Training Manual
"Introducing Barre Fitness a brand new
Ballet Barre workout combining Ballet
moves with Functional Fitness & Yoga.”
Group X Training
1st Edition Jan 2016 - 2nd edit August 2017
Introducing Barre Fitness ...................................3
Benefits off Barre Training.................................. 4
Why do this class? .................................................................4
Barre Classes ........................................................ 7
Why the barre? ......................................................................7
Barre Basics ........................................................11
Basic Ballet terms & postures .............................................11
Basic foot positions .............................................................13
5 positions of the arms and legs .........................................14
Base Moves ..........................................................................15
Barre Body .........................................................21
Body Conditioning ..............................................................21
Barre Burn .........................................................26
High intensity barre exercises ...........................................26
Barre Bend .........................................................28
Stretch & Yoga on the barre ...............................................28
Introducing Barre Fitness
Barre Fitness has a core belief that you do not have to be a trained dancer to experience
the many benefits of ballet. This programme aims to introduce all instructors to a unique
fusion concept combining dance, fitness, Yoga & Pilates. You will leave this workshop
competent in the following objectives:
Gain a clear understanding of the physiological and bio-mechanical benefits of ballet
training.
Incorporate basic/intermediate/advanced ballet techniques into a studio based fitness
class.
Combine different methodologies into one class to suit your style and skill set.
Structure a combined and progressive Barre Fusion class.
Assess, educate and motivate your clients.
Getting Started
In preparation for your course please read the workbook and practice some of the moves
included in each section.
It is important to remember that the workbook is a guide to content
and structure. The most important ingredient, the very thing that
will make this class work, will get people talking and will ensure
that they come back week after week is YOU.
Your input into this class will define it as your own and guarantee that it is a success. If
you have any ideas on class content please bring them with you to your training day and
we can make sure that they fit perfectly.
Chapter Number 1
Benefits off Barre Training
Why do this class?
Besides sheer physical mastery, many benefits can be gained from the precise training
methods of ballet. Ballet offers one of the most correct and holistic ways of training the
body resulting in a heightened state of body awareness. The fitness industry over the past
few years has favoured Functional Fitness Training and this compliments the more rigid
structure of ballet as an exercise format.
Functional fitness exercises train your muscles to work together and prepare them for
daily tasks by simulating common movements you might do at home, at work or in sports.
While using various muscles in the upper and lower body at the same time, functional
fitness exercises also emphasise core stability.
This marries perfectly with the thought process of ballet and post modern forms of
contemporary dance and in fact it is personified when you see a dance walk across the
room ; it is clear that they use the entire body in the process. This strong sense of body
awareness is automatic in ballet training and the benefits are as follows:
1. Improved posture
2. More efficient breathing
3. Shaper alignment
4. Improved co-ordination / agility / reflexes
5. Greater muscular strength / endurance
6. Increased mobility / flexibility
7. Core strength and functional fitness
8. Joint stabilisation
9. More challenging and diverse workouts
10. Specificity of training
Having identified the benefits of ballet training we can now examine the various
techniques that dancers are taught, then look at ways to adapt and integrate them
into our Barre Fusion classes.
How A Dancer Moves
For all dancers the spinal column and surrounding muscles of the trunk provide the forces
necessary to produce and maintain postural alignment or “good posture” in all positions.
The spine and the pelvis are the hub of good alignment and postural stability. With this in
mind one of the first training techniques taught is postural awareness. A dancer
understands that in order to turn, balance, jump and lift, they cannot breath and move
efficiently if the posture is weak. A strong foundation is necessary for strong movement,
and a dysfunctional torso may lead to dysfunctional movement. To heighten postural
awareness we should focus on the following:
Postural Awareness
• Crown of the head lifts upwards, chin retracts slightly – automatically lengthening
the back of the neck/spine and provides greater spinal mobility.
• Shoulders rotate backwards, retract and press down trying to release neck tension,
lift the sternum, lift the diaphragm enabling better breathing.
• Arms are lifted away from the torso at the armpit, flexed slightly at the elbow, wrist
and fingers fully extended.
• Ribcage lifts vertically, torso lengthens which facilitates deeper breathing.
• Abdominals are braced advocating both awareness and stability of the core in
preparation for movement.
• External rotation of the femur in the pelvis – this is an aesthetic posture that
defines dancers as it lengthens the line of the leg and enhances muscle definition.
• Active legs – the quadriceps are engaged and actively pulled up, feet are firmly
grounded into the floor, all designed to lessen any load through the knee.
