The Bar Method prides itself in being a workout for everyone. Our studios serve as the go-to workout for pregnant women, celebrities, busy moms, and even sports athletes because it is a safe, effective, full-body workout. Our Founder, Burr Leonard, recently stopped to chat with some of our Bar Method students who are sports athletes to better understand why they incorporate The Bar Method into their training. Here is what she found:
Recently, I asked some competitive athletes who take class at The Bar Method why they include the workout in their training routine. The reason, they told me, is that it is the best sport-training program they’ve found. The leg-work is tougher, the core-work is deeper, and the attention to form is unparalleled, they told me. Additionally, it trains them to be better overall athletes. Why does The Bar Method work so well for these students? In brief, because many of its body-changing techniques also enhance athletic performance. Here are five especially effective ones:
Precision
The Bar Method trains students to be more precise in their movements. This focus on precision results in quicker reaction times and more accurate muscle recruitment. The Bar Method uses several techniques to bring about these improvements. It requires students to perform precise isolations to a musical beat that continually changes in tempo and accent. It teaches students to isolate difficult-to-reach muscles while maintaining good form. Our technique also enhances balance by encouraging students to work at the ballet barre without using it for support.
Flexibility
The Bar Method gives students “active flexibility,” which is of particular benefit to athletes. Greater active flexibility means that students not only become able to more easily stretch their leg on the bar. It means they can raise their leg upwards and hold it there with its own power.
Muscle & stamina building
The Bar Method builds dense muscle mass that gives athletes stamina. Of particular benefit to athletes is the special emphasis placed on strengthening muscle groups they sometimes neglect in favor of the upper body. For instance, the legs. The Bar Method builds super-firm thighs by putting them through a relentless series of muscle-shaking holds and small in-the-muscle movements. This formula produces a degree of stamina that surprises even students themselves when they first put their Bar Method legs to the test during a challenging sport.
Joint-strengthening
The Bar Method stabilizes athletes’ joints to prepare them for the rough and tumble of sports. To shore up the knees, for example, the workout systematically strengthens the three major muscle groups that extend across this joint. Heel lifts come first to tone students’ calf muscles. Next, thigh-work firms the quads. Finally, “seat-work” strengthen the glutes and hamstrings. Thus fortified, the knees are ready to do battle on the tennis court, soccer field, or hip-hop class!
Full-body workout
Last but not least, The Bar Method works the whole body. While many other workouts are effective, they often focus on one fitness element or body part. The Bar Method makes sure that it thoroughly works all your major muscle groups, including the “muscles you never knew you had,” and that’s important. In the heat of the battle, those reclaimed muscles can make the defining difference.
One last note on The Bar Method’s value to athletes. You don’t have to be one to take advantage of its sports-training component. Regular students have told me over the years that The Bar Method has given them the courage & physical strength to get involved in a sport.
AUTHOR & FOUNDER OF THE BAR METHOD, BURR LEONARD
