Barre Basics: 5 Things to Know About Barre Workouts

Description

Once I got hooked on barre-based workouts (first through Physique 57 and later through Exhale Spa, where I became a Core Fusion devotee), I wanted to try every possible variety. There's Pure Barre, The Bar Method, Barre3 (which I recently tried in L.A. and loved!), and countless others. I certainly have my favorites, but no matter which barre class you try, there are a few things to keep in mind that will help you with them all. That's me! Just kidding. 1. Use your core. The class is based on a dancer's workout (the Lotte Berk Method), so proper posture is crucial. No matter what move you're doing, keep your back straight, your shoulders down, and your core engaged the entire time. You'll get much better results if you use correct form. 2. Don't count calories. As we found out during our Jawbone experiment, activity trackers that monitor movement won't accurately track the effort you put into a barre class, which uses very small, repeated movements, not big motions that a bracelet will notice. Don't assume you're not working hard just because you don't see a big number on your wrist. 3. If you're not shaking, you're not working. The
Once I got hooked on barre-based workouts (first through Physique 57 and later through Exhale Spa, where I became a Core Fusion devotee), I wanted to try every possible variety. There's Pure Barre, The Bar Method, Barre3 (which I recently tried in L.A. and loved!), and countless others. I certainly have my favorites, but no matter which barre class you try, there are a few things to keep in mind that will help you with them all. That's me! Just kidding. 1. Use your core. The class is based on a dancer's workout (the Lotte Berk Method), so proper posture is crucial. No matter what move you're doing, keep your back straight, your shoulders down, and your core engaged the entire time. You'll get much better results if you use correct form. 2. Don't count calories. As we found out during our Jawbone experiment, activity trackers that monitor movement won't accurately track the effort you put into a barre class, which uses very small, repeated movements, not big motions that a bracelet will notice. Don't assume you're not working hard just because you don't see a big number on your wrist. 3. If you're not shaking, you're not working. The