Meet me at the Barre

I have an addiction, and its to Pure Barre. For these past few months, I have been taking classes 3 times and week, and its AMAZING!

Pure Barre is based on ballet and Pilates principals. The idea is to use the ballet bar to do small movements to tighten and strengthen your muscles. Each class is 55 minutes long, and you do a warm up, do some light weight work, then move to thigh work, seat work, abdominal work, then stretching.

I have run and lifted weights my entire life, but I have never had my legs shake within 2 minutes of doing a work out. I kept reading and hearing about what a great workout is was, and how hard the classes were. Honestly, I was a bit cocky going into my first class. Within 5 minutes of class, I realized I had highly overestimated myself, and underestimated the class. I was sweating and shaking during the warm up.

For me, the hardest series is thigh work. You do three exercises in thigh work, and I have not been able to do a full thigh exercise with stopping. Trying to work while your legs are shaking uncontrollably is really freaking hard. There are times that I am so sore the next day that it amazes me that I didn't actually lift weights.

In class, you are constantly tucking, flexing, pointing, and moving.Some of the exercises are embarrassing to do, but when you are in a class of 20 other girls doing the same moves, its not so bad. Plus, each exercises is set to a different song, so they are blaring great music, and every class is totally different. You never know what variations of work you are going to do each day, which is exciting, and keeps you on your toes.

Pure Barre is not cardio, so you don't lose weight, but you really tone, strengthen, and shape your muscles, and lose inches of your seat and thighs.

This class is amazing, and I am so addicted.

Any Pure Barrer's out there? What do you think?