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Barre Workout: Benefits and Downsides

What is a Barre Workout?

Barre workout is a low-impact workout that can be done at home or in a studio. It helps gain strength and builds endurance and more.

The exercises involved in Barre workout it are yoga, Pilates, and aerobics. It also involves dance moves commonly found in ballet.

For a barre class, one would need comfortable workout clothes, socks, or bare feet, and a few types of equipments such as a chair and a mat.

Barre workout can help contribute to overall fitness and health, maintain a healthy weight, and keep the body strong.(1)

What To Expect From A Barre Workout?

Depending on the class and format type, a barre class can involve a lot of different exercises.

There would be ballet movements, plies, and releves. A bar or a waist-high object is used to stabilize you.

Yoga, pilates, and Zumba movements are also incorporated in the barre classes. These exercises enhance the overall workout.

For strength training workout, the focus would be on small muscular movements. For cardio, Zumba and over fast-moving exercise forms are added.

Target Areas

To target core, there is a combination of ballet positions and pilates.

To target arms, exercises such as military presses, lateral arm raise, and triceps lift are done to work arm muscles.

For legs, movements such as plies, degage, leg lifts/extensions, and other ballet-inspired moves are done.

For glutes, glutes raise is done to tone the backside.

For the back, a ballet-inspired workout is not done. This workout does not target the back muscles.

Benefits of Barre Workouts

There are a few physical benefits that can be experienced by engaging in barre workouts.

Muscle Strength

One major benefit of barre workout is that it strengthens the muscles particularly of the core, arm, thigh, glutes, and pelvic floor.

Strengthening The Muscles Helps In:

  • Maintaining muscle mass
  • Controlling weight
  • Balancing better
  • Keeping the joints flexible

A strong core helps in improving the functioning of the entire body. Strengthening pelvic floor muscles help in controlling the bladder. These exercises are important especially for those pregnant.

Muscle Endurance

Regular barre classes help increase muscular endurance, which influences the heartbeat and breathing patterns.

Endurance increases stamina, thereby increasing the activity level for everyday life. This can help you exercise longer and harder.

Endurance also decreases the risk of other health conditions such as heart diseases, diabetes, and cancer.

Flexibility

There is a lot of stretching involved in barre workout that can help improve flexibility and the range of motion of the joints.(1)

Good flexibility makes movements easier and can prevent stiffness after a long period of sitting.

Increases Bone Density

Low bone density can lead to osteoporosis.

Barre workout helps maintain and increase bone density preventing bone weakness and breakage.

Maintains Posture

A good posture decreases pressure on the spine and reduces the chance of back pain. It influences what’s going inside the body.

After a barre workout, you find yourself sitting or standing straighter. It reduces the chances of injury to the back.

Can Barre Workout Help Lose Weight?

For weight loss, two components of fitness i.e. muscular strength and cardiovascular endurance are necessary.(2) Barre workout is not the fastest way to achieve results if looking out to lose weight.

Barre workout can help lose weight if the amount of time you exercise is increased and also by eating a healthy and balanced diet and reducing the sitting hours per day.

Increasing the frequency of barre classes would contribute to the activity levels and help with weight loss.

You can add barre classes to the weight loss plan. But, just depending on this workout for weight loss is not a good idea. You need to amend your entire lifestyle for it.

Barre Workout And Health Condition

Barre workout can be an excellent workout form for those suffering from arthritis or joint problems. It also strengthens the muscles that support joints and lessens pain.

It is always good to share your condition with the instructor as there a few movements that can add stress on the joint.

If suffering from diabetes, high cholesterol, or heart disease, look for fitness options that involve more cardio exercise. Unless barre workout sessions are specially designed for cardiovascular work, they cannot improve cardiovascular health.(3)

For pregnant females, barre classes are a perfect choice. It burns calories, strengthens muscles, and improves flexibility, without stressing the body unnecessarily.

Downsides Of Doing Barre Workout

Barre is a low impact workout and is an excellent way to work out, no matter what physical condition.

It can be modified and tailored according to the specific needs. The instructions are involved for specific age groups, pregnancy, and certain health conditions or injuries.

If concerned about any underlying issue, before engaging in any type of workout, take medical advice from your doctor.

Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:September 28, 2020

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