By Kelsey McDermott

To Barre or not to Barre; that is the question. Picture a room with all mirrors. There are balls about the size of dodgeballs, exercise tubes, and sets of two-pound weights. The class is a little nerve-racking for beginners, so new students usually sit in the back where they will not be easily seen. Everyone here comes to better themselves. Suddenly, a perky woman comes to the front of the room and tells the class to stand. The participants follows her lead into a series of crazy moves and sore muscles. This is Pure Barre.

Pure Barre is an exercise class based off workouts from ballet classes. The class is focused around music, which gives the dance moves rhythm. This makes the moves easier to follow along with the instructor. The concept is called “Pure Barre” because most of the activities use the ballet barre in the front of the room. The first 10-15 minutes of class are reserved for the warm-up. The students do pushups, planks, and other moves to get their heart-rates up. After the warm-up, the class moves to the barre. The class works out legs and upper thighs until they move on to abdominals for the remainder of the time until the cool-down. Shortly after the abdominals, the lights are shut off and the music volume lowers, but the class is not finished yet. Stretching and abdominal exercises follow. The ab portion consists of variations of crunches and movements with the squishy exercise tube that the students are given. The lights turn back on, and the participants applaud themselves for their hard work.

Pure Barre prices can be expensive, but there are many Groupons and lesson package deals that make the price more practical. Packages are a set amount of lessons at a lowered price. The packs vary from “Baby Bounce Back,” which has three months unlimited access to the studio to help new mothers get into shape, to “Back to School, Back to Barre” packs, that help students workout at an affordable price. It is much better to purchase the unlimited pack, which allows a participant to pick and choose any date and time with no cancellation frustrations.

Pure Barre gives results very quickly. “My clothes fit a lot better now and I’m more confident in my own skin,” says Sheley, manager of Pure Barre in Clearwater. The teachers are encouraging, and will help a student if he or she does not understand the form. The classes are a great way to exercise that lasts fifty-five minutes. This is a good start to a weeks recommended exercise hours. According to the CDC, “Adults need at least one-hundred-and-fifty minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week and weight training muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).”

If anyone is interested in an innovative way to get in shape, Pure Barre is the right fit for you. “Pure Barre has made me my best self. It’s made me the best version of me,” says Sheley. With an encouraging atmosphere, it is very easy to achieve your personal fitness goals and enjoy doing it as well. The best advice for newcomers is to “be patient. Like all good things, it takes time and hard-work. It’s something you can grow with,” says Sheley.

Header photo by StudioBarre (flickr creative commons)