Barre workouts have witnessed a significant increase in popularity in recent years. This workout routine mainly focuses on improving the core strength of your body, developing the motor muscles of your shoulder and hips, and enhancing your pliability. All of these developments in your body take place by performing isometric exercises that are involved in the routine, which burn out muscles at a specific angle within a controlled motion. It is especially useful for people involved in dance routines like ballet, freestyle and other routines, which demand both flexibility and strength. It has also been backed by world-renowned ballerinas like Misty Copeland. It’s no surprise that barre was developed by a ballerina, after picking up an injury. Lotte Berk, a German professional dancer fused her rehabilitative therapy with her dance routine, and developed the workout routine which came to be known as Barre.

Read on to learn all the benefits that the Barre workout can bring to your body and mind:

Increases strength

Although each Barre class focuses on different areas, many of them will include isometric exercises which would lead to many benefits like increase in endurance and strength. For instance, when you work your thighs in the class, you target that particular joint. The same would apply to your arms, back, butt, and abs as well. By focusing on each muscle, not only are you shaping an amazing structure for yourself, but you’re also using several muscles that are usually left underused and underdeveloped. Many people who have practiced this routine have reported sudden ease in the movements and functionalities of their arm muscles.

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Builds endurance

If you continue a barre workout routine for some time, you would gradually come to know that each session consists of a significant amount of isometric and isotonic movements. Regular continuation of isometric contraction tightens your muscles without changing its length. These contractions help your body utilize your slow-twitch muscles, that can lead to increased stamina and endurance. You’ll notice an increase in the number of push-ups you can do or the number of minutes you can hold a plank position. Similarly, these contractions help the ballet dancers hold several difficult positions involved in their dance routine.

Mind and body connection

A Barre session not only challenges you physically, it challenges both your body and mind to focus on each and every tiny muscle while you’re practicing the routine. Both your body and mind need to be aligned together to make the most out of this routine. Your instructor/facilitator will give you step by step directions on how to adjust your alignment while keeping in mind the functionality of the routine.

Increases flexibility

Your body doesn’t necessarily need to be flexible to practice barre, but the long-term continuation of its isometric movements involved in the routine does end up making your body significantly more flexible than before. In addition to that, the regular stretching involved in the routine helps you deal with several issues like stiffness/tension in muscles, joint pains etc which ends up causing ailments like back pain, shoulder pain, and related issues. As all of these problems occur due to a weak core, a barre workout routine eradicates this problem at its roots. It works on your core and ends up making it stronger than ever.

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Betterment of posture

Your core muscles are responsible for your posture. The stronger your core, the better your posture would be. Your core muscles are involved throughout the entire class which might lead to better stability in activities other than workout sessions as well. The most common problem responsible in cases of a weak posture is a weak core. By regular continuation, you’ll start to see that you can stand taller, as your lower back takes less tension/impact in doing the same activities it used to do before.

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