Xtend Barre. It’s the latest workout craze to hit our shores. Celebrities are raving about it, and so are we.
![ballet lunge with ball[3]](http://bondibeauty.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ballet-lunge-with-ball3.jpeg)
Xtend Barre incorporates ballet, weights and pilates to give you a feminine and fantastic workout, it’s no wonder celebrities are jumping on board with the trend to sculpt their bodies.
Xtend Barre incorporates ballet, weights and Pilates to give you a feminine and fantastic workout
Xtend Barre is a 55 minute workout that fuses ballet and Pilates with a mix of cardio. A typical class will begin with a cardio inspired warm-up to get your heart rate up, then an upper body workout to tone your arms. In the second half of the class, a barre workout is undertaken to sculpt your legs, followed by an intensive core workout and finished with a big stretch at the end.
If you want strength and tone, and a workout that will leave you with a lean and chiselled physique, look no further than Xtend Barre. Including ballet in the mix, this workout works your smaller muscles as well as the larger ones, so builds strength and leaves you long and lean.
Celebrities who are fans of Xtend Barre include: Natalie Portman, Drew Barrymore, Ginnifer Goodwin, Teresa Palmer, and Tahyna Tozzi (who loved it so much she became a teacher).
Xtend Barre founder Andrea Rogers says Xtend is a place where women can “release their hidden ballerina.” Xtend Barre was developed for all body types and ages. The ballet barre gives participants of varying fitness levels the support and power to challenge themselves as much as possible. People will begin to develop a strong, dancer’s body without bulking, just long and lean limbs, not to mention good posture. Have you ever seen a dancer with bad posture?
The class uses concentrated movements teamed with weights, resistance bands and medicine balls to ensure strength training and burn numerous calories (anywhere between 400-700 calories per class). This Pilates and ballet fusion includes serious sculpting and cardio with the strength and safety of Pilates.
AND THE BEST PART… you don’t have to have any experience as a dancer to feel (maybe not look) graceful and reap the health and fitness benefits.
Mosman Xtend Barre studio teacher, Yvette Lakin, gave Bondi Beauty intern Brooke Davie a class of the famous Xtend Barre. She had been teaching Pilates for 8 years prior to teaching Xtend Barre, which she has now been teaching for 2 years. Just by looking at her, it was evident Lakin was fit and her toned limbs were a reflection of her passion for the Barre.
This is what Brooke thought:
Walking into the pristine Mosman studio I was anxious about what to expect (this being my first class) but quickly found the anxiety gone and replaced by heavy breathing throughout the intense warm-up. I felt graceful, as un-coordinated as I probably looked.
The class was challenging and rewarding. It incorporated moves from ballet and Pilates meaning strengthening and toning at the same time. With the option of using weights to tone the arms whilst performing the moves, a full body workout was guaranteed.
After the cardio warmup the class began by focusing on the upper body using small dumbbell weights with various options of weights to choose the right level for yourself. I wasn’t sure what to expect so I opted for the lightest weights at 0.5kg each- which proved to be challenging, as I wasn’t familiar with some of the moves.
After the upper body segment of the class we moved onto legs using a mix of squats, lunges and ballet movements to work the lower body. Grasping a medicine ball above the knees we were told to perform numerous squats and various other moves to tone both the booty and inner thighs. Similar moves were then repeated with a resistance band.
After the class I was sore, but in a good way. I felt empowered and wanted to go back for more.
By BB intern Brooke Davie.
www.xtendbarreaustralia.com.au
Do you like Xtend Barre?
