Ever since the gyms closed down at the beginning of the pandemic I have been on a home workout flow. I never really went into a period of extreme laziness and overeating, I somehow miraculously started eating even better and working out even more (I totally understand if you hate me now). Since then, I took full advantage of all the online workouts I could find. I dabbled in running, HIIT, yoga, dance cardio, and more. Even though my gym is now open, I realized my ideal workout has changed and I decided to freeze my membership (which will probably end in canceling it). Within the past week or so I decided to try a Popsugar Fitness 30-Minute No-Equipment Barre Sculpting Workout with celebrity trainer Marnie Alton. I figured if Marnie’s routine is good enough for Kate Hudson and Jennifer Aniston, it must also be good enough for me! This workout completely kicked my butt in the best way possible. I was exhausted but I felt myself working muscles that I never knew that I had. After doing her routines for a couple days, I became pretty obsessed with barre. There’s a Pure Barre studio not too far from where I live so I decided to try out the free intro class.

When going to class they ask that you wear leggings, a workout top, grippy socks, and bring a bottle of water. I had grippy socks from years ago when I tried Club Pilates but they are somewhere lost in my drawers, probably to never be found again. Thankfully, the studio has a socks that can be purchased so if you don’t have any, don’t worry about it. Most of the socks cost around $14 but I was lucky enough to be there during a sale and was able to get mine for only $6!

Once you get your socks on you move over to the back where the studio is. Each person is placed at a mat in front of the barre. They provide you with a ball, 2 and 3 lb weights, and a band. The Barre workout inspired by ballet, yoga, and pilates. It focuses on building strength through small, controlled movements. During the class we did ab, arm, and leg work. This class was no joke. I consider myself to be a fairly in shape person so I was surprised to find how difficult it was for me. I’m not used to focusing so much on my form and controlling small movements- I have done way more heavy lifting than small, controlled movement- so this was pretty challenging for me. This is the perfect exercise for you if you want to tone up fast. I felt like I could already feel my muscles forming and shaping.

I definitely would want to go to another barre class, it was super challenging and I left feeling strong and disciplined. My instructor, Whitney, mentioned that they three types of classes- classic, cardio inspired, and pilates inspired. For my next class I want to try the cardio inspired class so I can burn more fat.

Have you ever tried barre? Comment below what your favorite strength building workout is.

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