• Finally dancers are always encouraged to work with a visual image of external
softness and internal control. The entire body is kept in a state of “readiness”.
In the first few weeks of your Barre fusion classes, focus each section on the back of
the body. Work on shoulder retraction, hamstring and gluten strengthening and see
how your classes improve. This is where barre work really comes into its no for
specificity of training.
Preparing For Movement
An intrinsic part of any dance movement is the preparation stage. A mental image of what
we are about to perform no matter how big or small. At this point the mind sends clear
messages to the body of where it needs to be in space and time. Even a simple walk across
the floor makes full use of a dancers neuromuscular pathways. Detailed below are the
main ways in which a dancers body prepares for movement.
Spinal flexion/extension/rotation/lateral flexion
A dancer must visit all ranges of motion, making sure that each area of the spine works
efficiently and to its potential. If certain ranges are blocked or tight of example the
thoracic spine, this may lead to over use of the more flexible areas such as lumbar.
Lever Extension
As levers lift away from the body, loading is initiated at the largest joint and transfers to
the smaller ones example shoulder – elbow – wrist, hip – knee – ankle. It may appear that
the lever is lifted in one movement, however an undulating force is in operation. Levers
are never thoughtlessly thrown into position and focus is placed on using agonists and
antagonists equally.
Surface Tension
As a leg lifts, steps, side jumps or hops, dynamic tension is created by pressing the foot
into constant contact with the floor. This tension helps to create more power in a take off,
minimises skeletal stress during the landing phase and create extra resistance, enhancing
strength.
Joint flexion/extension
Hyper flexed and extended joints are associated with ballet, but even in these exaggerated
positions, precise supportive skills are used. Global muscular strength is encouraged for
example in a plié, a dancer is encouraged to activate with equal importance the muscles of
the quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteals in order to minimise loading throughout the
entire range of this large movement.
Mental Focus
Like fitness 7 Yoga, dancing requires in times of difficulty, an automatic stillness of the
mind in order to shift attention to the task at hand. Th IS physiological preparation is
accompanied by a mental image to enhance movement execution.
Breathing
A dancer is taught to inhale to support a move and exhale to release out of a movement.
Breath control is crucial to good practice.
Chapter Number 2
Barre Classes
Why the barre?
Dancers begin their sessions at the barre moving through a series of exercises designed to
warm up and strengthen the body. The barre is used for balance, stability and support. By
keeping a light grip on the barre you can focus on isolating specific muscle groups. The
barre also works as aid to good alignment and great posture. The downside is that they
restrict space, are not so portable and can be expensive.
What Are My Alternatives?
This workout has been designed using a ballet barre for support, your other options are:
• Chairs
• Wall
• Partner work
• Bars or poles
These will work to a greater or lesser degree and the workout can be supplemented by free
standing work where the barre is not necessary
• 100% free standing classes are a viable option. We can line the class members as if
they were using a barre or as a normal group. You will quickly see which exercises are not
applicable without a barre but these are in the minority. As long as we keep the posture
and aesthetic of ballet the class will be a huge success. Benefits of this class structure are
that you can create sequences and combinations as you would in any other group exercise
format.
Planning your Barre Fitness class
We are not all dancers and I am determined that this will not hold ANYONE back from
teaching Barre Fitness. I have created 4 distinct sections from which you can select and
create content. These themes have different styles, strengths and focuses in order for you
to create a class to suit both you and your class participants.
This brand new "PreStyle" programme is the perfect choice for anyone wanting pre
choreographed workouts or those who wish to create their own content.
Pick and mix your workout from:
Barre Basics - the fundamental Barre moves from Ballet, Fitness & Yoga
Barre Body - conditioning sequences for total body shaping
Barre Burn - intense, cardio moves and blasts
Barre Bend - flexibility exercises for the perfect stretch
Introducing the class concept
The Barre Fitness class can be introduced onto any studio timetable. when introducing
this class I advise you run it on a 6 - 8 week basis with an optimum of 1 - 3 per week
combined with other modes of exercise.
The following is an introduction template
Week Class content
1 Introduce the importance of ballet posture and Barre Basic moves
creating simple routines. Include simple Barre Bend exercises
2-4 Bring in a series of Barre Body exercises to increase the intensity. You
can focus on body parts each week
1-6 Introduce a high intensity section with moves from Barre Burn
7-8 elease your combined workout using content from each section
Music
Anyone who has studied ballet knows that there is nothing better than a 70 year old
woman on a live piano to accompany Barre work, but I doubt we could hold our classes
with such a beat. I advocate use of mygroupfit PPL free music. BPM 126 - 138
You can access this at http://www.mygroupfit.com
Warm up
This is the perfect time to regulate breathing and endorse the need for good posture.
