Unlocking the Power of Barre: How Strength Training Takes Your Workout to the Next Level
If you love Barre, you already know it’s a magical workout that fuses ballet-inspired moves with flexibility, core stability, and intense muscle burn! But did you know that adding strength training to your Barre routine can take your results to a whole new level? Strength training is often seen as something separate from Barre, but the two actually complement each other beautifully. Let’s dive into how pairing Barre with strength-focused exercises creates an unbeatable combo for increased muscle endurance, better performance, and stronger joints!
1. Increase Power & Precision
In a Barre workout, every tiny pulse and hold is designed to fatigue specific muscles, creating that deep, satisfying burn. When you add strength training, you’re essentially supercharging those results. By incorporating weights, resistance bands, or even bodyweight exercises, you can increase muscle engagement. This means you’re not only targeting the smaller stabilizing muscles but also activating the larger muscle groups.
Why It Matters:
Adding strength training into your Barre routine helps create a more balanced workout that increases overall strength in key areas like the legs, glutes, and core. Building these muscles also helps you get more from each workout so you can make every move and minute count!
2. Build Endurance and Stamina
Ever reached that moment in a Barre class where your arms are quivering, your legs feel like jelly, and you're not sure you can hold that plié for another second? That’s muscle endurance in action, and building it is one of the key benefits of Barre. When you add strength training, you improve endurance even further because you’re conditioning your muscles to handle more resistance and sustain challenging Barre positions for longer.
Why It Matters:
As your endurance grows, so does your ability to push through challenging parts of the workout. It means you’ll get through more reps, hold poses longer, and ultimately build stamina in both Barre and everyday life. The stronger your muscles are, the better your endurance in any activity you love, be it Barre, running, cycling, or hiking. It’s a win-win!
3. Enhanced Joint Support & Stability
Barre is already fantastic for improving stability, balance, and mobility. By adding strength training, you’re giving your joints even more support. Targeted strength exercises help build up the muscles that surround and protect joints, especially the knees, hips, and shoulders, which are heavily used in Barre.
Why It Matters:
Strengthened muscles around the joints help absorb more impact, reducing the strain on your joints themselves. This support is crucial for longevity, especially if you’re dealing with past injuries or want to prevent them. Strong, stabilised joints also mean you’ll feel more balanced and controlled in every movement, improving form and reducing the risk of injury.
4. Find That Mind-Body Connection
Barre is known for cultivating a powerful mind-body connection, as it requires intense focus on form and alignment. Strength training can elevate this experience. By focusing on muscle engagement during strength exercises, you’ll be more aware of how to activate the right muscles, improve your posture, and feel more grounded in each position.
Why It Matters:
The mind-muscle connection is key for any workout, but in Barre, where precision is everything, it’s essential. Training with weights and resistance improves your ability to “feel” each muscle, making each Barre class more intentional and effective. The better you know your body, the better results you’ll see.
5. Supercharge Your Results with Strength + Barre
The magic of combining strength with Barre is that each discipline elevates the other. Barre provides the deep muscle engagement, flexibility, and alignment, while strength training gives you power, support, and endurance. Together, they create a balanced approach to fitness that leaves you feeling powerful and energised.
How to Get Started:
If you’re looking to try it use the link below to explore some of our weighted Barre workouts where we use light dumbbells (anything from 1-2.5kgs) to add a strength training element to our classes.