Recently, it seems like it’s every day I hear of a new type of fitness concept that isn’t your everyday Pilates or Zumba class. There is something for everyone whether you are interested in engaging your core with an aerial fitness class or participating in some extreme cardio during a session at a trampoline arena. I love mixing up my workouts and trying new classes because it’s easy to get bored with your normal routine. Finding new ways to push yourself is a sure-fire way to to keep yourself motivated and find what works best for you and your body.
After the umpteenth time of passing by a Pure Barre location and the incredible things I’ve heard about the experience, I knew I had to get in on the fun. Pure Barre offers a total body workout that uses the ballet barre to guide you through 55 minutes of small movements that isolate muscles in your body you probably don’t realize you have. The result is a lot of fat burning and building strong, lean muscle. No workout class is exactly the same and the routine is easy to follow for even the newest to organized fitness classes to follow along. While browsing the website, I found that there was an open house / free classes being offered at the Pure Barre location nearest to my house. Along with my best friend, Lexi, I signed up for a Saturday morning class and prepared myself to sweat.
Upon walking in to Pure Barre, you’re greeted by a couple of instructors that seem genuinely excited that you’re there and a very warm and inviting atmosphere. There were racks of colorful fitness apparel and accessories, an over-sized chalkboard sign with the class checklist, definitions, and latest membership specials, and a couple of incredible smelling candles to add a feminine and relaxing touch to the studio. After filling out a short form, you’re invited in to the barre studio to grab a Pure Barre exercise ball, tubing, and a set of light and heavy weights (I chose 3lb and 5lbs). The class was full and I was excited to get started.
Less than ten minutes in to our workout, my muscles were already shaking, which they tell you at the beginning of class is the goal. I could not believe that I was already getting twice the workout I normally would and I was using smaller, quicker movements to isolate my muscles. The instructor, Jacqui, was extremely helpful in making sure everyone was able to follow along and that we were using the proper amount of movement that gave our muscles a burning workout. We worked everything from thighs, hips, butt, arms, and abs. The 55 minutes went by really quickly with the help of Jacqui and some fast-paced music in the studio. We spent the last few minutes with a cool-down that resembled something you would experience in a yoga class. I was completely soaked with sweat and felt so strong after finishing. I figured I would be in pain the next morning (spoiler alert: I was. All over.), but the good kind of pain that leaves you wanting to take a class again. The only (strong) recommendation I would have for Pure Barre newbies is that the “sticky socks” are absolutely necessary. Pure Barre recommends you wear socks with rubber ribbing on the bottom so as not to slip on the carpeted studio. I thought I could probably survive my first class without these socks so I did not purchase a pair. BIG. MISTAKE. Take it from me, planks with normal socks and no traction might be one of my worst workout experiences to date. I could have gotten even more out of the beginning of class if I had had something that provided some traction. Plus, they were really cute. Buying a pair is a win-win. Unfortunately, I did not take advantage of the new member special they were running last weekend (right now it’s $99 for the 1st month of unlimited classes) as it wasn’t in our current budget, but I absolutely plan on going back. What’s nice about Pure Barre is you can purchase single classes, class packs of 5, 10, or 20 classes, or pick from a various amount of memberships. There’s literally an option for everyone depending on how often you can attend.
I have a newfound respect for those who train in Ballet or who take Pure Barre Classes regularly. Pure Barre Intstructors teach you that you can get just as good (if not, better) of a workout by using small isometric movements to burn out your muscles than if you were to spend a couple hours lifting at the gym. I can definitely see this becoming one of my new favorite ways to workout and I look forward to seeing some progress and results in my body after a few sessions. I already have a couple cute pairs of sticky socks picked out đŸ˜‰