I’ll meet you at the Barre.
Barre-style workouts have become super trendy and a firm favourite of many models and A-list celebs as of late. For those who aren’t too sure what it is, Barrecore is a Ballet, Pilates and Yoga inspired workout that uses your body weight as resistance to work every single muscle in your body.
It’s a high-intensity, low-impact discipline that focuses on teeny-tiny isometric movements to ensure every muscle group is worked until complete fatigue to ensure you feel the ‘Barre Burn’. Most classes run for around 60 minutes, and fuse a combination of postures designed to increase strength, flexibility all whilst sculpting long, lean muscles.
The heaviest weights are 2.5kg dumbbells, and positions make use of yoga blocks, stretch bands and small partially deflated balls. It’s a completely different style of training and that’s why I knew I was super keen to give it a go at the studio in Bristol!
Thanks to ClassPass now having finally made its way to Bristol (more on this v. soon!!), I was able to try out two classes; Signature and Sculpt.
Signature was taken by the lovely Claire and used a combination of ballet movements, the barre, bodyweight, lightweight props and high reps to target and exhaust all major muscle groups. There was a particular focus on our arms, thighs and of course, our core.
I was feeling pretty confident about heading into this class because I really enjoy leg-focused workouts and like to think that they’re quite strong.
Well, I was wrong…
Holding your thighs in one position, without moving anything else, whilst doing tiny pulses? My legs shook as though they were possessed and I think the burn got to me after about 40 seconds.
Claire referred to the word ‘seat’ throughout the class, which is Barre slang for ‘bum’ much to my naivety. 60 minutes later, I felt that every part of my body had been worked and my thighs hated me. Driving home was a real struggle but I loved it! I knew I wanted to go back and try out another class ASAP.
So, a few days later (once I could walk properly) I booked into Sculpt with Hannah. This class was all about the use of resistance bands to add intensity to classic movements. By restricting the range of movements, the bands allowed us to feel isometric connections more easily and generate greater muscle burn out.
Both classes started with a dynamic warm-up and progressed to some surprisingly tough press-up/ plank variations. It’s an intense hour that focuses on ultra-slow holds, strict tempo movements and lastly, stretching.
Barrecore can dramatically improve your posture, alignment and all round fitness levels because it awakens your deep core and encourages thoracic mobilization, which is ideal for those who sit at a desk all day long!
Not easy though, no muscle is left un-turned so to speak and you’ll leave the class feeling soreness in places you never even knew existed. Needless to say I’ve found an all-new admiration for ballet dancers!
So, if you are looking for a class that emphases the ‘less sweat, more burn’ ethos, I would definitely recommend it! You don’t have to be a prima ballerina to take part and once you’ve mastered the moves, you’ll really start to notice and fully enjoy the benefits.
Have you given Barrecore a go? If so, what did you think? I’d love to know how you found it and if your experience was similar to mine!
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