Pure Barre Comes to Town, Tightens Asses Across Seattle
First things first: this class will kick your ass.
“Take the movement, cut it in half,” says Kisha Vaughn, my Pure Barre instructor for the morning. I’m in a carpeted studio with three other woman, plus Kisha. We each have a mat, a ball, a cord, and a pair of 2 lb. weights. Dance music provides the pulse for the workout. For one hour, Kisha makes sure each major muscle group in turn (arms, thighs, butt and abs) is screaming, clenching, throbbing shaking and burning. It hurts. A lot. Every time we finally complete a set, I think, “Thank God.”
Pure Barre’s concept is to work the muscle to exhaustion with very small isometric movements, some barely discernible to the eye. To look in at a class in progress, one might wonder if it's the same trimming, toning, fat-burning workout touted by Pure Barre’s creator and CEO, Carrie Rezabek. There’s no jumping, no speed, no fast-twitch muscle bursts. It’s concentrated, low-impact exercise, and its many tiny reps, combined with the lengthening effects of stretching, are meant to create lean muscles, without the bulk.
To experience the effectiveness of Pure Barre, you only have to wait 24 hours. The following morning, I was sore in my triceps, abs, and quads, as well as muscles that might normally escape notice in a gym workout: my obliques, and deep under my seat.
Another thing worth noting: Pure Barre promises you’ll never get the same class twice.
“We have a whole new set of exercises that we are constantly learning so we can incorporate that into class,” says Sami Dinsmore Sweeney, owner of the Pure Barre franchise in West Seattle (which opened in June). Pure Barre doesn’t want to be a fad or quick-fix solution; it wants to be a viable alternative to your weekly workout routine. It sure is a sweet replacement for a boring-as-hell session at the gym.
I’d recommend Pure Barre as an excellent trimming and toning regimen, especially for brides-to-be, new moms, 20-year high school reunion go-ers, or those who (men, too) want to break the doldrums of their gym workout. It’s worth giving it a try to decide if it’s for you.
Overall, Pure Barre is best suited for those who are already in decent shape. Meaning, those who can support their own body weight, who can tolerate an elevated heart rate and sustained (read: 55 minutes) amount of intense physical discomfort. That’s not to say, though, that those in peak physical condition won’t feel the effects. Pure Barre gets to you in a unique way, and even if your muscles are used to working, you’ll probably feel them the next day.
For dancers, then, or those who need to keep very limber, your body may initially protest against this new type of strength conditioning. In the class I took, the stretching was minimal, and the clenching effects on my muscles took a few days to subside. Pure Barre won’t do much to improve one’s functional strength (like yoga or Pilates) or increase the body’s facility in moving as a unit. It’s been designed specifically to focus on women’s “problem areas”, and in that respect, this class will more than likely get you results.
That brings up an interesting point, one which sort of bothers me when it comes to the way Pure Barre is marketed to women; repeated emphasis on the long, lean “dancer’s body” (if there is even such a thing), implying it's achievable for everybody; that if you become a disciple, you too can transform into one of Pure Barre's ranks of identical women. Here, the focus is on the form, not its function, which is why this is ultimately not the workout for me.
But I will say this: if you can make it through a Pure Barre class, I have nothing but respect for you.
2414 W. Andover St., Building “d” Suite 205, West Seattle (with three more Seattle franchises slated to open within the year) // find more info on class times and cost here. Pure Barre DVD’s also available.
Pure Barre class @ Lulumon, Pacific Place, followed by refreshments from Sixth Ave. Wine Cellars & Girly Girl Wines // August 28, 7-9 p.m.
