by Jess Renton

Losing weight is not the main or only focus we have at The Studio HQ Indeed, we like to promote and work towards an entire lifestyle choice, based on health and wellbeing. That said, shedding those unwanted kilos is usually the most recognisable benefit of our holistic approach and suite of classes. As we know, often, the best way to drop weight is through hard work and plenty of good old fashioned sweat sessions. And, no better way to get the heart pumping that with our trio of Cycle, Barre and cardio Reformer sessions – all included in our online fitness class offering.

There is a great deal of research that proves the many benefits of Barre studio workouts. If you haven’t tried one of our classes before, you’re missing out on what really is a fun workout that focuses on isometric strength training. High reps with a small range of motion movements, paired with standing work make Barre a low impact and perfect session for people recovering from injury or during/after pregnancy.

Along with Pilates, Barre improves one’s posture and strength, cultivating powerful and noticeable muscle definition quickly through the use of small weights and high rep sets. Curious? Take a sneak peek inside a Barre class at The Studio HQ in the video below.

We know that the more muscle you have, the more energy your body uses each day. Therefore According to studies at Yale University, when you exercise, you build muscle mass and that muscle builds more calories when you are at rest than fat. According to Dr Christopher Wharton, a researcher at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, 10 pounds (4.5kg) burns 50 calories in a day. The same amount of fat would burn just 20 calories.

Barre is perfect if you are a beginner just getting into the fitness industry, great for injury or during/after pregnancy. Also, the benefit of Barre is that it is of benefit for all ages and can be conducted throughout all ages.
One of the traditional Studio HQ Barre workouts uses a barre, light weights and low impact isometric workouts. There’s no jumping or high impact cardio but the repetitive nature of the workouts promotes a higher heart rate to get into the fat-burning zone.

If you are curious about the fat-burning zone, a great way to keep track of it is by monitoring your heart rate. The best equation for determining maximum heart rate is generally 220 minus your age. The fat-burning zone is greater than 70% of your maximum heart rate and Barre definitely gets you there for a sustained period! Fitness watches are a great way to keep track of this within a class.

We love our community in the studio and the Barre community is strong.

Come to an online Barre class to see just how much fun it can be while losing weight and getting the long lean muscles that keep you strong and make you feel great! Read more about The Studio HQ Online platform here.