We need connectivity of the breath, mind and body.
Complete all exercises on both sides.
Barre Fitness Warm Up
Legs - a selection of Barre Basic exercises
Pelvis - anterior and posterior pelvic tilts, hip swings, circles and hip openers
Spine - flexion, extension, rotation, lateral flexion
Shoulders - rotations, retractions and stabilisation
Full body - port de bras or similar sequences to segway into the next section
Notes:
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Chapter Number 3
Barre Basics
Basic Ballet terms & postures
Turn out
The process of “turn out” is specific to ballet and describes the standing position of the
legs in preparation for most barre movements. It may look like the feet are turned out
when in fact it is the femur that externally rotates in the hip socket and carries on down
the leg through the tibia and the foot.
Why turn out?
The first reason for turn out is the aesthetic appearance of the thigh and resulting affect on
an upright posture. These things we can mimic in class and is the key reason why we
should not spend time trying to increase the natural degree of turn out in our clients.
The second, is that it facilitates lifting your leg, especially to the side. The femur has more
abduction ability when in external rotation. This is the reason that ballerinas can lift their
legs (seemingly) up to their ear with ease - they have access to a lot of external rotation
from their hips. The greater your ability to access your maximum turn-out, the higher you
can lift your leg before bones stop you from going any further (compression).
Should you attempt to improve turnout?
Firstly we all have a natural degree of turn out and this is what should be encouraged in
class. If trying to improve turn out we need to do it intelligently and functionally.
What is intelligently improving your turn out?
First lets take a look at the dangerous aspects of trying to improve, change or force turn
out:
• Creating unnecessary torque at the knees by pushing too far into your knee turnout.
• Collapsing the arches of the foot.
• Tilting the pelvis forward and arching the back.
• Excessive stretching of the ligaments of the pelvis (iliofemoral ligament in
particular).
Helping clients improve their turn-out comes with integrated exercises, that strategically
stabilise, mobilise, strengthen, and increase the neural control of the whole body’s
alignment. Many dancers have an imbalance between their quads and hamstrings,
between their hip-flexors and their glutes, their abductors and adductors, and their
external and internal hip rotators. The first of each pairing generally being over-active. By
strategically strengthening the correct muscles, and releasing the over-active ones, proper
alignment can be found. Then, the external rotators can be fully accessed, and
strengthened.
What is Functional turnout?
Functional is the focus here. Functional turnout is defined as the amount of turn-out you
can access without involving your knee and ankles. There are three necessary criteria for
functional turnout:
1) Keep the centre of the knee over the midline of the foot
2) Keep equal weight over both feet
3) Keep weight evenly distributed among the calcaneus, the first metatarsal head, and the
fifth metatarsal head
“These qualitative criteria are intended to limit the magnitude of
turnout to available hip external rotation and to prevent unwanted
compensatory movements at other joints.”
By ensuring you use only the turnout you were naturally endowed with, you will be better
aligned through your pelvis, you will be injured less frequently, and you will reduce
tension in your upper body.
Turn out tips:
• Imagine your legs are spiralling outwards, starting at the hip socket and travelling
down the legs
• Think of drawing the hamstrings towards one another
• Turn your feet out only enough to enable these actions at the thigh
• Align your knees over the centre of your feet
• Slight squeeze of the buttock muscles
• Keep ankles and hips lifted
Basic foot positions
First position
• Stand with heels together and feet parallel
• Lift the ball of the foot and turn out from the top
of the legs to the feet
• Place the balls of the feet back down and
distribute weight throughout the entire foot
• Arms are rounded – hands in front of the belly
with elbows lifted
Second position
• Arms are lower than shoulders with a slight
curve and elbows lifted
• Feet are spaced apart with a turn out similar
to first position
Third position
This combines first and second position. One
foot is crossed in front of the other with its heel
touching the arch of the foot behind. The feet
and legs once again replicate the turn out of first
position
Fourth Position
A combination of second and fifth position
One leg is crossed in front of the other, the
heel of the front foot crosses to nearly in-
line with the toe of the back foot with a
substantial space (bout 1 foot length) in
between each foot.
Fifth Position
Arms lift above the head and are rounded at
the elbow. The hands are opposite the
forehead with elbows back
One foot is placed in front of the other with
the heel of the front foot in line with the toe of
the back foot. Full turn out is engaged from
the hip.
