November 10, 2025 | Categories: Fitness
Why Everyone Is Doing Barre
The Low Intensity Workout That’ll Reshape Your Rear
Try barre workouts to tone and tighten your core, legs, and butt.
By Diana Kelly
Call it the Black Swan effect but after Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis danced across movie screens in 2010, it seemed like everyone was doing ballet-inspired barre workouts. You may have heard of The Bar Method, Pure Barre, barre3 and other boutique studio’s variations on this workout, but the good news is you don’t need to have access to a ballet barre and dance studio in order to reap the body benefits of this exercise.
Even though Lotte Berk began the barre movement in 1959 in Germany, participation in barre classes has exploded across the country in recent years since the workout is doable by all fitness levels. “This total body workout provides a way to move the body naturally to improve core strength, posture, flexibility, and body awareness, leaving participants feeling graceful and strong,” says Alex McLean an American Council on Exercise-certified master trainer for BarreWRX USA and Japan. He says the main principles of Barre stem from Pilates and focus on centering, using core stability, while incorporating balance and coordination.
Barre classes are popular because they’re safe and quickly shape the body, says Sadie Lincoln, founder of barre3. “People love that they get good muscle burn without the hard-hitting high impact of other workouts,” she says.
Body Benefits
Barre workouts create nice muscle tone and increased flexibility, says Lincoln. “These classes are universally known for building strong, shapely legs,” she says.
When you do barre exercises, you might be surprised that you’re getting a cardio workout and building a strong core while doing the movements. “We always follow controlled isometric holds and small range of motion strength training with large functional movements that give clients more cardio than they realized,” says Lincoln. Her classes are training your abs within the first minute and continuing all the way through the end of class by doing functional exercises that get results—and no crunches!
Who Should Try It
If you’re afraid to take a class because you think it’ll be made up of lithe dancers, yogis, and Pilates enthusiasts, you’re wrong. “Women of all sizes and ages are coming to barre for the toning and tightening workouts,” says Lincoln. “People come to our barre class looking for a challenging workout without the risk of injury and pain in their joints,” she says.
Barre workouts are for all fitness levels and ages, ranging from beginning exercisers to elite athletes, from teens to the active aging. “The beauty of barre is that each exercise can be tweaked specifically to the individual, enhancing the dynamics of the group experience with personalized attention,” says McLean.
Where to Try It
For your first few workouts, you might want to try a barre class at a studio or at your local gym. This will help ensure you’re getting help from on an instructor while mastering technique and doing the range of motion exercises without injury. After you’ve taken a class or two, consider doing a barre DVD at home or subscribing to online barre workouts through a streaming service. Some companies like barre3 or The Bar Method have online subscription plans that give you access to their videos for a monthly fee. For most home workouts you can hold on to the back of a chair, no ballet barre or fancy equipment required.
When You’ll See Results
Try one to three barre classes per week and balance out your fitness routine with other workouts that include cardio, resistance training, stretching and foam rolling, suggests McLean. “Diversify and switch up workout routines every few weeks to keep seeing and feeling the benefits of your hard work,” he says.
Two Exercises to Try at Home
Side Plank with “Thread the Needle:
This plank twist works the obliques and side waist.
Reps: Hold side plank for 30 seconds on each side. If layering in “thread the needle,” movement, then perform 3 reps on each side.
Set-up: Start in a pushup position with arms extended, pulling your abs in while lengthening through the crown of your head. You can do this at your kitchen counter as well.
Movement A: Walk your right palm in (under your face on the floor) and pivot opposite arm open to the left, reaching for the sky. Feet can stack, or as a modification, place the left foot on the floor in front of the right foot. Push your right palm firmly into the ground, engage your glutes and pull your abs in.
Movement B: Inhale and lengthen through the crown of your head and open your heart. Exhale and draw your left arm under your right side. Your body will rotate and twist as you do this. Inhale back to the starting point. After 3 reps, place yourself back in full plank and transition to the other side.
Boat Pose
This pose works the abs and upper back muscles.
Reps: One minute. If layering on movement, then 5-8 reps during that minute.
Set-up: Sit on the floor and grab onto the back of the thighs. Anchor your hips and lift toes away from the floor so that your shins are parallel with the ceiling. Keep your hips heavy as you pull your abs in.
Movement A: Release your palms from thighs and reach arms out to the side. Stay here, or straighten your legs pointing at an angle, and draw your upper body down toward the floor. Pull your abs in, and draw back to your starting position (in a modified boat with bent knees/shins parallel to the ceiling).
Tip: If you have low back pain, or any discomfort when layering on the movement, then work in a smaller range of motion and/or keep knees bent the entire time.
This article originally appeared on RealSimple.com.
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