Ballet has been long revered for its beauty and grace. Anyone that’s taken up ballet (or even just been lucky enough to view it firsthand from the audience) feel its breathtaking quality on a personal level.
Elegant costuming and stories filled with emotion help the walls around you disappear and transport you to another place. And then there are the dancers, who execute their moves with precision and poise. Captivating!
The New Appreciation for Ballet Fitness
The lives and habits of elite dancers, as well as the long road it takes to get there, have been chronicled in cinema and more over the years. But up until recently, ballet has been more associated with negative stereotypes, while the immense strength and power of the dancers themselves was overlooked by most.
Thanks to ladies like Misty Copeland and the fitness industry’s endorsement of these male and female athletes, awareness for the rigorous training and intensity of the ballet workout is growing. So much more than plies, arabesques and split leaps, the focused, isometric movements of ballet positions and stretching is what helps to build the long, lean muscles characteristic of the dancers.
Now find me a woman (or man!) who doesn’t like the sound of long, lean muscles? So began the efforts to mimic ballet’s tough training and turn it into a program for everyone. Adding variety, agility and a little refinement to the workout world, ballet-based fitness studios provide a welcomed break from the Bootcamps and Crossfits of late.
Many of these studios are started by past dancers themselves. They feature low-impact classes and typically use the most infamous tool in a studio, the barre, alongside other fitness favorites like resistance bands, rubber balls, weights or yoga mats.
Ballet Body Fitness Classes Near You
Spanning the spectrum of traditional class exercises, to those that incorporate cardio, pilates and more, there’s a ballet-inspired routine to suit anyone’s fitness goals at this point:
- Ballet Beautiful has become popular in New York amongst the model set and offers classes that can be streamed anywhere.
- The Bar Method dominates California with its fast-faced interval training that quickly reshapes muscles.
- Pure Barre holds sessions all across the country and sells DVDs for at-home workouts.
Ballet Body Fashion Picks
And what would a fitness trend be without the activewear industry catching on? Taking cues from the likes of Capezio and more, less niche brands are riding the wave with chic lace-up leggings, wrap tops and leos.
Look the part every time you step into the studio or even when you hit the track or trail with dance-inspired gear. See our top budget ballet body fashion picks below.
