Move
DOES BARRE3 “COUNT” AS STRENGTH CONDITIONING?
We recently answered the highly popular question “is barre3 cardio?” (Spoiler alert: YES). But what about strength conditioning? Does the barre3 workout, with its micro-movements, isometric holds, and cardio bursts, “count” as a strength conditioning workout?
We asked barre3 instructor Shannon McClintock to break it down for us. Read on for her answer to this oft-asked question, along with a few more expert insights.
B3 MAGAZINE: Let’s answer the question once and for all: Does barre3 count as strength conditioning?
Shannon: YES! Barre3 is an amazing workout for building strength. In every class, you are able to work with your body weight or choose to add additional weight to create more strength in your body. The reason it is not quite as obvious as the strength conditioning a body builder does in a gym is that barre3 focuses on functional strength conditioning instead of a more traditional strength conditioning routine.
B3 MAGAZINE: What’s the difference between functional strength conditioning and traditional strength conditioning?
Shannon: You can think of this in two ways. Building strength like a bodybuilder does in a gym is traditional strength conditioning. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t necessarily make you stronger in your day-to-day life activities like functional conditioning does.
We’ve all seen the bodybuilder who has giant muscles but cannot extend his or her arms or legs all of the way or has multiple injuries from imbalances made worse by their strength-building routine. This is because traditional strength conditioning relies on isolating muscles one at a time to take them to fatigue (for example, a back and biceps day) versus incorporating them into a whole-body exercise. Instead of building balance, you perpetuate imbalances created by life, and this opens you up to more injury.
Barre3 operates based on building strength in a pattern that balances the body using functional movements. Movements in functional conditioning require you to coordinate balance and control in addition to muscle contractions, similar to how you might use them in real-life situations. This includes equalizing the strength between the right side of your body and your left side and, VERY importantly, strengthening your back body to match the strength of your front body, which tends to be much stronger.
B3 MAGAZINE: What’s the benefit of focusing on functional strength conditioning?
Shannon: When we use strength conditioning to balance the muscles throughout our body in functional ways, it doesn’t create the huge bulging muscles you associate with weight lifting. Instead, it makes you less prone to injury in everything else you do in life like biking, picking up your kiddos, or moving heavy boxes. That’s the true benefit to working hard in a barre3 class.
B3 MAGAZINE: Do I need to supplement my barre3 practice with extra strength conditioning, or do I get enough in class?
Shannon: While you do not need to supplement with any additional strength conditioning outside of a barre3 class, if you have a workout you love that includes additional strength conditioning, you should always feel free to do it! There are tons of workouts that complement what we do in barre3, and we will never be the kind of workout to say we are the only answer to how you improve your strength in life. If you love going to the gym to lift weights, do it! If you love going to Pilates, do it! And if you love just having barre3 as your go-to workout, we have you covered.
B3 MAGAZINE: Will doing barre3 help me meet the standard recommendations for strength conditioning?
Shannon: Yes! The American Heart Association recommends doing strength conditioning two days per week to increase your muscle mass. If you are doing at least two barre3 classes per week, you are hitting the recommended amount.
B3 MAGAZINE: If I’d like to up my strength conditioning in class, what can I do?
Shannon: This is a great question. There are tons of ways to get deeper with strength, the first being that you can grab the next size up of weights. With this, I encourage you to really listen to your body and see if you are ready for the change. If you ever have any gripping or burning in your neck muscles, I would recommend stepping back down until your body is ready for the increase in weight. Just because we can pick up the bigger weights doesn’t mean we should!
The second thing you can do might seem counterintuitive. It’s to play with modifications. Let me be clear, modifications are NOT making a posture easier. Some of the times I have been the most sore from barre3 were when I took a modification that gave me the space to slow down, make sure I was moving without ANY momentum and make sure the right muscles were firing to get the job done. As we all have experienced, moving slower is almost always harder and taking those modifications is a chance to do just that. The next time you are in Sumo Squats, see what happens if, instead of going to the beat, you keep it to a slower 2-count. The slow movement will create even more of the sizzle we all love (and love to hate).
B3 MAGAZINE: Are there any other ways to increase weight?
Shannon: Yes. Don’t be afraid to add additional weight into postures like Bridge Lifts. This is an easy way to bump up your strength in your back body without any added load on your shoulders or neck. Again, just make sure to check in with your body and make sure you have a nice muscle burn happening in your seat with that added load and that it is not sneaking into your back or hips.
B3 MAGAZINE: If I already do a lot of strength conditioning outside the studio, how can I work barre3 into my routine in a healthy way?
Shannon: The beauty of barre3 is that we truly try to meet you where you are. We have people from all walks of life who do barre3, and it is truly a workout that will complement most anything. Whether you are a runner, a bodybuilder or a mom coming back from having a baby, we have something for you in every class. If you have a routine where you lift weights three times per week, worry not, you can add barre3 on whatever days you have time and have it be a great complement to your weight-conditioning routine. Every barre3 class focuses on balancing the whole body. There is never a “leg day” or “backs and biceps” day, so it really will slide in anywhere and help you keep on track to creating that balance in your body and, as a bonus, empower you from within.
Feel the strength conditioning benefits of barre3 for yourself! Sign up for a 15-day free trial of barre3 at-home workouts or find your local studio today.
