I recently had the opportunity to take a complimentary barre class at the newly opened, spacious barre3 studio on King Street, west of University. Unlike other barre programs across the city, barre3 only has one type of class and follows an approach created by Sadie Lincoln, who started the first studio in 2008 with her husband, Chris.
The Toronto studio
Barre3’s workouts are simple. Focusing on strength training and short, one inch movements and isometric holds and stretching, the focus is much more yoga and Pilates influenced. In other words, there are no traditional ballet terms to remember, nor will most people feel worn out quickly, like many of the more cardio-focused classes at competitor studios.
So did I like my class? Most definitely! I’ve been taking barre on and off since 2007 or 2008 (yes, before it really became a “thing” in Toronto) and found barre3 an excellent compliment to my more classical ballet-focused class that I’ve been taking since the spring. Each session, which is about an hour long, begins slowly, with a good warm-up before getting into “grittier” workouts. Actually, it’s not gritty at all. The movements are very easy to do, low impact and as noted earlier, can be modified to suit one’s body. Work is done both at the barre and centre (my session didn’t feel like there was much barre work, but things might be different at another time). Weights used are not heavy – one can choose between one, two and three pounders – and unlike many other barre classes, no one needed to strap any weights onto their bodies. Bands weren’t used either. I felt rejuvenated after the class, even though I went in a little bit on the tired side.
An excerpt of an online workout from barre3’s YouTube page
What I found interesting about the studio is that the change areas are really female-focused. What would happen if a guy wanted to take a class? I suppose he can go into one of the washrooms to change – many of us do that, anyway, whether we’re male or female. But he might be a bit scared off by the female-focused space. I am, however, NOT discouraging guys from trying the classes. I’m sure they’d like them too!
Barre3 is located on 325 King Street West, on the second floor. Sessions can be purchased per class for $20 while packages are available starting at $90 for five classes. Membership is also available.
Not much time for studio sessions? Video workouts are available online (at cost) in addition to a mobile app (also requires purchasing). Both the website and app offer delicious, healthy recipes to compliment the workouts. The recipes don’t look too complicated, and one of them, herbs and eggs, is a version of what I often make on weekends before heading to the gym!
