From Bosu to Barre let’s spice things up a bit this February!

Cardio barre is freaking amazing! Not only do you get to be graceful and dance around for 30 minutes to an hour, but your body morphs into this lean, mean, dancing machine.

I mean seriously, who likes staring at the clock as they squat and lift weights for an hour? NO THANKS. I DON’T.

SO here I put together some of my favorite moves that I teach weekly in my latin cardio barre classes (sans much of the latin, we will save that for a later date!)

MOVE ONE: GRAND PLIE’ TO RELEVE’ WITH ARM CIRCLES

We always warm up to this one- great for the legs and butts.

Begin by taking a wide stance, weight in your heels and middle to inside ball of the foot. Extending your arms to the side, place your middle finger and thumb within an inch of eachother for that graceful, finished look.

Bend into your knees further and as you press up into straight legs and high releve’, circle your arms down and around as shown in the photos below.

We usually warmup like this for 2-3 minutes and play with the arm styling. Sometimes we bring the legs together and back apart as well.

Play with it. Make these moves your own and have some fun!

MOVE TWO: LATIN CARDIO BALLET HIPS

Okay, I know it’s supposed to be ballet here but using our hips is way too much fun not to fit into this routine!

Take a stance wider than your hips and raise your hands overhead, clasping your fingers together. Lift those hip bones side to side and start shaking your booty to the beat. Crunch your obliques toward your elbows!

Play with the music, start slow and increase your speed. Have fun with it and dare to laugh at yourself, I ALWAYS DO HA HA.

MOVE THREE: CURTSY LUNGES

One of my favorite moves for fabulously toned abductors! You’ll start seeing a sexy line of muscle if you do these 2-3 times a week for a month, I PROMISE.

Begin in first position (making a small V with your toes), heels together and toes apart. Take your right leg and place it diagonally behind the left in a lunge position. This is your curtsy lunge. Make sure your front knee does not pass your toes as you sink into your legs. Keep your hips square and forward towards the front of the room. Arms are lifted by pressing your scapula towards your hips.

Keep the timing simple, 2 counts down and 2 counts up. You can also pulse for 3,2,1 and straighten or add your pulses staying low for up to 1 minute long!

ADD A DEVELOPE’:

Let’s get artsy! As you straighten your leg to come out of your lunge, bring the back leg forward and bend the knee up toward the height of your hip for a passe’. Continue to straighten your leg into a full develope’ as you wish or maintain the bend. Balance here then return the leg to the ground crossing behind the standing leg as you lower into your curtsy lunge.

How do your glutes feel now?!

MOVE THREE: BALANCE IN RELEVE’

Take a wide stance in your second position, knees behind the toes. Maintaining your deep seated plie’ with heels lifted high off the ground, lift your arms to the ceiling and lower down. Maintain your deep plie’ stance.

I like to think of our arm movement as one big distraction from the pain in our legs after all of this deep seated plie’ work! OMG after 2 minutes of this, my glutes are cooked! Usually I will go for a minute or two then rest and repeat.

ADD DIFFERENT ARM STYLING:

Get creative and change things up! Try some ballet arms… utube some fancy moves you want to mimic and try them. It’s so fun feeling graceful and pretty as our arms glide through the air.

Cardio ballet minus the barre is fun and challenging! You really have to engage those abs and glutes to stay upright and balanced in your releve’ position.

Try a sequence yourselves, I DARE YOU! Take 5 minutes for each move and make them into your own. OWN YOUR CREATIVITY. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

xx Shanna