Move
WHY BARRE3 IS SO MUCH MORE THAN SQUATS, LUNGES, AND PLANKS
Director of Instructor Training Sara Catherine Wheatley dives into the magic that makes the barre3 workout so much more than the sum of its parts.
People ask me all the time what it is that makes barre3 special. I quickly tout our low-impact moves and the high-muscle burn they deliver; our signature hold/move small/move big sequence, which strengthens and balances the body; and, of course, the sweat factor.
But as powerful as those physical benefits are, they’re not what keep me (and tens of thousands of others) coming back. After all, lots of workouts include squats, lunges, and planks. The magic behind barre3—the ‘I-can’t-put-my-finger-on-it’ factor—is a feeling I’ve never experienced with any other workout.
That feeling is empowerment. But at barre3, we’re not empowering you. We’re giving you the tools so that you can feel empowered from within.
Let’s dig deeper. The current fitness climate has convinced us that in order to get a good workout, we need to shock our bodies with hard and fast movement. It’s said that if we aren’t working ourselves to the point where we feel depleted, then we aren’t working hard enough. We have been fed lies telling us that even if we do push our bodies to the brink but still don’t occupy a small, thin, toned body, then we’re not good enough.
The fitness industry leads us to believe that in order to be sexy, beautiful, acceptable, and ultimately loved, we need to achieve the fitness ideal. To do this, we have to be constantly at war with our bodies. We have to operate from a passive follow-the-leader approach.
At barre3, our mission is to break this vicious cycle.
When we are taught to seek answers, approval, and validation from external forces, it can be difficult to trust that we actually hold all the answers we need inside ourselves. But within the four walls of a barre3 studio (or, if you practice barre3 Online, the virtual studio), the stage is set for you to explore your individual truth. In the studio, you can stand up for yourself and build confidence in your unique strengths and wisdom.
Throughout the barre3 class, these opportunities for self-exploration pop up again and again.
Maybe today, you’ll try dropping a little lower in Power Leg. Or try closing your eyes and dial into the sensations you’re creating in your body. Maybe you’ll explore a modification you’ve never taken. What happens if you surrender to the moment or heed your body’s call and take a break?
These opportunities aren’t there by accident. Not at all. We train our Instructors to teach in a way that allows for exploration and growth. They, too, are empowered from within while teaching. They respond to what’s happening in the room and seek to give every client exactly what they need.
In a community that lifts you up and supports this exploration, you have the space to become empowered from within. Like Glinda the Good Witch told Dorothy before she leaves Oz, “You’ve always had the power, my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.”
Ready to feel the magic? Book a studio class or press play on an online workout today!
Director of Instructor Training Sara Catherine Wheatley dives into the magic that makes the barre3 workout so much more than the sum of its parts.
People ask me all the time what it is that makes barre3 special. I quickly tout our low-impact moves and the high-muscle burn they deliver; our signature hold/move small/move big sequence, which strengthens and balances the body; and, of course, the sweat factor.
But as powerful as those physical benefits are, they’re not what keep me (and tens of thousands of others) coming back. After all, lots of workouts include squats, lunges, and planks. The magic behind barre3—the ‘I-can’t-put-my-finger-on-it’ factor—is a feeling I’ve never experienced with any other workout.
That feeling is empowerment. But at barre3, we’re not empowering you. We’re giving you the tools so that you can feel empowered from within.
Let’s dig deeper. The current fitness climate has convinced us that in order to get a good workout, we need to shock our bodies with hard and fast movement. It’s said that if we aren’t working ourselves to the point where we feel depleted, then we aren’t working hard enough. We have been fed lies telling us that even if we do push our bodies to the brink but still don’t occupy a small, thin, toned body, then we’re not good enough.
The fitness industry leads us to believe that in order to be sexy, beautiful, acceptable, and ultimately loved, we need to achieve the fitness ideal. To do this, we have to be constantly at war with our bodies. We have to operate from a passive follow-the-leader approach.
At barre3, our mission is to break this vicious cycle.
When we are taught to seek answers, approval, and validation from external forces, it can be difficult to trust that we actually hold all the answers we need inside ourselves. But within the four walls of a barre3 studio (or, if you practice barre3 Online, the virtual studio), the stage is set for you to explore your individual truth. In the studio, you can stand up for yourself and build confidence in your unique strengths and wisdom.
Throughout the barre3 class, these opportunities for self-exploration pop up again and again.
Maybe today, you’ll try dropping a little lower in Power Leg. Or try closing your eyes and dial into the sensations you’re creating in your body. Maybe you’ll explore a modification you’ve never taken. What happens if you surrender to the moment or heed your body’s call and take a break?
These opportunities aren’t there by accident. Not at all. We train our Instructors to teach in a way that allows for exploration and growth. They, too, are empowered from within while teaching. They respond to what’s happening in the room and seek to give every client exactly what they need.
In a community that lifts you up and supports this exploration, you have the space to become empowered from within. Like Glinda the Good Witch told Dorothy before she leaves Oz, “You’ve always had the power, my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.”
Ready to feel the magic? Book a studio class or press play on an online workout today!
