I try to run at least 3 times a week…but I still need to make sure that I get my cardio in on my “off” days. This morning, I pulled out a workout that I haven’t done in quite awhile: Cardio Barre.
If you are unfamiliar with barre classes they are a mix of Pilates, yoga, dance, and choreographed moves. The workouts will help target different areas of your body and help sculpt and slim your whole body.
It is a unique and fun style of workout that helps break up the regular lifting weights and squats routine.
Want to hear my Cardio Barre Review?
Great! Let’s go:
I remembered the workout being rather odd…and I remembered correctly. I will say that it got my heart pumping, and I enjoyed (most of) the workout. You start off with a variation of flat back exercises and then move on to leg work. I thought the cardio barre workout could be a little interesting, so I wanted to change things up and give it a try.
Work The Large Muscles To Exhaustion
I like that in this workout you work the larger muscle groups first (legs, back) and follow up with arms and abs. Most of the barre workouts spend very little time on arms, and Cardio Barre does a good job of working the triceps, which is great since the triceps are what give the appearance of lean, toned arms.
I like that all of the exercises are done on 8-counts. So there’s no “20” more…just “2 more 8s”. I don’t know why I find this encouraging, but it makes the workout go by faster. I also enjoyed the stretch sequence at the end of the workout…but I am not anywhere NEAR as flexible as anyone on the cardio barre video.
Let’s Talk Pros And Cons of the Cardio Barre Workout
Okay, down to the nitty gritty.
PROS:
- good cuing,
- upbeat music,
- positive vibes from the instructor,
- multiple workouts on 1 DVD (GREAT value),
- good stretch,
- great arms segment.
CONS:
- no modifier,
- the workout moves at a fast pace,
- workouts MUST be done in order, since the build on themselves.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the Cardio Barre Workout is a good value for the price. Each workout gets progressively harder (there’s Intro, Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced) and longer. The moves in one workout are carried over to the next, and then the instructor adds more variety.
I think that if I can get past the standing crunches segment (the “cardio” part of the workout), I’ll definitely be doing these workouts again.
If you are on the hunt for workouts to try and add variety, check out my free workout video list! And check out my Pure Barre Workout Review as well if you enjoyed this one.
