Hey everyone! It's Sophie here, and today I'll be talking about my second go at a new fitness class: Purebarre. As a dancer, I was really excited about the idea of a barre class. I knew that when walking into the studio I would already feel confident with some of the stretches and exercises to come. So, I asked two of my dancer friends to join me in experimenting with Purebarre. Although as I'm writing this my arms and thighs ache from yesterday's class, my friends and I had a blast.
One great thing about Purebarre is the location. I chose to go to the Sudbury studio, which is only 10 minutes from my house. But they also have locations in Wellesley, Concord, and Newton, so wherever you are in the Boston area you can be sure to find a convenient spot.
After choosing my location, I dealt with the payment. Usually, buying a single class costs $25; however, Purebarre has a special deal for newcomers where their first class costs only $15. As someone who lives off babysitting money, I'm not sure how willing I am to pay $25 per class, but the $15 was definitely doable for my friends and me.
One great thing about Purebarre is the location. I chose to go to the Sudbury studio, which is only 10 minutes from my house. But they also have locations in Wellesley, Concord, and Newton, so wherever you are in the Boston area you can be sure to find a convenient spot.
After choosing my location, I dealt with the payment. Usually, buying a single class costs $25; however, Purebarre has a special deal for newcomers where their first class costs only $15. As someone who lives off babysitting money, I'm not sure how willing I am to pay $25 per class, but the $15 was definitely doable for my friends and me.
Once I finished handling the payment, I read Purebarre's website for clothing suggestions. The Purebarre instructors recommend that clients wear leggings that go past the knee and socks (preferably sticky socks). The studios are carpeted so long pants and socks prevent any rug burn. So, once I was dressed and ready to go, I headed on over to the studio.
Walking into the building, I was pleasantly surprised by the facilities and studio. The front desk area was neat and organized, and to my left I found cute Purebarre tanks and yoga pants for sale (although babysitters can't endeavor in the purchasing of said athletic wear, it's still nice to window shop!)
Walking into the building, I was pleasantly surprised by the facilities and studio. The front desk area was neat and organized, and to my left I found cute Purebarre tanks and yoga pants for sale (although babysitters can't endeavor in the purchasing of said athletic wear, it's still nice to window shop!)
After checking in, my instructor, Evan, led me to the lockers and equipment area. She gave me one looped rope, one ball, and two dumbbells. The weight of the Dumbbells varied from 2-4 pounds, but as a first timer (and as someone born with the arm strength of a baby mouse) I stuck with the 2 pounders.
After putting our keys and shoes into cubbies, my friends and I entered the single studio. Dimly lit, the studio was large with mirrors covering 2 of the walls. A barre wrapped around 3 of the walls, and each client found there own spot on the barre to form three quarters of a circle.
Speaking of clients, I should quickly speak to the demographic of the class: entirely women. Ranging from teen to middle aged, the women appeared to come from all levels of experience. Some sported their worn-in Purebarre gear, and stretched confidently before the class began. And others wore their brand new sticky socks, and looked nervously around to see how to set up their equipment. (Of course, I fell into the latter category).
Speaking of clients, I should quickly speak to the demographic of the class: entirely women. Ranging from teen to middle aged, the women appeared to come from all levels of experience. Some sported their worn-in Purebarre gear, and stretched confidently before the class began. And others wore their brand new sticky socks, and looked nervously around to see how to set up their equipment. (Of course, I fell into the latter category).
But back to the class. So, when finding our spots at the barre, my friends and I scoped out the last of the empty spaces. But only when the music turned on and Evan skipped into the studio shouting "Okay, let's go ladies!" did we realize we chose spots directly next to where Evan would be teaching. So yes, our newbie fears were confirmed: the rest of the clients would be watching us struggle for the next 50 minutes. Although this could be reason to panic and therefore not enjoy the class, my friends and I made the best of the situation and laughed whenever our legs started to shake or our arms gave out.
