One of the newest classes on the scene, Barre BLAST, has been touted as Barre BURN at lightning speed. Now, that wasn't supposed to scare you but at the root of it all, it kinda is pretty fast.
But that doesn't exactly say what it's all about. So, here we go - let's explain exactly what IS the difference between our Barre BURN and Barre BLAST classes:
MUSCLE ENDURANCE
After getting pretty BLAST obsessed over the past couple of months (ie just doing blasts 🙊) I finally got myself back to a Barre BURN class out at the Burnside Studio. Before class, I was thinking "I got this, this is gonna be a breeze after smashing BLAST's..." that was, however, not the case. Yes, Blast is fast and it burns but there's a key difference and that is muscle ENDURANCE!
Barre BURN might not move anywhere near as fast but you will be in positions for longer ☠️ and this requires a different kind of strength. I found that I was fatiguing fast in class and had some pretty sore muscles the next day.
CARDIO
BLAST and BURN both top the cardio scales compared to a Barre BLEND or YOGA Barre class. But Blast takes the proverbial cake (and burns it)...you move fast, from sequence to sequence, more pulsing, more reps, more moves on rise or with added weights and more sweat 💦. There are fewer breaks, less stretching* between exercises and less time to think about anything other than trying to catch your breath. 🥵
Remember we are all about balance. It's important to incorporate all types of fitness, both anaerobic and aerobic, so if you're not big on doing F.I.T classes and are craving cardio - BLAST is it.
*You should consider getting to a stretch class like Exhale Release if you do a lot of BLAST Classes.
LENGTH
This one is pretty self-explanatory - Barre BURN sits around the 50-minute mark and Barre BLAST is a quick 30 mins. Why? Well, that would be because of the aforementioned reason of cardio. Due to the premise of BLAST, you're probably going to struggle to keep a consistent elevated heart rate for longer than 30 minutes. The idea is to keep the heart rate up for the entire class, unlike Barre BURN where it mixes both cardio and muscle endurance. If we looked at both classes as a graph Barre BURN would peak and trough, Barre BLAST would climb and (ideally) stay at an elevated level until the end.
LEVEL OF BARRE EXPERIENCE
If you haven't been coming to barre classes for very long or you are kicking off your cardio fitness, heading to a Barre BLAST might not be for you straight away. Arms and legs are combined + weights, advanced moves and the Tender will move through sequences fast with less detailed descriptions (they still correct posture and technique, promise 😉).
My advice? If you are new or have injuries, build-up to it. Come along to Barre BURN - learn the general class pattern (BLAST is based on the BURN routine). You can always self-modify but it's worth getting your technique down pat, understand your limits and understanding how to modify prior to getting to this class.
At the end of the day, we encourage you to mix up your routine. Get to classes which challenge you and you enjoy. 😘
