Whether you are stuck at home with a sick child, don’t want to go out in the cold, or don’t want to spend the money, there are many reasons that one might use to avoid going to the gym. However, you will not reach your fitness goals by using excuses. There is plenty to do at home while spending little, if any, money.
One of these exercise routines is the ever-popular barre workout. While this fan favorite routine is quite expensive at the gym, you can do this same workout in the comfort of your home.
The routine is made of small isometric movements derived from ballet (but don’t worry, there is no dancing involved) that help isolate specific muscles. While the routine looks simple, the workout is an effective method for strength training and toning as it demands a lot from your muscles.
The routine starts off making motions with your body that target the muscles and pushes those muscles to fatigue. It then shifts to larger ranges of motion which elevate your heart rate. In this routine, you are sure to work all your muscles well and feel areas of your body that you didn’t even know existed!
If you were to go to the studio for a class, you would see an actual ballet barre for students to work on with an instructor who would give cues to different core-centric moves. However, if you were to work out at home, you could just find any sturdy chair to hold onto as you step into action.
To start your at-home barre journey, we have laid out 5 moves for you:
- Sumo Cat/Cow
This is a warm-up exercise used to warm up your spine, core, and lower body. To begin, stand with your feet a bit wider than hip-width apart. Your toes should be pointing to 1 and 11 o’clock. Then draw your hips behind you as if you were sitting in an imaginary chair. Make sure to keep your weight in your heels and knees stacked over your ankles. As you exhale, scoop your core (pulling your belly button in towards your back) and round through your spine (cat pose). As you inhale, lift your tailbone while dropping your belly towards the floor and slightly lift your gaze forward (cow pose). Repeat 5 to 10 times. - A side plank with a weighted barre ball
This is a strength training exercise where you have your feet stacked together and your right elbow below your right shoulder. Then press up into a forearm side plank while extending your top arm and holding onto a weighted barre ball. After, raise your hips off the floor with your body forming a straight line. With your hip lifted and your core tight, slowly curve the top arm, the arm that is holding the barre ball, under the ribcage and then open back up. If you find this exercise to be hard, try bending your bottom leg behind you. Try to do this activity 8 times to complete the full exercise. - Lunges using a resistance band is another easy barre activity that you can do anywhere if you have a resistance band. To perform this activity, you will stand with one leg in front of the other and place the resistance band under the front leg while firmly holding each end of the band. Then lower yourself into a squat position and bring your arms up in front of you. Slowly bring yourself up into a standing position while you lower your arms. Then once again go into a squat while bringing your hands to your sides. Challenge yourself to get the best out of this activity by doing 8 reps for each leg.
- The Bicycle Crunch
This is a set which requires nothing other than you and your (optional) yoga mat. Here you will lay flat on your back placing your hands behind your head and keeping the elbows open. Your belly button should be pulled into your spine. Your feet should be flat on the floor and your shoulders should be elevated. You will then stretch out your left leg while twisting your left elbow to your right knee and pulling the right knee toward you. You should keep switching legs until you have reached 32 reps for the full potential of this workout. - Triceps Toning Reverse Push Ups
To tone the largest muscle in the upper arm, the triceps, it takes 40 reps of reverse push-ups in which you start by having your fingers pointing forward and positioned slightly away from the body. Your legs should be hip-width apart. Your ribcage should be in between the upper inner parts of the arms with your bottom about 10 inches away from your wrists. While your elbows should bend directly back, they should never fully straighten. Once you have done 40 reps of this activity, you will feel toned in your triceps and a bit stronger than when you started.
These are just five activities to do when starting off doing the barre workout at home. As you can see, there is very little equipment that needs to be bought making this workout inexpensive. If you’re up to the challenge, check out the plethora of online videos and routines as a guide. With endless barre possibilities, accomplish your fitness goals from home!
https://greatist.com/move/home-barre-workout
https://popculture.com/healthy-living/2018/05/18/barre-exercises-you-can-do-at-home/#1
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