Our ability to laugh off our failures definitely came in handy at the start of the class; the first exercises Evan had us do was a series of sit ups and push ups. And no, not girl push ups. But just when I thought the class couldn't get any harder, we picked up our weights and continued working our biceps and triceps (remember the baby mouse arms?). After enduring maybe the hardest 10 minutes of my life, we then moved on to barre work. We practiced a series of pliés and pulses that worked our quads and inner thighs. At that point in the class, Evan lost me a little. She often used language like "pulse and hold" or "pulse and freeze" which left me wondering, "Is a freeze different than a hold? Where should I be pulsing?" Or, more importantly, "What should I be pulsing?" Unfortunately, the ambiguous language took away from my work out. I found that when I did understand a move (e.g. weight lifting) I was so exhausted that I had to give up, and when I didn't understand a move (e.g. crazy ninja frozen pulses) I didn't feel the burn at all. I guess to improve this aspect of the class I'd have to learn their language and become a regular at Purebarre, which is unrealistic from an economic standpoint (and let's be honest here, unrealistic from a lazy standpoint, as well).
Our ability to laugh off our failures definitely came in handy at the start of the class; the first exercises Evan had us do was a series of sit ups and push ups. And no, not girl push ups. But just when I thought the class couldn't get any harder, we picked up our weights and continued working our biceps and triceps (remember the baby mouse arms?). After enduring maybe the hardest 10 minutes of my life, we then moved on to barre work. We practiced a series of pliés and pulses that worked our quads and inner thighs. At that point in the class, Evan lost me a little. She often used language like "pulse and hold" or "pulse and freeze" which left me wondering, "Is a freeze different than a hold? Where should I be pulsing?" Or, more importantly, "What should I be pulsing?" Unfortunately, the ambiguous language took away from my work out. I found that when I did understand a move (e.g. weight lifting) I was so exhausted that I had to give up, and when I didn't understand a move (e.g. crazy ninja frozen pulses) I didn't feel the burn at all. I guess to improve this aspect of the class I'd have to learn their language and become a regular at Purebarre, which is unrealistic from an economic standpoint (and let's be honest here, unrealistic from a lazy standpoint, as well).
Moving on from barre movements, we then picked up our ball and placed it between our thighs. In this position, we performed a series of arabesques all while squeezing the ball, not letting it drop. Again, I was faced with the "hold" vs. "freeze" dilemma, but overall I enjoyed this portion of the class. Working with the ball was so different than anything I had tried in or outside of dance class.
Lastly, we worked with our looped rope. While lying down, we stuck our feet through the loop and grabbed on for dear life to do some crunches. I found this portion of the class to be the most effective; there was no confusing language and the moves were easy enough to persevere but hard enough to struggle. To conclude the class, Evan played some slow music and we all stretched. Despite the difficulty of the class, my friends and I found that the 50 minutes flew by. Evan's bubbly personality and motivating comments definitely helped distract us from the burn.
Lastly, we worked with our looped rope. While lying down, we stuck our feet through the loop and grabbed on for dear life to do some crunches. I found this portion of the class to be the most effective; there was no confusing language and the moves were easy enough to persevere but hard enough to struggle. To conclude the class, Evan played some slow music and we all stretched. Despite the difficulty of the class, my friends and I found that the 50 minutes flew by. Evan's bubbly personality and motivating comments definitely helped distract us from the burn.
After the class, we headed across the street for some Rossini's pizza and froyo. Not the healthiest option but hey, we deserve a reward for our hard work, right?
All in all, I really enjoyed my time at Purebarre. As a newbie, I felt comfortable in the studio and excited about my work out. Evan was lots of fun and we definitely recommend her! But the class was also one of the hardest fitness classes I've ever attended, so I'd only suggest this class for you if a.) you're willing to laugh at yourself b.) you know the difference between "hold" and "freeze" and c.) you come with friends who are equally incapable of doing push ups as you are.