Fit to Print Volume 24 Issue 3 September 2015 | Page 18
Group Ex
by Kelly Peckholdt
Still need some convincing? Listen to
what long-time participants Beverly
Flaherty and Karyn Kirschbaum have to
say about the class:
Raise the Barre!
Discovering The Power Behind Power Barre
flexibility. It is a great opportunity to
switch up your workout routine –
especially if you are looking for
something low impact with big results!
Flexibility training is just as important
as cardio and strength training, and
Power Barre will certainly help you
reach your weekly stretching quota!
P
ower Barre has been on the free
class schedule for about a year
and a half now, but have you
tried it yet? Don't let the balletinspired movement scare you! There is
no particular grace or ballet knowledge
required for this class!
When you think of ballet, you probably
picture in your mind a slim, graceful
ballerina gliding and prancing across the
dance floor. But what's their secret?
Aside from the grace, elegance, and
beauty of this dance form, ballet is also
a total body workout and mental cleanse
all wrapped into one. It is no wonder
professional athletes often take ballet
classes to help with their movement on
the field!
The Power Barre cla ss is designed to tone
and stretch your entire body. Class
begins with Pilates-inspired core
strengthening exercises as a warm-up
before moving to the barre. Barre
exercises will tone and sculpt your legs
while lifting your glutes. And, because
they use different muscles than you use
when lifting weights in a sculpt class or
the weight room, you will see more
results! Then, the class will conclude
with some upper body conditioning and
yoga-based stretching to help increase
18
help to establish and build that
connection.
So what makes Power Barre a highly
effective workout? For starters, it
targets multiple muscle groups at
once. There are a lot of isometric
contractions and pulses in the
movement used in class, which
challenges a variety of muscles at once
AND gets the heart rate up. It's
amazing how holding a lunge or pulsing
in a lunge could be sneaky cardio! A
barre class certainly should not
replace your cardio regimen, but the
point is that barre classes challenge
your body in unexpected ways. The
smaller movements used in a barre
class also bring a new level of
awareness to the body that you do not
get in regular strength workouts,
hence strengthening your mind-body
connection. Also, much like Pilates and
yoga, barre classes will help to
improve your posture by strengthening
the core muscles and erector spinae
(the small muscles that surround your
spine), making you more aware of the
way you stand, sit, walk, and carry out
your daily activities.
As a life-long dancer, I can attest to
the benefits of studying ballet or other
ballet-inspired forms. I put on my first
pair of ballet shoes at age 3 and am
still going strong. Power Barre is lowimpact with big results. Plus, your
body will thank you for taking 45
minutes out of your week to work on
proper body alignment and stretching.
I love cardio and weight lifting as
much as the next person, but
flexibility training is needed for a wellbalanced body too. So many of us have
tight hips, hamstrings, and backs from
a long commute or sitting in an office
all day, or both. It is incredibly
important to counteract the effects of
all that sitting with stretching and
lengthening, which barre provides. An
important part of our overall wellness,
too, is a healthy and strong mind-body
connection. The movement involved in
classes like barre, Pilates, and yoga
Autumn 2015 FIT to Print
“Kelly's ballet barre class is suitable for
all fitness levels. Kelly is very welcoming
and gives instruction as we go, so there's
no need to be intimidated! I enjoy the
class and feel like it helps to tone and
stretch in a quick half hour!” –Beverly
“I love waking up to the Barre class on
Wednesday mornings. It's the perfect
way to stretch and strengthen muscles.
And it complements my yoga and
everything else I do. It's gentle and
intense at the same time. Kelly is
awesome, the music is great, and the
time flies!” –Karyn
Come enjoy some fun music with a
challenging yet relaxing class. Power
Barre Express meets Wednesday
mornings at 6 am, and the full version of
Power Barre meets Thursday mornings at
8:15 am. With the fall schedule in
September, I am also adding a Core
Fusion class Tuesday mornings at 8 am
and Mat Pilates Tuesdays at 7 pm. In
addition to these classes, I also teach
Plyo Stretch in the aerobics room
Mondays at 7 pm and Wednesdays at 6:30
am. If you ever have any questions about
my classes, please feel free to stop and
chat if you see me around the gym. I
hope to see you in class soon!
Kelly Peckholdt (pictured) is also a Certified Personal
Trainer at Fitness Incentive and the owner of Positions
Dance Studio in Babylon Village.