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Barre Class Breakdown: ClassPass and 3 Different Barre Methods


I have been going to barre classes for a about five months now, and I thought I would take this post to share some of my experience. I have been using ClassPass, so I have been going to different studios around the city. There are plenty of other workout class options available on the app, but I am only really interested in barre classes. In Charlotte there are 3 of the popular barre studios on ClassPass: Pure Barre, FlyBarre (part of FlyWheel), and Xtend Barre. I have also tried a local Charlotte studio. To sum it up in one sentence, I love them all! Each studio has fantastic instructors and staff, they are a very positive environment, and I always get a good workout. This post has not been sponsored by any of the aforementioned companies. I just thought I would share from an unbiased point of view, what I thought of each method and what makes them different. It's also going to be a long one, hang in there!

If you didn't already know, barre classes are exercises classes based on pilates and dance that are designed to build long and lean muscles. They involve a ballet barre, light weights, a lot of small movements, and are a full body workout. The exercises usually focus on certain muscle groups: abs, arms, quads, and glutes. They typically start with a warm up in the center or next to the barre, move to the barre for a variety of exercises, come off the barre for some more exercises, and end with a little bit of stretching to cool down. They don't typically have a lot of cardio, but I will explain more about that later in the post. I think these classes are a great workout for anyone. But in my opinion, they are fantastic for former dancers and would be excellent cross-training for current dancers.


Anyone can take a barre class, you do not need any dance experience to take one. However, if you are new to this blog, I personally trained in classical ballet for most of my life. I wanted to pursue a professional career in ballet (just in a small company for a few years) until my freshman year of college. From ages 12-18 I spent about 20 hours a week in classes and rehearsals, and when I was a dance major in college I was spending as much as 6 hours per day in the studio. However, for a number of reasons, I dropped to a dance minor my sophomore year. So until I finished my junior year, I was just taking one ballet class every day during the week. But dance has always been the only form of exercise I ever really liked doing, so I haven't done much since then.

It has now been a little over a year since I graduated, and I knew I should probably do something to stay in shape and keep the muscles from my dance years. But I have never liked running or going to the gym. During my last semester of college I went to yoga a lot, but I never thought of it as much of a workout. I had heard a lot of good things about barre classes but wasn't sure about them for awhile. My dance teacher growing up used to teach the very first barre method, created by modern dancer Lotte Berk. Every once in a while we would learn some exercises from it during our ballet classes, and I always remember them being very challenging. So a few months after I moved to Charlotte, I decided to give them a try. I loved it, and started off going once a week. I now go 2-3 times per week rotating around several studios. I have had such great experiences at each one!

As a new graduate in an entry-level job, I love ClassPass. Update: their pricing structure has changed and it is not the value that is once was. You used to have the option of taking either 3, 5, or 10 classes per month, with an option to add on classes later. Update: now a credit system that allows for roughly 3, 5, or 10 classes, depending on the credit value for each class. The prices vary by city (by a few dollars per class), but in Charlotte it was once about $10 per class. After the new pricing, it is about $12-$14 per class. I you travel, you can use your classes in any of the their 39 cities. If you want to try a little bit of everything in your city like spin, yoga, crossfit, etc. there are plenty of options out there.
The memberships at these studios for more than 10 or unlimited classes are around $200 per month. This may also vary by city, but there are not a lot of class options if I wanted to go every day after work, at one single studio. A lot of the classes are early in the morning or in the middle of the day. I will say I don't think ClassPass is very clear about their fees. You will be charged a $15 fee if you cancel a class within 12 hours of the class time, but will not be charged if you cancel earlier. And there is a $20 fee if you miss a class. From my experience, there is just one fee from ClassPass and no additional fees from the studio.


I have tried 4 barre methods, but for the sake of this post I am only going to share my thoughts on the popular ones that have studios around the country. As I said earlier in the post, I have had great experiences and would recommend any of these methods. But here are some of the differences between each one.

