Barre exercise classes

I do a barre class 2-3 times a week at a Central London studio. I won’t lie, it’s both very tough and very expensive. But I loooooove it 😍

Oh, I do work hard and correctly (my technique isn't bad as I've danced from a very young age with some good teachers) in my ballet classes, and can do several classes a week if I'm in the mood.

Ballet is my first and main love, but I've always supplemented it with Pilates and other exercise.

Yes, the ballet classes are cheaper and longer.

My proper ballet classes cost between £7 and £12 for 60 to 90 minutes and if I’m working hard and correctly I feel it afterwards.

Hope it's ok to bump this up.

I first heard about 'barre' on a recent thread (thanks again to that poster who explained it) and it's really Pilates with use made of a barre or chairs for part of the class, but also floor. Don't go in thinking it's like ballet class, as it's not and you don't wear ballet shoes!

I tried two classes and have another, different place, still to try. I thought it was great and had aching abs and glutes afterwards - and I've never had that after a ballet class.

Expensive though! Starts at £20 for 45 minutes.

I did 1.5 hours of ballet daily for a year when I was 15. That ain't like ballet.

Just to reassure posters - Being able to do the splits is NOT a pre-requisite - or even a requirement - for studying ballet!! A good proper ballet class for adults will help you work on your mobility (flexibility + strength) with correct alignment and control, in order to use whatever flexibility you have to help achieve the graceful & smooth lines & movements of ballet.

I've watched Kathryn Morgan's YouTube classes & they are safe & excellent technically for ballet, but you can't "teach yourself" ballet.

I started doing ballet floor barres, barre and (when I'm brave) a bit of centre practice with a couple of Youtubers - Lazy Dancer with Alessia and Kathryn Morgan - during the first lockdown. Both are ballet dancers, moved to teaching, and focus on proper alignment, posture and technique. While also being fun and relaxed! I have taken part in the occasional online live class with Alessia but mostly I just do these at home, anything from 15 minutes to an hour. The stretching ones to prepare for splits I often do in front of the telly with the volume down on the laptop.

I'm in the best shape of my life and lots of the niggles I used to have - tendonitis, plantar fascitis, dodgy hip, dodgy knee, pinched femural nerve - have vanished. Ankles, calves, core, glutes are stronger and my balance and posture is much better. You really get to know where your body is stronger/weaker and notice how effectively (or not) your muscles fire up together and how to get less-used ones, like hamstrings, to contribute their fair share.

So if you want to try for free, start with YouTube, is my advice, and then maybe progress to an actual ballet class for beginner adults?

P.s. I never had a barre. I just used a normal dining chair

If anyone is looking for online classes I can recommend the one I did during lockdown, Ballet Fusion. I have now gone back to real life classes only (had enough of screens) but they are really good.

I did a lot of online barre classes over the pandemic (I'm a personal trainer and pilates instructor). I've always loved it but became addicted and bought a barre to work out on.

You'll probably find a big difference between classes, some will be relatively gentle and some will make you shake like crazy, some will be more fitness based. To me, it doesn't resemble ballet that much at all, it's just another form of exercise.

Maybe have a look at a few classes online? My favourite instructor is Tracey Mallet. She has a website and I'm sure you can get a free trial on it.

I did a lot of online ballet classes during lockdown (sort of from desperation, as the gym was shut). I liked a lot of aspects of it, but learning to do a plie and a deep knee bend etc. really threw out my technique for squatting etc. when the gym reopened. It's a whole different way of thinking about/moving the body I think.

It definitely improved my balance though. And my ability to get my legs really straight when doing leg raises.

Real ballet dancers are a whole different creature though. Incredible.

I didn’t say it was THE SAME as a ballet class, I said it was similar to. It is based on the basic positions, uses pliés, arabesques, tendus and the French names for the moves and positions will be recognisable to people who’ve done ballet in the past. It’s probably a slightly better overall workout than a ballet class as it’s sequenced to increase strength and fitness. The two instructors behind the main instructor are professional ballet dancers so you can see correct alignment etc. FYI, I live in a major city and there is no adult ballet available here. I don’t think a barre class is particularly high-risk for injury, in fact more risk of injury in a classical ballet class where forcing turnout is common if not encouraged. I’ve done plenty of ballet in my life, no need to act superior on the internet.

doing a plie with your heals together is "like ballet"!

