Barre is the Best Workout You Can Do at Home

Hello, dear reader. How’s your pro cheer journey so far? You might have grown tired of the workouts you have in your fitness program. So here’s a new one that you can enjoy. It’s called Barre. Let’s find out what it’s about!

What Are Barre Workouts And Their Benefits?

A Barre workout is a combination of ballet routines and physical exercises. You start with planks and pushups on a mat followed by arm exercises. Then, you work out on the bar while targeting your thighs, glutes, and core. Barre workouts are also mainly isometric movements. This means that you’re contracting muscles without visible movements.

Because of the Barre’s nature of exercising, you’ll gain strength, target multiple muscles every movement, improve neuromuscular coordination, and lose weight.

Why Is Barre The Best Workout To Do At Home?

Barre workouts don’t require a lot of equipment to perform. All you need are a yoga mat and a chair. And if you’re living in an apartment complex, your neighbors won’t be disturbed by the noises of screaming, dropping of weights, and jumping like other workouts produce.

5 Basic Barre Exercise Techniques

1. Ballerina Squats

Start by standing upright.
Keep a chair beside you or stay close to the bar.
Keep your heels together while turning out your feet outward sideways
Make sure you’re also turning your legs towards the center
Engage your thighs and glutes
Distribute your weight evenly across your feet to protect your knees
Then tiptoe
Depending on which hand is on the bar, use the other to hold your thigh
Drop into a squat and stop when your butt is a few inches above your heels
Repeat for a maximum of 3 minutes

2. Plié Pulses

Start by standing upright with your feet wider than your shoulder-width
Stretch your arms sideways
Lower into a squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor
Hold the squatting position for a moment before returning to the standing position
As you return to your standing position propel yourself upward for a short jump
Then go back to the squatting position when you land
Do this for a maximum of 3 minutes as well

3. Passé Lunge

Start in a standing position with feet together in parallel stance
Hold the barre or the chair’s top rail
Lift your right leg and put your right foot behind your left knee
Step right leg back into a lunge and at the same time
Stretch your arms out front
Push through the front heel of your right foot to bring your right leg back into passé
Repeat for eight reps slowly and increase the tempo when you achieve 8 to 16 reps.
Do this with the same reps with your left leg into passé
Engaging your core to initiate movement and balance
Pushing through your supporting heel to fire off thigh muscles.

4. Thigh Dancing

Kneeling on the floor
Folding your legs underneath your thighs
Rest your buttocks on your heels.
Don’t let your ankles touch the floor
Put your hands on your waist
Engage your thighs and your core to lift and drop your body up and down
As you go up and down, you can make other movements as well like dancing or wiggling

5. Arabesque Pulses

Stand on your toes behind the chair with your hands resting lightly on the top chair rail
Keep your toes pointed outward
Extend your right leg out behind you
Keeping it straight and your right toes pointed
Pulse your leg up and down.
Do 10 reps.

Barre workouts are one of the best exercises for current and aspiring pro cheerleaders because they improve strength and muscle control. Not to mention some barre poses are used in pro cheer such as the arabesque. Barre workouts are also perfect to do during active recovery days!

Vary your week with different workouts for each day with these exercises!

Need a Great Workout Routine for Your Pro Cheer Audition Prep?

Pro cheerleaders stay fit, flexible, and strong so they can give out their best performance in the arena. However, achieving that wow-worthy, toned physique doesn’t happen overnight. You need to arm yourself with the right daily workouts.

Thinking of becoming a pro cheerleader?

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