Xtend Barre Old Town with Uli - My Favorite Barre Class!

Recently, I was chatting with my lovely friend Uli (on the right), who despite always looking like she is in fabulous shape, has never been particularly into working out (luckily, she is delightful and kind, so you don't get bitter that this woman is effortlessly pretty and fit). To my surprise, she shared that in recent months she'd taken up barre at Xtend Barre in Old Town. https://www.xtendbarre.com/Of course, I wanted to take a class with her asap!

We showed up on a rainy Wednesday night.  The rain put a damper on our pre-barre stroll around Old Town, but the class definitely made up for the raindrops! The delightful instructor, Melissa…looked terrifying - extremely fit, energized and strong.  Great attributes in an instructor, but also intimidating attributes.

Full disclosure - I'm in my second trimester of pregnancy, and I am still learning the things I can and cannot do in barre classes (any exercise classes for that matter).  That is also why I'm now in the habit of using bags to cover my stomach, even though I am no longer in the stage of hiding my pregnancy.  Note awkward picture. Super natural place for a woman to hold a bag, right?  And it makes total sense for her to be holding it for a picture, right?

I've found most studios offering any type of exercise classes can offer me alternatives to exercises that I cannot do, which are exercises involving twisting at the torso and laying on my back.  There has only been one exception to this so far, and that was a very sweet girl teaching a class I will not name at a studio that I will not name.  When I asked for alternatives she said she had no clue what to do, but recommended I just plank for the entire abs section to be safe.   I went with that suggestion.  Never again.

To my delight, I disclosed my pregnancy to Melissa and she handed me an entire alternative exercise book!  With pictures.  A step-by-step picture book.  Thank you, Xtend Barre. She told me that I was free to do any of the exercises in the book as substitutions for exercises prohibited by my pregnancy.  She even let me keep the book next to me while we worked out!  Admittedly, I ended up spending most of the abs section looking at the book with excitement trying to determine what to do and not actually doing anything.  But next time, just wait, I will be a machine...or get super excited looking at the picture book again.  Regardless, it is exciting to know they have the book.

Xtend Barre was a pretty traditional barre class.  You use the barre and ball, as well as body weight.  To me, what set the class apart, and one of my favorite parts of the class, is the use of small, circular resistance bands in creative ways.  See the bands around the participants in the picture for a visual (best picture I could find on Google images of the bands).

For example, we started the class by taking the resistance band and holding it like a bow and arrow.  We would pull back with one arm as if about to shoot. We repeated that motion, and then we switched the stationary hand and the pulling hand. I have no images, but the first thing that came to mind was Katniss Everdeen (because I am a mature adult and she is the closest I've ever come to archery). 

We eventually moved the bands to our lower half.  One of the hardest things we did was put the resistance band around our thighs and do side squats and curtsies. Uli, who is now quite the barre badass placed two
resistance bands around her thighs for the plié squats and curtsies. I only used one, and it was so hard.  Also, who is the person who was like, "I like curtsies, but I think we should make them more aggressive?"  And then proceeded to wrap multiple massive rubber bands around their legs.  Some sadistic genius, thats who. I never really knew the huge advantage to resistance bands until Xtend Barre.  And by advantage, I mean pain they can induce for days.

I really liked the use of the resistance bands because they incorporated exercises you could do independent of the barre. Don't get me wrong I love the barre aspect of barre, but it was really nice to have workouts that if I felt so inclined I could do at home.  Admittedly, I don't own resistance bands, so there is still a major hurdle to doing these exercises at home, but I do love that if it ever strikes me to purchase bands, I can now torture myself with archery and curtsies.

Thank you, Uli. I cannot wait to go back to Xtend Barre!  It is currently my favorite studio in the DMV.

The Bar Method - I secretly own fancy socks

I have a theory that for every cupcakery in the D.C. Metro area there is a yoga studio, and for every donut shop, a barre studio.  This symbiotic relationship to keep these places in business.  It is like my dentist who serves cookies in the office, or the podiatrist I recently went to who told me he owned six shoe stores that sold high heels.

If my theory rings true, then the bar method is the Dunkin' Donuts of barre. It was here first.  I say that based on nothing except that it was the first barre studio I went to after I moved up to D.C. many years ago. My friend Yasmeen dragged me there. She is a barre guru.

