I started my fitness journey as a runner, then started practicing yoga, and now I’m adding barre classes to the mix. Since starting as a Pure Barre teacher, I’ve been taking at least three classes a week, often four or five. As I continued to run, I noticed that I’m feeling really great on my runs thanks to the strength that barre has given me. I’ve written before about how helpful yoga is for runners, so I wanted to take some time to write about how barre classes help runners be better, stronger runners.
First and foremost, barre classes help you strengthen your entire body. That increased strength helps you maintain proper running form, reducing your risk of getting injured. Three big muscle groups that barre strengthens that are particularly important for runners are the upper body, the core, and hip stabilizer muscles. Here’s why maintaining strength in those areas is important for runners:
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Upper body – A strong upper body helps you keep good form in your shoulders and arms. Hunching the shoulders or leaning too far forward or too far back can cause you to expend extra energy as a runner, and can lead to extra stress on the back. Strengthening the upper body in barre classes will make it easier for you to maintain good posture as you run.
Core – A strong core also helps maintain good running form. You use your core more than you realize as you run, and a strong core will help you protect your back. With a strong core you’ll have better posture and you’ll help keep your hips in a neutral position, reducing unnecessary stress on the lower back.
Hip Stabilizers – Weak hip stabilizing muscles can lead to overworking other muscles, which can lead to injury. In barre you’ll spend time strengthening your glutes and other hip stabilizers, and those strong muscles all through the hips will help ensure that the muscles all around the hips are working equally. And, those strong stabilizer muscles will help you maintain good running form through the lower body, too.
Barre also helps you stretch and lengthen your muscles. You’ll work your muscles and then stretch them, which helps maintain good range of motion. That improved range of motion helps you keep good stride form, which can be altered when tight muscles don’t allow your legs to move the way that they should.
Finally, you’ll learn mental strength from barre classes. I’m most familiar with Pure Barre, where you use tiny, almost isometric movements to fatigue the muscles. Learning to work through muscle fatigue is something that will also make you a better runner. The same mental tricks that you use to stick with a tough barre exercise will help you get through a tough run.
Have you tried barre?
Runners who barre: how has barre helped your running?
I’ve got cranky hips, so I really need to see if this could help strengthen them!
Yes, definitely give barre a try! My hips are infinitely stronger now after having taking barre consistently for three months.
I tried my first barre class because of you and the second the class started I was like, this is so good for my running. It’s basically all the things my physio tells me to strengthen in a class environment so I actually get it done. I’m going tonight!
Yes, exactly! That’s why I’m loving it, too. A lot of the exercises remind me of what I had to go through in PT after I really injured my right hip flexor. So important to keep those hips strong!
Ive been to a few barre classes but I think I was doing things wrong sometimes. The movements are so small that it’s hard for the instructors to see if you are doing them wrong or right so I wasn’t able to get a lot of correction. If I actually knew what I was doing I’m sure it’d be great!
It definitely takes a few classes to be able to feel exactly how you should be holding your body. But, ideally your instructor should be telling you where you should feel the exercise. (We always do at my studio, anyway.) It helps to know what you’re aiming for!
Thank you for this post! I love barre and used to work at a local studio which was great because it meant free classes whenever I wanted! Barre and yoga are great exercises to incorporate into a running program. I am always challenged when I take a barre class and love the feeling of my shaky legs afterwards 🙂
Yes, embrace the shake! I wholeheartedly agree about yoga and barre being great for runners. It’s a great way to get stronger while you have someone telling you what to do. Love it!
I’ve never tried barre but I would love too. A lot of my friends are obsessed, and I think it would help my flexibility and improve my running. I did find that incorporating plyo’s into my weekly workout routine has help strengthen my stabilizing muscles.
It’s definitely worth giving it a try! I’ll warn you that it can take a few classes to feel like you have an idea of what you should be doing, but you should definitely feel your muscles working in your first class. 🙂
There are so many shared benefits between barre, yoga, and pilates for runners. Strength, muscle recruitment, endurance. Plus you get to wear awesome tights 😀
It’s all about the leggings, really. 🙂
I looooove barre!
Now that I’m recovered from my marathon AND got my back worked on, it’s totally time for me to go back!
Yasss! Get back at it, girl! 🙂