Barre has become quite popular nowadays, however, this type of workouts is not thus new. Actually, it was invented by Lotte Berk, a German dancer in the 1940s. Since she hadn’t patented her workout programme, it was spread around the world in different forms.
Modern barre is usually a mixture of power exercises and yoga and Pilates positions. Still, the major part of the workout is dedicated to the beautiful movements from classical ballet. You will find different sets of exercises in the programmes of barre offered by different instructors. The barre workout itself can be done in different ways. You can perform the exercises at home right in the middle of your room or in the dancing hall which has a ballet barre. You can also use dumbbells or expander graphs for this purpose.
Is barre a right kind of a workout for you?
If you are looking for a new fitness programme, you should certainly pay your attention to barre, however, you should be aware of the specificity of this form of a workout which might be not suitable for everyone. Let’s look at the cases in which barre will be a good option though.
Would you like to have a strong and slim body without pumping your muscles up?
Undeniably, all of the people who are going into any kind of sports would like to have a strong and slim body. Yet, not everyone wants to see oneself with rather visible muscles which is especially true for women.
If this is your case, you should certainly pay your attention to barre as it will help you to build your core and strengthen the muscles in your legs and arms, however, there will be no powerlifting exercises or anything else which will make your muscles particularly visible.
Even though some of the barre exercises include dumbbells, this is not enough for pumping your muscles up.
Would you like to lose weight but you do not like cyclic cardio workouts such as running?
Running is a great form of exercises and you can see many fans of this kind of sport, albeit there are many people who actually do not like it. If you are one of these people, you should try barre which will give your muscles a sufficient amount of physical activity to start burning calories efficiently.
You should be aware of the fact barre is not thus effective for burning calories as running, yet, the workouts of barre can be less exhausting and thus will leave you more energy for finishing them. In all likelihood, you will not stop your workouts after several rather intensive and tiresome sessions as it is typical for other cardio workouts.
Would you like to improve your posture?
Some people need exercises for improving posture which is certainly great for your health and well-being. Not all of the forms of workouts will let you do it. As you can imagine, postures of classical ballet can be one of the best ways to improve your posture. Furthermore, almost all of the barre exercises are aiming to keep your back and shoulders in a straight posture. At the same time, yoga postures will help you to stretch your muscles in your back and chest.
Are you looking for stretching workouts but also would like to mix stretching with strengthening exercises?
If you are one of the people who are dreaming about becoming really stretched, barre can be a great option for you. A great number of barre exercises are based on static and dynamic stretching. Furthermore, you will like barre workouts if you do not want to do exclusively stretching. As you now know, the workouts will strengthen your entire body.
Are you just a fan of ballet, although you are not a ballet dancer?
Of course, barre is not real ballet. Its workouts are not thus exhausting and they do not have such requirements as the ballet workouts. Still, barre is a great way of feeling oneself a ballet dancer even if you have never even tried ballet dancing.
Barre indeed includes some exercises from ballet and a great part of this is the fact you will be performing this exercises while listening to music. If you really love classical ballet, you will certainly enjoy such an experience.
What do you need for barre workouts?
The sportswear for barre can be the same as for pilates. It should not limit your movements and let you see the precision of the way you are exercising. For these workouts, you will not need any sports shoes.
A yoga mat can be a useful item during your workout as many of the barre exercises are actually performed on the floor.
You might also want to have light dumbbells during your exercises for additional pressure for your muscles. It is recommended to get a pair of dumbbells with each weight 1 kg.
Finally, a small gymnastics ball might be useful for your barre workouts as well. There is an entire set of such exercises which will help you to increase the muscle tension and strengthen them more effectively.