Top 6 BodyBarre movements you can do from home

Though things are looking (and opening) up, working, and working out from home will probably be the new normal for many months and years to come.

Luckily, we have partnered with Paola Di Lanzo, creator of Paola’s BodyBarre, to help us with our at-home workout routine.

Paula's BodyBarre delivers a highly efficient workout fusing many disciplines including dynamic Pilates, Ballet Barre conditioning, Functional Training and HIIT. These moves work every single muscle in the body, including the deeper stabilising muscles to strengthen you from the inside out.

You can also expect to improve your posture, cardiovascular endurance, core strength, flexibility and muscle tone and is perfect for your pre and post natal workouts.

Here are Paola's top 6 body barre movements you can do from home:  

1. The Pretzel

Start in a seated position. Bend both knees and put one leg in front of you, in line with the hip, and one leg behind you at a 45-degree angle. Rest one arm on the mat and the other on your front ankle. Your body should lean slightly forward, with your back staying long. Lift your back leg up in tiny movements, making sure your original body positioning stays the same. Lower your leg back down to the mat. Lift your leg again, then repeat the small pulsing movement (You can add variations such as circling the knee, pulsing back, adding a ball behind the knee or even a weight.

Repeat 16-20 times on each leg.

 2.The 100’s

The Hundred exercise (Created by Joseph Pilates himself!) Start lying on your back, draw the knees to the chest and as you curl up, lifting the head and shoulders a few inches off the mat, you can start to extend and hold both legs up at around 45 degrees of the hip. Legs stay squeezed together. Reach the arms long to the side. The body is now like a shallow bowl. Activate the core and all the layers of the abdominals. The arms start to pump up and down rigorously about 3-5 inches at hip height, 100 times. The breath is continuous throughout the entire exercise, breathing in over 5 beats of the arms and then breathing out every 5 counts. With every out breath keep firing up the core and abs.

To decrease the load, keep the legs bent in tabletop position 90 degrees of the hip and knees. To increase load and variation add ankle weights, Pilates ring inside or outside ankles

 3. Curtsey lunge to 2nd Position Plié

(Thigh and bottom burner)

Tuck one leg behind the other (like you’re curtsying to the queen) and bend the knees deeply as they turn out to the side. Come back to 2nd position and take a deep plié. Make sure the knees track with your second or third toes, staying in a neutral upright position, tail bone towards the mat. Squeezing into the bottom and back of the thighs as you take the plié. The intensity depends on how deep you take the movements and speed. Repeat 16-20 times each side.

4. Donkey press at the “barre” (with ball)

(Bottom and hamstring burner)

Facing the barre, or side of the barre, place the ball behind one knee and extend at the hip to lift the sole of the foot towards the ceiling, the ankle should be flexed, the leg lifts to about parallel to the mat.  Take a big squeeze into the ball, glutes and hamstrings. Draw the leg slowly in towards the supporting leg (bending the supporting leg). For more load add ankle weights. For more burn to the booty add pulses at the top.

(repeat x20 each side).

5. Plie in 2nd into lateral kick box

(Thigh and side glute burner)

Take a deep plie in 2^nd position (feet turning out) then as you start to extend the legs, lift one leg out to a side kick so it’s parallel to the floor. Try and straighten both legs and transferring the body weight to the standing leg. Make sure you squeeze into the glutes as you kick out the long and lengthened kicking leg, then come back into a deep plie in 2^nd position.  Add load with ankle weights

 (repeat x 16 each side).

6. Single Leg Bridge

(Glute and Hamstring Burner)

Lay on your back with your arms lengthened by your side to stabilise. Bendy your knees with your feet flat on the floor, heels under the. Make sure your feet are under your knees.

Tighten your abdominal and buttock muscles. Raise your hips up to create a straight line from your knees to shoulders. Squeeze your core and try to pull your belly button back toward your spine. Slowly raise and extend one leg while keeping your pelvis raised and level. Hold. Return to the starting position with knees bent. Perform the lift with the other leg. You can add load by adding weights on hips and ankles. Repeat 16-20 times.

In addition to several studios in London, you can now enjoy Paola’s BodyBarre wherever you are in the world online with PBB At Home (on-demand) and PBB Virtual.

Please find a discount code for PBB At Home for 20% off for 3 months:

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Body barre workout essentials: 

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