Barre Exercise Craze

I recently started my senior internship at The BarMethod. Even though its my first experience with a barre workout, I quickly realized why everyone loves it. It's safe, no impact and works muscles you didn't even know you had. Probably like most others, I was skeptical at first. I love high intensity workouts like spin classes, so how could something so low impact be a good workout? I was instantly proven wrong when I entered the studio. My legs were shaking like crazy and afterwards I was SO sore. I felt strong, flexible, and all around better. The BarMethod was designed alongside physical therapists, so I felt comforted knowing I was safe while also building and toning muscle. With the many success stories from these workouts I wanted to know the secret behind the success. Just how does the BarMethod work and increase your fitness????

What is going on in your muscles??

Better flexibility: Throughout a barre class reps of isolated exercises are followed by stretches that target the same muscle group. When muscles are stretched some fibers remain the same length while others extend. The length or flexibility of a muscle depends on the number of lengthened or extended muscle fibers present. Over the stretch more fibers begin to extend, causing an increase in flexibility in the short term. Cells called proprioreceptors are in charge of perceiving a muscle's ability to lengthen and operate on feedback loops. When they detect changes in movement they send signals to the nervous system allowing the body to use this motion. They are located in muscle fibers, which makes sense, since muscle fibers are the fibers doing the lengthening of your muscles.

For the long term effect, it's your brain doing the work. In fact, some research suggests that your brain is actually tricked into thinking you are more flexible (whaaat?). When you stretch, those previously mentioned muscle fibers are sending signals to the central nervous system. As you hold the stretch for longer, they begin to lessen how much they are firing, or how often they send the signals, making you feel less pain (what we call being flexible). Then, your brain interprets these signals and recognizes the pain as non-harmful. The next time you do the same movement, your brain recognizes the pain before you feel it as safe, and you can stretch further!

Difference in stretched and contracted muscles, showing how some fibers are elongated while others are not 

Focus on Form: By focusing on alignment, barre classes make sure your joints are protected during every move. It's easy to fall out of form when doing challenging exercises but by keeping your body properly aligned, you burn more calories, protect your joints and get stronger.

How foot alignment protects your hips, knees and spine!! Your future self will thank you!

More reps = more burned calories: If you have ever taken a barre class, you know that each move is held for multiple minutes with lots of small reps, and you know it burns. If you haven't taken a bar class and are thinking "that sounds so easy", think again and maybe sign up for one. Barre classes are onto something here. With little to no impact, small movements can be done by almost anyone, while burning tons of calories. Each muscle is worked past the burn, using up lots of ATP. Eventually these cells switch to the glycogen-lactic acid system to generate ATP, and if continued to work, burn fat. It's a win-win for everyone involved (you, your joints and your muscles). This is an example of aerobic exercise, as it's low intensity, but controlled, leading to more toned muscles and overall fitness.

Why do muscles shake when worked? Like mentioned before, when you work your muscles, different fibers contract and relax. When you're working hard, some of the fibers contract at different rates, leading to an irregular pattern of contraction within the muscle. The irregularity is the shaking, and a sign you're doing the exercise right ;).

It's pretty clear why the BarMethod has gained popularity and is here to stay. See you at the Bar!

Check it out here!