Beyond the Studio – Top 5 Best Ballet Barre Options

Are you hardcore into Barre?

You’d be in good company. Nearly 4 million people participated in Barre workouts in the United States in 2022. That number is only poised to soar in 2024, as more and more people discover that Barre ballet is an excellent way to get a full-body workout while learning tidbits of one of the most graceful dances in the world.

But getting to the studio is sometimes harder than the actual workout. How are we supposed to keep up with our Barre ballet if we can’t realistically make it to the studio on the reg?

That’s easy: you bring the Barre ballet home by buying one of the best ballet barres on the market. We’ll provide a quick buying guide to help you choose a high-quality ballet barre for your home, as well as sharing our top 5 options below. Read on for more!

 

Qualities to Look for in a Ballet Barre

There are many ballet barres for home use on the market, but they’re not all created equal.

If you’re looking for a high-quality barre to use for your home Barre workouts, think about the following features and characteristics in order to make the best buy:

• Stability: Is the barre strong and stable enough to support your weight?
• Adjustability: Do you need a barre that adjusts to different heights for different users?
• Material: Do you prefer traditional wooden barres or metal ones?
• Portability: Do you prefer a portable barre that you can put away after your workout, or do you prefer a wall-mounted barre that provides more stability and a designated space, but remains mounted?
• Assembly: Do the user reviews indicate that the barre is easy to assemble? If not, is there an option for a professional to assemble it on your behalf?

 

You may not find one that checks all your boxes, so be sure to weigh all the pros and cons of each option before purchasing to ensure you pick the one that suits your needs best.

 

Before We Dive into All of the Reasons and Info About Why, Take a Quick Peak at Our Top 5 Picks:

 

1. SELEWARE 

Product Description and Highlights: The SELEWARE Height Adjustable Ballet Barre for Home is a sturdy and durable fitness companion constructed from alloy steel tubing and finished with matte black paint. With a heavy-duty structure supporting up to 350 lbs, this barre is built to last a lifetime. The anti-slip mats ensure safety and floor protection, while the height adjustable range of 11”-47” makes it suitable for the entire family. The robust steel ballet barre, featuring a star-shaped hand knob design, outshines aluminum bars joined by plastic buckles that may falter over time. Perfect for a variety of exercises, including barre movements, body stretches, pull-ups, and foot position practice, this barre is easy to install within 10 minutes. With dimensions of 48” height, 48” width, and 1.5” diameter, it exudes strength and craftsmanship. Additionally, the 10 Year Limited Warranty attests to its quality and durability, making it a reliable choice for fitness enthusiasts.

 

2. GOFLAME

Product Description and Highlights: The GOFLAME 4FT Portable Ballet Barre for Home boasts a reinforced sturdy construction crafted with iron material, ensuring durability and stability. With high-quality fasteners connecting each part, this ballet barre is perfect for both adults and kids, supporting various exercises. Its 4ft wide base and adjustable bars, offering a height range from 7” to 46”, cater to women of all ages and sizes, making it an ideal equipment for dance, ballet, and stretching. The versatile design meets various training needs, suitable for home, school, or dance studio use. Safety is prioritized with stable bases and non-slip pads, preventing shaking and toppling during training. Weighing only 13.5lbs, it’s easy to carry anywhere, and its space-saving design allows for convenient storage under the bed or against the wall when not in use.

 

3. Vita Vibe

Product Description and Highlights: The VITA Barre Wall-Mounted Single Ballet Barre is a studio-worthy addition to any fitness space. Featuring a sleek and durable 4-ft bar with a 1.5″ diameter, held by heavy-duty powder-coated steel brackets, it ensures stability and supports 100 lbs per linear foot. The quick and easy installation includes all necessary hardware, allowing customization of the barre height to suit individual preferences. With the option to create a double system for varied workout options, this barre caters to both dance and fitness enthusiasts. Crafted with premium-quality materials like steel, aluminum, and real wood, it exemplifies a professional-grade product built to withstand years of use. Hand-crafted in the USA with customer satisfaction and safety in mind, VITA Barre offers a 10-year warranty, making it a reliable and durable choice for full-body fitness.

 

4. Dolibest

Product Description and Highlights: The Dolibest Wall Mounted Ballet Barre is a high-quality and space-saving fitness solution made of solid beech wood with metal brackets designed for a lifetime of use. Crafted with excellent craftsmanship, the smooth transition from wood to metal is palpable, ensuring durability. The metal bracket offers five adjustable heights, providing flexibility and saving space with its loading pin design. Suitable for users of all ages and fitness levels, it’s ideal for home, gym, pilates, or yoga for activities like fitness, stretching, and core strength training. The stability is enhanced by the base with 4 mounting holes on each side, surpassing the stability of 2-hole designs. This Wood Ballet Barre makes for a great gift and comes with a satisfaction guarantee, including 24-hour support services and a full refund within 30 days if not satisfied. With its secure design and height adjustment options, it ensures a safer and efficient workout experience.

