I’m normally a weight lifting girlie. Find me in the free weights section of the gym, headphones on, deadlifting till my little hearts content. I’ve lifted weights for years now and am fairly confident moving around that section of the gym.
But, I do have to admit that my workout routine needed a little bit more. The older I get, the more focused I am on functionality, balance, and longevity. And I’m humble enough to admit that there are some types of physical activity that even I haven’t given a shot—one of which is barre class. So for past three weeks, I have consistently took (beginner level!) barre classes, voice noted my thoughts, and fell in love with being a beginner (along with built some seriously defined calves) in the process.
Why take a barre class in the first place?
It all started after I got synced up with my functional doctor and she recommended barre as a way to do a cardio workout that wasn’t very impactful to my hormones (like a cortisol spiking bootcamp class was previously). We talked about it as a supplement to my weight training–a way to continue to develop my cardiovascular health but in a much more low impact, less stressful way.
I have to admit, I was skeptical. I’m used to lifting pretty heavy and didn’t see how using just my body weight, some bands, and a few 3 pound weights would be any sort of a valuable workout. I also didn’t know if I was a “group class” kinda girl either.
I was intrigued by the idea that barre did a couple things though:
My First Impressions of Barre
Before my first barre class, I felt some……..nerves. I think it’s safe to say that it was pretty nerve-wracking to walk into an established workout class and try something new. Especially something new that does not come easily to me. I have two left feet. I go left when everyone else goes right. Never in my life has someone observed me and complemented on my grace or the “delicate” way I move.
Demure?
Never heard of her.
Luckily, the instructor not only demonstrated each instruction but she gave “cues” to help us work through them. The class started with pretty standard upper-body warm-ups, like head rolls, arm circles, moving into a series of lower body stretches. We moved into floor work—always mindful of our arm position—and began a series of movements that had my thighs screaming. Each time, the instructor reminded us to tuck our cores and to be aware of the mind-body connection. Was I focusing on keeping my arms straight as we brought our legs from first to second position? For the last part of class we moved to the barre and moved through a series of small repeated movements that challenged my balance and made me question entering this studio in the first place. The final few minutes of the class, the instructor turned down the lights and we moved through a series of Pilates inspired core-movements to finish up the class.
I was drenched in a pile of sweat by the time we were done.
The following three classes I took over the next few weeks followed a similar structure. Each time was different movements (routines if you will) but it basically followed the same footprint–warm up, some floor movements with weights/bands, transition to barre work, and wrap up the class with core on the mats.
Barre as a Workout
If you’re looking for a fantastic full body workout, you are definitely missing out on the physical benefits of barre. At the risk of stating the obvious, it takes quite a bit of lower body strength to stabilize, balance, and flow through a set of tiny movements. After taking my first class, my quads were super sore, and I felt a ton of engagement in the tiny muscles in my calves. At the end of the three weeks, I could tell that my I was much more aware of my posture, my foot and ankle strength had improved and I was seeing some definite definition in my legs that I hadn’t noticed before. .
Much like other forms of dance or Pilates, one of the major benefits of barre is that it works muscles you might not traditionally engage while doing cardio or weightlifting. Most of the movements are fine movements instead of huge push-and-pull combinations that you might be doing in a gym, which is always great for reducing joint pain and improving mobility.
Beyond the full body workout, I found myself challenged by the constant relevé that the activity requires. I don’t wear heels a lot of the time IRL (your girl is almost 6 feet tall, heels are a bit redundant for me) and I could FEEL it in my calves. Like most dance classes, barre also stresses flexibility and posture, two elements of exercise that I rarely find myself focusing on in in the gym.
How Barre Boosted My Confidence….and made me love being a beginner
There were a many moments during my 3-week barre journey when I felt self-conscious, lost, or even downright uncomfortable. Pushing myself to connect with a simultaneously creative, delicate, and strong version of myself in a room full of strangers and an instructor was hard, and required a level of vulnerability I was pretty unfamiliar with. I had to ask for help, I had to practice, and I had to fail.
And I loved it.
In spite of the physical and mental challenge of barre itself, I’ve never had so much fun in a relatively low-impact workout class. When I allowed myself to get out of my head and into my body when learning and practicing the different movements, I found myself having a great time. Was I in time with the others? Did I look graceful and demure? Nope and nope. But the music was always on point, the women in the classes I attended felt encouraging and supportive, and the thrill of getting a little bit better with a movement with each class was incredibly refreshing.
It’s been a long time since I “tried” something new. And an even longer time, since I’ve done something that I wasn’t necessarily good at and kept at it. I’m a Type A, Enneagram 3 and allowing myself to do something just for “fun” and not because I was “good” at it was a new experience for me. Being a beginner took the pressure off of me to expect perfection out of myself and let me fully sink into enjoying the experience.
Dare I say, I liked being a beginner?
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