Take the toning powers of Pilates and the
flexibility benefits of ballet, and what do you get? The ultimate body-firming
workout that’s come all the way from New York – to your front room.
We’re always on the lookout for the latest,
greatest fitness trends – not flash-in-the-pan fads, obviously, but the kind of
workout that make you wonder how you ever stayed fit without them. We told you
about Zumba back in 2009, we brought you CrossFit last year… now let us
introduce you to the ultimate fusion fitness trend – barre workouts, or as
we’re calling it : ‘Balates’, a mix of ballet and Pilates that tones every
inch.
Take
the toning powers of Pilates and the flexibility benefits of ballet, and what
do you get?
Barre workouts (as in ballet barre) have
their roots in New York, where women in the know have been hitting Physique 57
and Bar Method studios for years, doing classes combining ballet with Pilates
to hone a super-fit body. They’ve spread from the uber-cool Upper East Side all
over the US, and have now started popping up here.
‘The great thing about a barre workout is
that you don’t need aspecialist studio’, says Andrea DeBellis, co-founder of
Barrecore studio in London (barrecore.co.uk), who devised our plan alongside
master instructor Morgan Ramirez, who demonstrated the moves, right. ‘And you
need is a mat, a pair of dumbbells and something sturdy to hold on to, and you
can do this workout at home’.
‘Balates’,
a mix of ballet and Pilates that tones every inch.
So how does it work? ‘Barre workouts take
the toning techniques of Pilates and add a bit of cardio, courtesy of ballet.
They follow a strict order, working the biggest muscles in your body – your
thighs – first to get your body straight into the fat-burning zone. Then, you
work smaller muscles at high repetition, to sculpt a slimmer-looking physique’,
says Andrea. ‘You don’t need the flexibility or rhythm of a ballerina because
you won’t be performing a choreographed routine’, she adds. ‘And it’s also
fantastic for injury prevention because there’s so much focus on alignment and
posture – but with no impact on your joints.’
And, no, you don’t need to download Swan
Lake to enjoy Balates – Andrea sets her classes to hip-hop, house, R&B and
Brit rock. ‘This workout will make your body strong yet feminine’, she says.
‘You’ll have lean, sexy legs and a firm, lifted bottom. Your hips will be
slimmer, your waist more defined, and your posture improved, so you’ll look
sleeker and toned all over’. Time to hit the barre.
