
Before we dive into all the fantastic benefits of barre, it helps to know exactly what it is—and as it turns out, it's a lot of things! According to Becker, barre is a mixture of strength training, dance, Pilates, and yoga. It really gives you the best of all worlds! It works by targeting and toning specific muscle groups, like your core, arms, legs and glutes. The result is a workout that can help promote strength, flexibility, balance, and "total body transformation," she says.
You may be wondering what sets barre apart from different types of cardio. For starters, Becker points out that options like running, cycling, and swimming work to stimulate your heart and lungs rather than toning and sculpting your muscles. Additionally, HIIT and other aerobic exercises requires greater ranges of motion from larger muscle groups, while barre allows you to "perform higher reps and endure the position or exercise for longer" thanks to "tiny movements, or isometric movements, where your muscles contract, but there is no visible movement of the joints." As Becker explains, "classes focus more on control rather than momentum for a low-impact workout."
However, she points out, there are barre exercises that are "upbeat, and use high-energy exercise sequences that combine traditional, bodyweight barre exercises with continuous, fat-burning, metabolic movements." For example, Physique 57 barre workouts "incorporate fast-paced moves for a cardio workout that will tone, sculpt, and strengthen your body while raising your heart rate to burn more calories." These workouts incorporate upper-body strengthening exercises, ballet barre for your thighs and glutes (which help you burn calories), and abdominal sets.
"Due to the low-impact, alignment and form-focused nature of barre, it’s appropriate and effective for people of all ages and fitness levels," Becker says. "It’s great for everybody!"
Benefits of barre
Okay, so now we know what barre is. But what can it do to transform your body? The benefits are numerous. Becker shared a few with us.
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Sculpt and tone – Looking for toned muscles and a sculpted body you can feel strong and confident in? Barre can help you "build long, lean muscles like a dancer" and "improve your body alignment and posture to exude strength, grace, and confidence," Becker says.
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Caloric burn – If calorie burn and weight loss is your goal, barre has you covered in that department, too. "Cardiovascular exercises combined with increased lean muscle boost your metabolic rate," Becker says. "Benefit from an accelerated metabolism up to 72 hours after your workouts with strength training afterburn."
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Core strength – Becker tells us that Barre can do wonders for your core. It works to "develop your deep abdominal muscles, obliques, and back muscles to support your daily activities, keep your spine healthy, and improve your balance and posture."
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Bone density – Bone density can be a common concern as we age. Luckily, in addition to improving your diet, exercises like barre can help "improve overall bone health and build bone density with weight-bearing, strength training exercises," Becker says.
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Endurance + stamina –According to Becker, barre is a great way to "increase your overall fitness level through high-repetition movements and strength and cardio intervals."
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Mental strength – Exercise is about more than just your body! It's also great for your mental health. "Boost your mind-body connection and your mood!" Becker says. "Flex your resilience muscles and get empowered with our exercises while getting uplifted by invigorating beats, our inspiring, supportive trainers, and our welcoming community." Incredible!
How to start with barre
Does all of this sound great to you? If you're looking to start your journey, there's good news: barre is a great option for anyone of any fitness level. Becker offers advice for anyone who wants to get started.
"Just be sure to pace yourself as you build up your strength," she says. "The beauty of barre workouts is that you can feel them working – you may notice muscles you never felt before and you’ll feel the burn in your muscles which is a sign of your body changing. Most importantly, find a well-trained, knowledgeable instructor, start with a beginner level class when available, and listen to your body and shake it out as needed. You’ll be amazed with how you get stronger with each session and how quickly you see results," she concludes. Perfect!
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