Move
BARRE3 PROP PRIMER: HOW THE CORE BALL, CORE SLIDERS, WEIGHTS, BAND, AND BARRE ELEVATE YOUR WORKOUT
What’s the first thing we do to set ourselves up for an amazing at-home workout? Make sure our props are within reach and ready to go. Our training team has considered every detail of the barre3 props, ensuring that when used correctly, these tools can challenge your stability, improve your strength, and increase your flexibility. Below, barre3 Lead Instructor Catie Fahrner shares how to use each of these props to support you in your online barre3 practice.
As its name implies, the Core Ball is used predominantly to target your core. It acts like a magical pillow that allows you to access your abs on a deeper level while still protecting your back, neck, and shoulders. Plus, the ball’s soft, squishy texture makes it easy to place behind your back or between your thighs to add instability without creating discomfort. If you want to add intensity to your glutes while on All Fours, place the Core Ball behind your knee. And if you feel stress in your knees and need extra stability, squeezing the ball between your thighs can help.
These little black discs create an environment of instability, which forces us to SLOW DOWN and pay attention to what’s happening in our bodies. This helps us find an even deeper connection with our muscles, delivering results you can feel right away. When you do a classic barre3 move with a core slider, you’ll notice a push-pull, or “resisting movement,” in both directions. This helps engage the targeted muscles and create balance in your body.
Our 1- to 8-pound handheld weights are used to create resistance when you’re targeting your upper body or glutes. If you’ve been doing barre3 for a while, you might know that the 5+ weight options are a recent addition to the class. After lots of research and months of training, we learned that by slowing down our movements and adding more resistance, we’re targeting the muscles that tend to get neglected in our day-to-day lives. The results? Increased shoulder strength, improved posture, and a stronger core.
Bands are often incorporated into warm-ups, seat work, and stretches. They allow you to move fluidly as you strength train. What’s more, bands can help you more effectively target your upper body, inner and outer thighs, and your entire core, including your abs and back body postural muscles. They manage to make your muscles feel both buoyant and strong, especially when performing standing seat work and Boat Pose. Bands are also a great, portable way to add resistance to your barre3 online workouts.
Foam rolling is the restorative practice we can’t get enough of—and for good reason. When you foam roll consistently (before your workout for an effective warm-up or post-sweat for the cool down your body’s craving), you’re hydrating your fascia. Your fascia is a thin, connective tissue holding your muscles and bones together. When fascia is dehydrated, we can feel tight and sore. A regular foam-rolling practice counters all of this by pulling fresh oxygen and nutrients into our fascia. Sound like a routine you want to try? Here are more tips to help you get started.
Barre
The barre is perhaps our most versatile prop, and central to its role in the barre3 class is its symbol of support. It’s there to provide balance when you need it and remains fixed in place as you choose to let go. The barre is a vehicle for looking inward, but just the same, it’s a means of connection to the rest of the group. It functions differently from person to person and its use can vary from class to class. Using Plank as an example, the barre is also a great tool for modifications. And when you want to get deeper into stretches, like Flatback Foldover, the barre is a wonderful source of relief.
When you’re working out at home, you can replace the barre with any waist-high surface like a chair, countertop, or couch, to find support in postures that challenge your balance.
Head to the B3 Shop to set yourself up with everything you need to take your workout to the next level, and put your props to practice with a 15-day free trial of barre3 online.
What’s the first thing we do to set ourselves up for an amazing at-home workout? Make sure our props are within reach and ready to go. Our training team has considered every detail of the barre3 props, ensuring that when used correctly, these tools can challenge your stability, improve your strength, and increase your flexibility. Below, barre3 Lead Instructor Catie Fahrner shares how to use each of these props to support you in your online barre3 practice.
As its name implies, the Core Ball is used predominantly to target your core. It acts like a magical pillow that allows you to access your abs on a deeper level while still protecting your back, neck, and shoulders. Plus, the ball’s soft, squishy texture makes it easy to place behind your back or between your thighs to add instability without creating discomfort. If you want to add intensity to your glutes while on All Fours, place the Core Ball behind your knee. And if you feel stress in your knees and need extra stability, squeezing the ball between your thighs can help.
These little black discs create an environment of instability, which forces us to SLOW DOWN and pay attention to what’s happening in our bodies. This helps us find an even deeper connection with our muscles, delivering results you can feel right away. When you do a classic barre3 move with a core slider, you’ll notice a push-pull, or “resisting movement,” in both directions. This helps engage the targeted muscles and create balance in your body.
Our 1- to 8-pound handheld weights are used to create resistance when you’re targeting your upper body or glutes. If you’ve been doing barre3 for a while, you might know that the 5+ weight options are a recent addition to the class. After lots of research and months of training, we learned that by slowing down our movements and adding more resistance, we’re targeting the muscles that tend to get neglected in our day-to-day lives. The results? Increased shoulder strength, improved posture, and a stronger core.
Bands are often incorporated into warm-ups, seat work, and stretches. They allow you to move fluidly as you strength train. What’s more, bands can help you more effectively target your upper body, inner and outer thighs, and your entire core, including your abs and back body postural muscles. They manage to make your muscles feel both buoyant and strong, especially when performing standing seat work and Boat Pose. Bands are also a great, portable way to add resistance to your barre3 online workouts.
Foam rolling is the restorative practice we can’t get enough of—and for good reason. When you foam roll consistently (before your workout for an effective warm-up or post-sweat for the cool down your body’s craving), you’re hydrating your fascia. Your fascia is a thin, connective tissue holding your muscles and bones together. When fascia is dehydrated, we can feel tight and sore. A regular foam-rolling practice counters all of this by pulling fresh oxygen and nutrients into our fascia. Sound like a routine you want to try? Here are more tips to help you get started.
Barre
The barre is perhaps our most versatile prop, and central to its role in the barre3 class is its symbol of support. It’s there to provide balance when you need it and remains fixed in place as you choose to let go. The barre is a vehicle for looking inward, but just the same, it’s a means of connection to the rest of the group. It functions differently from person to person and its use can vary from class to class. Using Plank as an example, the barre is also a great tool for modifications. And when you want to get deeper into stretches, like Flatback Foldover, the barre is a wonderful source of relief.
When you’re working out at home, you can replace the barre with any waist-high surface like a chair, countertop, or couch, to find support in postures that challenge your balance.
Head to the B3 Shop to set yourself up with everything you need to take your workout to the next level, and put your props to practice with a 15-day free trial of barre3 online.
