New workout brings people to the Barre

I walk through the front doors of the studio, a couple minutes late — the instructor’s voice can be heard outside of the room. I sheepishly open the double doors to one of the studios off the main change room and look around. The walls are an attractive grey and the chandelier emanates a bright, energetic light onto the wooden studio floor. The room is full of people and the instructor is at the front, leading them with zest and joviality. I gulp nervously and adjust my pink, gripped toe socks: The Barre Fitness class has begun.

“I had read about Barre, it was starting to pop up in the fitness magazines,” reflects Megan Clark, owner of Barre Body Studio in Edmonton.

“I was visiting my sister in Portland, and we tried out a Barre class and loved it,” Clark said.

“Then, a while later I found out that a friend of mine was opening a Barre studio in Calgary. I spoke with her in regards to licensing the brand, and got it up here in Edmonton.”

So, what is Barre Fitness?

“Barre is a blend of basic barre techniques (such as Plie, Releve, and different foot positions), yoga and Pilates.”

Clark explains, “It’s a low to no impact workout, and the movements are very small; it’s really easy on the joints.”

“We will do these high repetitions of these small movements to really burn out the muscle and then stretch it, lengthen it, and move on to another muscle group.”

Clark discussed her initial draw to Barre, and explained that she was doing yoga and cross fit and trying other methods of exercise, and hadn’t connected with any type of fitness — she felt as if something was missing.

“Barre is a full body work out, we start class with a warm up, to get the joints lubricated and the body moving, and then we go to resistance work on the upper body,” Clark said.

“We have a small cardio component to get that heart rate up, and then slow it back down when we’re on the barre to really tone the muscle.”

Clark explained that due to the nature of the low impact workout, Barre caters to a wide audience: People who work out often, people that are just getting back into working out, people with injuries.

“We had one woman who was pregnant do barre right up until her due date,” reflected Clark.

“We also focus on the back of the body: The hamstrings and the glutes, which tend to be very underworked,”Clark said.

“By focusing on the back of the body it improves our posture and gives us a more balanced body and gives us more muscles to draw on in other sports and help prevent injury and improve performance.”

The origins of this fitness method shines through, as Clark explained that the founder of Barre Method, back in the 70s — Lottie Burke — derived the method as a form of rehab for herself, after years of professional ballet.

Barre Body Studio hosts several different classes: Barre Body Fit, which is a regular hour long class, comprised of cardio and full body workout; Barre Body Blast, which is a cardio focused, fast paced class; Barre Body Bands, which incorporates resistance bands into the movements, creating a smaller, yet increasingly difficult movement; Barre Body Core, which focuses on abdominal and core muscles, and Barre Body Press, which is a condensed 45 minute class; perfect for people coming before work or on their lunch break.

I chose the Barre Fit class for my first time, and like Clark mentioned, it was a blend of cardio, arms/shoulder workouts, abs, and legs. The light weight sets, isolated movements and long reps were a much different work out than the normal heavy weights and short reps that I am typically used to. It made for a slower, more gradual burn and isolated different muscles more thoroughly. However, the energy in the room was uplifting and energetic, the music was energizing and everyone in class was excited and motivated to be there. The Barre portion was challenging and effective for working the glutes and hamstrings; the long reps were difficult, yet rewarding.

Glutes on fire and legs shaking, I caught up with my instructor, Katherine Hampson after class. Clark explained that the instructors (Or “Barretenders”) are picked due to their personalities, not their initial skill.

“You can teach skill; you can’t teach personality” Clark explained.

Hampson said the best part of the job is meeting all the different people that come into Barre Body Studio.

“It’s for everyone, I meet all kinds of people and it’s a lot of fun to get to know everyone.”

Barre Body Studio has two locations: One in Whitemud Crossing and one in Holland Plaza. $40 Two week unlimited passes are available for first time Barrestars, then 10 and 20 punch passes are available, as well as a annual membership.