3 Reasons Why You Need Barre To Be Part of Your Workout at Mind the Mat
I started taking barre classes during a time in my life when I had very little time, but wanted to get a good and efficient workout. I was also burned out on running, was tired of getting injuries, and hated not being able to run year round. A friend suggested I try barre out, and I was astounded by how hard a non-cardio workout was, and how much we covered in less than an hour. After doing it for a few months, five days a week, I was also impressed by the changes it made to my body.
Now, I love having barre as part of my fitness routine. It hits muscles that yoga and Pilates don’t, and it fills in those holes in my practice. As someone who doesn’t love cardio, it gives me the feeling of intensity and pushing to my max without being hard on my joints.
Barre classes have always been some of our most popular, and we’re adding more and more classes to the schedule. Here are some reasons you should make barre part of your fitness lifestyle with us!
1) It’s a great class for all levels. You don’t have to be a dancer or have any knowledge of Pilates. The moves are designed to be relatively simple and targeted to specific muscles, so you can join in even if you’re brand new to working out. Our teachers are experts at skilled cueing and will help guide you through the movements. Plus, just like Pilates, it’s hard no matter what level you are — so you will definitely feel like you got a good workout from the very beginning, and progress to engaging more and more specific muscles.
2) It targets all your muscles. We cover everything in barre — shoulders, back, arms, butt, thighs, calves, and core. Oh, most especially the core — you’re engaging it throughout the entire class carving out muscles like never before. And unlike some other variations on Pilates, barre classes lengthen and tone your muscles rather than making them bulky. I’ve even found that the light weights we use in barre classes have defined my arms but also helped me build strength for all the fun arm balances I like to do in yoga.
3) We have fun! Our teachers aren’t scripted and are pros at keeping the environment lighthearted and full of laughter while you’re (literally) working your butt off. We also hire teachers with a diversity of backgrounds, so every class you go to will focus on different things, and you will never get bored.
Sound intriguing? Try us out, and email me at laura@mindthemat.com if you have any questions!