Timing and Classpass worked out, so I decided to make my triumphant return to the bar method in 2017.

I must say that everyone at the bar method is incredibly nice, from the instructors to the class participants.  I did have to laugh to myself when a friendly woman in my class noticed my socks (see right) while we were waiting to go into the class and struck up conversation with me.  She asked me if my fancy webbed socks kept my feet cooler. She said she noticed they were in fashion this year and asked me if I was pleased that I purchased my socks.  I politely told her yes and changed the subject.  I kept it short because my socks are probably 6 years old and likely were purchased on super sale at the Reebok outlet.  They probably look "webbed" because they are cheap and faded.  They were chosen because they were the only pair I happened to have in my gym bag that day, and I was not spending $15 on another pair of barre socks. 

It was a delightful surprise to know that I looked incredibly in fashion during class, rather than like some lady who clearly forgot her socks.  After five-second internet search, I determined she mistook my socks for something like these:

The nice lady may need her eyes checked because these are much sleeker.  My five-second Google Images search of mesh barre socks also revealed there are numerous awesome socks out there.  Who knew?

And yes, the bar method requires socks.  The studio is carpeted, so you might want them for your own comfort/sanitation. I know I usually tout free feet, but carpeted studios are the exception for me.   

The workout was great! My butt and my triceps were particularly sore for days after the workout.  All barre workouts are challenging, but not too many leave you sore for days. The bar method has been around a long time, and they obviously know what they are doing.

One of the exercises that I didn't feel so much at the time, but secretly must have been crushing me went like this:

1.  Fold up a thin mat (so it is about 3 inches thick)
2.  Kneel and put your left knee on the mat (hold the barre for balance).
3.  Your right leg is also in the kneeling position and should be hanging about 3 inches off the ground over next to the mat.   Move your right leg forward and backward an inch. Repeat.  Sore. For. Days.

I'm not sure if that makes sense, but that is the best that I can do for a description.  Maybe I should start videoing or photographing various exercises because sometimes my words just don't cut it.

I returned the following week, and I had another awesome workout, but I won't be returning for a while. 

I'm in my second trimester of pregnancy. The first time I attended the class I let the instructor of the class know as soon as I walked into the room. Well, to clarify I let an instructor that was near me taking the class know. I told the actual instructor when she asked my name because she had never seen me before and she wants the name of all new participants, which  is semi-common in workouts.  Both instructors were tremendously helpful to myself and three other pregnant ladies in the classroom. They showed us alternative exercises for everything.

I immediately signed up for the same class the following week.  When I checked in the woman at the front desk informed me she was teaching the class.  I was a little surprised that the instructor was different since it was the same date/time/class as the previous week.  I informed her that I was expecting and would need alternatives pointed out (eventually, I'm sure I will learn them all).  She then asked me for my doctor's note.  I was really surprised.  To date, no workout studio has asked for a note from my doctor.  I'm sure it is just an extra precaution, but I already signed the waiver to workout. The instructor did allow me to workout that day, but was adamant that if I came back I needed a doctor's slip. 


For me, finding time to workout can be difficult.  I am not going to schedule a special doctor's appointment to get a note, or wait until my next appointment in hopes that I remember to ask for a note for a barre class.  There are too many other options for barre that I can drop into  just letting them know I'm pregnant.  I am sure if I was a member of the bar method it would be more worthwhile for me to submit the note, but for someone who might randomly drop in a few times per month, it is not worth the hassle.  I wonder how they monitor those whose medical situations have changed.  I would assume a pregnant woman who is no longer able to take barre would just stop going and not keep it up because they had a dated note? 

I recommend the bar method if you are looking for an exceptionally tough barre workout.  I'm sure I will catch a class at the bar method again when I'm not pregnant.  In the meantime, I will hit up one of the other many studios in the area that are on Classpass for my weekly barre fix.

Flybarre Power 45 - Because everything is bigger in Texas?

The other day my youngest stepdaughter (who is four) said, "step mommies go to the gym." Though I would like to claim this is simply a child's a one-dimensional assessment, it is a actually a very accurate portrayal of how I spend my free time.   Sometimes, I think I should spend more of my free time reading books because my older stepdaughter peppers my husband with questions like, "what was here before gravity? Who made gravity?" While she lobs softballs at me such as, "what is your phone number?" And, "what is your birthday?"  To be fair, I prefer the softballs, but I'm not sure what that says about her assessment of me.  Perhaps the same thing, stepmommies go to the gym.  Period.

