I have been exercising for over 20 years and have tried almost every style of exercise on the market. I’ve done the heavy weights programs, Insanity boot camps, step aerobics, circuit training, HIIT training, stationary bike, etc. etc etc And then I ran into Barre! And let me tell you, he was skeptical that he would deliver results given the intense training style he was used to, but come down and lo and behold he did it! I’ve never been leaner, I’ve never had leaner limbs, I’ve never had less body fat than I do now, and that’s definitely due to a combination of barbell exercises with cardio.
My first barbell experience was the Fusion Fitness Dream Body workout. I was totally into it for her. I couldn’t believe that a barefoot workout with minimal equipment and almost no cardio could be so HARD! In fact, I couldn’t even do it all the first time. I had to modify a large number of exercises and was in excruciating pain for most of the workout! I definitely jumped to the bottom when I found out later that Dream Body is one of the hardest training programs on the planet! I was determined not to be overpowered by this workout, so I proceeded to do it every other day until my muscles started to get stronger and I could do it every time without falling apart. My jaw dropped and I wanted more! So I started searching online for the best barbell exercise DVDs (I like to work out in the comfort of my own home) and soon built a collection of 25 or more to start perusing. I found some great workouts and some not so great, but overall I loved the results I was starting to see.
So what exactly is the bar? It’s a ballet-style workout that uses all the small muscle groups that are rarely touched by traditional strength training. When you look at a ballerina’s physique, you can clearly see the definition in all those little muscles, and best of all, they rarely lift weights! Your body weight is enough weight in itself and if you start using it wisely, you will begin to lengthen and lean your muscles like never before. The good thing about the bar is that it is not complicated. It’s really accessible to anyone, with or without dance experience. The movements are tiny and controlled, and many of the barbell workouts I’ve tried have no cardio at all. The word barre actually refers to the ballet barre used for many of the exercises, but you don’t even need one of those, just use a sturdy chair or counter to hold onto.
One of the reasons the bar is so effective is because it uses a lot of isotension in the exercises. So, for example, if you’re doing a leg raise, lift your leg as high as you can go, and then start to pulse from there. There isn’t a great range of motion, you literally move an inch at a time, but the burn is amazing!
A typical barbell workout has several segments: arms, thighs, seat, floor, and abs. It usually starts with a light warm-up of leg swings and graceful kicks. The arm work uses very light hand weights – 1-3 pounds. You wouldn’t think such light weights would do anything, but it’s all about getting the most out of each movement and doing high reps to really fatigue the muscle. You will do a series of exercises for each muscle group before moving on, this way you are really burning each muscle and getting maximum results. Most of the barbell workouts I’ve tried have a combination of standing arm work, as well as push-ups and dips on the floor.
Barbell work is your entire lower body – you’ll be hitting your thighs and glutes hard! Sometimes additional equipment such as a resistance loop or play ball is used to further increase the intensity. There’s a lot of work where you’re on your toes performing any variation of squats and lunges until your thighs shake.
Form is one of the most important factors in a barbell workout. You will only get the most out of each movement if you use the correct technique. That’s why it’s important to choose your bar instructors wisely. There are some who used to be professional dancers who really know what they’re doing, while others don’t give you enough advice. The difference between feeling an exercise and not feeling it is the correct position of your body. If you don’t feel it, then you are only fooling yourself! Because everyone is different, your arm and leg angles may vary slightly from the instructor’s, but that’s totally fine.
So what are my favorite barbell workout DVDs? I love Leah Sarago’s Ballet Body series. She has 4 DVDs and over 130 downloadable exercises on her website. Her workouts are truly unique with many exercises you won’t find anywhere else. She has a background in professional dance and it really shows in her impeccable form and excellent technique. Her workouts are pretty advanced, but she offers easier modifications so most fitness levels can attempt these workouts.
Some other great ones are Tracey Effinger’s Squeeze workouts, Xtend Barre, Ballet Physique Signature Sculpt, Pop Physique Hardcore, Tracy Mallet’s Booty Barre, and Suzanne Bowen’s Tighten, Tone and Torch. But, my absolute favorites and the hardest of all are definitely the Fusion Fitness Dream Body workouts. There are 11 total workouts in the Dream Body series and they are all equally amazing. They have way more cardio than any other barbell exercise I’ve come across. The good thing about that is that you don’t need to do extra cardio to burn fat. But be careful, they are super resistant. In fact, I’d say they’re probably some of the toughest workouts on DVD. Many people would scoff at this comment, but I challenge you to try these exercises. I have done almost every extreme home fitness program on the market including Insanity, Asylum, P90X, Cathe STS, Chalean Xtreme, Tapout XT, Turbo Fire, Peak 10, etc. etc etc and these take the cake as the toughest and the ones that give the best results by far. But don’t take my word for it, try them for yourself. You will not regret.
So in conclusion, if you want to break through some weight loss plateaus, if you want to build some long, lean muscles and lose some unwanted inches, then barbell workouts may be just the thing for you. Why not try it? The most you’ll lose is the cost of a DVD and the most you can gain is a new style of training that will give you the body of your dreams.