Five Reasons Why Barre Class is the Best Class

Why Barre Class is the Best Class

Like many women, I have a love hate relationship with fitness classes. I have a hard time sticking to rigid schedules and sometimes I don’t feel like shamefully sweating out all my weekend’s booze in front of strangers. Nevertheless, showing up to class in person always proves to be the best workout for me. I stay on top of my game and rely heavily on the encouragement of an instructor to get me through. One of my favorite classes to take? Barre.

I recently started burning fat and taking names at Corner Barre at the Shops at Wellesley (3466 Lauderdale Drive). The barre studio recently came under new ownership and they seem to be doing things just right. The teachers are kind (I’ve had a crazy barre instructor or two), they offer classes at a wide variety of times every day of the week (for crazy schedules like mine), and the studio is perfectly laid out for space between you and the next sweating victim.

If you’re thinking of taking on barre to get ready for bikini season, here are five reasons to make the commitment:

You use your own body weight.

Okay, so sometimes you use actual weights in barre class, but no more than 5 pounds. I love the fact that you can work out your whole body on your own. It’s a pretty magical feeling and reminder about just how powerful our bodies truly are. It also makes the workout very approachable for people of all skill levels. You don’t have to worry about knowing how to hold that kettleball in a very specific way.

It’s always about your core.

Let’s be honest, ladies and gents. It’s all about that belly isn’t it? The hardest part of the body to chisel is the stomach. Every move you do in barre class encourages you to tighten and lengthen your core.

Calories burn like loose leaf paper.

The isometric contractions that make up the bulk of a barre class make it the most efficient workout around. Isometric movements force the muscles to tense without changing length. The continuous strengthening lights up your fat and burns it away. A quick search shows that you brin at least 250 calories per class. The Barre Burner class at Corner Barre is all about fat burning.

Anybody can do it.

You don’t have to know how to dance. You don’t have to lift a certain about of weight. Every movement has multiple variations, kind of like in yoga. This means you can adjust the intensity for your fitness level or energy level that day. Every day is different and barre allows you to honor the way your body is feeling every time you show up.

You feel like a dancer.

I dare you to take a barre class and not feel a little extra magical afterwards. The workout incorporates some very pretty movements, although painful. As you take a peep of yourself in a mirror, pretend you’re practicing for your big debut on Black Swan or the Nutcracker. Let your imagination take over. It makes the workout go faster, I promise.