Barretoned Class

I used to really love ballet. I took classes until I was about 12, until it wasn’t ‘cool’ anymore, and then I picked it up at Uni again for a short while. After hearing about the Barretoned studio that had opened up just down the road, I decided it was time to dust off my ballet shoes and give it another whirl.

Suitably inspired, I’m also off to the ballet next week with Eifman’s new production of Rodin at the London Coliseum! It’s the first time I’ve been to the Ballet properly so I’m very excited and will no doubt update you. If you fancy joining me, it’s still not too late to buy tickets here.

So, Barretoned is a fitness trend currently sweeping the UK – toning up with ballet style stretches and home to its very own studio on Chepstow Road. It’s also Miranda Kerr’s favourite workout – and she looks like this…so who am I to argue?!

Barre workouts have become one of the most popular and addictive exercise classes in the country — and for good reason. Great for all levels, barre classes will challenge you from beginning to end and help you achieve the body of a dancer without the painstaking practice hours the real ballerinas need to put in.

I was welcomed into the gorgeous studio for my 7am class by the friendly receptionist and shown to the first-class changing rooms and toliets, which has everything a girl can need from hair straighteners and products to fresh towels, so you can head off straight to work after your morning session.

The hour-long classes start with a 10-minute warm up, with the next 50 minutes split between mat, barre and body-weight moves to isolate and strengthen your muscles. The exercises seem and look simple at first but they are suprisingly tough, reaching the not-before-touched muscles that other workouts just can’t touch. Esther, our bubbly instructor, kept calling out ‘good shaking!’- which I learnt was a compliment, where you’re working your muscles so hard you’re shaking them to feel the burn. There are also lots of stretches, which go beyond the ones you sometimes do in yoga, to really promote that typically long and lean dancer’s body.

After my first class, I felt the burn instantly and experienced first hand how these exercises tone the body, can enhance flexibility and increase energy levels. I’m officially addicted and will definitely be incorporating these classes into my monthly gym routine. It’s worth mentioning that the girls at Barretoned are so confident that you’ll see results, they promise it only take 8 sessions to notice sculpted arms, defined thighs, improved posture and reduced body fat! Impressive stufff…

Classes and timetables are all available here. Prices aren’t cheap with £28 a class, but see here for all the deals they offer – it’s definitely worth doing the ‘Buy One Get One Free’ class or buying bulk classes to save lots of money. There’s a variety of classes for different abilities too so everyone can feel included and challenged.

Barretoned, 12 Chepstow Rd, London W2 5BD. Tel: 020 7229 8668