Move
I’m an NBA Player, and barre3 Revolutionized My Game
NBA star Kent Bazemore was so inspired by his fiancée’s barre3 transformation that he decided to try the workout himself. Read about how he was humbled by his first studio session, why he went back again and again, and how barre3 has made this already incredible player even better.
“Can you go down ONE more inch?”
Part of me wanted to look at the instructor—who also happened to be my now-fiancée—like she was crazy, but I knew better. Samantha is a lieutenant at heart, and I knew she wouldn’t let me give up. So, legs quaking, quads on fire, I lowered my body down another inch—and I’ll be honest, I struggled.
Why is this strange? Well, for starters, I’m a 6’5”, 200-pound NBA player. Being fit is my job. I spend my days challenging myself in the weight room, running drills on the court, and playing basketball against some of the best athletes in the world. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I’d be doing—let alone struggling with—my fiancée’s workout.
So how did I end up here? I was so inspired by the way barre3 had transformed Samantha’s life that I wanted to check it out for myself. Two years ago when I got the offer to play for the Atlanta Hawks and asked her to move across the country, she left a great job and amazing friends for me. I had an immediate community with my team and a schedule jam-packed with practices, games, and events. Samantha had nothing but me, and with a schedule that had me playing 82 games a year—many of those in other cities—sometimes she didn’t even have that.
At first, she was lonely and homesick (who wouldn’t be?). But one day she walked into the barre3 South Buckhead studio and took a class, and everything changed. She adored the people, she loved the workout, and she felt embraced by the community right away. Pretty soon she was going to the studio nearly every day, and before long she became an instructor. After months of living in my world, Samantha finally had a world of her own—her second home—and she was so much happier. Her passion for barre3 was contagious—I was excited to give it a try.
I was reminding myself of all of this as I pushed myself to, as Samantha would put it, “find my edge” in Power Leg. I managed to finish the class—albeit a bit humbled—and despite being sore the next day, I went to another class, and another, and another. With each class I felt stronger—but it was a new kind of strength. Barre3 works muscles you can’t even touch in the weight room, and it has targeted my core in a way no other workout ever has.
My team and I just went back to training after a post-season hiatus, and I’m already noticing a huge difference in my fitness level. My overall stability and my ability to jump straight up have improved dramatically—and that has everything to do with my core. I know it sounds crazy, but in retrospect I don’t think I was “core strong” until I started practicing barre3. And those down-an-inch, up-an-inch moves are helping me with all the large-range movements basketball calls for. I’ve been a hard worker all my life, but barre3 has taught me to be more efficient with my workout. As Samantha says, it’s about working smarter, not harder. I sprint better, I drive better, I dunk better—all because of barre3.
I’m also inspired by the approach to healthy living. The NBA is making a conscious effort to be a healthier league, but it’s a new initiative—we still have a ways to go! With barre3, it’s great to be part of a community that gets long-term health and can speak the language. It’s not just about exercise, it’s about healthy eating, balanced living, connecting—the whole package.
It’s funny—I tried barre3 simply to get a taste of this thing that had transformed Samantha’s life. I had no idea, sweating through Power Leg on that first day, that it would become an integral part of my life, too. Barre3 has revolutionized my game, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me this next season.
Watch this fun clip of Kent Bazemore talking about his barre3 experience on The Starters, a TV show, podcast, and blog all about the NBA.
NBA star Kent Bazemore was so inspired by his fiancée’s barre3 transformation that he decided to try the workout himself. Read about how he was humbled by his first studio session, why he went back again and again, and how barre3 has made this already incredible player even better.
“Can you go down ONE more inch?”
Part of me wanted to look at the instructor—who also happened to be my now-fiancée—like she was crazy, but I knew better. Samantha is a lieutenant at heart, and I knew she wouldn’t let me give up. So, legs quaking, quads on fire, I lowered my body down another inch—and I’ll be honest, I struggled.
Why is this strange? Well, for starters, I’m a 6’5”, 200-pound NBA player. Being fit is my job. I spend my days challenging myself in the weight room, running drills on the court, and playing basketball against some of the best athletes in the world. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I’d be doing—let alone struggling with—my fiancée’s workout.
So how did I end up here? I was so inspired by the way barre3 had transformed Samantha’s life that I wanted to check it out for myself. Two years ago when I got the offer to play for the Atlanta Hawks and asked her to move across the country, she left a great job and amazing friends for me. I had an immediate community with my team and a schedule jam-packed with practices, games, and events. Samantha had nothing but me, and with a schedule that had me playing 82 games a year—many of those in other cities—sometimes she didn’t even have that.
At first, she was lonely and homesick (who wouldn’t be?). But one day she walked into the barre3 South Buckhead studio and took a class, and everything changed. She adored the people, she loved the workout, and she felt embraced by the community right away. Pretty soon she was going to the studio nearly every day, and before long she became an instructor. After months of living in my world, Samantha finally had a world of her own—her second home—and she was so much happier. Her passion for barre3 was contagious—I was excited to give it a try.
I was reminding myself of all of this as I pushed myself to, as Samantha would put it, “find my edge” in Power Leg. I managed to finish the class—albeit a bit humbled—and despite being sore the next day, I went to another class, and another, and another. With each class I felt stronger—but it was a new kind of strength. Barre3 works muscles you can’t even touch in the weight room, and it has targeted my core in a way no other workout ever has.
My team and I just went back to training after a post-season hiatus, and I’m already noticing a huge difference in my fitness level. My overall stability and my ability to jump straight up have improved dramatically—and that has everything to do with my core. I know it sounds crazy, but in retrospect I don’t think I was “core strong” until I started practicing barre3. And those down-an-inch, up-an-inch moves are helping me with all the large-range movements basketball calls for. I’ve been a hard worker all my life, but barre3 has taught me to be more efficient with my workout. As Samantha says, it’s about working smarter, not harder. I sprint better, I drive better, I dunk better—all because of barre3.
I’m also inspired by the approach to healthy living. The NBA is making a conscious effort to be a healthier league, but it’s a new initiative—we still have a ways to go! With barre3, it’s great to be part of a community that gets long-term health and can speak the language. It’s not just about exercise, it’s about healthy eating, balanced living, connecting—the whole package.
It’s funny—I tried barre3 simply to get a taste of this thing that had transformed Samantha’s life. I had no idea, sweating through Power Leg on that first day, that it would become an integral part of my life, too. Barre3 has revolutionized my game, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me this next season.
Watch this fun clip of Kent Bazemore talking about his barre3 experience on The Starters, a TV show, podcast, and blog all about the NBA.
