Barre Workouts: Get Stronger, Without Weights

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Barre workout isn’t something new or out of the blues. It has been the fitness secrets of some individuals and the super fit dancer and model Michael Jackson, Jnr.

Michael Jackson Jnr. is always looking fit! Despite not having the biggest arm muscles you may have seen (judging by his physique), he is strong enough to go on and on without stopping.

He isn’t really an everyday gym kind of guy. He owes his fitness level to yoga, relatively little gym time, ballet and lots of Barre Workouts.

According to Alvin Ailey, his dance group choreographer, “After several months of traveling and different performances, Jackson is always seen hitting away with his barre workouts. He is strict with it.”

To perform barre workouts, you need to have access to a barre studio or an in-house barre. If you do not have access to any of that, you can make do with the back of a chair except that it is quite risky because you may sustain injuries when the chair comes crashing from having to bear your body weight.

Jackson did let us in on his barre workout movements and here you’re about to read how it is done.

Barre workout on bench
Image Credit: https://www.instagram.com/mikejackjr/

Firstly, warm up.

Doing some full-body rolls would surely warm you up. Place both hands on the bar and stand with your feet together. Lift your heels one at a time and then alternate it. Roll your head in 360° simultaneously. Hold onto the barre with both hands and bend your upper body backward (it is called the camber). Continue this way until you feel warmed up and free.

Perform hardcore abs exercise.

This is done while sitting in a sit-up position with your knees bent slightly inwards and your shoulder and head raised from the ground. Mimic a running position, sliding your heels back and forth while your hands move in front of your chest in circles. Do these simultaneously and count to 50. Repeat twice.

Tone your arm muscles. Do one-arm push-ups using the barre.

Stand at a distance of about 4 feet away from the barre with your feet apart and slightly wider than your shoulder length. Let one of your hands grip the bar while the other rests on your hips as you do the one-armed push-ups. Count to 20 and change arms.

Follow up by performing barre pull-ups.

This is a good way to round your strained arms. Lie underneath the barre with your knees slightly raised and your feet pinned firmly to the ground. Grab a hold of the barre and pull yourself up till you can feel your chin touching the barre. Do this at least 10 times.

For toned leg muscles, perform standing squat and/or grand piles.

To perform the squat, stand with one hand holding the barre. Join your heels together while your toes point outwards. Squat down and ensure you keep your back straight and your butt should be just above your heels. Rise, keeping your back straight. Perform this up and down motion 8 times.

Perform the ‘downward dog’ and lunge stretch.

Just like in yoga postures, lift your leg skywards. With the force from your core, kick your legs so your foot reaches just your hands while your knee is bent. Repeat downward dog and the lunge stretch 8 times.

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