A barre workout is a trendy exercise craze that exploded in popularity when it franchised in 2009. .
The mixture of ballet and Pilates is designed to tone muscle groups you didn’t even realize existed. I know this because I’ve been sore in places I didn’t know I had.
Many women (and men) swear by this exercise plan because they claim it actually works (at least once the misery of class is over). But while they are in the middle of class, these are the intense thoughts that run through their minds:
“Pshh.. This first one is easy!”
It’s the beginning of the class, a new slate for everyone, and the first exercise begins. “This isn’t bad,” you think. But what feels like 1,000 tiny pulses later, you start to think differently.
“OK, now I’m feeling more than a burn. I think there’s a fire starting in my thighs!”
Barre is based on a series of small isometric movements meant to target and exhaust one muscle group at a time. This means that while you may not even feel an exercise at the start, once the muscles begin to wear out, the sweat will drip, and you will begin to question if all of this is worth it.
“Why did I come to this class?”
Motivation and intention are the two most important factors in exercise. Motivation gets you going, and intention keeps you going. Maybe swimsuit season is the motivation that gets you ready to exercise, and intention is what brings you to each class. It’s a good idea to remind yourself of your intention throughout class because some classes seem longer than others.
“That was only the warm-up?”
The warm-up in barre classes is a workout in itself, heating up all the muscles so they can stretch and burn to their full potential. It’s not called a warm-up for no reason, either. This thing will make you sweat!
“How is the person next to me not sweating?”
It’s natural for people to compare themselves to others when starting a class. Often, beginners look around to see what the heck they’re supposed to be doing in the first place. Don’t be intimidated by the people beside you during your workout. They are strong because they work at it. And they probably took a break when you weren’t looking.
“This is the longest 10 seconds ever.”
…Says everyone in the room during basically every exercise.
Of course, the reason people go to barre is because it is challenging. When they’re cursing the instructor for counting so slow, they’ll thank the instructor so much more once the class is over.
“Oh good we’re stretching…that means it’s almost time, right?”
Time is allotted to stretch out the muscles previously used. When working on one area for an extended period of time, providing a counter stretch for those muscles gives them some relief and helps prevent injuries. So stretching doesn’t necessarily mean class is over (see No. 8).
“What’s that? We’re not almost done?”
Almost. Barre classes spread stretches throughout the class, and once you’ve been to a few, you’ll see the pattern. And when those final stretches come around, you can be relieved for real.
“If I can do that, I can do anything! I am Super Wo/man!”
As much of a pain the actual class may be, once it’s done, you’ve officially completed a really tough workout that challenged you – one awesome thing to check off your list.
by Emma Parker
CougarBuzz 