A good Barre Fitness workout is all it takes to make it very clear to me how out of shape I really am. I have been playing around with barre workouts for some time now, mixing up the exercises and adding some of my own but I haven't been dedicated as of late and that was crystal clear this afternoon. I love these workouts because my body just responds best to dance and pilates-based training. I personally prefer to have lean and chiseled muscles as opposed to bulk.
These types of workout are the way to go but you have to expect a bit of a learning curve and some pain. This afternoon I gave Xtend Barre a try and really liked Andrea Rogers teaching style. She offers great cueing and mixes the beauty and grace of ballet with energy and rhythm. The best part of Andrea's class was how much more ballet there was in her method. Her arms remained graceful, she used many ballet terms and fused classical ballet movements into the class seamlessly.
The Lean and Chiseled DVD was tough and I didn't get all the way through the workout without some whining and mini-breaks. We'll see how that changes as the month progresses.
Barre workouts usually follow a similar format:
- Dynamic warm up
- Arm and upper body sculpting using 3-5# weights (smaller is better, trust me!)
- Thigh work using a ballet barre or chair
- Seat work also using the barre or chair
- Floor work and Abs
- Cool down
This afternoon I was challenged, wiped out and my muscles are twitching. Most importantly, I concentrated on my core throughout the entire class and I stretched and lengthened my entire body continually. What a beautiful treat for my body!!
Give it a try and let me know what you think.
