Let’s Hit the Barre
SITizens get their muscles burning through Barre Fundamentals, a high-intensity fitness class combining ballet techniques, yoga and pilates, organised by the SIT Alumni Sports Network.
Barre fitness classes have been gaining popularity among individuals looking for a well-rounded exercise regimen. Its benefits have been known to include improved posture, muscle definition and weight loss. SIT alumni experienced the invigorating workout at Barre Fundamentals, a barre fitness class led by Ms Cherisa Ng from WeBarre studio.
The participants started with a five-minute warmup before diving into a unique workout combining ballet techniques, cardio and pilates in a 60-minute session. Besides engaging in high-intensity movements such as mountain climbers and tricep dips, they also worked out their thighs with plié exercises. While ballet dancers normally do plié exercises with a barre as support – hence the name – the participants used the back of a chair or a table instead.
Barre workouts look easy but are much more intense than they appear. Ms Hilary Lim, an Accountancy graduate, felt the ache within 10 minutes of class. “I exercise regularly, but Barre is still difficult for me as it uses different muscles from the ones I’m used to,” she said. “The instructor also made sure to correct our posture so we could feel the stretch.”
In the spirit of Christmas, Ms Ng also threw in some Christmas-inspired cardio exercises such as “Rudolph Runs” and “Candy Cane Twists”, which had the participants sweating in no time. Mr Pang Yao Yi, who graduated from the Mechanical Design Engineering programme, felt he might have to prepare himself mentally before joining another class due to the surprising intensity. “I have not done ballet before, so it was interesting but very tiring. It’s different from normal HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training),” he said.
