I’ll admit it: The first time I attended a Pure Barre class, I was skeptical of the website’s claim that it is the “fastest, most effective way to change your body.” In the past, I’ve been more of a traditional, 30-minutes-on-the-elliptical kind of girl, so I had trouble wrapping my head around the idea that you could get an amazing workout without, well, moving that much.
However, that’s exactly where the genius of Pure Barre lies. The class, a combination of ballet, pilates, and isometric exercises, utilizes tiny contractions of your abdominal and gluteal muscles– called “tucks”– to strengthen and tone your body. In addition to your abs and booty, the exercises also target your arms, upper back, and legs, which basically covers all of the areas you need to work in order to achieve that slender, yet athletic ballerina-esque look so many of us covet (or is that just me?!). The goal of each movement is to push your muscles to the point of shaking because that is when real strengthening happens. You’ll start your workout with a warmup, move on to abs and arms before hitting the bar for some serious lower body burn, and then end with more abs and a stretch session. Fast forward 55 minutes of lifting, squeezing, and stretching to the next morning when I woke up to find myself sore in places I didn’t even know contained muscles: I was hooked. As an added bonus, Pure Barre is similar to yoga in that the mental focus the exercises require leads to a meditative, zen-like state of mind during and after class.
One of the best things about Pure Barre it that there are locations in almost all fifty states. No matter where you travel in the country, you’re almost always guaranteed to find a studio where you can lose yourself for an hour and see fantastic results. Find the studio closest to you here, and sign up for one of the great deals offered to new members.
P.S. Don’t forget your sticky socks, which you can purchase at the studio or at Target. Happy tucking!
Photo Credit: Pure Barre