Bro Barre
Real Men (Who Want to Complement Their Gym Workouts) Do Barre!
Why?
I am going to apply some broad generalizations, but I have a husband and three teenage sons who go the gym a lot, so here goes:
Strength vs Endurance. Men like to pick up heavy things and put them down. But they spend less time building muscle endurance. I see this when they are in down dog for any length of time or on their second and third minute of arm work with lighter weights. Shoulders on fire!
Traps up to their ears. Shortening the length of the arms to lighten the load. Barre (and yoga) builds muscle endurance.
Stretching. We spend significant time stretching. It is built into class. Can’t just leave at the end of the class to avoid it.
Form. We spend significant energy on good posture and form which will positively influence heavy lift day. Neutral spine. Engagement of the deeper abdominals. Avoiding “dumping” into the back. A lot of single leg work. We are told that clients “can hear our voices in their heads” as they move about their day which keeps them moving in functionally sound ways to avoid injuries.
Don’t be shy. Add a barre day into your workout schedule to diversify your line-up. Mixing it up is a great way to avoid injury and it enhances neuroplasticity!! Keeps you young….mind and body!
