New to barre classes? Haven’t tried one but are curious about what you might be doing during a barre class? Well, this is the blog for you! Zoe here – ex-professional ballerina and instructor at PPF – to give you the inside scoop on the exercises to expect from a barre class.
But first, here’s some ballet terminology to get familiar with:
- Plié, pronounced plee-AY (definition: to bend, referring to the knees)
- Tendu, pronounced ton-DOO (definition: to stretch, referring to the feet)
- Relevé, pronounced rel-eh-VAY (definition: to rise up, referring to rising up onto the balls of the feet)
These lovely French words come from the performing art of ballet. In a traditional ballet class, you start at the ‘barre’ to slowly warm up the body by performing a series of exercises. From there, you move into the center of the room and work through exercises, each having its own focus (just like Pilates).
Our barre classes are inspired by ballet, hence the terminology and utilizing the barre for specific exercises.
To be perfectly honest, I don’t use these words every class as I never teach the same class in exactly the same way. But, I will always explain how to plié (for example) before I ask you to perform one, as most people do not have a dance background and look at me as if I’m speaking another language – because I am!
In terms of specific exercises to expect, here are the main ones to get familiar with:
- Many squats! In parallel and turned out (otherwise known as a plié). You’ll always be moving in and out of split squats, lunges, and scooter variations. If working in plié, you might even get introduced to a curtsy or two… or 30 – high reps here in barre!
- Some of these squat variations will involve holding onto the barre with either one hand or both – and I can guarantee you’ll be glad it’s there for the extra support! Also, don’t be surprised if there are pulses at the end of each variation – barre classes are very well known for the phrase, “and now pulse!”
- Little tip– if one foot is ever off the floor, it will be pointed (hence the tendu term).
- You’ll also get to work the upper body with some free weight arm work such as bicep curls, tricep extensions, overhead presses, and maybe even some push-ups at the barre – much more achievable than a regular push-up, so don’t let that put you off!
- Did someone say calves?! Yes, barre will also focus on your calf muscles (which is where the relevé comes into play). Prancing, calf raises, heel raises – the list goes on!
Towards the end of the barre class, we grab a mat and come to the floor for some dedicated core work. These exercises are based around traditional matwork Pilates exercises but still to the beat of the music – with a pointed foot here and there!
With all of this being said, there is only one way to truly find out what a barre class is like, and that’s to come and see for yourself! It’s so much fun, challenging, and will work your brain in a different way than your usual Pilates classes.
Hope to see you in the studio soon!
Quick note: Barre classes are not suited to anyone who has ankle, knee, or hip injuries/concerns due to the high repetitions of squats and other weight-bearing exercises.
If you want to learn more about barre pilates, check out Four Tips to Maximise Barre Workouts and Barre, Ballerinas, and the Burn: Barre Pilates Explained
Or why not come and try a barre class at one of our pilates studios in Brisbane or online!
