…Pure Barre, that is 😉 My long term love affair with Pure Barre happened about a year ago. The West Portal studio opened February of last year just a few blocks from my house and I was always blabbing about how much I wanted to try it out. For my birthday, my best friend was sweet enough to gift me a month of unlimited classes! And the rest, as they say, is history. From my first class to my last class that month, I experienced amazing changes in my physique. Combined with a clean diet, my body experienced the craziest transformations. I lost about 5 lbs of fat and toned up every problem area. It was without a doubt the best shape my body had ever been in.
Besides the great health benefits, joining the pure barre community was such a blessing in my life. Lauren, the owner of the West Portal studio, is one of the sweetest and genuine people I have ever met in my life. Hearing her talk about her journey of opening her own studio is so inspiring. You can read more about her story here. All of the instructors are so dedicated to making sure you have a great workout and are always available to answer any questions after class. The women I met during my time at Pure Barre were so down to earth and I felt such a connection to them as we lifted, toned, and burned.
Pure Barre is a full body workout that targets your “seat” (pure barre term for your booty), thighs, abs, and arms. I love that the workouts focus on all the areas that women struggle with. All the classes follow the same format – warmup, arms, thighs, seat, abs, and a cooldown stretch. The warmup is switched up quarterly and the thigh, seat, and ab exercises are switched up every class. I love this because you never feel like you take the same class twice. Barre is all about utilizing isometric movements to lift, tone, and burn. Not to mention they have a killer playlist of current songs that help you get lost in the music as you’re sweating it out. Don’t be afraid of the “shake” in your muscles that happens during class. Every time I experience shaking during class, I know I’m doing it right! You are pushing your muscles to the point of fatigue and by stretching them afterwards, you are building long lean muscle.
When you enter the studio, there are cubbies to leave your shoes in. Everyone wears socks during classes as no shoes are allowed in the studio. In the back, there is a changing area, a bathroom, and larger cubbies for your jackets/purses/valuables. Once you’re ready for class, you can grab a red tube, a ball, and a set of weights and head to a spot on the floor. If you’re a beginner, it’s nice to be at the front of class so that you’re close enough to the instructor to see her demonstrate proper form.
And of course, it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t become BFFs with a dog wherever I go… Sooooo meet Whiskey! He is Lauren’s dog and probably the videoder for pc sweetest dog ever. I won’t lie there were days that I felt so lazy in bed but I got my “seat” to class just so I could say hi to Whiskey 😉
Just remember, “Small movements, big improvements.” ♥ Check out a local Pure Barre today! Most studios have a great new client special for $100. That means unlimited classes the whole month!
Have you tried out a barre class? Let me know in the comments below 🙂