Is Barre a REALLY GREAT option??

If it's difficult, that should be reason to keep going to a class. Maybe it's my ballet background where I would spend three hours trying to perfect one move, but if something is difficult, you should be trying to get better at it, in every aspect of your life. Getting in shape isn't a "quick fix". It takes time and dedication.

There was a thread on this yesterday that you might find helpful: https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-forums/kwr-pure-barrewedding-workout/781041185f33a968.html

I love Barre. It is expensive but I really like group classes and love not having to think about my workouts. I lost weight and I went about 4-5x per week for about 2 months. Starting back up in March!

If you are trying to lose weight it's mostly diet. I like to view working out as good for my body and heart rather than a weight loss tool.

Did you like the barre work out even though it was hard? Find something you like to do to help you stay consistent. Otherwise its easy to make excuses.

I am not sure where to start.

You're unhappy with your really inconsistent results of gym time and the fact you went up 3 pounds?

1.) you can't be unhappy with results you didn't get from the work you didn't do.

2.) Planet fitness is more than adequate for your fitness needs as long as they are generic.

3.) Working out is a separate subject from losing weight.

4.) The exercises to focus upon are table push aways and fork put downs. (diet first)

To answer your actual questions:

1.) Is it worth it?

IMHO- no

But- if you pay for it- and you go- then it very well maybe worth it.

2.) "need to slim up upper body and lose tummy pooch"

you cannot spot reduce- no amount of crunches or over head press will fix that.

3.) "Personal experience?"

I have minimal direct experience with the actual classes. I do barre work for my dancing- it's good- but it's muscle endurance- not muscle strength. So it's useful depending on your goals.

4.) "did barre help you"

can't help you there

5.) "Has anyone done it and not seen results"

sure- just look at your gym results. People do things all the time and not get results because they don't look at the over all picture.

You need to focus on your diet first.

Any fitness program you LIKE will be one you stick with- it should incorporate strength and cardiovascular fitness to be well rounded.

I'd also like to point out 3 pounds is daily fluctuation. Easily. I can take a shit and lose 5 pounds.

Factor in water weight and salt content- you can go up or down anywhere fro 1-10 pounds.

The nature of being a water based being.

Go take a good fiber based shit- and you'll probably be back those 3 pounds- which my point- crude as it may be is- don't sweat the small shit. You're looking for an average trend line- not one specific point.

Because honestly- one specific point- no matter how accurate the representation can be taken out of context.

#sciencebitches.

Yes. I liked it.

I don't think of "hard" as a bad thing... it was more an eye-opener.

I'm thinking that having a structured class might be better, since "doing my own thing" CLEARLY wasn't the answer.

I wouldn't have pushed myself that hard.... but I'm not unwilling to BE pushed.

Signing on for something that expensive gives me pause.... but if the results are there, that makes it more "palatable"

I'll ask about a wedding package.... maybe that's still available!

Honestly, working out will help you lose inches.. but the only way to drop weight is to reduce your calorie intake.

^^^ OGAlecia on point.

Ultimately- it won't work if you don't go. What makes you go will very from person to person.

if paying a lot keeps you accountable- open that check book up and get to it.

no harm and no shame as long as you can afford it! Everyone's different.

I do MUCH better with a structured work out than I do going to the gym. I will never keep a schedule when it comes to the gym. Ever.

I have taken only one Barre class so I personally don't have much experience with it. I do have a friend who goes 3 times a week and she looks fucking amazing, plus she enjoys it.

I do Zumba twice a week since I am a fan of dancing, and again will not go to the gym. I tend to go more consistently because the instructor is counting on me to be there, and it's fun.

Definitely worth it! You can also look into the daily method. It's basically the same and they also have the promotion.