Anyhow, I read all day at work, so I don't anticipate adding any more books to my queue in the near future, but the comment about the gym reminded me that I have not taken part in my workout blog in quite a few weeks.  Today, I did Flybarre, so I thought I would take a few minutes to discuss the class.

I've now gone to Flybarre a few times, and naturally, I have some feelings.

The first time I took Flybarre, the instructor (knowing that I was new) told me that Flybarre was like Texas.  Everything's just a little bigger in Flybarre. Though an adorable catch phrase, I didn't understand it at all...until the class started.  Though Flybarre is a traditional barre class in a number of ways, the moves are generally a little bigger and faster than other barre classes.  Not your typical one-inch or half-inch pulses. 

There are a few additional unique things about Flybarre. First, you're assigned a barre mat.  You have a specific station on the wall, just like you get assigned a bike in cycle classes. I have mixed feelings about the mat assignment. I like the freedom to pick my spot in any workout class.  It took me a long time to adjust to having no choice in cycling classes.  Second, the mats are lined up across from each other in a long rectangle, and the room is surrounded by mirrors (All. Four. Sides.).  Con - you feel very exposed (at least I do because I'm mediocre at barre, at best). Pro - you can see everyone's' manicures and pedicures from all different angles.  I'm willing to place money on a bet that regular Flybarre participants are the best manicured individuals in the District of Columbia. 

Third, you don't have to wear barre socks, which I think is nice.  Some people prefer socks, which I understand, but I perpetually forget to pack them in my bag.  So I now own more barre socks than I ever wanted from studios that required socks to workout.  And those stupid grippy socks are usually as expensive as the class.  Stupid supply and demand.

Finally, the ball is also bigger. Or as one instructor bluntly put it, the ball is "massive." Massive. A very aggressive description before asking you to squeeze it between your legs.

Flybarre is one of the harder barre classes I've taken, and I think I've taken just about all of them in the DC area.  The ab work is especially challenging.  For example, today, we sat on the mat with our feet in the air behind the bar. We grabbed a band that was wrapped around the barre and did pulsing crunches.  See the nice picture I found on Google images to the right.   I am sure I looked exactly like those women and didn't repeatedly collapse from weakness at all.

I like the class because I feel like we do a variety of exercises every class, which you don't get at some other barre classes.  Some barre classes have more of a script, and you may even repeat the same song on each side.  Not that there is anything wrong with that. It is just whatever floats your boat.  All of that rambling about variety aside, I haven't had a class yet that has skipped the torturous toes under barre, band crunches.
 Perhaps it is a signature move.  It is definitely a tough one.

The arms are also killer.  They offer some higher weight options; and again, the moves are just a little bit bigger than other barre classes.

I highly recommend Flybarre.  I've only been to the location in City Center, but I'm sure DuPont is also great.  There was a woman in my class tonight who was on work travel from Philadelphia.  She said she loves Flywheel up there, but they don't have Flybarre yet.  Catch up, Philly!

BANG Power Dance at Sport & Health (with Sara) - The best class you will ever take. Period.

At this point, I am dreadfully behind on editorializing about the number of random exercises classes that I partake in around the DC metro area, but today(provided this is still 2/26) I took a class that was so good that I felt like I must shout it from the internet.

My dear friend Sara, who instructs both BarreOne and Zumba, recently started teaching a new class called "BANG - Power Dance." Sara, who loves exercising and is incredibly knowledgeable regarding all things fitness, had wonderful things to say about the class, and she encouraged me to check it out.  Though I am largely only proficient is bad wedding song linedancing, I really enjoy dancing.  I also have complete faith in Sara, so I will try out just about anything she suggests (not just in workouts - I now know way more bands thanks to her). 

I woke up this morning and hustled down the Sport & Health in Old Town Alexandria for my BANG.  Incidentally, I will also take any class in Old Town Alexandria because it is adorable (see picture yanked from google images to your right).

BANG is a hybrid of dance, Zumba, and kickboxing. Sometimes hybrids are an epic fail, but in this instance, BANG has nailed it.

