I’ve been working out with dumbbells and barbells for years and believe strength training is essential to building muscle and staying healthy, and I’ve also recently started trying Pilates, a form of bodyweight training that focuses on small, controlled movements.
Pilates is great for strengthening underused muscles and improving posture, but I feel it’s not challenging enough to build full-body strength — and for that you need to use heavy weights.
But recently, I came across a video by yoga and ballet instructor Mara Simatlivas that seemed to combine the two training styles: a ballet routine, a type of ballet-inspired exercise. Like Pilates, it focuses on slow, controlled movements, but this routine uses dumbbells. I was intrigued by the 15-minute workout and decided to give it a try for myself.
How to do Mara Simatoribas’ barre exercises
There are eight exercises in this routine, and I did 8-12 repetitions of each. To do this exercise, you will need a pair of dumbbells, preferably one heavy and one light. You can buy Spinlock adjustable dumbbells on Amazon for under $50, which can be adjusted to suit your fitness level.
Why I Prefer This Barre Routine to a Standard Pilates Workout
(Image courtesy of Alice Porter)
Pilates routines burn muscle and test endurance, but do little to build strength. This ballet routine incorporated two relatively heavy weights, which tested Spomie’s strength from the start and required her to push herself to complete all the repetitions. I can easily see myself returning to this routine, increasing the weight and building strength over time.
The session also followed Pilates principles (such as moving slowly and engaging your core), which helped improve my posture and coordination, particularly with moves like three-point push-ups and side plank crunches with hip taps.
This workout incorporated what I love most about both styles of training: strength building and controlled endurance training.
Overall, I think that both Pilates and barre are great ways to move your body, but if your goal is to build muscle mass, this type of barre exercise might be better. I’ll definitely give it another try.
