Workout Wednesday: Xtend Barre

Vitals

Name: Xtend Barre Charlotte
Class: Xtend Xpress 
Location: Metropolitan at Midtown, 1100 Metropolitan Ave Suite #190 (behind Hickory Tavern)
Class schedule: click here
Class duration: I took the 45-minute Xpress class. They also have 1-hour barre classes and a 1-hour Circuit 7 boot camp.
Drop-in rate: $25 ($10 for your first class)
Monthly membership: VIX Essential $79 for 4 classes/month, VIX Elite $139 for 8 classes/month, VIX $169 for unlimited classes,
Good for: people who are former dancers or want to pretend they are (you don’t actually need dance experience), people who like low weight/high rep exercises
Bad for: people who want to lift heavy weights

How to dress and what to bring

Wear anything that’s comfortable to move around in. Personally, I don’t sweat in barre classes so performance moisture-wicking stuff isn’t a high priority. Everyone in our class had on leggings and tank tops. No shoes allowed but special sticky socks that grip the floor are required. You can bring your own or buy them at the studio for $15. Bring water.

What to expect in class

Xtend Barre is a global fitness franchise with studios in 19 different countries. This means you’re going to get a Starbucks level of universal consistency in terms of class structure and choreography no matter who is teaching. Any equipment you need will be written on the chalkboard when you come in.

You’ll start with a warm-up of bodyweight plies and lunges followed by arm work with light weights (1-2 pounds) and some pushups. From there, you’ll move to the barre to work thighs, calves and butt with a series of pulsing plies (little squats), releves (lifting up on your toes) and leg lifts. You might have a pilates ball between your legs for certain moves to work inner thighs. Class wraps up back on the mat for ab work and stretching.

Where you’ll feel it the next day

Anywhere you felt an aching burn during class – most likely quads, triceps and maybe abs.

Locker room situation

No locker room or shower but there’s a single bathroom where you can change and some cubbies for storing your stuff.

My take

I’m a huge fan of low weight/no weight, high rep workouts like barre. If you’re a first-timer, you’ll scoff at the 1-pound weights until your tricep ignites in a fiery muscular burn after repeatedly pulsing it to the point of fatigue. A common misconception about barre is that it’s a ballet class. While the workout does utilize some ballet terminology (first position, second position, plie, etc.) and a very recognizable ballet barre, it is not a dance class. I still like to pretend I’m a ballerina while I’m there though. If you like Nike and Gatorade commercial-esque workouts where you’re running and jumping and yelling and dripping sweat, you will absolutely hate barre.