We recently answered the highly popular question “is barre3 cardio?” (Spoiler alert: YES). But what about strength conditioning? Does the barre3 workout, with its micro-movements, isometric holds, and cardio bursts, “count” as a strength conditioning workout?
We asked barre3 instructor Shannon McClintock to break it down for us. Read on for her answer to this oft-asked question, along with a few more expert insights.
B3 MAGAZINE: Let’s answer the question once and for all: Does barre3 count as strength conditioning?
Shannon: YES! Barre3 is an amazing workout for building strength. In every class, you are able to work with your body weight or choose to add additional weight to create more strength in your body. The reason it is not quite as obvious as the strength conditioning a body builder does in a gym is that barre3 focuses on functional strength conditioning instead of a more traditional strength conditioning routine.
B3 MAGAZINE: What’s the difference between functional strength conditioning and traditional strength conditioning?
Shannon: You can think of this in two ways. Building strength like a bodybuilder does in a gym is traditional strength conditioning. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t necessarily make you stronger in your day-to-day life activities like functional conditioning does.
We’ve all seen the bodybuilder who has giant muscles but cannot extend his or her arms or legs all of the way or has multiple injuries from imbalances made worse by their strength-building routine. This is because traditional strength conditioning relies on isolating muscles one at a time to take them to fatigue (for example, a back and biceps day) versus incorporating them into a whole-body exercise. Instead of building balance, you perpetuate imbalances created by life, and this opens you up to more injury.
Barre3 operates based on building strength in a pattern that balances the body using functional movements. Movements in functional conditioning require you to coordinate balance and control in addition to muscle contractions, similar to how you might use them in real-life situations. This includes equalizing the strength between the right side of your body and your left side and, VERY importantly, strengthening your back body to match the strength of your front body, which tends to be much stronger.
B3 MAGAZINE: What’s the benefit of focusing on functional strength conditioning?
Shannon: When we use strength conditioning to balance the muscles throughout our body in functional ways, it doesn’t create the huge bulging muscles you associate with weight lifting. Instead, it makes you less prone to injury in everything else you do in life like biking, picking up your kiddos, or moving heavy boxes. That’s the true benefit to working hard in a barre3 class.
B3 MAGAZINE: Do I need to supplement my barre3 practice with extra strength conditioning, or do I get enough in class?
Shannon: While you do not need to supplement with any additional strength conditioning outside of a barre3 class, if you have a workout you love that includes additional strength conditioning, you should always feel free to do it! There are tons of workouts that complement what we do in barre3, and we will never be the kind of workout to say we are the only answer to how you improve your strength in life. If you love going to the gym to lift weights, do it! If you love going to Pilates, do it! And if you love just having barre3 as your go-to workout, we have you covered.
B3 MAGAZINE: Will doing barre3 help me meet the standard recommendations for strength conditioning?
Shannon: Yes! The American Heart Association recommends doing strength conditioning two days per week to increase your muscle mass. If you are doing at least two barre3 classes per week, you are hitting the recommended amount.
B3 MAGAZINE: If I’d like to up my strength conditioning in class, what can I do?
Shannon: This is a great question. There are tons of ways to get deeper with strength, the first being that you can grab the next size up of weights. With this, I encourage you to really listen to your body and see if you are ready for the change. If you ever have any gripping or burning in your neck muscles, I would recommend stepping back down until your body is ready for the increase in weight. Just because we can pick up the bigger weights doesn’t mean we should!
The second thing you can do might seem counterintuitive. It’s to play with modifications. Let me be clear, modifications are NOT making a posture easier. Some of the times I have been the most sore from barre3 were when I took a modification that gave me the space to slow down, make sure I was moving without ANY momentum and make sure the right muscles were firing to get the job done. As we all have experienced, moving slower is almost always harder and taking those modifications is a chance to do just that. The next time you are in Sumo Squats, see what happens if, instead of going to the beat, you keep it to a slower 2-count. The slow movement will create even more of the sizzle we all love (and love to hate).
B3 MAGAZINE: Are there any other ways to increase weight?
Shannon: Yes. Don’t be afraid to add additional weight into postures like Bridge Lifts. This is an easy way to bump up your strength in your back body without any added load on your shoulders or neck. Again, just make sure to check in with your body and make sure you have a nice muscle burn happening in your seat with that added load and that it is not sneaking into your back or hips.
B3 MAGAZINE: If I already do a lot of strength conditioning outside the studio, how can I work barre3 into my routine in a healthy way?
Shannon: The beauty of barre3 is that we truly try to meet you where you are. We have people from all walks of life who do barre3, and it is truly a workout that will complement most anything. Whether you are a runner, a bodybuilder or a mom coming back from having a baby, we have something for you in every class. If you have a routine where you lift weights three times per week, worry not, you can add barre3 on whatever days you have time and have it be a great complement to your weight-conditioning routine. Every barre3 class focuses on balancing the whole body. There is never a “leg day” or “backs and biceps” day, so it really will slide in anywhere and help you keep on track to creating that balance in your body and, as a bonus, empower you from within.
Feel the strength conditioning benefits of barre3 for yourself! Sign up for a 15-day free trial of barre3 at-home workouts or find your local studio today.
