Walking, running, cycling, and weight-lifting are all popular ways to get exercise and are effective in producing desired results. However, sometimes people want to participate in a different activity to reduce monotony and mix things up a bit.
Consequently, more and more people are turning to barre exercises. Consisting of ballet-inspired movements with the assistance of a horizontal bar, below are 5 advantages to taking up this physical activity and how you can benefit from doing so.
1. Build muscle
Whenever you work out, no matter what type of activity you do, one of your goals is probably to build muscle. For this reason, barre classes should be considered.
Barre classes assist you in building muscle because the exercises work all areas where you want to target. These include thighs, abdominal muscles, arms, and glutes. Muscles are able to develop due to the repetitive movements you will be doing in the barre classes that also require you to hold a position. Not only will you be sculpting the muscles you want, you will be strengthening the ones that are often not used often and therefore underdeveloped.
2. Improve posture
People have extremely poor posture these days. This can be due to having desk jobs that require sitting all day, muscle weakness, and genetics to name a few. If you have posture, you owe it to yourself as it can lead to poor self-esteem and neck and back issues in the immediate future.
Barre classes can definitely play a role in improving your posture. Exercises that you participate in in classes will not only concentrate on areas such as arms, legs, and back, but also your core. As you continue classes, you will notice that your posture has improved, allowing you to walk and sit straighter without pain.
3. Lose weight
Many medical professionals state that taking barre classes will not single-handedly cause you to lose weight. However, doing them in conjunction with other cardiovascular exercises such as walking, jogging, or cycling can produce desired results.
When trying to lose weight it is a fact that the bigger the muscle you are working, the more calories you burn. Therefore, because you are working out muscles such as your thighs and glutes, you are afforded the opportunity to shed some pounds and get down to your optimal weight. The fact that barre exercises focus more on the lower body will also allow you to lose the cellulite preventing you from fitting into the clothes you want to wear.
4. Improve flexibility
You may not be as flexible as you were when you were younger. However, improving your flexibility has proven to reduce stress, improve posture, and allows you to breathe better.
Barre exercises improve your flexibility. By stretching your legs on the free standing ballet barres, you are elongating the leg muscles. This allows you to realign your body and achieve better balance as well. Improving your flexibility will allow you to reduce any chronic pain that you may have and/or move more efficiently during your daily tasks, allowing you to avoid pain in the future.
5. Ideal for rehabilitation
If you have recently injured yourself, have chronic pain, or are pregnant, you probably want to get the exercise you need without straining yourself. As a result, exercises that are less strenuous are more beneficial.
Barre classes are used for rehabilitation purposes because they are a less impact method of exercising and do not put undue stress on the body. As a result, you will get the workout that you need and will benefit from without experiencing fatigue and pain in affected areas.
