THE CURL: MOTHERSHIP OF EVERY CORE FUSION BARRE CLASS
In exhale Barre classes, our Core Conditioning Series follows a pattern: Flat Back, Round Back, and finally the Curl – which introduces a progressive challenge of increased spinal flexibility with each position. All three exercises address two fundamental needs: strengthening the core while building flexibility in the back. Joseph Pilates always preached that the “supple spine equals a youthful body,” and it’s true. The more spinal strength and flexibility you have, the more strength and flexibility you’ll see in every other area.
The curl takes discipline because it’s a complex position. You have to prioritize pressing the lower back down on the mat while
WHAT’S YOUR WORKOUT MENTALITY?
By: Fred DeVito, exhale co-founder and the ultimate fitness aficionado
As a young barre teacher, back in the 80’s and 90’s, most students came to my class 4-5 times a week like clockwork. They loved the technique — because it challenged them constantly and it gave them fast and noticeable results. Back then, it was fashionable to be consistent with one method that worked.
WHAT IS BARRE?
By Fred DeVito
Core Fusion co-founder and ultimate barre aficionado, Fred DeVito, breaks down the history of barre, how it works to change your body, and what to look for in a high-quality barre class.
First things first: what is a barre?
The Barre, a word taken from the world of ballet, is a fixed pole, firmly attached to a wall so that a person can pull, push, hold or lean on to gain support when performing exercises that are primarily using one’s body weight as resistance. These movements stem from the original ballet barre warmup that dancers use to prepare and train themselves for their actual dance combinations in a performance.
When and where did barre workouts originate?
Lotte Berk, the founder of the barre class space and the direct lineage of the technique decades ago, combined her knowledge of dance based exercises with orthopedic core work that she learned from physical therapists when going through the process of healing a dance-related injury. Her combination of these two disciplines inspired her to create a class called Rehabilitative Exercise in London back in the 1960’s.
A decade later, the technique was introduced in the 1970’s in NYC at a studio named in her honor, The Lotte Berk Method, and an exercise system was born. That’s where exhale got its roots — I taught there as well as my wife and partner, Elisabeth Halfpapp. Both of us taught 34 classes a week for almost 20 years (if you can believe that!) and that’s how we established ourselves as authorities in the barre space, training many teachers who now run or own some of the major barre studios and franchises in the world. Every major player in the barre space can track their roots back to us at the Lotte Berk Method since we were the leaders there for 20 years.
REASONS WHY MEN SHOULD TAKE BARRE CLASS
By: Fred DeVito, Core Fusion co-founder + the world’s first male barre teacher
Most men are programmed from sports training in high school and college to think that lifting weights and doing cardio is how you stay in shape. But after high school and college, most of us realize that only doing exercises you’re used to can limit your fitness potential – and as the first male barre teacher in the industry, I learned this the hard way.
Exhale Barre: A workout for all levels and needs
An Exhale Barre class is a workout that will challenge you on many levels: strength, flexibility, endurance, and stamina. What makes this workout unique is that the exercises can be modified and tailored to your individual needs (prenatal + postnatal, men, teens, athletes, injuries, limitations — you name it!). Our program is built to make the workout work for you! New to Barre? Your teacher will ask a few simple questions before class in order to better understand your limitations, potential modifications, needs and goals. That way your teacher can give you personalized barre challenges that work for you. If a position or move is problematic, our teachers are trained to provide appropriate modifications that will keep your body challenged and moving while maintaining a safe workout. Once class begins our teachers are trained to use proper and succinct set up cues to put you in position that build and progress — becoming more
MYTHBUSTERS – Fitness Edition
It can be easy to let the common fitness misconceptions distract us from our goals and the proper ways to get there. Many people allow themselves to become influenced by these misleading ideas, and therefor risk taking on unhealthy habits and unrealistic fitness goals. In an effort to stop these misconceptions from dictating our fitness journeys, we are busting some of most common myths one by one and setting the record straight! Let’s get busting. Lifting weights leads to bulk False! Weights are a great way to increase your lean muscle mass and boost your body’s productivity when it comes to calorie burning. So next time you’re in an Exhale class, embrace those weights! Eating less is the answer to achieving your weight loss goals Limiting the amount of food you eat is essentially just limiting your energy intake. The importance lies in WHAT you are eating,
