A Marathoner Takes on Barre

This past July my dear friend Cathy invited me to join her at a barre class. She explained that a new studio was opening in Detroit and the owner wanted to do a trial class before their official opening date. I almost couldn’t go because of other plans that day, but those plans were rescheduled so off I went. I had no idea what to expect and was not at all familiar with barre. Something about “ballet, yoga and pilates.”

At 45, my main form of exercise has always been running. As I grunted and groaned my way through that first class all I could think was, “They have got to be kidding!” It was so hard! I admit I may have shot Cathy a few what-have-you-gotten-me-into dirty looks and I may have even thrown one of those red balls we use in class at her head. Ok, so I did actually throw the ball at her. The next day I was incredibly sore. My triceps, hamstrings, thighs, abs and glutes were in agony. But it was a good agony and I was intrigued. So I went back the following weekend. And so it went. I was hooked! The only weekend I’ve missed a class was when I had a race. Barre is the best form of cross training for running. I have improved my half marathon time by 8 minutes!

Not to scare anyone, but I find it easier to run a half marathon than to do a one hour barre class. I can run without stopping. I cannot do a barre class without coming out of a pose every now and again. And again and again. As an added bonus I love supporting an independently female owned and operated business in the city of Detroit. The renovated carriage house studio is full of the charm of old Detroit buildings that I love and is a wonderful place to spend an hour exercising.

– Anne

Making the Most of Your Barre Class Part II

Mental Workout:

Barre workouts are mental as much as they are physical! There is always so much to remember and incorporate to maximize the effectiveness of each movement! Concentrate on putting intentional work into each and every movement. Sometimes running through a mental checklist during each exercise can help. Think: Are my abs drawn in? Are my hips tucked under? Am I resisting the movement? Am I breathing?

Set a Goal:

Set a goal for every class. Whether it’s staying in forearm plank for the entire 90 seconds or making it through each thigh set without a break – make attainable, recognizable goals for yourself so you can best appreciate the improvements you are making! Of course there are dozens of things we can each do to take our practice to the next level. But that can be so overwhelming! Recognize the victories you have each and every class and celebrate becoming stronger and stronger every class!

Don’t Compare:

Every person’s body is different. Respect your body and its differences and don’t compare yourself to other people in class. Each of us is built differently and has different limitations – not because there’s something “wrong” with us but that’s simply how our body is! So don’t feel like you’re not doing something right if you can’t get your leg perfectly straight or can’t rotate your leg quite as much in standing pretzel. Work where you are and your body will thank you for it!

Not sure about an exercise in class? Still not sure what tucking is? Talk to a teacher! We teach because we love barre (or are obsessed :)) – and we love nothing more than to share our passion!

– Anna

Check out the Studio

Wondering what our studio looks like? Take a tour of the Detroit Barre studio in our new video by clicking the link below!

Hope you join us for a class soon!

Video Tour of Detroit Barre

What Three Words Describe our Barre Classes?

Comprehensive!  Barre classes provide a great, overall workout. You’ll get your heart rate up with some cardio. You’ll get strength training — both in the muscles we often target with other cardio activities (quads, calves, abs, biceps) but also in some of the harder-to-target muscles (hamstrings, glutes, back, shoulders, triceps). You’ll even do some stretching. We know. We sometimes skip stretching when we work out on our own, too.  But, just think, this way you’ll definitely get your stretching in!

Challenging!  But in a good way.  What keeps people coming back to barre?  There’s always something you can improve upon — always something to learn and get better at.  The isometric movements in barre require control and precision.  No one’s perfect at it, but there’s always a new goal to push towards.  Maybe it’s doing a full push-up.  Maybe it’s making it through the thigh exercises without pausing.  Maybe it’s finally understanding how to tuck in flatback! 

Exhilarating!  Did we say get your heart rate up?  Plus music?  Plus sneaking in a few dance moves when no one’s looking?  You won’t miss out on your endorphin high after barre!  And we hope you’ll make a few friends along the way to keep the feeling going!

– Laura

Why Barre Works

I have always been an active person. I began gymnastics at a very young age, and from there transitioned to the world of cheerleading.

Although I cheered throughout college, I had developed joint injuries in high school. Over time, these injuries worsened, ultimately culminating in a series of knee injuries. It seemed that the very aspects that had attracted me to these sports — fast paced, high adrenaline activity — had also included an amount of impact that took its toll on my knee. My first surgery was at age 20, and the procedure didn’t exactly work out as I had hoped. The recovery was long and tedious, and it meant that running, jumping, and flipping were out of the question. For me, this was absolutely devastating. Things only got worse when I learned that my knee would requite a second surgery and even more recovery time, and my hopes for continuing cheerleading came to an abrupt end.

A few years later, a friend introduced me to barre. After my injury, I had been seeking a new way to get active and in shape again, and this seemed like the perfect way to do so. Knowing next to nothing of barre, I thought, “How hard could this be”? After all, I had been through plenty of rigorous exercise with cheerleading and gymnastics. What could be so challenging about barre?

In hindsight, that was perhaps a bit shortsighted. Much to my surprise, barre turned out to be quite a challenge. More importantly, it was gratifying. It was the most satisfying workout that I’d had in years, and it didn’t hurt my knee in the way that so many other exercises had.

I completely fell in love with barre after the first class and the way I felt afterward.

I feel more confident everywhere, not just at barre. Now that I am an instructor, I can’t wait to bring these feelings and opportunities to others looking for a fun, new approach to staying in shape.

– Jamie

Why Does Detroit Need a Barre Studio?