FITNESS,  HEALTH,  LIFESTYLE

Barre: Home or Studio Workouts?

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If you decide you want to try a barre workout, you have two main options: go to a studio specializing in barre or try the workouts at home. When you do them at home, you will have to rely on a DVD or instructions you have found online and printed, as well as using some books that are available. Here are some things to consider when deciding which format is the best for you.

Pro for Home: Home Workouts Are More Convenient

A common reason people like to do their barre workouts at home is because it is a lot more convenient. You don’t have to worry about what you wear or look like, you aren’t embarrassed by others seeing you, and you can workout at any time. The studio near you might only have classes during the week when you are at work, or the times might not work with your schedule. It is also sometimes difficult to make it there on time when you have kids at home or work odd hours. In this case, doing the workout at home and making your own schedule can be a great option.Weights

Pro for Studio: Studios Provide Most of What You Need

When you choose to go to a studio for your barre workout, they usually provide most– if not all– of what you need for the workouts. Some might ask that you bring your own hand weights, but they usually have some workout equipment in the studio you can use, rent, or buy from them for your convenience. They will also have either ballet barres across the wall or provide portable ballet bars for students to use while taking the class.

Pro for Home: You Might Be More Encouraged to Workout at Home

Because you’re in the comfort of your own home with more flexibility, you may be encouraged to work out more often if you do your barre workout at home. They can become part of your full workout routine, such as doing it before jumping on the treadmill or after your walk, and you can involve others as well. If you want this to be a family workout routine, doing it at home makes that a lot easier. That way, everyone is encouraged to try it out when it is most convenient for the family. Plus, you save money on studio costs.

Pro for Studio: Studios Make Sure You Do the Moves Properly

A major benefit to taking barre fitness classes in a studio as opposed to doing them at home is that the instructorsbarre plank can look at your form and correct you if needed. It is helpful when you are first starting out and haven’t done this type of dance before.

So, both at home and in studio has benefits for someone beginning barre workouts. Your choice depends on what matters more to you. Either way, you can settle in and have a good time!

What You Need for At-Home Barre

If you decide to do your work outs at home, you will need to get some supplies You would need to use some of these items if you were going to class at a studio., Others you would only need if you intend to do the workouts at home.

Comfortable Clothing

To start with, you’re going to need to wear the right clothing for your barre workouts. This is for both the studio or at home. When you work out at home, you have the luxury of not worrying about how you look and can just wear whatever is comfortable, even you just choose a sports bra and yoga pants.

Make sure your clothing is stretchable and provides plenty of movement, preferably yoga pants or leggings. Avoid shorts since the rubbing of your legs can be uncomfortable for barre workouts. Your top or shirt should be comfortable but not too loose or too tight. It is also good to get some ballet socks, sometimes called barre socks or yoga socks. These have sticky bottoms to keep you from slipping and sliding on the ground.

A Barre or Barre Substitute

Many people that fall in love with barre workouts will choose a room to dedicate to their ballet and dance fitness.  These folks actually install a ballet barre on the wall! This is definitely an option available to you, but there are some other options as well. If you want a barre but don’t have room to attach it to a wall, you can get a portable barre that works the same but can be moved around. This is attached to a stand and is usually lightweight. Other people just use the back of a chair for their workouts, which works just fine. Just test the height so that you can place your leg on it comfortably.

Other Tools

Depending on the type of barre workout you do, there might be some other workout tools and accessories you will need. For one thing, many barre workout routines involve floor work, so if you are working in a room with tile or hardwood floors, you’ll need a yoga mat. You may also want a small exercise ball and set of light hand weights, since many of the workouts will ask for you to use them.

It’s a good idea to watch through some of the videos or DVDs that you’re using for your at-home barre workout to find out exactly what you will need. Make a list of the equipment or accessories being used to be sure you have everything ready before your first workout.

One of the reasons to consider barre fitness as your at-home workout solution is based on the multiple health weightbenefits the workout offers. It is a true all-in-one workout, so you aren’t having to switch up workouts and have different equipment for each one. The results of ongoing barre fitness are better posture, increased weight loss, cardio, flexibility, and core workouts. This means that you can get a full body workout. Think of barre as a way to mix weight training workouts, intense cardio workouts, core workouts, and yoga all in one option. This helps reduce the time you are working out while still giving you maximum benefits.

By keeping these key points in mind, you can start your own barre fitness home gym. You can also adjust the workout to your needs and get the workout that works best for you.

Choosing a Barre Workout: Resources

If you are trying to figure out what workouts to do from home, there are a few things to consider. First of all, you want to look at the type of barre workout. There are many different forms, from those that incorporate more ballet and other forms of dance, to barre combined with yoga, Pilates, or strength training. Then, there are cardio barre workouts, which are good if you want to do this workout not just to strengthen and tone, but to lose weight as well.

It is a good idea to use multiple resources of barre workouts to find the one that is the best fit for you.

Luckily, there are quite a few options available, from getting DVDs to watching videos on YouTube. Here are some different resources to use for your barre workouts.

Pure Barre

The first option is to go to PureBarre.com, who actually has some of the earliest DVDs ever done for this form of barre fitness. Pure Barre is among the first organizations to provide resources and equipment you can use at home, as well as having studios all over the country for barre workouts. Their website has an excellent store with everything from workout DVDs to gear like clothing, socks, exercise balls, and other equipment you might need.

YouTube

If you aren’t quite ready for a DVD and would rather not pay anything for your workouts, you can head over to YouTube. This is a good option when you just want to sample what the workouts are like and try different instructors and styles of barre workouts. Some workouts are more cardio-based, while others are Pilates-based, so this does make a difference. Here are some different channels providing barre workouts on YouTube:

  • PopSugar Fitness
  • Pilates Happy Hour – also known as Jessica Valant Pilates Channel
  • Summer Girl Fitness

A quick search on YouTube will show you many different channels offering some great barre workouts.

Amazon

If you want to buy DVDs from more than just one resource, then heading to an online marketplace like Amazon is probably your best bet. Here are some popular and top-rated barre workouts available from Amazon:

Xtend Barre: Lean and Chiseled by Andrea Rogers

BarreAmped Bootcamp by Suzanne Bowen

Exhale: Core Fusion Barre Basics For Beginners

Element: Barre Conditioning by Sadie Lincoln

As you can see, you have a lot of options if you decide to do barre workouts at home.

 

I just found out that my friend who I took that ill-fated Pilates class with years ago is now certified in Barre! I wish she lived closer – it would be great to have her be my instructor!

Do you have any favorite barre workouts? Tell us in the comments!

I won’t be publishing on Monday — Have a happy Memorial weekend!

Loving Life–The Reboot!

 

Dominique

6 Comments

  • Jamie

    I tried barre at a studio and I didn’t find it comfortable because I have bad knees- go figure. But, I do mostly prefer at home workouts anyway for the comfort and ease. That said, there’s something to be said for going to the studio and getting help with form! Great article with all the pros and cons of the different workout options.

    • Dominique

      That’s interesting — I have had issues with my knees in the past as well. Hmmm. I plan to take an intro class to see how I handle it. But thanks for the heads up. I hadn’t really considered the knee issue. Have great night!

  • Samara

    Super interesting article! I have always wanted to try a barre workout and have never done it. My sister swears by it. I never thought about doing it at home!

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