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Barre AND Reformer? Our match made in heaven.

By March 1, 2018Barre, News, Pilates

 

You know those couples you love to hate but secretly want to be friends with (unless you are one of those couples, in which case, everyone else is just jelo!) – they finish each-other’s sentences, wear matching outfits, their Instagram is hopping every weekend with the most gorgeous beach/date night/chilling in style pics? Yeah, those! Well, here at Flex we are so proud of our match made in heaven that we wanted to shout about it from the rooftops – Barre and Reformer are THE best couple that you’ll want to buddy up with! Here’s why…

  1.  Reformer Pilates will work your entire body from the core out, with lots of work on the abdominals, hips, arms and legs to develop balance, strength and coordination. Barre is a full body workout with lots of focus on the legs and arms, using the core to engage strong posture and a lengthened physique.
  2. Reformer Pilates is one of the unique workouts which moves your body in every which way possible – you’ll flex, extend, side bend, rotate and work in all those planes of movement. This encourages your spine to decompress (remember sitting actually places a lot of compression force on your spine and most of us sit at a desk for long periods at a time). We also work the full body as a unit, encouraging a strong and stable body, so you get to work on your weaknesses and improve your body’s functionality.
  3. Barre will work you out – Reformer will stretch you out. If you have done both classes already, then you’ll know that both barre and reformer are serious workouts in and of themselves and they stand alone and need no help from others (cue Beyoncé independent women head slide and finger snap and mmhhmm for effect). The focus of each workout is, however, different. In barre, we want to take your muscle to fatigue, we want to get every last drop of work out of your legs and arms and seat and everything else, and then we use static stretches on warm (ahem, *on fire*) muscle groups after they have been worked to increase your flexibility. Reformer Pilates is a little more restorative – we work your deep core and you can expect your abs to tremble but you can also expect to feel lengthened and stretched, particularly if you are training hard at the barre (or at the gym, or logging miles on the treadmill or bike). Both classes work on your mobility – especially your spine and hips, encouraging a greater range of motion and allowing you to feel freer in your body, less stiff and sore and more flexible.
  4. Depending on your sport, using the dynamic duo of barre and reformer can be your secret weapon – runner with ‘tight’ hamstrings or hip flexors and lazy glutes ? Let barre work on strengthening the posterior AND anterior chain (front and back of the body) so your hamstrings or hip flexors aren’t getting a raw deal because of a lazy backside (really common in lots of us!) while reformer works your entire core, helps you to learn how to relax and let your body do what it instinctively knows what to do and strengthens and stretches key muscles (think strengthening obliques which help stabilise your torso while you run and deep, dynamic hip flexor stretches).
  5. Reformer Pilates can be a great way to ease yourself back into exercise if you’ve had an injury, are returning after having a baby or haven’t exercised in a while, and then when you are ready to up the intensity (because it is good to get your heart rate up!) jump into barre or Power Pilates.
  6. Time in the studio is for you. You get to step out of the world and into your body. You get to be the star for an hour. Whether you chose to spend that hour doing Pilates or barre, you know you are getting an amazing workout and you get to pause and reset your mind.

Whatever your workout, you can be sure that you are in expert hands at Flex in the City. Get in touch with any questions and we can guide you towards the best class for you.