Barre Classes

I've popped into Pure Barre and Bar Method. Since Kirkland is a one-week stop, I decided to check out barre3, which has that closest studio to the current hotel. It's just a two-minute walk away. Hahaha. Perfect for those cold mornings when I don't need to wrap up and can just sprint over in tights and a hoodie.

Yeah it's winter, but one must still be togged out in dri-fit/sweat-wicking stuff. You'll still perspire and when your gear is wet, it can't dry in 10 minutes! People kinda whoosh out of the studio after the 60-minute class, so you'll need to pull on a sweat-wicking hoodie/sweater underneath a down jacket.

All these exercises can be done in the hotel room. But what's the fun? I might as well hop in for whatever classes available. One-on-one Pilates sessions are always the default because that's when I get the most out of an instructor in 50 minutes (most pilates sessions aren't 60 minutes here), but I really don't mind mixing it up. The only thing I absolutely hate, is the music at barre classes. I'm subject to the musical preferences of the respective instructors. WAH LAU. Can't they curate a better playlist?!

Didn't bother asking for one-on-one or small-group sessions. Joined the usual large-group sessions. There're always about 20 people of all ages in each class. The studio takes 25 comfortably. Of course barre3's exercises are slightly different from the other studios, but the principles remain. There're the ball, weights and resistance band. However, you'll never get individual attention in a class of so many. If you've never had instruction on utilizing muscles, then it's not very beneficial beyond providing a stretch and a tiny bit of cardio. Studios are owned by different individuals, so the barre3 experience might differ from franchise to franchise. Also, being not very sociable, I'm really awkward in groups. 😶

I use the lightest weights possible because I'm lazy that way. A good thing is, I get to decide what I want out of the class. Do two extra reps or hold two extra counts. I work on my back and spine and core more intensely at pilates. At barre, I work my quads and glutes really hard. Mainly quads. I've got lazy quads; it isn't hard to make them ache. Hehehehe.