 

5. Artan Balance

Product Description and Highlights:The Artan Balance Portable Ballet Barre for Home Studio is a professional-grade fitness tool designed to enhance stretching, balance, and movements for activities like ballet, dance, yoga, and Pilates. The innovative design allows quick and easy height adjustment for both bars, catering to various heights, ages, and ability levels, providing reliable support for beginners and seasoned athletes alike. Crafted with durable, powder-coated steel tubes featuring a classic woodgrain look, this portable and lightweight barre is versatile for home, studio, school, or gym use. With a wide and stable base, slip-resistant rubber feet, and curved legs for enhanced stretching, it ensures stability and safety during exercises. The stylish woodgrain finish adds a touch of elegance, while the easy assembly and storage make it convenient for users. The reinforced plastic washer protects the frame and further enhances stability, making it a durable and versatile choice for individuals aiming to improve flexibility, core strength, and overall fitness.

 

 

Barre Ballet is an Incredible Workout

If you’re already a Barre ballet warrior, you know firsthand that it’s one heckuva workout.

Barre ballet engages muscles throughout the entire body, emphasizing the arms, core, glutes, and leg muscles mostly. So, you’ll enjoy strength increases and muscle toning everywhere.

Other benefits of Barre ballet include improved cardiorespiratory fitness, better balance and stability, increased flexibility and muscle elasticity, and happier joints because Barre uses low-impact movements almost exclusively.

That’s why practicing Barre regularly provides some substantial improvements to your overall health and well-being.

 

Different Types of Ballet Barres

Beginners may become overwhelmed by just how many ballet barre options you’ll find on the market. Each comes with its own unique advantages and disadvantages, so be sure to consider that before making your purchase.

The most common types of ballet barres include:

 

• Freestanding Barres: If you need a portable ballet barre, you can’t do much better than a freestanding barre. Prop it just about anywhere in your workout space, get in your ballet Barre workout, then stash it somewhere else while it’s not in use. Easy!
• Wall-Mounted Barres: Not everyone has a room they can dedicate to a ballet studio, complete with high-end wall-mounted ballet barres, but they are certainly luxurious. Wall-mounted barres provide stability you often just can’t get from freestanding ones.
• Wooden Barres: Wooden barres feature a traditional aesthetic using sturdy but pliable woods such as oak and maple.
• Metal Barres: Metal barres, on the other hand, appear more modern, with sleek craftsmanship that uses lightweight aluminum, sturdy steel, or sometimes a combination.
• Double Barres: Why settle for a single barre when you can double your pleasure and double your fun? Some setups include two parallel bars at different heights, allowing for a variety of exercises, accommodating users of different heights, and ultimately allowing greater overall versatility.

 

When choosing a ballet barre, consider your available space, preferences, and the type of exercises you plan to perform before making your final decision.

 

Different Stretches and Exercises to do with Your Ballet Barre

Once you set up your ballet barre at home, what can you do with it?

Here are a few stretches and exercises to work into your home barre ballet workout:

 

Pliés

1. Stand facing the barre with hands lightly resting on it.
2. Perform pliés, bending your knees while keeping heels on the ground.
3. Focus on maintaining good posture and engaging your core.

 

Developpé

1. Stand with one hand on the barre for support.
2. Lift one leg, keeping it straight, and extend it to the front, side, or back.
3. Control the movement and engage your core for balance.

 

Arabesque Stretch

1. Hold onto the barre with one hand.
2. Extend one leg straight back while leaning forward slightly.
3. Feel the stretch in your hamstrings and lower back.

 

Battement Tendu

1. Stand facing the barre.
2. Slide one foot along the floor, extending it in front of you, keeping it on the floor.
3. Work on foot articulation and engaging the inner thigh.

 

Relevés

1. Hold the barre with both hands.
2. Rise onto the balls of your feet, lifting your heels off the ground.
3. Strengthen calf muscles and improve balance.

 

Attitude Lifts

1. Hold onto the barre with one hand.
2. Lift one leg to the side, bending the knee and keeping the foot pointed.
3. Work on controlled lifts to the side.

 

How was Barre Ballet Invented?

Barre ballet was born back in 1959 after London-based ballerina Lotte Berk injured her back. Unable to dance ballet, Berk began the rehabilitation process to recuperate. As she recovered, she began fusing the rehabilitation exercises with ballet to create a hybrid that would later become what we know as Barre ballet today.