This morning was the most fun I've had in a workout class potentially ever, and definitely in recent memory. Yeah, I know that is a big proclamation, but I am not alone.  Everyone was pumped about the class this morning.  That was evidenced by the fact that the class was jam packed with smiling faces. I started talking to a woman next to me who is a regular to the class, Rachel, and she was beaming while talking about the class before the warm-up.  She admittedly has zero rhythm (I can relate), but she promised the music was great and she just loved all the moving around. 

Additionally, two other BANG instructors were in the class!  I think is also indicative of the greatness of the class. This is a Sunday morning. The instructors can take the class anytime they want, but more than one decided to get up early on their weekend to take the class.  No one is showing up to their job when they don't have to on a Sunday morning unless it is fantastic.

Some of the participants wore one-pound weighted gloves.   Thin, one-pound hand weights that curved around your hand were also available to use during the class, so about half the class, myself included, took advantage of those. The hand weights made me really happy because I love boxing, and I love boxing with slightly weighted gloves, but once you commit to gloves, you are essentially stuck working out wearing paws.  And then inevitably your shoes come untied, or you get an itch.  And then you have to take off and put back on said awkward, giant paws.  The hand weights were easy to pick up and put down.  The curved shape made them easy to hold, ensuring they would not fall off or be dropped while boxing.

The boxing sequences consisted of traditional uppercuts, jabs, and kicks.  During some songs you only boxed, and during others the boxing moves were integrated into dance moves.   The dancing only songs included a variety of dance moves, consisting of both Zumba and what I would probably consider hip-hop dancing.  I've never quite taken anything like BANG. Everyone was having a blast.  The music was really fun. 

I must note that Sara reminded us that Ricky Martin is one of the top five best-looking men on the planet (one of his song's came on - this wasn't casual class conversation, though Ricky easily deserves discussion in any context).  So in case you forgot about him, I've included a picture of him for your viewing pleasure.

I must also take a moment to give Sara must deserved accolades.  The positive energy in the class is due to Sara. She is an amazing human, but also an amazing instructor. I don't just say that because we are friends. She is a teacher by profession, and it shows in her ability to explain things quickly and succinctly, while remaining encouraging and patient. I think this is particularly important in the exercise arena because many people are self-conscious while exercising, and it is hard for them to leave their comfort zone and take a class.  Sara is a very warm person, and her infectious smile makes it very easy to step into one of her classes and feel comfortable. After the class, she was thanked by numerous people who told her how much they enjoyed her class.  One woman complimented Sara because Sara makes the class especially fun with her animated actions and happy demeanor.  Her positive attitude is both constant and sincere while she is instructing. As I mentioned, she's a teacher, which I think is probably one of the most challenging and stressful professions known to man, so I'm sure there are days that she comes in to teach an exercise class when she has already had an exhausting day of teaching and is teached-out.   But you would never know it.  Once she steps into the workout class, she is genuinely excited that people are there to exercise, and she wants to give them the best experience possible. 

If you are a member of Sport and Health, or have Classpass, I encourage you to take BANG Power Dance. I would try and get into Sara's class, but the class is spectacular and fun regardless of who is teaching.  And based on the two other instructors that were there today, they are probably pretty great as well.

On an aside, Danielle (see Orange Theory Fitness) and I periodically take Sara's barre class. Danielle is a marathon runner and does not do much barre, and I am just generally weak.  All that is to say, we aren't star pupils, but we absolutely love Sara's class.  It is incredibly challenging and she plays great music. She also takes the time to explain barre moves and expand on her explanations.  Before I took Sara's barre class, I had taken a lot of barre, but I had to f-ing clue what it meant to "tuck."  Sara also will hang out after class and answer questions, and people stay and ask, which I think also demonstrates her great ability to teach, and more importantly, her incredibly talent for making people of all fitness levels feel comfortable exercising, which probably makes them exercise more.   So thank you, Sara.  You are making the world a healthier and more fit place!

PS -  I didn't have the foresight to get a picture of us at the workout today, and we don't have one of her teaching BANG, so I have included a pic of us at one of the many great concerts she is skilled at finding.  Excuse my red eye.  My eyes are apparently too strong and frog like to be fixed by any red eye filter.