Few workouts offer the same intense full-body training as efficiently as a barre class. They’re named after the use of the ballet barre for support in isolating specific muscles and the incorporation of ballet positions into the exercises. The benefits of barre classes include the strengthening of Pilates, the mobility and control ballet delivers, and the stretching and elongating of a yoga session.
In these sessions muscles are exercised to the point of trembling fatigue- it’s all about going for that burn! In exchange for pushing your body to its limit, though, you can expect serious results.
Can You Lose Weight with Barre Classes?
Yes, barre classes can certainly help you achieve your weight loss goals. They help build lean muscle mass, which aids in boosting your metabolism and burning more calories, even when at rest. What’s more, a barre class gets your heart pumping, and the cardio workout this provides increases fat-burning long after you’ve stopped exercising. Such high-intensity strength training can achieve an afterburn lasting 72 hours. That’s a whopping three whole days of increased calorie expenditure after just one class!
Even better, barre workouts are suited to anyone, no matter where they are in their weight loss journey. The isometric exercises you’ll be doing involve minimal movement and are extremely low impact. Instead, you’ll adopt postures and brace in that position, doing high numbers of pulsing reps until the muscles are fatigued.
This high-rep low-impact formula means the risk of injury from barre is extremely low. It is also ideal for toning and elongating muscles, which will then be stretched out as part of the class. Great for toning and lengthening, these exercises strengthen without adding bulk.
Consistency is just as important for weight loss as your choice of exercise, and having fun is imperative for keeping motivation high. Our exercise community creates a fun and encouraging environment in which to pursue your body goals. Chasing that muscle burn as part of a group in one of our high-octane barre classes is the perfect way to keep exercise enjoyable.
What Are the Benefits of Barre Classes?
As well as building lean muscle mass and toning the muscles there, barre has many other benefits. Your cardiovascular endurance and metabolism are sure to improve, and with regular practice, your bone density will increase too. Protective against injury and preventative of osteoporosis, a barre class is great for anti-ageing.
Barre forces your core and glutes to hold the rest of your body in the correct alignment. This both strengthens those major muscle groups and also builds good posture. The chest and shoulder strengthening you’ll engage in improves posture further, elongating those muscles and counteracting slouching.
Each position adopted requires you to hold the rest of your body still while the targeted muscle groups are exercised. By improving your core stability in this way, your ability to balance is radically improved also.
By necessitating mental focus to hold each position and modify your posture according to technique cues, barre also promotes mindfulness. Maintaining correct form and sustaining the motivation to hold positions through the burn and tremble are excellent ways to forge a stronger mind-body connection, too. The intense focus a barre class requires is an ideal way to practice being fully present in each moment. Such mindfulness is known to assist with mood regulation and mental resilience, helping manage stress, anxiety, and depression.
A barre class offers an intense full-body workout with both cardio and strength benefits, while still being low impact and carrying minimal risk of injury. Even better, it’s great for your mental well-being too. Why not check out our class schedule and book a class today to learn what the hype is about?
