Les Mills Barre Review

Sharing my thoughts and review of the Les Mills Barre program through Les Mills On Demand. Use my link and get 21 days free! (Referral link but this post is not sponsored.) Iโ€™m a huge fan of Les Mills workouts because they have so many different class options and incredible instructors.

Hi friends! How are you? I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We had a day date, survived (and enjoyed) the avalanche of birthday parties, and I cranked away on the book. Iโ€™m volunteering at Livโ€™s school this morning, so Iโ€™ll be back soon with a weekend recap, but in the meantime, I wanted to share some thoughts on a newer-to-me workout format: Les Mills Barre!

les mills barre review and 21 days of les mills on demand for free

Les Mills Barre Review

While I use and LOVE the Les Mills On Demand platform, I very rarely do the barre or dance cardio workouts, which is silly because theyโ€™re two of my favorites. I tend to favor the more intense formats and tried and true faves for LMOD, like BODYPUMP, GRIT and BODYATTACK. The other day, I was in the mood for something different and low-impact and barre came to mind. I pressed play and felt the hibernating dancer in me come to life. I got an awesome sweat and really enjoyed the workout!

les mills barre review and 21 days of les mills on demand for free

What is a Les Mills Barre Class?

The Les Mills Barre format is structured based on classical ballet movement, instead of fitness exercises with a dance spin. Itโ€™s different than the boutique barre formats that many of us are used to and has a strong ballet foundation. Itโ€™s not uncommon for the instructors to throw out the French names of the movements after a couple of rounds of the exercises. Youโ€™ll work in various ballet positions and complete pliรฉs, tendus, arabesques, leaps, turns, etc. Even though itโ€™s rooted in classical ballet, this doesnโ€™t mean you have to be a dancer to follow along. In pure Les Mills style, they do an excellent job of setting up proper form and explaining the movements as they progress.

The class is 30 minutes and consists of 8 tracks. In each track, the base movements and emphasis change. Just like other Les Mills formats, the exercises and choreography complement the music.

From the website:

LES MILLS BARRE™ is a 30-minute ballet-inspired style of training that works to shape and tone your whole body. We begin with a warm-up, followed by a sequence of cardio-esque training, building to a cardio peak. We then move into ballet strength, using light weights, and finish with targeted balletic conditioning to complete your full-body training.

What do you need for the workout?

– Space to move around

– A set of light weights or flat plates (I like 2-5 lbs)

– A water bottle

– A mat

– Access to the class! You can take these live in studio if your gym offers Les Mills classes, or use my link for a free 21-day trialย 

Les Mills Barre Benefits

– The moves match the music. This is my FAVORITE thing about Les Mills. I feel like itโ€™s so motivating to take a class where the energy of the music matches the exercises youโ€™re performing. So many times, this has given me a boost to lift heavier and work harder. Iโ€™m a huge fan of music-driven workouts and these never disappoint.

– You get a blend of cardio and strength without the impact

– You can do it anywhere! All you need is a set of light dumbbells or flat weights

– ย Youโ€™ll train your body in a different way. This is an excellent format to implement with more traditional hypertrophy training, especially since it emphasizes core stabilization, lateral movements (which weโ€™re often lacking! Itโ€™s smart to move the body in all directions), and a focus on endurance training and flexibility

– You can modify! If you donโ€™t want to jump, no worries. They provide modifications and progressions along the way so that strong dancers can leap and turn their hearts out while the beginners or non-dancers still get an awesome workout

Cons of Les Mills Barre

– They donโ€™t actually use a barre, which is different from many boutique barre formats. All of the exercises are done in the center of the floor. I donโ€™t think this is a huge con – I think you get more cardio benefits when youโ€™re not holding onto the barre – but think that it can be a nice tool tool for standing glutes and hamstrings work. Itโ€™s nice to have a barre to hold onto for balance if you need it, or if youโ€™re pregnant and have a shifting center of gravity. (Barre was one of my #1 pregnancy workouts.)

Have you tried Les Mills Barre? What did you think? Whatโ€™s your favorite Les Mills format?

Hope you have a happy Monday and Iโ€™ll see ya soon!
xoxo

Gina

Pics: Kristi Harris

More:

Les Mills On Demand Review

Focus On: Les Mills GRIT

BODYPUMP instructor training

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10 Comments

  1. Carrie on February 10, 2020 at 4:00 pm

    I love your tank top in these photos! Would you mind sharing the link where we can find it? I always appreciate your reviews of various workout programs. Thanks!
    Carrie

  2. Jessie R on February 10, 2020 at 4:47 pm

    I love the rug in your living room, so vibrant and beautiful ๐Ÿ™‚ I haven’t done a barre workout in ages! I did a few classes at Pure Barre a few years ago and really liked it but haven’t made it back yet.

    • Fitnessista on February 10, 2020 at 6:44 pm

      thank you!! ๐Ÿ™‚ yes, pure barre is one of my faves
      xoxo

  3. Stephanie on February 11, 2020 at 9:18 am

    I love Les Mills Barre! It took me a while, though, if I am really honest; I’m so smitten with boutique barre modalities (and barre3 is my jam), so when Barre came to gyms in the USA and I got ready to try it, I was a bit disappointed with how this program is more focused on balletic movement than on the emphasis of isometric exercises. But like all Les Mills programs I gave it three weeks. And I really grew to love it!!

  4. Emily on February 13, 2020 at 9:15 am

    This was perfect timing to read this post! I am looking for an on demand fitness subscription and I was wondering if you had any insight into pros/cons of beachbody on demand compared to les mills or anything else?

    Thank you!

    • Fitnessista on February 17, 2020 at 12:31 am

      i think that the instruction for les mills on demand is much better. i feel more motivated and there are less cheesy jokes and one-liners. bb has some incredible workouts and coaches, but on the whole, i think LMOD is more balanced and has way more options.

  5. Charlene on February 15, 2020 at 7:09 am

    I love Les Mills on demand, I will have to try the barre workout. A friend recommended CX works, which I think is called Core now? Have you tried it?

    • Fitnessista on February 17, 2020 at 12:27 am

      yes! it’s short but i really like the workout ๐Ÿ™‚ lots of plank work

  6. Apryl on June 29, 2022 at 11:39 am

    I am currently an OpenFit member, and, as I am sure you’ve heard, they merged with BeachBody. I’ve been told that my subscription will transfer to BeachBody in July. I’m not dead sure I want to stay on with BeachBody. There is a reason I didn’t sign up for it in the first place- I didn’t care for the platform and felt its too much “you need to look this way to be happy and you must drink our shakes, etc”. I did Les Mills BodyPump YEARS ago at Gold’s Gym and loved it. I assume the format hasn’t changed much. Would you recommend that I switch to Les Mills? I can’t do high impact anymore, but I love strength training and barre.

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