barre3

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Giveaway - Free Month to Barre3 Online Classes

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We love being outside - running, biking, working out or doing yoga in the park. We create our gym in our local parks - using dog free lawns, benches and stairs. This is great if you know your area and park (the dog free lawn is key!) but what to do if you are traveling, short on time and still want to get your strength work in? We found Barre3, based out of Portland. Their online classes are one of our go-to workouts when the weather is bad, we are traveling or short on time and just want someone to tell us what to do!

We've been using their online classes since February. (You can read our review here.) Their workouts combine ballet, yoga and Pilates principles so you length and tone. They update their classes regularly and offer classes that range from 10-60 minutes with different focuses: total body, core, lower body, upper body, and pre-natal. It's only $15/month - much less than other products out there and the instructors are very knowledgeable. They offer modifications and show different levels. (As a disclaimer, we've taken just about every barre class you can image in NYC)

Barre3 was kind enough to give us a free month to giveaway to one of our lucky readers. See below for ways to enter. We'll pick a winner on Monday, June 10th at 9am EST and notify you via email. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FTC Disclaimer: Barre3 is giving us the free month to raffle off. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

Barre3 Online Class Review

We are always on the lookout for alternative ways for our clients, and all runners, to get their strength, toning and conditioning weekly workouts. We’ve been doing barre workouts in NYC for the past 4 years and like the challenge and how the exercises target our muscles. What about barre for those without access to or time for a studio class?

A small sampling of the types of online classes that Barre3 offers.

Thanks to a friend, we found Barre3, which offers online barre workouts that combine ballet, yoga and Pilates. Barre3 recently launched a series of online classes that range from 10-60 minutes with different focuses: total body, core, lower body, upper body, and pre-natal. We’ve spent the last 2 months sampling these online classes.

It's only $15/month with classes added regularly. Below are classes we took and our feedback for runners.

Total Body - 30 mins

  • Standing Slim with Sadie – This class is safe for knees, lengthens and easy to incorporate at home.
  • Runners Workout – We liked this class because it focused on muscles that runners need to strength and it’s less ballet focused (for those of us who are less graceful!)
  • Ballet Boot camp – Again, safe for knees and always showed modifications
  • Lean with Sadie Lincoln – This class got our heart rate up and helped lengthen our muscles; it was definitely tough after a run.

Total Body - 40 mins

  • Ballet Sculpt – We found this class hard and our knees hurt after the workout.
  • Balance with Sadie – This is a good workout for a full leg workout. She targets the calves, which we appreciated! The core work is good core, very little focus on arm strength.

Core

  • Runners Core - Excellent; the 2nd time we did this 10 min workout, we used the Barre3 ball and it was MUCH harder!
  • Cupid's Core – Not a favorite – our hip flexors took over in many of the poses, which is common for runners.
  • Deep Core Work – This 10 minute workout made us sweat! It targets the lower abs, however, if your hip flexors tend to take over, be careful with some of the exercises.
  • Runners Workout: Glutes and Core  - One word - hard! What we loved about this 10 min class was that the poses mimic the running motion and really targeted the core.  
  • Arms and Core: Studio Shape: Good, 10 minute class that targets areas two areas we always want to improve!

We definitely recommend Barre3 online workouts to our clients and friends, especially those who don't belong to a gym and travel frequently. Many of these classes can be done with a mat and a kitchen counter or chair! Also, mix it up a bit with something different!

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We Love...Cross Training

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Over the next week, we are featuring things, products, races, classes and places we love. Let us know how you love to cross train in the comments section!

Running is our go-to activity however we love checking out classes and cross training activities.  Besides being a vital part of any running schedule, cross training is fun! It makes your muscles and mind work differently.

One of our favorite ways to cross train is to hit some of NYC’s amazing studios and gyms and take classes from instructors who inspire us and make us like a sweaty indoor 60 minute class. We’ve found some kick-ass classes in other cities during our travels as well. Here are a few that we love.

  • Fitness/Cardio Classes
    • Liz Lefrois is our go-to instructor. She teaches at Equinox locations in NYC. She’s fun and offers a challenging class
  • Spin Classes
    • Gregg Cook  is our FAVE instructor. You feel like an athlete in his classes, which we love.
    • Soul Cycle and FlyWheel are fun, sweaty classes
    • Best option - get outside and ride in Central Park or Prospect Park
  • Bar Classes
    • Physique 57 is a fast paced class that leaves you sweaty and tone.
    • Bar Method is a bit slower but still tones and lengthens. Check out their SoHo location.
    • Barre 3, out of Portland, OR, offers online bar classes that we've been doing in our kitchens (subscriptions are $15/month)
  • Pilates
  • Yoga
    • Our go-to is Mala in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
    • Check out Virayoga in SoHo for alignment based yoga
    • Laughing Lotus in Chelsea is a fun, flow class
    • Shambhala in Prospect Heights has an array of classes