Pure Barre
I think the most popular and best known of these barre classes is Pure Barre, which is the first studio and first barre class I tried. Their classes are 55 minutes long, and they also offer a Platform class. Update: they now offer an Empower class. I think they incorporate a good amount of dance positions in the barre exercises, I know I am working a lot of the same muscles that I used to work in my ballet classes. I think the instructors here really go out of their way to learn everyone's name. They are always giving out encouraging compliments or offering helpful corrections throughout the class. As much as I love this method, I think their regular class has the slowest pace of all of the methods I have tried. I don't find myself sweating very much during the regular class, but my muscles are always still sore after it. However, the Platform class is very challenging! It has a faster pace, larger movements, and gets your heart rate going with some cardio.

FlyBarre
The next studio I tried was FlyBarre, which is in the same location as FlyWheel spin classes. So if you also like spin classes, they offer membership for both. They offer the FlyBarre 60 class that is 60 minutes long, and the Power 45 class, that is 45 minutes long. Update: there is also a Sport 50 class, that is 50 minutes long. I have tried both, and I think the only big difference is the 60 minute class slows down a little in the middle. And obviously since there is more time, there are more exercises included. This method makes both classes very challenging! I think the instructors push a little bit harder than the other methods, and the exercises last longer with more repetitions. The instructors also learn your name very quickly and encourage you throughout class. I think this method has the least dance-like elements incorporated into their classes, but they definitely still work the same muscle groups. Although they are a great workout, if you are looking for a lot of cardio, the Power 45 and Flybarre 60 may not be the classes for you. Update: the Sport 50 class is a great option if you are looking for some cardio! The class schedule probably differs by location, but one thing I love about this studio is they have the most options for classes after work during the week, and during the day on weekends.

Xtend Barre
I am not really sure why, but Xtend Barre was the last method that I tried. I had been going to the other studios for a few months before I decided to try this one. They offer a few different classes, but I have only taken the regular Xtend Barre class (because I love it!) and it is definitely the closest to a dance class of these three methods. It has many more dance positions incorporated into the exercises, and involves more cardio. There is a set of terminology that is pretty consistent across most barre methods, but they use the most words from ballet here. Due to the added cardio, I probably sweat the most in this class as well. This method would definitely be my first recommendation to former dancers who want to keep their muscles from dance, but don't want to jump back into a full ballet class. Update: if you are local to Charlotte, the Xtend Barre Charlotte studio has closed. However you can get a similar experience in the barre classes at Air Aerial Fitness and First Wind Cycling and Fitness.

Has anyone else tried any of these barre classes, or another method?
I never would have thought I would be one of those people that are obsessed with their workout classes. I got off to a slow start, but I really love these classes! I can't say it fills the place that ballet used to have in my life, but I finally found a workout that I enjoy going to. I think I may start doing some activewear outfits on the blog as well. Let me know if there is any other fitness content anyone would like to see!

Thanks for reading!

4 comments:

  1. Such a great post! There aren't any barre studios near where I live but I'm definitely going to be signing up for them when I move into the city! Love this breakdown.

    Rachel / www.helloher.co

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  2. I take Bar Method 4-5x per week (just took my 200th class!), and it's incredible. I run 40 miles per week, so it's really important for me to have some strengthening to balance the cardio. I started physically seeing results, particularly in my upper body, after about four months, and I continue to improve with every class. Even though I'm a runner, when I started, I honestly could not do five good push ups on my toes. Now, I can do 60. So glad you've been giving barre a try!

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  3. Pure Barre is my favorite! I've only taken Platform once but that definitely kicks your butt haha!

    xoxo,
    Katie
    chicincarolina.blogspot.com

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  4. I love taking Barre3 classes here in the Triangle but now I'm intrigued by Xtend Barre and might need to take a class the next time I am in Charlotte. Jess at Just Jess

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