There are many benefits to attending a barre class: focus on strength and cardio, cross-training benefits (as described in this post), and workout alongside your friends! I want to dive a little deeper into the strength training benefits of barre. To strength train, you do not need to bench press your max weight or work towards squatting 100 pounds. Lucky for us, we can strength train in barre class with lighter weights, resistance bands, or even our body weight! Strength training simply means that an opposing force is being worked against our muscles. This opposing force could be the 3 lb. dumbbells or even just the energy that we send to our muscle during the exercises. You may hear Bet say to send energy into your tricep when doing tricep kickback pulses - this is because when we think about contracting that muscle, we are focusing on “applying” that opposing force that is the trademark of strength training. Next time you hear Bet say this, take a second to notice how different it feels when you don’t send energy there versus when you do.
I will leave you with three key health benefits of strength training with barre classes:
Strength training helps prevent bone loss and osteoporosis-related bone fractures.
Maintaining or building muscle mass supports physical function and mobility.
Since barre is modifiable and includes low impact options for all the movements, it is an exercise program that is easier on our joints.
By: Anna Schatz