This post is part of my 2017 New Year’s Resolution to try every group fitness class offered at my gym, The Equinox in Chestnut Hill. See the full list of reviews here.
Progress: 29 Classes Down, Approximately 14 To Go (class offerings sometimes change)
Lean Line is totally my style workout. The thing I love about barre classes is the way they isolate and work so many different muscles. I always feel a satisfying overall muscle awareness the next day without feeling too sore.
In barre classes the effort comes from repetition. A tendu, grand-plié or 2lb weight tricep curl isn’t hard for the first count of 8, or maybe even the second. But by the time you hit 32 everything is burning, you can’t believe your arms hurt just from holding them in second position, and you are SO not excited to hear the words “pulse, pulse, pulse”.
I know lifting heavier weights has benefits, but I feel like it’s much easier for me to get just the right amount of burn without taking it too far in a barre class. I take weight lifting classes so infrequently that I really don’t know what size weights to grab or how many days off I’ll need afterward.
Class: Lean Line with Melissa Jalali
Class length: 50 minutes
Description from the Equinox: Raise ballet to the next level with cardio, light weights and body-weight resistance for a full-body, high-energy workout.
What Class Was Like
A ballet inspired workout that included light weight work and mat work. Technically a barre class, but held in the yoga studio and not utilizing the barre.
Melissa also does a great job of providing details on posture and where you should feel the exercise so beginners should find it easy to follow along and get the most out of each sequence. (No ballet experience required!)
Sample Exercises
- Grand pliés in second position, two counts up and two counts down ending with pulses
- Ballet-inspired floor work including port de bras, tendu, plié and frappé sequences
- Lifting light weights overhead, bicep curls, and tricep curls in a curtsy position
- Planks with toe taps alternating with downward facing dog
- Abdominal work on the mat using the ball or hoop
- Light jumping sequences that could be easily modified for a non-impact workout
- Modified push-ups
Who would love it?
This isn’t just for those of us who did ballet as kids (though that did make it extra enjoyable). It’s a great workout for targeting a large number of muscles without overworking any of them, while also getting a little cardio fix during the jumping and movement sequences.
Melissa is one of my favorite instructors at the Equinox (I’m starting to have a lot of favorites, I get that, but go ahead and ask my kids their favorite dessert or color). She consistently provided modifications to make jump sequences low impact, to set down the weights if needed, or to adjust the difficulty of some of the ab workouts by telling us to shift the angle of the legs or keep our head down if our necks were straining.
That level of instruction and attention to detail makes this class accessible for multiple levels even though it’s a full and challenging workout.
Know before you go
Take your shoes off before entering the yoga studio. Class can be done barefoot or in socks but socks might be slippery if you’re doing work off the mat. Equipment may vary, but for this class we used the mat, light weights (2 or 3 pounds), a workout ball and a hoop.