I just started taking barre classes at the beginning of the month. I go to The Barre Code. While it is expensive, it is a third of the price I was paying a month for a personal trainer. I have terrible anxiety and these were the first classes ever I felt comfortable attending alone, and the meditative stretching at the end is really good for me. I am already in decent shape and I found them incredibly difficult, so don't get discouraged. Hard is good! I can see a change in my body after only a month. Sometimes I would even stay for two classes in a row if I felt up to it. RE: diet. Unfortunately everyone is right about this being the most important. But I have seen great results eating fairly healthy all week and only drinking water and black coffee and still having me Pizza and beer over the weekend. You mostly certainly don't have to give up everything you enjoy, but exercise should complement a healthy diet. And these should be manageable life changes, not a crash diet. Kudos to you for trying something new! I highly recommend continuing to go to those classes and cleaning up your diet a little. Good luck!

I think this depends on what you're looking for. Will you drop 3 lbs with barre? No. Barre is strength training, which will build some muscle (which burn more calories but not a significant amount unless you're super muscular) but isn't going to torch calories and get the pounds off. Is it a good workout for muscles and toning and general health? Yes.

I did enjoy barre. I used to do it in addition to my cardio workouts and thought it was fun and challenging. If you have the money and are looking to gain strength, not lose weight, go for it

Sidenote: When people work out, they tend to think they burn WAY more than they really do. All the cardio machines totally lie about what you're burning btw; they tend to double the real amount! Then people eat more to make up for it (understandable, working out takes energy) and end up going above their caloric needs. It's likely easier to lose weight by NOT working out and just eating little. But for general health, it's best to work out! You'll be a healthier person if you carry an extra 10 lbs and workout 4x a week than if you're perfectly thin but never work out.

I did ClassPass for a year (it was one of the extras I gave up to save for the wedding). It allowed me to try almost every type of workout imaginable. I got the smallest calorie burn from Barre and yoga If you are trying to burn calories for weight loss, I think a cardio focused workout is better (bootcamp, kickboxing, HIIT, cycling).

The harder the better - if you want an accurate picture of your "weight" you should weigh yourself every day at the same time then average it out after a week or two. I wouldn't pay a ton of money for weight loss - it's about effort, not how much you spend. If you want a tough and effective workout, I always recommend any video by Jillian Michaels. She'll kick your butt, and you can do it from the comfort of your own home.

Sigh- the harder the better is not realistic- and often causes people to quit.

that's not good advice at all.

I'd also argue that Barre training isn't truly strength training- generally most classes focus on high repetitions and a change in speed rather than difficulty. While they do offer harder variations it gets stunted because it's more about the reps/time you do it.

in order to truly be strength training it's got to progressively load you so you can see progress in more than "I can do this for longer"

It doesn't mean you didn't get stronger- and it doesn't mean you didn't get better- but strength and muscle endurance are not the same things.

And realistically - anything you do in a class is almost always about muscle endurance training. (exceptions would be small technical classes and crossfit style workouts)

I love my booty barre class at 24hr fitness, it's definitely a challenge, but that's what I love about it. The fact that it's difficult should be the fire to ignite you to go. I say keep it up

You lose pounds in the kitchen, not the gym.

I don't think Barre is strength training. Go to the gym and lift weights and do cardio instead. BUT, it doesn't matter what workout you're doing if your diet isn't in check.

JoRocka- Do I recognize you from the MyFitnessPal forms???

Ak- you do- same annoying powerlifting bellydancer.

Jo has great points, listen to her. Don't count out planet since you didn't use it to effectively measure any results. And 3 lbs is nothing - don't be discouraged by that.

Have you tried the personal trainers at planet? They will work with you and develop a routine for you to follow when you go to the gym as well as will push you through a workout. To some people this keeps them more dedicated since they have an appointment and its 1 on 1 so you have to cancel, you can't just not show up like you can with group classes.

It sounds like you are trying to shed lbs rather than tone up or get stronger which means you are going to want more HIIT/cardio to lose the weight from your whole body since as Jo pointed out you can't spot reduce in addition to lifting to help build muscle so that when you lose the fat you have muscle so show off.

I loved it for getting toned. However, if you want to lose weight too, then your best bet is to combine barre with other cardio workouts, and watch your diet, too.