Why Barre is leg quaking weight loss
August 19, 2016 Ashley 0 Comments
I just got a notification that it’s been about a year since I went to my first Barre class.
(And, if we’re being honest – my last; I opted for the free, DIY, Youtube shoe-in in lieu.)
But you wanna know one of the most salient memories that stands out about my ballerina wannabe excursion into this boutique class? Not just how effing hard it was – but how leg shakingly hard it was. It may’ve been 365 days ago, but I distinctly recall standing there in class, leg strategically placed at a perpendicular angle in the air to my body (for what felt like an eternity), and watching the quivering in my pin slowly increase violent throughout the entirety of my lower limb by the end. I was sure my ballerineighbors could feel this. I was sure they were laughing at me. But, then, as I peered at my peers, I realized something comforting: they were too. Still, I felt equal parts miffed and inspired. I was already well into my fitness path by now. And, for that reason, I’d mistakenly fancied myself able to take on anything sans exhaustion. (Case in point, I’d just come from an hour of standup paddleboarding, and an hour before that of trail running. In the heat.) Yet, here I stood, unable to do something so seemingly simple – like keep my stem suspended without trembling, while holding on to a horizontal rod for dear life.
(Trigger pointe: the phenomena wherein simply witnessing still images of Barre moves like the above one induces full fledged PTSD like symptoms including but not limited to full body shuddering.
Which the author of this article may or may not be experiencing ATM…)
For a while I had wondered: how is a well seasoned runner who strength trains, like I do, having so much trouble doing this? What’s with all the pin wiggling? Well, I got my answer today. Straight from the Nutcracking mouth. The reason for all of that shaking, according to the tutu verans, has to do with how your muscles function as they go through any sort’ve cycle of movement. See, our muscles turn off and on when they contract and relax during certain motions. We don’t usually notice it, ’cause it’s typically gradual. However, during these ballerina classes, the challenge is amplified for muscle endurance. We’re asking more of our meat. And, when you’re asking it to maintain sustained contractions for more time than it’s used to doing (prior to allowing it to transition to another position or stretch it out), something funky happens. As a result, it’ll burn through energy reserves to exhaustion. But, as the muscle is coming to the bottom of the barrel on its somatic gasoline tank, the muscle responds the best way it knows how, in order to conserve what energy is indeed left. And that, my pink slipper equipped friends, is by contracting and relaxing at a rapid rate.
Hence, said stem trembling.
But this’s good news.
Because, uncomfortable as it may be to endure, it’s a sign of something great:
Strengthening.
By holding such isometric contractions, these subtle but taxing ballet moves aid in building endurance in a cross training kind’ve way. See, as I mentioned above (at my first time trying Barre), I’d just come from a couple of other physical hobbies I enjoy. I love trying a variety of aerobic activities. I also like being good at them. But I can’t run all the time. That’s where low impact endurance boosting exercises like Barre come in handy. These sorts of activities are a fabulous way to take a break from running (or whatever your sweaty hobby o’ choice is), while also improving your endurance game, blasting calories, and shedding weight in no time. In fact, according to actual racers who cross train with Barre, the benefits of these ballet-esque classes have improved running race times significantly. And that’s reason enough for me to stick out the quivers.
Are you, too, an athletic addict trying to improve your game?
Then shake a leg and make your way to your nearest ballet boutique.
Or, ya know, you could just Barre-ow mine – and pipe it into your living room for free today:
(You’re welcome.)