Want to shrink those thunder thighs? The owners of Pure Barre Studio say they have an answer.
Through a series of low-impact stretches and exercises, Pure Barre Technique blends elements from ballet, Pilates and strength training with upbeat music. A typical session is accompanied by songs from such artists as the band Journey and singer Katy Perry.
Amanda Holmes, studio owner, said that the idea was to “fatigue the muscles then stretch them out.”
During each 55-minute session, participants use a mat, hand weights, a stretch band and small exercise ball to execute the movements. The technique, according to the system’s website, was designed by a former dancer to tone the areas of a woman’s body that tend to collect fat: the thighs, backside, abs and arms.
“We’ve had a few men in the past,” Holmes said. “But they never come back. The movements are really designed for a woman’s body.”
It’s done in socks so participants can easily slide their feet on the carpeted floor for some movements.
The studio opened Aug. 23 on Jenkins Road.
Laura Quarles, 29, has been a personal trainer in Chattanooga for seven years. On a scale from one to 10, ten being the hardest workout she had ever done, she rates Pure Barre Technique as a nine.
“This is the best exercise technique I’ve seen in a long time,” Quarles said. “It was also one of the easiest classes to modify for anyone who needed it.”
Pure Barre newcomers, take heart, hardly anyone can complete all of the repetitions. One of the key points to the technique is that the workout is adaptable for those with medical problems.
Rhonda Arnold, 46, said she went to six classes during the first two weeks the studio was open and said she could already see the results in her arms and stomach.
“I have herniated disk issues,” Arnold said. “Every time I’ve tried to exercise in the past, I’ve ended up hurting myself. This doesn’t hurt.”
Typically, Pure Barre owners say women see a difference in their bodies after 10 classes.
While some of the exercises seem to require unruly amounts of hand-eye-leg-foot-stomach coordination for first-timers, those who have taken the class more than once said getting the hang of the workout came easily once you learned which muscles to use.