These barre workouts, which are ballet-inspired, incorporate aspects of Pilates, yoga, dance, and functional training. You can tone and shape your body using ballet barre and other tools like weighted balls, resistance bands, and weights in a single barre workout.

These exercises are designed to tone up and chisel your muscles, speed up your heart rate, and stretch and trim your entire body.

Tone Your Body with These Barre Workouts

For a sculpted figure, flat abs, and toned legs, there is no need to hit the gym every day. With the help of this fantastic barre workout, you may accomplish all that in the convenience of your home.

1. Standing Thigh Work

This barre workout primarily works your thighs. It will also engage your core and give you a chance to practice maintaining your balance. You can use the backrest of a chair, a tabletop, or a wall in place of a barre.

Here’s how to do it:

Put your hands on your hips and spread your feet so they are hip-width apart. Your left foot should flex as you extend your left leg straight in front of you at hip height. To avoid entirely straightening your right leg, keep your knee bent slightly. As you slowly raise it back up, lower your left leg towards the ground. Extend your leg straight out in front of you and raise it to hip height. Ten times in a row. For a period of 20 seconds, keep the leg straight and steady. Repeat with the other leg.

2. Parallel Thigh Side Taps

Try parallel thigh side taps, a fantastic barre workout, to address your inner thighs and quads, while including some ballet-inspired movements.

Here’s how to do it:

Hold onto the barre (or the alternative for a barre) while standing with your left side facing it for stability. Maintaining a “plié” with your legs slightly bent, keep your feet together, and raise your heels to your “relevé” or toes. Upon returning to the middle, tap the outside leg out to the side. Repeat for 15-20 times. Repeat steps 2 through 4 while switching sides and putting your right side against the barre.

3. Second Position to Curtsy

With this barre workout, you may target your glutes and quads by combining a few of the more common ballet postures.

Here’s how to do it:

For balance, place one side of your body against the barre (or barre replacement). Keep your feet and legs outwardly rotated (turned out), both legs bent, and step your feet out to a second-place plié with your feet just wider than your hips. Step your outer leg back to curtsy in a reverse lunge while keeping your hips straight. Return to the second plié position. On each side, repeat from 8 to 16 times.

4. Plank Series

The Plank series is another addition to a barre workout that improves your obliques, transverse abdominis, neck, and upper back while also engaging your entire core.

Here’s how to do it:

Lie on your belly and stand up using your forearms. Tighten your glutes and abs and make sure your neck stays in a straight line with your spine. Point your toes and lift your right foot off the ground. Hold for 30 seconds, then lower your foot back down. Point your toes while lifting your left foot off the ground for 30 seconds, then lower it back down. Put your heels backward for 30 seconds while placing both feet on the ground. Your hands should be slightly wider than your shoulders as you push up to a straight-arm plank. Holding the position for 20 seconds, bring your right knee back to your chest. Holding the position for 20 seconds, bring your left leg back to your chest.

5. Foldover

The foldover is yet another great barre workout that works your core and glutes. It helps in achieving weight loss targets.

Here’s how to do it:

With your feet parallel and bent at the knees, face the barre. Your forearms should be on the barre. To “tendu,” hinge at the hips and extend one leg backward so that a diagonal line runs from the top of your head to the rear toe on the floor. Keep the tendu leg straight and your pelvis square as you lift and drop it. Repeat 8 to 16 times. Perform 16 to 32 brief pulses with the tendu leg at the top. Repeat on the other side.

6. Glute Work on the Floor

Try this barre workout series on the floor for a glute exercise that doesn’t require any apparatus or barre.

Here’s how to do it:

Your hands should be somewhat wider than your shoulders when you get down on all fours. Your right leg should be extended behind you, with the heel tucked in and the toes pointed. Make sure to tuck in your abs and maintain a neutral spine. Your right knee should be lowered gradually to the floor. As you progressively rise up, imagine pressing up with your toes. Drop your leg and press up in a slightly faster manner. Keep the left leg up for 2 seconds while flexing the foot and pushing the heel up a few inches toward the ceiling. Keep your left leg straight, point your toes, lift and hold while remaining on all fours. Quickly raise the outstretched leg and keep it in place.

Key Takeaway

Barre workouts target several muscle groups, and you sweat profusely as you perform these intense exercises. That means you increase your heart rate, speed up your metabolism, and burn calories.

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