Be Well

Now Experiencing: Barre

It isn’t ballet and it’s not yoga or Pilates either, but by taking elements of each, barre is designed to be a full-body muscle endurance workout. It focuses on low-impact, high-intensity movements designed to strengthen your body. While there are many barre classes out there, each has its unique sets of practices. We sent two of our team members to try different methods and see how the class affected their physical and mental well being.

When it comes to exercising, I tend to get bored easily. I find myself naturally gravitating toward a series of different exercise stations to keep my mind from wandering. That fact is one of the reasons I was especially excited to try the Circuit Barre class at

The Barre Fitness Studio.

The studio is rooted in The Amy Heidecker Method®. Heidecker, the owner and founder of the studio, has created a unique brand of barre fitness by incorporating components of fitness in a safety-based, medical exercise methodology that combines Heidecker’s background as a group fitness instructor, personal trainer, instructor trainer and many years of ballet study.

The circuit class is also based on The Amy Heidecker Method® and serves as an intense 45-minute session incorporating weights, total resistance exercises, step, foam roller and a variety of other resistance equipment. Led by intructuor Lauren Cobb, the class was broken up into five stations with three exercises at each. Half way through the class, we went on the “bar to cookie” walk, which involved holding a dumbbell above the head for about three minutes as we walked to the bar at the end of the strip, to the cookie shop at the other end and back to the studio.

Low-impact exercises with high intensity throughout, the circuit kept my heart rate up and the sweat pouring. The class environment was encouraging and energetic – from Cobb and Heidecker’s uplifting spirits, encouraging comments and upbeat music to the other class participants’ positive attitudes throughout the session. The studio is truly a safe space for those looking to incorporate barre fitness into their regimen – regardless of skill level or experience.

As a person who was in ballet for 13 years, barre classes have always piqued my interest as a niche fitness regimen that aligns with my natural skills. I have taken a few in my lifetime and left having worked muscles that have been dormant. WaterDog.CC has a knack for taking fitness regimens and putting a coastal spin on them and the Beach Barre class with Alicia Camehl was no different.

The class was set up like a normal barre class complete with a ballet barre and resistance bands. It started with a sequence of movements using the barre for balance, but not dependence. We did a series of ballet steps such as pliés, tendus and degagés intertwined with techniques akin to those found in a Pilates class. Instead of weights, resistance bands were used for arm work, complete with a series of curls and arm presses. Each movement really required the use of the full body; a tight core has to simultaneously accompany the engagement of all the other targeted muscles in order to be effective. After the barre series, we moved on to some mat work that targeted the abdominals. By this point in the class, you are pretty winded, but Camehl was very encouraging while making sure everyone is executing the exercises correctly.

This class had the challenge of a barre class with the sounds and scenes of a Saturday morning beach day. As someone who is hypersensitive to my environment, the early morning salty breeze set my mind up to focus and breathe throughout the class. The class is as pleasant as it is challenging and I left feeling refreshed and revitalized.