Burning it Off

Cardio Barre is a unique, high-energy/no impact exercise that has been sweeping the nation, normally offered in classes that combine barre work and light weights with continuous fat-burning motions. Central to the workout are resistance and toning exercises for the legs, torso, arms and buttocks that sculpt muscle and elongate the appearance of the body.

If you’ve been looking to gather the girls in your Woodland Hills ‘hood to try out this new trend in calorie-burning, we’re here to give you the Cardio Barre 101 lowdown. What’s important to know, as a beginner, is that most barre-based classes enable a combination of postures inspired by ballet and other disciplines such as yoga and Pilates, in which a barre is used as a prop to balance while attendees engage in exercises that focus on isometric strength training. This means holding your body still while you contract a specific set of muscles, combined with high reps of small range-of-motion movements.

Also – don’t be surprised if the Cardio Barre class you choose to attend incorporates light handheld weights to “bring the burn” during all those long reps, as well as mats for targeted core work.

Ready to burn it off? Let’s go!

Cardio Barre – Woodland Hills is located in the heart of the Warner Center area across from the Westfield Promenade Mall, and offers a “beautiful blend” of ways to stay fit and motivated, with classes that combine cardio, balance and strength while increasing flexibility and elongating the muscles in your body. And, because it is so much fun and motivational, it allows your fitness level the freedom to evolve – indeed, at these Cardio Barre classes in Woodland Hills, clients experience world-class service, a friendly environment and the most inspiring instructors in the industry…and it just also happens to be one of the best fitness classes on the market.

Pure Barre, located at 21728 Ventura Boulevard, is lorded over by owners Kayla Allen and Marni Rosenthal Chaikin and remains the largest, most established barre franchise in the nation, with more than 325 studios across the country. Offering a total body workout that utilizes the ballet barre to perform small, isometric movements, Pure Barre presents an ideal way for you to burn fat, sculpt muscles and create long, lean physiques – whether you’re a bride-to-be looking to be absolutely smashing and sexy in that wickedly eye-catching strapless dress or an overstressed, overworked mom trying to burn off some of the hassles of the day.

Fun Fit Factory, located at 22100 Ventura Boulevard, is perhaps best-known for its stunningly beautiful CEO and Master Instructor GG Divinagracia, who has been teaching group fitness classes for 32 years and whose class range runs a broad gamut from boot camp and kickboxing to spinning, step aerobics, low-impact, high-impact, TRX and many more including both generalized and specialty classes. Nicknamed “The Dynamic Diva” by her students because of her energetic personality, Divinagracia has taught on the UCLA campus and at over 20 gyms throughout Southern California, even having privately instructed clients throughout her career. With formats from beginning to advanced, there’s a perfect Cardio Barre class waiting for you at Fun Fit Factory.

The Dailey Method, located at 3840 Old Topanga Canyon Road in Calabasas, is a high-energy studio hub for the local fitness community, ready to transform the lives of all its clients through methods that enrich a strong, lean, sculpted body. The Dailey Barre class is appropriate for all levels of students, with cuing and pacing that are relatively quick but constantly modified to enable all participants to be successful. At The Dailey Method, you’re encouraged to work at your own level and to make positioning the priority for each exercise, while movement is layered on only after form and alignment are perfected. This is the ideal venue if you are looking to work on your practice while continuing to be challenged.

The Studio – A Place for Balance, located at 21133 Costanso Street, offers classes based on ballet alignment and kinesiology in private, semi-private and trio alternatives, running the gamut from Pilates, jumpboard, barre and adult ballet to acupuncture, Chinese medicine, nutrition counseling, guest yoga seminars and dance. Established in 2008, The Studio’s comfortable and casual environment yields a perfect place to escape the daily noise of a busy life, with certified instructors that have been trained rigorously in a one-on-one fashion. What’s more, the staff here draws upon multiple disciplines including New York-style classic Pilates, Complimentary Alternative Medicine (CAM), martial arts and yoga, keeping your workout fun, challenging and personal.

Ready to sculpt that body you have only dreamed about up till now? The Cardio Barre classes in Woodland Hills that are offered by the studios in this roundup will have you sweatin’, workin’ and lookin’ lean in no time at all.