I had a great opportunity this week to try out Barre3 in Georgetown. I’ve been meaning to get over there for a couple of months now and finally made it happen. It was my first real Barre class so I wasn’t really sure what to expect.
The studio was really cute — and located right in the heart of Georgetown by the water. Immediately when you walk in, a calming feeling washes over you so the atmosphere s wonderful. The girl at the front desk was wearing yoga pants, cute workout clothes and no shoes. Now this is my style!
I was excited to meet up with reader and fellow blogger Rebecca from Strength and Sunshine for the class. She’s in the DC checking out George Washington University for next year — so yeah, I felt really old, ha ha.
We were given a tour of the studio, which included a really nice lounging area, a childcare spot, locker room with a shower and the most adorable little cubbies to store your stuff. There were two barre studios for classes.
The class: From what I could tell on the schedule, the only offer one type of class, the basic Barre3 class. Our teacher was a really sweet girl and I liked her teaching style — always encouraging the class to do more if they could but to listen to our bodies.
The movements: Stretching and flexibility was a big part of the class. Barre seems to be about focusing on small movements over and over again. We used weights for some arm movements and let me tell you two pounds gets heavy very quickly!
The results: Because I’m so hyper-focused on stretching right now, I enjoyed that aspect of class. I can definitely see how this would totally tone your butt and core if you really put your all into it. I know because I had to stop multiple times to take breaks on some of the movements! Rebecca was a natural though!
The assessment: While I liked the class, I am not sure Barre is totally my style. I’m such an endurance junkie — all about the sweat and HIIT. However, this would be something I’d enjoy once a week to cross-train and really focus in on certain areas. I definitely recommend it for folks that enjoy yoga-style workouts.
Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the class when Barre3 founder Sadie Lincoln was in town to teach (that would have been awesome!) but she was very kind on Twitter and I wanted to let you know about her book. Check it out here.
Have you ever taken Barre? What do you like about it? Do other Barre studios offer multiple kinds of classes or is it mostly the basic? I’m curious and would love to try out other studios to compare!
RUNNERS: Listen up! See that flyer below? Now that is a very exciting opportunity that I will be participating in and I hope you will too! Here are the details on this:
- Ultra-runners Scott Jurek & Ellie Greenwood will answer any and all questions related to running (from first-time 5k to ultra-distance racers).
- You can win prizes for asking questions! See below 🙂
- One winner will receive a 30-minute 1:1 consultation with Scott Jurek to discuss how to prepare before, during and after race day. Scott will choose his favorite question at the end of the Q&A.
- Several lucky participants who ask questions during the Q&A will receive a CLIF SHOT Toolkit featuring CLIF SHOT products, gear for training and race day and CLIF’s marathon training and nutrition guide.
** —> RSVP by Friday, April 25.
This is a great idea on the part of Clif and I’m really excited to hear from these great runners! Hope to see you there!