5 Pure Barre Tips for Newbies

A month ago, I started my Pure Barre journey. My goal with my unlimited month was to attend as often as possible. In that month, I averaged 4-5 classes a week. I am by far no expert after a month of classes. I can share a few tips and tricks gleaned from my first month…

1. What to wear. I recommend tights or capris and loose tank top.  I am a firm believer in investing in a pair of grippy socks which keeps you from sliding around. Any pair of black socks will do if you’re unsure if you want to make the investment.
2. Find a spot. For the first few classes it is important to make sure you can see the instructor to follow her moves. They explain it aloud as well but can be confusing to put together all at once without a visual.  “Feet together, toes apart, slide your legs toward the bar, tuck your hips under…” It will feel like strange contortion moves at first, after a few classes the positions become more natural.
3. What to expect. Lots of shaking and stretching. You will hear the instructor say it a lot in class “Embrace the shake.” Sometimes it is harder to put that into practice when you feel like your legs may collapse beneath you. Believe me they won’t so hold on for another 10 seconds. Also, no one will judge you for your shaking legs. That’s the goal! Afterwards there is lots of stretching which feel amazing. One of the goals of Pure Barre is to increase flexibility so don’t worry if you can’t slide into a split. It will come with practice.
4. Focus on the muscle. The class is broken down into sections which focus on different large muscle groups with a stretch break in between . Classes typically follow the same pattern: Warm-up, Core, Upper Body, Thighs, Booty or ”Seat”, Core and finish with Seat and Thigh combo. Try to focus on the contraction of the muscle you’re working in each move.  The instructor might say lift your leg, then you should focus on squeezing and contracting your glute muscle to make the leg lift.  The lift may only be an inch. If you are unsure if you have it right, place your hand on the muscle that is supposed to be working and see if you can feel it contracting. I find that this is really helpful during seat and ab work.
5. Relax.  Pure Barre is unlike any other workout class I have taken and I always leave relaxed and refreshed afterwards. Don’t stress about being perfect just do the best you can. Remember everyone was new to class at one point and it takes a while to learn the moves. Don’t be embarrassed to come out of a move and shake it out if it is too intense. Take a break and get right back to it.

I hope these tips help unveil some of the mystery of Pure Barre. New Year Resolutions may be on your mind with goals to tone up, lose weight or just live a healthier lifestyle. I highly encourage you to give a Pure Barre class a try .

Like what you're reading?
Follow Sweet Carolina Belle on Bloglovin, Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook!