In high school, I wanted to be fit enough to kick some ass in my team sports. In my twenties, I wanted to be fit enough to not gain weight because gaining weight meant buying new pants and I could not afford new pants on a $23K salary. In my late thirties, I wanted to feel fast and qualify for the Boston Marathon, which I did multiple times (#humblebrag). In my forties, my knees said “eff the marathon” so my latest fitness goal is this:
Touch my toes.
On a limber scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being a solid steel beam and 10 being Gabby Douglas, I’m a 2.5. My hips don’t lie; they also don’t bend. I have tight hamstrings, short IT bands, shredded Achilles, and hip flexors that when asked to moved say, “Hard pass.”
As Long as It’s Not on A Bike
I’ve done Soul Cycle once in my life, and in that one class, I got to meet Jeremy Sisto (Elton!). No other spin class can top that. Besides, I really hate anything bike related. Running is out, and while I still play tons of tennis, I wanted something new that could challenge my 43-year-old butt.
While perusing the Internets—definitely not googling “Rafael Nadal giggling and shirtless”—I ran across a summer special from my local Studio Barre. I knew enough about barre to know that my neighbor goes and loves it and that Kelly Ripa swears by it. Plus, it involves a ballet barre, and ballet people can usually touch their toes. Win!
Studio Barre in Newport, Rhode Island, was offering one week free of unlimited classes and when I signed up online, I got an additional week free. I love free with no commitment. So does my ex boyfriend, but that’s another story. Hey oh!
This is where I should note that I have some experience with ballet. I am grace personified.
Amy, age 5, 1978
I’m Sore So It Must Be Working
So what is Studio Barre? It’s a 60 minute “specialized barre workout class that focuses on building core strength, improving posture and developing long and lean muscles, like those of a dancer.”
Each class follows this format: warm-up (arm strength, planks), calve work, hip/thigh work, butt work, ab work, stretching. The sections are standardized, but the moves are not. You get a new class every time.
I instantly fell in love with the teachers, style, and music. Yes, when I’m holding onto the barre, standing on tippy-toes with my quads shaking, I need to have Britney Spears breathlessly squeaking at me. When I’m on the floor tucking into a bridge as my fanny has nothing left, and I hear Kendrick Lamar saying “Bitch, be humble,” I can lift for one more.
After my first class, I was sore. There wasn’t an inch of me that wasn’t affected. My muscles and sinew were like, “Why you do this!” But I stuck with it. The soreness went away and my butt got firmer (according to the man I let touch it). My stamina improved, and my hips moved up on the limber scale to a solid 3. I can touch my toes. Progress!
Mother Tuckers
Studio Barre is a an exercise boutique, clean and airy, with great wallpaper. At Studio Barre, you don’t have teachers; you have barre{tenders}. And they are there to keep you motivated and in the proper form. You hear the word TUCK a lot. You hear FIND THAT SHAKE a lot. We laugh, we grunt. They give you margaritas after class on Friday (really!)
My studio is owned by Kelsey Collard and her mom, Tanis Collard. I love supporting a lady business, so I reached out to Kelsey with some questions:
How did you find Studio Barre?
I was teaching barre and managing another studio when my mom and I decided to go into business together and open up our own. As we started researching, we came across Studio Barre. My mom actually discovered Shannon, the Founder & CEO of Studio Barre initially and encouraged me to fly out to San Diego where they are based to see what it was all about. I instantly fell in love while I was out there with not only the workout, but Shannon and her entire crew. They are amazing, genuine humans with a HUGE infectious love for what they do and I instantly knew we had to bring Studio Barre to Rhode Island.
Kelsey, Barre{tender} and Owner
Kelsey is long and lithe, so naturally I asked if she were a dancer.
I was! I started doing ballet at the age of 5. My intensive training began at Festival Ballet Providence where I danced in the Junior Company. In high school, I moved to Torrington, CT to attend the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts. Upon graduating high school I moved to Charlotte, NC and then to Princeton, NJ to dance professionally before moving home and finding a love for barre! Although I don’t dance anymore, you can still catch me walking with my toes turned out wide like a penguin and balancing randomly on one leg in the kitchen
What is it like to be a young woman who is also a small business owner?
It’s a complete dream come true. I am so passionate about Studio Barre and feel very lucky that work never feels like work. And I owe that to our clients, staff and mom (aka biz partner) for inspiring me constantly. I thank my lucky stars every day that we found Studio Barre and acquired a whole new family along with it.
How do you guys find such great music mixes?
We have a corporate DJ who works very hard to get all the best and current jams added to our playlists! We even have a request line so all of our staff can send suggestions. It’s so hard sometimes to not start singing while I’m teaching because the music really is SO. GOOD.
What is your favorite move? (Mine is the prance!)
Ooooh how do I just pick one?! I think my favorite is our seated pretzel exercise (Authors note…I hate these. I am not twisty, at all. But you do you, Kelsey.) It targets that “dancer’s dent” region of your booty and leaves your tush and muffin top area sore for dayyyyyyyyys!
What is your least favorite?
Side L… also known as Side Hell! Hate it during class, love it the next day because you know it worked.
What are the steps to become a teacher?
We have an extensive training process for our barre{tenders}. We start out with auditions and follow up interviews before we begin a 30-45 day training period filled with several tests and practice. There’s a reason why all our new teachers sound like they’ve been teaching forever.
Barre Basics
I don’t know if there is a clever word for gals like me who have fallen hard for barre. Barre{fly}?
I wear comfy leggings, soft tee-shirts, and socks that can help my grip the floor. No tutus are required…unless it’s your birthday. You might feel intimated by the idea of “boutique fitness,” but it’s not out of reach, I promise. Barre is always running pricing specials and they have many class packages to get you exactly what you need. Do you like early AM workouts? Lunchtime? After work? The studio schedule has you covered.
Studio Barre provides everything you need for class: a mat, bands, balls, weights, towels, and water. My studio even has coffee for us gals who are grumpy at 6 AM.