Berk taught her innovative new exercise style in the West End until one of her students, Lydia Bach, brought Barre ballet to the United States in 1971. She opened her own studio, called “The Lotte Berk Method,” in New York City where it operated and gained popularity.

Bach’s employees would eventually move on and open their own studios, leading to major Barre chains like Physique 57, The Bar Method, and eventually Pure Barre too. Barre’s popularity would spike again after Black Swan was released in 2010.

And yes— Natalie Portman did use Barre ballet to get ready for her role in Black Swan, and she continues incorporating Barre workouts in her regular workout routine today!

 

Types of Dance that Compare to Barre Ballet

Ballerina is one of the most elegant and graceful forms of dance on the planet, but that doesn’t mean that other dance styles don’t share some similarities to Barre ballet.

For example, Barre Fitness incorporates yoga and Pilates in with the ballet for a dance-exercise fusion that’s highly effective. Expect isometric movements, small range-of-motion exercises, and high repetitions that’ll totally blast your core and tone your muscles from head to toe.

Contemporary dance fitness classes may incorporate elements of Barre ballet as well, as moving fluidly, enhancing flexibility, and increasing cardiovascular capabilities are all common goals shared by Barre ballet and other dance fitness types like Zumba and Jazzercise.

 

Muscles You Can Work Out with a Ballet Barre

A shorter list would be “Muscles You Can’t Work Out with a Ballet Barre.” Given the sheer magnitude of available stretches and exercises that are possible to perform using a ballet barre, you can engage the following muscles and muscle groups:

• Legs: Quadriceps, hamstrings, calves.
• Core: Abdominals, obliques.
• Glutes: Maximus and medius.
• Back: Erector spinae, latissimus dorsi.
• Arms: Biceps, triceps, shoulder muscles.
• Inner Thighs: Adductors.
• Outer Thighs: Abductors.
• Feet and Ankles: Intrinsic foot muscles.

 

This results in improved muscle tone, flexibility, and strength across the entire body.

 

Strength, Flexibility, Agility, and Endurance Can Be Increased

People tend to think of treadmills and barbells when they think about physical fitness, but workout programs like Barre ballet can be just as effective for reaching your fitness goals.

Since the stretches and movements involved in Barre ballet engage muscles throughout the body, the workout promotes an increase in strength, as well as, muscular hypertrophy. Many of these movements also involve elongating the muscles, helping improve flexibility and mobility.

Unlike traditional resistance training, the movements of Barre ballet tend to rely on the practitioner’s bodyweight only rather than incorporating free weights, resistance bands, or other forms of resistance. For that reason, the workouts often call for high repetitions, which studies show increases muscular endurance.

So, don’t be afraid to ignore that barbell or stay off the treadmill. You can get just as good of a workout using Barre ballet and, in some cases, you may even be better off.

 

Advantages of Having a Ballet Barre for Home

There’s a lot to love about heading to your local studio for some official Barre ballet classes. Not only do you get the supervision, expertise, and guidance of a trained group fitness instructor, but you also have other Barre ballerinas to nurture a sense of community and keep you motivated.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t any inherent advantages to purchasing a ballet barre for your home and doing your ballet there. Advantages of a ballet barre at home include:

• Convenience: You don’t have to wait for scheduled class times. You don’t have to travel to the studio. Just throw on your preferred ballet outfit and get to work right from home.
• Privacy: Some folks thrive in a group. Others feel awkward and self-conscious. If you’re the latter, you’ll greatly prefer having a ballet barre at home to let loose privately.
• Customization: Barre ballet studios are often accommodating to their members, but you can only get so much customization without overstepping. At home, you can adjust your barre as you see fit, set up the space as you like, and fully customize your Barre ballet experience soup to nuts.
• Cost Savings: Let’s not mince words— Barre classes are costly! Investing in a ballet barre for your home will help you save money by letting you train for essentially free.
• Virtual Classes – These days there is a myriad of online classes you can take so you can get the feel and advantage of an instructor led session.

 

Is a Wall Mounted or Floor Barre Better?

Some Barre ballet practitioners swear by the convenience of their portable ballet barres they can drag to the middle of the floor at their convenience and safely store away when they’re finished. Traditionalists, on the other hand, will settle for nothing less than a permanently affixed wall-mounted ballet barre to ensure they are well protected as they practice their ballet movements, exercises, and stretches.

Unfortunately, there’s no true “better” option. What works best for you will depend solely on your personal preferences. Consider your personal preferences and, if possible, try each option before committing to a final purchase. Doing a little due diligence up front will only ensure you get the best ballet barre for your purposes and can start getting a great Barre ballet workout from the comfort of your home gym! Merde!