Barre Strength Training: The Transformative Power of Small Weights

Whether you’re new to barre workouts or looking to advance your practice and improve muscle endurance, barre strength training combines the best of barre technique and weight training for maximum results. 

Many barre practices, including classes at The Bar Method, incorporate handheld weights — anywhere from 1 to 12 pounds each, depending on the class format — for you to curl, press, tuck, and pulse your way to optimal muscle definition and toning.

So, does the intensity of barre strength training lead to legitimate results? Absolutely. Here, we’ll walk you through the science behind barre strength classes, ideal barre and weight lifting schedules, and a 15-minute barre strength mini circuit from our world-class instructors for when you can’t make it to the studio.

What is a barre strength class? A barre workout with weights

However you describe it, a barre strength workout centers around barre exercises while incorporating strength training equipment and movements to optimize muscle engagement and give you that addictive barre burn.

Penn State College of Medicine defines strength training, also called resistance training, as exercise that causes your muscles to contract against an outside resistance. That outside resistance can include:

• Body weight
• Weight machines
• Medicine balls
• Resistance bands
• Dumbbells

The benefits of strength training for the body — and mind — are vast and continually being researched as they range from increased bone strength and improved balance and joint flexibility to supporting longevity and an active, healthy lifestyle.

Marrying the precision, elegance, and elongation of barre with dynamic low-weight, high-repetition strength training exercises offers not only a challenging workout but a fitness class that prioritizes long and lean toning and definition from back to seat. 

If you’ve taken one of our signature barre classes, you know exactly what we’re talking about: small movements can make a big impact on how you feel and how your body moves and looks — in as few as two weeks. Our classes incorporate strength training via body weight, stretching bands, and dumbbells. 

What to know about barre with weights workouts

While class formats vary by studio, our Method incorporates barre with weights — 1- 12 pounds each — to sculpt your upper body, including triceps, biceps, and shoulders. Classes also focus on muscles in the chest (pecs) and back (rhomboids and lats) as well as the arms to promote balance in the body and good posture. 

And for those new to our Bar Method, our instructors talk a lot about the signature “shake” that happens when you challenge your muscle endurance by holding contractions for longer periods before coming out of the move, changing positions, or stretching — with and without weights.

How to craft a barre and weight lifting schedule for optimal impact

Establishing a consistent workout routine is essential to reach any fitness goal. Our instructors recommend taking two to three barre classes each week if you’re just starting out, paying close attention to how your body feels after and between each class. Our science-backed Method is designed to allow you to safely work your way up to six classes weekly. 

The Bar Method take on heavier-lifting weight training is our Bar Strength class format, which features two circuits, compound movements (e.g., weighted side plank), and heavier weights, up to 12 pounds each, than the signature Method class. The class is structured in a way that there is active recovery woven throughout, resulting in a more effective and efficient workout. Our Method also doesn’t require you to stagger upper/lower body days — you get it all in every class.

The 3-2-8 method explained

If your FYP hasn’t already landed you on FitTok, TikTok’s fitness corner, the 3-2-8 method is hot for a reason. The 3-2-8 method is a simple formula for those looking to level up their routine — and results — that recommends: 

• 3 days of strength training per week (e.g., Bar Strength)
• 2 days of barre or Pilates per week (e.g., Bar Method, Bar Flow and Bar Cardio)
• 8,000 steps per day

While some opt for two days of strength training and three of low-impact barre or Pilates, you can probably understand why we love that you can get the best of both worlds, plus best-in-class instruction, in our barre strength training classes every day of the week. 

Whatever training schedule you follow or number of classes you’re dropping into each week, remember to prioritize muscle recovery to take the best care of that body you’re working so hard on. We even have a class for that! Bar Restore includes deep, restorative stretching and wellness benefits that complement weight training, especially the recovery massage balls. Learn more about the essentials of muscle healing to maximize your post-workout routine.

How barre strength training can transform your body

Bar Method classes incorporate strength training via 1- to 12-pound hand weights to stabilize muscles and build endurance. Every muscle group is worked one by one to exhaustion, building muscle and toning and defining your body.

According to an analysis in the National Institute of Health’s National Library of Medicine, the more strength training workouts women aged 18–35 took, the more they improved everything from lean muscle mass to muscle strength and reduced body fat percentage. 

If weight loss is a goal of yours, barre strength training is an excellent option for total-body transformation since barre and resistance training are both effective in building muscle, which in turn helps you burn more calories — even at rest. 

Our students burn anywhere from 250–500 calories in each class and continue to burn additional calories for several hours after the workout because of the intense muscle work involved. And of course, calories in matter just as much as calories out, so don’t underestimate the power of a balanced diet in achieving weight loss goals.

From our technique team: 15-minute barre strength training mini circuit for when you can’t make it to the studio

Now let’s put all these elements together in a signature barre strength training mini class to max your muscles! Our expert instructors crafted a 15-minute circuit featuring two exercises — and how-tos — from our Bar Strength class format.

Exercise 1: Weighted squats to overhead press

• Pick up a set of matching weights
• Stand with your feet hip width apart or slightly wider
• Place your weights on your shoulders with your elbows pointing down
• At a slow pace, bend your knees and sit back into a squat with your weight in your heels and your chest fairly upright.
• Equally slowly, push back up to a standing position and press your weights overhead.

Repeat 10 times.

Exercise 2: Weighted foldover deadlifts

• Pick up one weight and stand facing a sturdy support (barre, countertop, etc.)
• Stand with your feet in a parallel position
• Turn diagonally away from your support so your weighted arm is the one farther away (the outside arm)
• Extend your outside leg behind you and hinge forward to nearly horizontal. Allow your weighted arm to hang beneath your shoulder while keeping your upper body engaged.
• See-saw your leg down an inch while your upper body comes up an inch, then back to horizontal.
• Do 10 reps, then rest your weighted arm either on your glutes or on your support to reset. 
• Lift your extended leg 10-20 times.
• Repeat the deadlift and reset choreography 2-3 times.
• Give yourself a pull-away stretch after each side: 
  • Stay holding onto your support and back away enough to fold your upper body forward.
  • Soften one knee at a time while the opposite leg stays extended. Keep both feet flat. 
  • If you’d like a deeper stretch, bring your hands to the floor.

Bar Strength 15-minute mini circuit

Using the lighter of 2 sets of weights:

• Do 40-60 heel lifts to warm up the legs
• Weighted squats
• Parallel thigh
  • Stand facing into your support and rest your hands lightly on it for balance.
  • Place your feet hips’ width apart.
  • Raise your heels several inches to feel your calves engage.
  • Bend your knees and keep your back upright, even if that means you don’t come down quite as low. 
  • Press down one inch and up in a controlled manner for 1-2 minutes.
• Weighted foldover deadlifts
• 20 push-ups

Repeat the series (weighted squats through push-ups) using a heavier set of weights.

Barre strength training for life

If you’re looking to build strength and endurance while precisely toning and defining every muscle group, barre is the physical and mental workout you’ve been waiting for. Our Method offers a variety of classes led by world-class instructors for you to ease into or level up your barre workout with weights.

Take your curiosity to the next level and find a studio nearby to experience firsthand the benefits of a barre strength training.