I cannot believe I have been at Pure Barre for 1 year today! I am going to be completely honest here. I was very hesitant about trying Pure Barre. I had tried it a couple times back in college and didn’t continue. And I honestly thought I was going to feel the same way a year ago. I had been lifting weights and walking at home for over a year at this point and lost 50 lbs. I had really started enjoying working out at home. It was on my own time. It was my quiet, me time. And I just loved that I could make it fit into my schedule. I also really loved strength training and lifting heavy weights. I did not think Pure Barre was going to be for me, but I was willing to at least go and give it a shot.
I walked into my first class by myself on January 15 of last year not knowing what to expect at all. I knew it would be a lot of ab work, and I was worried it would be a little tough, but with working out for so long, I definitely thought I would be prepared. If you haven’t been to a Pure Barre before, it is a fitness studio that offers low-impact, high-intensity barre workouts. There are 4 class types, and you typically start with their classic class. Classic uses small, controlled movements to build strength. It is a full body workout, but mainly focuses on core, thighs, glutes and arms. They also offer Empower class, Define class and Align class. Empower is more cardio focused. Define is more strength training and progressive overload with heavier weights (what I was used to doing at home.) And Align is more mobility, balance and stretching. They are all 4 completely different classes and really offer something for everyone.
In classic, you typically use 2 or 3 lb weights, and I remember thinking this would be much too small of weight. I was wrong. My arms and shoulders were so tired. There are a lot of small movements that really target your muscles and isometric holds that fatigue your muscles. My core felt so weak, and I was struggling to do most of the movements. I will definitely not say that I enjoyed the class. It was TOUGH, and I had been working out for 1.5 years consistently 5 days a week every single week! And I felt like a complete beginner! Younger me would have ran as far from that studio as I could because it was uncomfortable. I felt like a beginner. I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing. I felt sore. I felt like I stuck out in that class like a sore thumb while everyone else looked like they had been doing barre their entire lives. But…41 year old Laura knew that this felt uncomfortable because it was new to me. Sure, it was hard. But it was really my ego that was taking a major hit. The only way to get better at something that you aren’t good at is to keep going. And I decided that day that I was going to do just that. I decided that I was going to keep going to Pure Barre until I got better at it. And that’s exactly what I did.
I started going twice a week. Shortly thereafter, I increased to 3 times a week and then 4 and then 5. Now I go 7 days a week unless I’m traveling, and I love it so much. With so much class variety, I am getting a different workout each day. For the first 6 months, I would lift weights at home and then go to Pure Barre, but after surgery last summer, I decided not to lift at home anymore. I replaced my strength training workouts with Define class at Pure Barre. My typical workout schedule is completely different. Instead of doing most all classic classes, I do at least 2 classics, 4 defines, 2 empowers and 1 align. That is a great variety of strength training, cardio, core and mobility. I am sure my schedule will continue to evolve over time, but right now I am really loving the consistency, growing my strength and getting in some cardio and targeted core workouts too.
I honestly wish I would have started going to Pure Barre much sooner! I hear people say it all the time. I don’t want to go to a workout class with other people. I don’t know what I’m doing. I feel like I don’t fit in with the other girls who have been going for years. I’ll start going once I lose more weight. Well, trust me, there is no time to start like the present. No matter your age, your size or your schedule, you can do Pure Barre now. They have 4 class types up to 7 times a day that they offer. Early morning, after school drop off, lunch break, after work and even after dinner. There is a class time and a class type for everyone. I have never been at a studio where I felt so welcome and so much like part of a community. They are amazing and always help to keep me motivated and accountable. I didn’t realize how much I was still missing from my daily workouts at home that I now get from Pure Barre. And I was doing abs at home 5 days a week too, but it just wasn’t the same! They have amazing instructors that help with your form and technique and are your biggest cheerleaders.
So in case you’re wondering, yes, Pure Barre is 100% worth every penny. It is actually much more affordable than all the other gyms and studios I had toured last January. Your first class is free. Start now and you’ll be sitting here celebrating your own 1 year anniversary this time next year too! Here’s to much more lifting, toning and burning in 2026. Let me know if you’ve tried a Pure Barre class before. If so, what did you think of it?
