I swear by weight training and Pilates to stay strong, but recently I've felt in need of a change so I've added home barre workouts to my routine.
Barre is a type of exercise inspired by ballet training and it's great for building strength using your bodyweight or light weights. I found a workout by barre instructor Mara Cimatoribus that targets the glutes (the three muscles in the buttocks)—one of my weak spots and an area I'm always keen to strengthen.
I also wanted to see how Cimatoribus' workout compared to the home Pilates workouts I'd been following.
How to do Mara Cimatoribus' glute workout
There are four exercises in this routine, which you'll repeat twice. All you need is a chair or a countertop to lean on. The repetitions for each move are featured in Cimatoribus' video above.
My experience of this barre routine
I felt the burn in my glutes throughout, while the exercises also engaged my hamstrings and core. Besides strengthening, this workout also challenged my leg flexibility and hip mobility, showing just how many different benefits there are to barre.
The donkey kicks reminded me of cable kickbacks, which I often do in the gym, introducing me to a great bodyweight alternative for home workouts.
As well as targeting my glute muscles, this routine also tested my balance, coordination and core strength. Actively engaging my core by squeezing my glutes and rib cage helped prevent my lower back from arching.
Compared with Pilates, I like that barre incorporates more movement flows, pulses and static holds. Barre often incorporates higher repetitions, which means it not only increases the time the muscles are under tension, but it also gets my heart rate up.
I find barre workouts like this one are a great way for me to work on my strength and fitness simultaneously, and really challenge myself. In contrast, I think Pilates is a more gentle style of movement prioritizing strength and mobility.
