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Beyond the Barre: Work Smarter, Not Harder
Peter Marks is our Director of Technology (and Communications Manager Kait Hurley’s husband!). Read on to see how barre3 has helped him work smarter. Here’s Peter in his own words:
Whenever the instructor calls out that Ball Hold is up next, I know exactly where I need to go. I put the ball between my ankles, place my feet flat on the floor, and lift my hips barely off the ground. Meanwhile the women around me start to press their feet onto the core ball and lift their hips from a more unstable position. I’m the only guy in class, and it looks like I’m taking the easy way out. Super embarrassing, right? Not really, actually. This is the option that’s best for me. If my feet are on top of the ball, I feel pain in my knees. My hamstrings and glutes are still burning in my modified pose. I’m working smarter, not harder.
Years ago, I wouldn’t have been as confident modifying a workout as I am now. Like so many people, I subscribed to the “no pain no gain” philosophy, believing that in order to get results, you have to push past the pain. I’ve always been a hopelessly skinny guy who struggles to put on weight, so barre3’s promise of long, lean muscles didn’t exactly resonate with me—I already had plenty of those from my years as a competitive distance runner. My main goals were to build strength and improve my athleticism for skiing and basketball, so I assumed weight training was the best fit for me. I spent the warm-weather months running and the cold months in the weight room.
While I was able to put on some muscle and gain strength, my body paid the price. Weight training between intensive basketball and skiing sessions left my body in a constant state of strain. There was always some minor but nagging injury bothering me, especially in my upper back. Then last year I got an injury bad enough to sideline me for a few months and decided to try a different approach this winter. I didn’t quit skiing or playing basketball with my buddies, as I find way too much joy in those activities to stop. However, I tried dropping the weight training in favor of barre3.
I kicked off my new regimen with the barre3 Challenge in January. Each week, I completed four 60-minute workouts either in studio or online and one 10-minute online workout, plus I made a few of the barre3 recipes. The results changed the way I approach fitness.
I had been doing barre3 on and off for years, but committing to a regular practice brought unexpected benefits. First of all, it has hugely improved my basketball and skiing. After three weeks of regular barre3 classes, I hadn’t hooped in over a month and expected to be slow and rusty upon my return. However, I was plenty fast and was able to maintain control for hours. Same story on the slopes. Secondly, I don’t feel as strained afterwards, and my nagging upper-back pain has disappeared entirely. I credit this mostly to barre3’s emphasis on flexibility, something I never made time for in my muscle-building weight routines.
I’ve continued with my regular practice because it’s efficient. I’m extremely focused on efficiency in all aspects of my professional and musical pursuits; I need a workout that’s super efficient, too. Barre3’s restorative approach lets me play as hard as I want on the mountain and basketball court without being a time drain. The fact that it’s fun enough to clear my mind of the zillion things on my to-do list is an added bonus.
And that’s what I love about barre3. It’s smart. Every time, I get a full-body workout that builds functional strength and reinforces healthy muscle patterns in the body—both of which are so good for injury prevention. Between strategy meetings and work sessions, I jump into class at the studio nearby or fire up a quick 10-minute online workout almost daily. I don’t associate heavy lifting with progress or excruciating high-intensity workouts with getting fit. Instead, I’m working smarter. And I’m a whole lot happier and healthier as a result.
Has barre3 helped you work smarter instead of harder? Let us know in the comments below!
Peter Marks is our Director of Technology (and Communications Manager Kait Hurley’s husband!). Read on to see how barre3 has helped him work smarter. Here’s Peter in his own words:
Whenever the instructor calls out that Ball Hold is up next, I know exactly where I need to go. I put the ball between my ankles, place my feet flat on the floor, and lift my hips barely off the ground. Meanwhile the women around me start to press their feet onto the core ball and lift their hips from a more unstable position. I’m the only guy in class, and it looks like I’m taking the easy way out. Super embarrassing, right? Not really, actually. This is the option that’s best for me. If my feet are on top of the ball, I feel pain in my knees. My hamstrings and glutes are still burning in my modified pose. I’m working smarter, not harder.
Years ago, I wouldn’t have been as confident modifying a workout as I am now. Like so many people, I subscribed to the “no pain no gain” philosophy, believing that in order to get results, you have to push past the pain. I’ve always been a hopelessly skinny guy who struggles to put on weight, so barre3’s promise of long, lean muscles didn’t exactly resonate with me—I already had plenty of those from my years as a competitive distance runner. My main goals were to build strength and improve my athleticism for skiing and basketball, so I assumed weight training was the best fit for me. I spent the warm-weather months running and the cold months in the weight room.
While I was able to put on some muscle and gain strength, my body paid the price. Weight training between intensive basketball and skiing sessions left my body in a constant state of strain. There was always some minor but nagging injury bothering me, especially in my upper back. Then last year I got an injury bad enough to sideline me for a few months and decided to try a different approach this winter. I didn’t quit skiing or playing basketball with my buddies, as I find way too much joy in those activities to stop. However, I tried dropping the weight training in favor of barre3.
I kicked off my new regimen with the barre3 Challenge in January. Each week, I completed four 60-minute workouts either in studio or online and one 10-minute online workout, plus I made a few of the barre3 recipes. The results changed the way I approach fitness.
I had been doing barre3 on and off for years, but committing to a regular practice brought unexpected benefits. First of all, it has hugely improved my basketball and skiing. After three weeks of regular barre3 classes, I hadn’t hooped in over a month and expected to be slow and rusty upon my return. However, I was plenty fast and was able to maintain control for hours. Same story on the slopes. Secondly, I don’t feel as strained afterwards, and my nagging upper-back pain has disappeared entirely. I credit this mostly to barre3’s emphasis on flexibility, something I never made time for in my muscle-building weight routines.
I’ve continued with my regular practice because it’s efficient. I’m extremely focused on efficiency in all aspects of my professional and musical pursuits; I need a workout that’s super efficient, too. Barre3’s restorative approach lets me play as hard as I want on the mountain and basketball court without being a time drain. The fact that it’s fun enough to clear my mind of the zillion things on my to-do list is an added bonus.
And that’s what I love about barre3. It’s smart. Every time, I get a full-body workout that builds functional strength and reinforces healthy muscle patterns in the body—both of which are so good for injury prevention. Between strategy meetings and work sessions, I jump into class at the studio nearby or fire up a quick 10-minute online workout almost daily. I don’t associate heavy lifting with progress or excruciating high-intensity workouts with getting fit. Instead, I’m working smarter. And I’m a whole lot happier and healthier as a result.
Has barre3 helped you work smarter instead of harder? Let us know in the comments below!
