I was just checking on Deal Grocer’s TRX offer when I saw their new offer for one month unlimited barre3 classes. Darn! The coupons are only valid from September to December, and I’ve already signed up for four more months of CrossFit and will probably keep doing it till the end of the year. (What’s another month, right?)

But I do like barre3. Initially, I was turned off by the warm-up. I thought, “Ugh. This is going to be another Jane Fonda-esque aerobics class.” Well, the warm-ups were, with everyone facing the mirror, reaching the right arm to the left while lifting the right leg out to the side, or something silly like that.

But that was the end of the similarity.

I first heard about barre3 at my aunt’s annual New Year’s Eve party where her family (her brothers – my father included – and sisters, their children and grandchildren) and her husband’s family (his brothers and sisters, their children and grandchildren) all get together to welcome the New Year. Yes, it’s a very big party. My aunt alone has five living brothers (one died when still a child and my other uncle passed away a long time ago) and two sisters. Anyway, last New Year’s Eve, I noticed that one of my aunt’s nieces, on her husband’s side, had lost a lot of weight and that’s when I first heard about barre3.

barre3 is “where ballet meets yoga and Pilates”. It was developed by Sadie Lincoln in Portland, Oregon about three years ago. As the name suggests, it’s a workout that utilizes a ballet barre and a variety of other props (a Pilates balls, straps similar to those used in Iyengar yoga, and light weights). All the movements are small and controlled, and timed to music.

Okay, imagine holding on to the barre with your hands, arms parallel with each other, then lowering yourself in a seated position until your arms and thighs are parallel to the floor. Then, with your legs – and much, much control – slowly and with precision, move your butt up an inch then down an inch, up an inch then down an inch… Seems simple enough. Now try doing that tiny, tiny movement a thousand hundred times and, I can assure you, your legs and butt will scream pain you never knew possible.

It’s the number of reps that turn your muscles into jello. barre3 will keep you doing reps to failure. I thought those one-pound weights would be a piece of cake. Not so when you are doing tricep kickbacks for what seems like ten billion times. By the end of the workout, I could barely lift the damned dumbbell.

While the workout may seem simple and easy, it is anything but. You’ll figure that out quickly enough once your thighs start shaking uncontrollably and your legs are threatening to buckle underneath you. It’s a tough 60-minute workout. But what’s good about it is that it’s low impact. I would recommend it for people just starting to work out, as well as for those looking to get toned and improve their posture. (I did it on alternate kettlebell training days last March.)

The first day is always the hardest. Remember that you aren’t meant to keep up with the rest of the class. You don’t have to do all ten billion barre push-ups. Don’t even try for fifty. When you’re tired, rest a little bit (but not too long) then try again. And even if your muscles protest the next day, go back for another session. While I can’t say it’ll get easier, you’ll find that you’ll be hanging in there longer, doing more and more reps, and maybe the shakes will set in later rather than sooner.

I thoroughly enjoyed barre3. While there are definitely more women in the class than men, if it didn’t sound so girly, am sure men would also enjoy the workout.

barre3 Checklist:

• Comfortable workout clothes
• Sticky socks, optional – I find it easier to work barefoot.
• Gloves, optional – When your hands get sweaty, it can get tough keeping hold of that barre.
• Water bottle
• Small towel