Toughest Barre workout?

[Tugger31]

How does TBM's Dancer's Body compare to Ballet Physique's Signature Sculpt or SB's BarreAmped Bootcamp??

[slysam]

Originally Posted by Nuggie's Auntie

If you have a lot of cardio endurance work, P57 will probably seem not quite as hard as others find it. Part of the challenge of P57 is keeping up with the pace of it while maintaining good form.

That said, I think P57 Thigh and Seat is one of the hardest I own!

I am glad you posted as I wasn't sure since I've never done Pure Bar. I started with P57 as my first fitness barre dvd. I had taken live pilates mat and ballet classes (half the ballet class was barre work--but ballet barre is a little different). I didn't know about the barre workout genre at all, so approached P57 as a fusion of traditional strength training and ballet barre/pilates. I think my form was better than it would have been if I never done live pilates or ballet classes, but these disciplines have slightly different technique than fitness barre. I went as heavy as I safely could on the weights with P57 and did tried to do the pushups on toes before dropping to knees each time. (I couldn;t do one full pushup when I started, but I tried every time until I was able to do all the reps as full push ups). I found P57 quite challenging. I agree a lot of the challenge is keeping good, controlled form while keeping up. I can see the faster paced barre workouts might make it easier to phone it in and may not result in as challenging of a workout. I found that when I tried Cardio Barre and a little with Bootybarre. I don't have that issue with P57, it seems high energy because of the talking and music and that they don't spend long setting up each move. But the movements themselves are not too fast, with cardio barre I felt quite the opposite. I got through it, but I suspect my form wasn't great. My form improved with P57 after I borrowed some Lotte Berk and Exhale Core Fusion dvds from the library--but I just cannot make myself do very slow paced barre more than once (though it is harder to cheat and I appreciate the form cues). I did find the slower paced barre workouts I have tried to be easier than P57 (including Core Fusion, Lotte Berk, Bar method, Daily Method, Barre3, Callanetics). My favorite slower paced barre workout I tried is Ballet Body--which I love and find just as challenging if not more so than P57. I am interested in Suzanne Bowen's dvds since I really liked her prenatal barre workout (slow, easier than P57 though it gave me some DOMs, but I liked her instruction and focus). I guess I will also need to add Pure Barre to my watch for list.

[Nuggie's Auntie]

Originally Posted by slysam

I can see the faster paced barre workouts might make it easier to phone it in and may not result in as challenging of a workout. I found that when I tried Cardio Barre and a little with Bootybarre. I don't have that issue with P57, it seems high energy because of the talking and music and that they don't spend long setting up each move. But the movements themselves are not too fast, with cardio barre I felt quite the opposite. I got through it, but I suspect my form wasn't great.

Yes, that's how I felt with Cardio barre, too. I think it moves sooo quickly, it's really tough to maintain good form--I felt like I was just flailing around. But I just borrowed it from another VFer a couple of years ago. I'm much stronger now, so maybe I would be able to keep up with CB now? I don't know, but I didn't like it enough to buy it!

You know, I pretty much love every live barre class I've taken. I enjoy and appreciate the small, isometric movements, the up-an-inch-down-an-inch, and slower pace in a live class setting, but for videos at home, they just don't grab me. P57 is still def. my go-to at-home workout.

The last thing I'll say (for now!) about P57, is that I've taken some classes alongside P57 instructors, and even on the larger range of motion exercises, their movements are still *very* controlled. I learned so much from watching those instructors! Wow, it was a treat! I definitely don't bob up and down in a P57 workout like I used to. Keeping your movements very controlled while moving swiftly from one move to the next really takes your workout to the next level.

[Honeydew]

Ballet Body. This is nothing like Pure Barre, but it's really tough, I think even Leah's new prenatal dvd is tough!

[LaCatrina]

Some Ballet Body downloads are downright brutal for me

As mentioned before, Hamelin's Thighmatics are quite hard, 2 more so than 1

[altinker]

I also think TBM's Dancer's Body is really tough! I thought P57's were much easier than Dancer's Body.

I find that I prefer the slower barre rather than the quick stuff because I reduce my chance of injury. The stuff that is too cardio causes me to not get the right form. I hurt my foot on Booty Barre (Tracy Mallette). I've never tried PB.

[Eibhinn]

The original Pure Barre is available via Torrent download. While not technically legal, if the original copyright holder refuses to sell a copy and you are left with the option of predatory prices via resellers I'd say there is no ethical problem with just downloading a pirated copy. Maybe other people would feel differently, but in this case whether you download an avi or buy from an Amazon seller the creator of the workout doesn't profit either way.

[eannem]

i agree on ballet body being toughest. mainly bc of the upper body section. i also love pure barre pershing square. i have done bb total body arm section, then pure barre pershing square. its a great combo, but a little long.

[DejaDeb]

Originally Posted by olala

HDM method thighmatics. Absolutely Brutal.

Search for "Hamelin" and you'll get quite a few threads! Here's just one: http://forum.videofitness.com/showthread.php?t=201775

[PennyK]

Originally Posted by DejaDeb

Search for "Hamelin" and you'll get quite a few threads! Here's just one: http://forum.videofitness.com/showthread.php?t=201775

Thanks Debbie!!! I have seen some recent talk about him and his free youtube stuff and am really interested especially in the "matics" workouts, but it sounds like it's expensive and i don't have a home computer.