Who wouldn't want to do a workout that looked like that?The above photos are from a studio called Pure Barre, which is located in quite a few states, and luckily a couple in my city!
However, my first Barre class was not there, but at the Pilates of Fayetteville studio.
It was a surprisingly awesome workout! I'm so used to either running or working out at HEAT studios, which involves hard pounding on my body and an intensity like none other, that it felt so nice to do a workout that was low impact but still gave me the burn I crave.
At first the instructor started with an arm workout, and she advised us to grab 2 or 3 lb weights -- 5 lbs if we were brave. Since I'm used to HEAT pushing me to grab 8lbs to 12 lb weights, I thought 5 would be a piece of cake. My arms were burning. The intensive isometric movements really zoned in on each arm muscle one at a time, and eventually was so intense that I went back half-way through for the 3 lb weights!
Next, we worked on the floor doing ab exercises that focused on form mixed with a little bit of stretching.
The final, and biggest burn session was with the ballet barre. It's funny how such little movements can hurt, but feel so good. This section focused primarily on the legs and butt, and I felt sore instantly. Even though the lower-half muscles were the ones feeling the burn, the class focused a lot on posture and keeping your core centered, which kept your abs engaged at all times.
I don't think I sweated a drop for the first workout in a long time, but I could definitely feel my muscles melting on the inside.
I highly recommend this as a great cross-training or toning class! I can't wait to go back for more.
Even though I love a good workout, the best part was at the end when they served wine, cheese, fruit, and dip. I was eying this set-up from afar the whole time.
Have you tried Core Barre before? Do you have any favorite sweat-free workouts??
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