Hmmmmm. If you want to be toned & "sleek" (as a lot of these sites advertise) then a lot of the so-called "Barre " exercises are actually quite antithetical. Just putting your heels together in a semblance of turn out, and then bending your knees, is not a plié. And if you do a fake plié wrongly, there'll be a tendency to build muscles in ways which are not toning or sleek.

A plié comes from first of all engaging your rotator muscles, which should determine the extent of the turned out angle of the feet, and then thinking of sending the knees sideways, while maintaining a neutral pelvis and a completely upright body position, while not sitting in the knee bend, or allowing the knees to collapse inward.

The amazing Balanchine dancer, Suzanne Farrell says that the plié is the first thing you learn, and the last thing you master.

The gym-based "Barre' exercises encourage sickled feet & turned-in legs, and an anterior pelvic tilt. I should think the reason people don't get injuries is because the exercises don't actually push the body terribly much, which is just as well, really.

If you want "toning" and better posture, Pilates and/or Alexander technique are the thing. "Barre" classes are just aerobics dressed up with "ballerina" glamour. But to the trained eye, they're pretty hideous.

Many barre classes do contain balletic-type movements, which is all people probably mean when they say it is a bit like ballet. To the untrained ballet eye (which is most of us) doing a plie with your heals together is "like ballet"!

@EasterIsland do you have evidence (either anecdotal or scientific) about the damaging effects, or is that just your opinion? I have been doing barre for a while with no such consequences. Loads of respected exercise class apps/websites have them, so I would be surprised if they were as damaging as you suggest. Are you also a trained fitness professional or just a trained ballet dancer?

I've never had a ballet class but I didn't think it was supposed to be like that anyway - as far as I can see barre is more like HIIT without jumping. Gets my heart rate up, anyway!

It’s similar to a ballet class but without most of the jumping.

They're really not (trained ballet dancer here). They really are not.

I do barre a lot at home because there's little jumping so I wasn't worried about thumping around like an elephant for our downstairs neighbours!! Also I can do most of the videos without a sports bra so that was a massive plus as well. That being said, it's a proper workout - just without jumping or any pressure on your knees if that bothers you.

I started out with free videos on YouTube by a lady called Coach Kel, and it's the only kind of exercise I've ever stuck with so I now have signed up to her online website with masses of videos to choose from. Highly recommend!

apparently it's based on ballet?

It's nothing like ballet. If you want to do ballet, do a proper class. There are loads for adults around. If you want to be toned, and have good posture, do Pilates.

So-called "barre classes" are horrendous. They misalign your body, they pretend that you're using ballet movement vocabulary but the exercises lead to turned in sickled feet, sticking out bottoms & pelvic tilt, hyper-extended backs, necks & arms, and so on (all of these have no place in ballet)

It's not brutal. It's similar to pilates, with much lighter weights than you'd use in a body pump class, for example. It's good for core strength, quads and bum.

peloton barre is great! I love their pilates too

I do the peloton ones
Makes muscles cramp and ache that I didn't know existed!!

I did it once, it certainly wasn't brutal, it was quite gentle really

The LesMills Barre videos are amazing. Worth trying out for a month. It’s similar to a ballet class but without most of the jumping. It is a hard workout but you feel benefits pretty quickly, once you’re able to move again.

I love barre classes. I do them at home, using my kitchen island as the barre! As PP have said, it's much harder work than you might think, so start with a ten minute session and build up from there. My pelvic floor has also really improved as a result of strengthening my core in general.

Results Wellness Lifestyle have a £1 offer for 30 days at the moment. I have really enjoyed the barre classes they have on there. Can sign up on their website or app and do the classes from home www.resultswellnesslifestyle.com