Barre workouts are all the rage in fitness — and for good reason. Devotees love the workout because of the way it strengthens and lengthens the body, sculpting muscles without adding bulk. Although barre classes go by dozens of different names — from barre3 to Physique 57 to The Dailey Method — the combination of moves inspired by ballet, yoga and Pilates (set to high-energy music!) is always the same. In a typical session, you’ll train your core, arms, legs and butt, all while gently boosting your heart rate. While you can pay upwards of $35 per class at a boutique studio, barre is also one of the easiest workouts to do at home. Generally you need nothing more than a sturdy countertop or chair to hold on to, and possibly a pair of light hand weights.
Want to give barre a try? Here are three video workouts you can exercise along with at home.
If You Have 10 Minutes
You’ll find this short and simple sequence extremely challenging and effective — and you’ll love listening to Aussie instructor Emma Seibold’s voice. There are just over a half-dozen moves in this routine — two ballet-inspired exercises for the legs, two ballet drills for the butt, and several Pilates-inspired exercises for the abs — so it’s an easy routine to learn and perform. Since there are so few moves, the idea is to do each one until your muscles are truly fatigued. Want to go harder? Seibold verbalizes the option to pause the video and repeat each exercise one or two more times to make sure you get the best workout possible. The first half of the video can be done with a little balance help from a chair or countertop. The ab exercises are done on the floor, so you’ll want a mat or carpeted area for the second half.
If You Have 30 Minutes
Sadie Lincoln’s barre3 workout is available in more than 50 studios nationwide, but if there isn’t one by you, you can get a taste of it with this video of the full-body toning routine. This workout moves fairly quickly. In a half-hour, you’ll tone everything between your feet and your fingertips — particularly your calves, quads, glutes, core, shoulders and arms. You might recognize yoga positions like Chair and Warrior 3 Pose in this workout, and there are plenty of ballet-like balances mixed in, too. To help rev up your heart rate, there’s an arm sequence that calls for light hand weights. If you don’t have those on hand, equally weighted water bottles — or even cans of food — will do. All of the exercises in this routine are done on your feet, so no need to grab a mat. And because the routine calls for moves like push-ups at your “barre,” opt for a countertop or couch over a less-sturdy prop such as the back of a chair.
If You Have 60 Minutes
A full hour of exercise is challenging no matter what, and this workout will definitely keep your brain and body working for all 60 minutes. Trainer Jessica Smith uses a mat, a chair and a set of light hand weights for the routine, which features complex choreography geared to working the whole body. In addition to standard barre moves, you’ll also find a healthy dose of traditional fitness. You might do triceps extensions while standing in a Warrior 1 position, reverse flys while doing ballet leg lifts, or chest presses combined with bridge lifts. The strengthening exercises are done without any resting — and there are a handful of cardio blasts built in — so your heart gets a real workout, too. Be sure to place your chair on a yoga mat to keep it from slipping as you do your planks and leg lifts. You might want to keep a sweat towel handy, too!
