What is Pilates and Barre and where do I start?!?!

We often get asked the question, “What is Barre?”, or “What is Pilates?”!

We are so glad you asked!!

Barre is a full body workout inspired by dance, body weight exercises, and Pilates! At our studio, we focus on proper alignment, while also offering modifications, or progressions! We understand that not everyone is at the same place in their workout journey and we do our best to provide you with moves that meet you where you are!  We don’t care if you are flexible (YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE!), done a million different workouts, or this is the first time you have EVER worked out! Barre can be modified to challenge every level! We use a mat, small ball, resistance bands, 2 pound weights (that feel like 10 pounds when we’re finished!), and steps to challenge you.  We also take pride in the fact that EVERY CLASS IS DIFFERENT! There is benefit to doing the same thing over and over, but that just isn’t our style! We like to mix it up in order to keep the class interesting, challenging, and most importantly FUN!

Pilates is a full body stretch and strength system of exercises on specialized Pilates equipment!  Believe it or not, it was created by a guy, but became popular among the dance community when Joseph Pilates moved his studio to New York near a dance studio.  Because of the specialized equipment, it is a great workout for people with ailments, post surgery, or specific fitness needs! But don’t get me wrong, it can also be super challenging.  Pilates focuses on healthy movement of all joints.  We try to do flexion, extension, side bending and twisting in all of our classes so your body can loosen up and move in the dynamic way it was made to move!  Although there is a specific classical Pilates repertoire, we mix up the classes and you will NEVER have the same class twice! We also add cardio or increased speed and endurance to our Amped, Jumpboard, or Intermediate classes through the use of the Jumpboard (laying down while doing cardio – sign me up!)

Where to start?

If you are interested in Pilates, we recommend a private first.  It is a great way to have a trained teacher look at your body and see your common movement patterns.  That way, you are able to meet your goals in a class setting.  It also allows you to feel confident when walking into a class!  If you have any past injuries or surgeries, we highly recommend that private.  If you want to go straight to classes, our Wednesday evening Back to Basics Pilates class is a great place to start!

If you are interested in Barre, you can jump right in to classes (as long as you have no current injuries!) Our teachers pay attention to the class to make sure you are in proper form.  This is SO important to us because if you are in good form, you not only keep yourself safe, but you don’t have to do as many reps to see results!  (Hallelujah!) If you are new to fitness and exercise, we recommend picking one of our regular Barre classes and work up to TRX Barre if that interests you!

Our Why

To say that we love helping people is an understatement.  We love helping people find strength, confidence, and inspiration to be their best selves.  You don’t have to be a certain size, weight, flexibility level…we just want you to be YOU! Pilates and Barre are so great for EVERY body we want to help spread the word, while creating a sense of security and community amongst our clients!

Can’t wait to see you here!

In strength and self-confidence

The Pilates Barre Team