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Old 07-08-11, 11:48 AM  
kristieschultz1
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: northern california
barre vs. traditional weight work results

Another thread about the results of barre vs. weights.

I delved into barre several months ago and purchased Booty Barre, Dancer's Body, Cardiobarre, the new methods, P57, squeeze stronger etc. It took a couple of months to really get the hang of holding my leg up and doing the standing exercises and doing pretzel on the floor etc. I really tried hard to like these workouts and there was a point in time where I thought I was seeing some results in terms of butt lifting and would not likely return to traditional weight training etc. However, after several months passed and I did the workouts consistently (with cardio added in of course) my body is about the same as before, no real noticeable results. I am already toned from my many years of weight training with cathe etc and I maintained my toned appearance. Although I progressed with barre in that I was better able to hold my leg up longer and actually complete the workouts, I did not feel necessarily stronger from doing them or acquire any real results that make me want to continue doing them. Some people have posted that barre helped them reduce their cellulite, barre did nothing for my cellulite, my body looks almost exactly the same as before but I appear to be a little less buff looking from doing less weights. I was not eating as clean as I could have been either so maybe that is my biggest problem in terms of results.

I am going back to weight workouts and am doing a 90 day rotation of Supreme 90 and planning to eat clean to see what results that brings.

I guess bottom line is that my experience has been that the only thing that has really brought me optimal results is clean eating and heavier weight training (with cardio added in of course). When I say heavier I just mean cathe, supreme 90 or p90x style. The heavier weight lifting seems to really give me a cardio effect and burns calories and has the effect of toning my body better than barre. Hopefully my results with Supreme 90 will be even better than with p90x precisely because the system does allow me to go fairly heavy but moves quickly which provides even more of a cardio benefit. I know that when I did p90x I was in the best shape of my life but I ate clean, yet I found it boring, repetative and grueling.

What are others' experiences with barre vs weights and what have your experiences led you to believe about one versus the other in terms of results etc??
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Old 07-08-11, 11:51 AM  
daisysunshine
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: on my yoga mat
I honestly think it depends on your body type. I think if it was maintaining your tonned body - that's good. Barre promotes a lot of cool things (flexibility, and strength etc). I personally like it better than traditional weights, and that's just me. I like what barre does for my body more than traditional weights. but that's me again.
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Old 07-08-11, 12:03 PM  
Tugger31
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
I tried Barre for awhile too and it really did nothing for me. At first there was some general muscle tightness after the workout but that's about it. The only thing that has worked for me is eating healthy and after that heavier weights, the treadmill and Jillian.
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Old 07-08-11, 12:05 PM  
alikruegs
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Chicago
In your case, I might expect to see greater flexibility and perhaps better core strength. I think these are two things that barre workouts have, in terms of advantages, over traditional weight training. The core strength, however, is only a factor if you're doing the most intense barre workouts for the Core (e.g., IMO, Fluidity done correctly, P57 Arms & Abs and Classic Vol. 2, Core Fusion live classes).

I don't think you can necessarily expect to see overall strength gains from barre beyond what you get doing traditional weight training. Of course, it very much depends on what type of traditional weight training you're doing (compound moves, circuits, etc.). I think of barre as an alternate to traditional weight training, not a more advanced option. Some people find it helps with sports training b/c of the emphasis on posture, form, and the integration of more flexibility training and moves to increase range of motion.
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Old 07-08-11, 12:34 PM  
PhyllisG
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Woodstock NY
I did traditional weight training for years focusing mainly on Cathe's rotations and then STS. I switched to barre/fusion in Sept '09 and have slimmed down, toned up and have much greater flexibility and core strength. I doubt I will ever go back to traditional weight training. Clothes I haven't worn in 2 years are loose and the belly pooch is going. It is the combination of strength and stretch that I really love. OK I am going to say it. Weights made me bulky in the upper body. I didn't like the way I looked. I think you really have to find what works for you.
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Old 07-08-11, 12:49 PM  
Carb8985
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: New Jersey
Like others have said, everyone's results and experiences differ. Barre has been great for me and has given my legs/seat a shape that traditional weight training did not. I also think barre has improved my posture and strengthened my core. Another advantage that barre has over traditional weights, in my opinion, is that it often targets smaller, often underworked, muscles of the knees (VMO), hips (gluteus medius), and back (latissimus dorsi). The strengthening of these smaller muscles groups will certainly have a benefit although it may not be seen in purely aesthetic results.

I hope you enjoyed your barre experiment despite not experiencing exactly the results you were looking for. At least now you know that weights are what works best for you
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Old 07-08-11, 01:44 PM  
topfitmama
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Germany
My abs and arms are looking a lot better since starting barre in early March ( P57, Xtend, Suzanne Bowen downloads, and some fusion of barre and Pilates). I think all that plank work and all the holding out of the leg (which I always feel in my obliques) has done it for my abs. Pushups and tricep dips seem to do more than weights for me, and those controlled little pulses with light weights give me more of a burn than working with 8s and 10s, without causing strain to my neck and my shoulders.

The backs of my legs have more definition. It's early days to speak of it's effect on cellulite, but I feel a lot less wobbly. My butt, it has been said, is up where it's supposed to be.

When I cut down on sugar I look even better.

I still do circuits and pilates a few times a week, so I can't say it's all barre, but the addition of barre is definitely to "blame" for the flatter belly, tighter waist and nicer arms!
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Old 07-08-11, 02:12 PM  
edensmom
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Pacific NW
I have come to terms with the fact that barre just isn't for me. I throw it in for something different now and then but as far as relying on it exclusively for toning it is a no go. I am not trying to change my shape, just keep it toned and for me lots of reps with light weights seem to work, as well as circuits with weights. I prefer larger ROM exercises to tiny pulses. And when I do barre exclusively I just feel..mushy. Less toned. It's weird how everyone's experience is so different.
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Old 07-08-11, 02:23 PM  
saffron
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Toronto
Quote:
Originally Posted by alikruegs View Post
I think of barre as an alternate to traditional weight training, not a more advanced option.
ITA

I approach barre workouts as a different way to work my muscles but I could never replace traditional weight training completely with barre.
I think they complement each other.
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Old 07-08-11, 02:30 PM  
alisoncooks
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: TarHeel country
Quote:
Originally Posted by kristieschultz1 View Post
What are others' experiences with barre vs weights and what have your experiences led you to believe about one versus the other in terms of results etc??
I've done both styles exclusively for periods of time. When I went to barre work from traditional weight work, I thought: Wow, look what I was missing. This is so much more fun! My ____ looks so much better! I'm much stronger now.

Then I got tired of barre and went back to more traditional strength workouts. And I thought: Wow, I was missing this! This is so much more fun! My ____ looks so much better! I'm much stronger now.


Lesson learned (for me):
They are both good & work for me (in terms of results). I tend to go through spells where I do one exclusively, then switch over for a while.
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