Your Prism Fitness Essentials for a Home Barre Workout

Barre classes seem to be popping up all over, and gaining in popularity. These classes are often a mixture of inspired moves from ballet, yoga, and pilates, although you don’t have to have a background as a dancer to jump into a class. Many people can gain a benefit from the fluid, graceful movements, and concentrated muscle work. This type of class style is very inclusive. Beginners benefit because the moves are not complicated, and hardcore gym-goers find the moves to be a perfect complement to the pounding their bodies take in other fitness endeavors.

A barre workout puts a focus on small, deliberate movements that target specific groups of muscles, including specific small muscles that may not be used in other workouts. 

Posture and proper form body alignment are stressed, which can lead to a positive strengthening of core muscles and highlight the appearance of an aligned, lean body. 

A barre workout can be a perfect countermeasure to the confines of desk work, phone usage, or even a job that keeps you moving at a fast pace all day. 

The difference between a typical strength class and barre is that instead of large compound movements, you’ll focus on small, one-inch increments. These movements continuously engage the muscle through high repetitions of isometric moves that work to increase endurance. 

Isometric movements work by strengthening muscles without straining tendons or ligaments, which makes Barre workouts less risky in terms of injury.

Barre can be highly efficient in targeting multiple muscle groups at once while you are doing several movement patterns, such as holding, pulsing, and stretching. For example, in a plie, your legs are diamond-shaped, heels raised, and you’re challenging not just your quads, but calves, hamstrings, glutes, abs, and upper-back muscles all at once just to stay in position, not to mention the added work of a series of pulses.

Barre Essentials from Prism Fitness

If you don’t have access to a class, barre is a very approachable workout to try at home, or on the gym floor. Unlike some Pilates classes, it doesn’t require the room or expense of a reformer, and you don’t have to be an expert to learn the moves. Here are some equipment ideas to get you started on building your studio!

TIP ALERT!

No Barre? Try a Plyo Cube instead!

SMART Sleeved Tubing

Mini Flat Bands

SMART Mat

SMART Medicine Balls

SMART PLYO CUBE, 3 in 1

1. Yoga can be done anywhere.

One of yoga’s benefits is it can literally be done anywhere. Nature can enhance your yoga practice in a different way than an indoor classroom can. Whether you take it to the park, lake, mountain, beach, pool, trail, or your own backyard, you can transform a routine that’s become stagnant into an elevated experience.

2. Natural scenery can elevate your sensory experience and replenish depleted energy

Taking your workout outside can boost your self-esteem by releasing endorphins. In addition, soaking up some vitamin D from the sun has been shown to decrease the risk of depression (just remember your sunscreen!). For more information, review this study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

When surrounded by a natural setting, all your senses wake up: scent, sight, sound, and touch in addition to increased feelings of vigor and vitality. Fresh air can also make you more aware of your breathing.

By getting outside of the familiar space of the gym, you become more vulnerable to what’s going on around you. Because nature is unpredictable (hot sun, wind, bugs, ambient noise), it can force you to focus on your reactions to the changing environment and bring a heighted meditative piece to your practice.  

Connecting with nature can bring a vibrancy to your practice by simply hearing a bird song, catching the scent of nearby flowers, or feeling a breeze cool your skin.

3. The change of terrain can provide an extra challenge

Outdoor yoga can challenge you with uneven surfaces which force the body to work a little harder to stabilize. Being extra mindful of your form helps you to stay in the moment. Practicing yoga in a new environment can help you get out of a rut, and even build confidence. When you get out of your routine, it can put you in a place where you may be open to try a new pose, enhance your range of motion, or hold a little longer.  

Self-Guided SMART Mat

Our SMART Mat is a perfect tool to use for an outdoor yoga practice. It provides more cushion to surfaces such as concrete or grass. And, if you’re stuck for moves, you can rely on the self-guided silhouettes to help you put together a routine on the fly.

For a simple yoga flow routine, try a series of sun salutations.

Watch our video here: