Not already a barre convert? Still love a good sweaty gym sesh, weight training or high intensity training like HIIT or boxing? Well this is for you! Did you know that there are multiple benefits to including Barre (pronounced bar ;) into your already existing fitness routine? Here are 5 reasons you should be including barre into your fitness schedule right now.
LISS TRAINING
Growing in popularity LISS Training (Low Intensity Steady State Training) has been a key fitness style used for recovery between HIIT Sessions which if done too regularly can potentially result in burn out and inflammation.
But thanks to it’s steady and sustained nature, barre is a great LISS option (especially Aleenta’s Yoga BARRE or Barre Blend styles) for those days between Strength Training or HIIT. Due to Barre being a low impact style workout, it is much kinder on your ligaments, tendons and joints - helping your muscles prepare and strengthen if you prefer to smash a heavy weight or high cardio workout.
LISS (or as we like to say, Barre) is great for cardiovascular conditioning, fat burning, active recovery and is a good source of stress relief – especially when you get to the savasana at end of your barre class!
Overtime LISS can help your body become more conditioned to better use fat as a fuel source for your next workout PLUS the faster recovery means you can do more classes! Woooop!
ISOMETRIC MOVEMENTS
Want the secret to healthy toned bod? Picture tiny, gentle and precise movements combined with correct body alignment, it’s a huge part of our life at the barre.
When we think about body re-shaping and targeting those tricky areas, think again about those big scary movements.. it’s all in the minuscule, controlled muscle movements. Although it’s scary at first, you’ll find yourself getting a little addicted to that quiver, and the results will keep you coming back for more!
REHAB/INJURY PREVENTION
As mentioned, barre is known for its low impact style of fitness - this has many benefits for people who regularly participate in team sports or are avid runners. The high impact and pressure put on joints and ligaments when doing these activities can result in injury when not strengthened or stretched properly afterwards.
We have had many runners who have chosen to do barre as a way to prevent injury and lengthen sore muscles - especially to help stretch through the hips and hamstrings.
For team sports such as Aussie Rules Football, the lengthening and increase in range of motion has had major benefits to the endurance and strength of players during pre season. As barre focuses on smaller isometric movements strengthening those smaller muscle groups around ligaments and joints are perfect for helping prevent knee injuries in players. Read our blog: Student Stories: Lillian Gross - Women's AFL Meets Barre.
MINDFUL WORKOUT
The mindfulness revolution is upon us and close to our hearts!
Taking time out for ourselves, reducing stress and actually wanting to get in tune with our bodies has become a driving force for this new way of fitness thinking.
We are filling our days with more and more things, getting busier and not allowing ourselves to truly be present in where we’re at and what we’re doing. Barre is not only going to get you fit and feeling fabulous but is going to give your brain a bit of a workout (and then a rest) too.
Being derived from ballet, form and technique is a major component in class, which means you actually need to focus on the muscles in your body, what they are doing and how to activate them correctly. By learning good technique and thinking about your posture throughout class, you can work harder and smarter as your fitness grows.
Finding a connection to your body and the way that it moves is so important to our wellbeing - it allows you to appreciate what you can achieve and how strong and amazing our bodies really are. After mindfully working out, class finishes with savasana (meditation) which gives you time for peace and reflection.
You will be pleasantly surprised by how much more refreshed and positive you will feel post workout.
FUNCTIONAL FITNESS
We are designed to move. To walk, run, sit, stand, jump etc so why should we stay static during a workout when we spend long periods of time being static, seated at our desks?
The movements we make help us to function, so why wouldn’t we workout our bodies in a functional way? Barre classes constantly work the entire body, although you do not need to be the most coordinated person to participate, exercises are often combined (arms and legs, core and legs etc) resulting in a focus on stability, balance, posture and movement - improving your overall coordination and functionality.
POSTURE
Speaking of posture... from time to time we are all guilty of the ‘office hunch’.. pouring over your desk for hours on end. Imagine if you could kick off the year with your shoulders back, your chin up, less back pain, less headaches and a stronger core to support that poor overworked spine of yours.
With its ballet influence, mindful technique and emphasis on good form, barre will have you building that muscle memory you need to support a healthy spine- and perhaps even grow a few centimetres!
IT’S FUN TO DO
It’s just so freakin fun to do. Ok, so this is more of a reason why you should just do barre (instead of anything else) but it is super important to the way that we view fitness.
If you’re not having fun when you workout it becomes a chore, and, well, nobody likes having to do chores! Shouldn’t we be excited to get our bodies moving, feeling good and getting stronger?
Even if you are the most uncoordinated person ever, you can still pretend to feel like a dancer. Thanks to the small group style class, ballet barre on the wall, the flow between exercises and elements of ballet (Pliés, Curtsy Kicks, balances in 5th with those classic ‘ballet arms’) gives you the opportunity to feel graceful and move in a way that doesn’t feel so ridged and repetitive.
Especially with Aleenta BARRE, who offers 3 varieties of Barre classes plus other fitness styles such as - Mat Pilates, Yoga and HIIT classes ,which are available so you will never run out of options to challenge yourself.
Routines and playlists also change every 4 weeks. This gives you enough time to work on advancements and get stronger without your body getting used to what you are doing, it also gets you excited month after month to see what you will be doing next! The musicality of our routines also help you forget about the burn and just enjoy pulsing along to that beat with your pals.
So for the Barre curious, keen to try something new and expand your fitness horizons come check out a Barre Class with us. If you have never been to Aleenta BARRE before you can take advantage of our UNLIMITED 7 Day Intro Pass for $40.
Have any questions? Feel free to email hello@aleentabarre.com or call 1800 672 606.