5 positions of the arms and legs
Like Yoga & Pilates we want to engage muscles of the upper
back and arms to achieve correct arm postures.
• Relax shoulders
• Keep elbows lifted
• Always keep your arms in your peripheral vision
when both above your head or out to the side.. if you
cannot see them they are most likely too far back and this
can corrupt the line of your posture.
Base Moves
Plie
There are 2 types of plié - demi plié (half plié) which is a shallow bend of the knee and a
grand plié (full plié) which is full ROM to depth with the feet still in contact with the floor
or with heels raised high.
Demi plié – starts in first position.
Knees bend as far as possible, keeping
the heels on the ground – same in second
position
Grand plié – start in first position, go
through demi plié allowing the heels to
rise as you achieve depth, return to stand
Repeat in second, third, fourth 7 fifth positions
Releve - lifts & rises
• lock the knees
• weight is distributed through the centre of the foot,
more specifically the second toe
• Maintain correct posture without falling forward –
relax the toes
Start in first position – rise to half pointe and then lower
Repeat in second, third, fourth & fifth positions
Tendu - stretches
Tendu stretches both the legs and the feet. Many ballet steps begin with this stretch –
front / side / back
Focus on:
• Good posture
• Retaining turnout
• Supporting through the arms
• Keeping hips lifted
• Lengthen the working leg away from you rather than
gripping and pulling up with the quads.
Start in first position, stretch one leg in front by pushing
against the floor with foot fully pointed. Weight should be
fully on the standing leg.
Reverse the movement using the inner thigh
to pull the leg back to first position resting the
body weight evenly between both legs and
feet.
Front, side and back, adjusting
the upper body to maintain good
posture
Advance this to dégagé where the
foot comes off the floor in all
positions
Fondu – to melt
Create dynamic tension here.
This is basically a demi plié on
one leg followed by a tendu.
There is coordination necessary
to straighten both legs at the
same time
Ronde jambe
This is a circular moment, to practice start in first position and then tendu to the front
tracing a half circle all the way round to the back. Repeat in reverse
Retire – withdraw.
Start with both feet and arms in first position, list one foot up
to the knee.
• First position with arms in second.
• Lift one leg to the knee.
• Extend raised leg out in front.
• Keep the knee lifted for as long as possible.
• Hold the leg in the fully extended position.
• Return through tendu to first position
This position will progress into the devellope – envelope. This requires more strength,
lift the leg only as high as you can without compromising posture, turn out and arm lines.
Grand battement
Here we keep the support leg
straight and then kick the
other leg with height.
This can go to the front side
and back at different speeds
Arabesque
The leg is raised to the back while the body tips forward.
This position can be held for strength and endurance.
Port de bras
This is a beautiful arm sequence, that focuses on grace, posture
and alignment. We include a full bend and upper back extension.
In Barre Fitness we use this sequence to open or close a class or to
bring attention back to the theme of ballet in order to encourage the
necessary mood and aesthetic.
Notes
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Chapter Number 5
Barre Body
Body Conditioning
This is the perfect opportunity to focus on each area of the body
for great shaping and conditioning.
Below are a series of exercises that can be progressed or
regressed to suit your classes. Remember your Barre Fitness
class can be 100% BODY.
Our intention here is to use the barre but not grip it. The barre will allow you to lean
forward and achieve greater range kicking back.
Vary your ROM’s from:
• Full - example bring knee to forehead and forehead to knee - finish fully extended
• Half - hamstring curls
• Pulses - small presses
Use the barre to allow greater depth in both the squat
and lunge positions.
Use all of our functional ranges including the transverse
plane or courtesy version.
Floor work
Many of the exercise that we perform standing at the
barre can be done lying down on the floor.
This is the perfect time to
practice and remember the
basic foot patterns
Advanced Abdominal focus on the floor
Advanced posture, balance and abdominal sequence
This section will most likely be the place where you can inject what you already know and
do in your regular classes. The Barre Body focus will be the section that you can rely
upon while learning the more specific styles of ballet and yoga.
Notes
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Chapter Number 5
Barre Burn
High intensity barre exercises
This section is designed to get the heart rate rising.
The theme can be used after the warm up and barre body section
when your classes are more advanced. Your Barre Fitness class
can be 100% BURN.
Include:
‣ Maximum lift via jumps
‣ Maximum speed
‣ Maximum ROM
‣ Maximum holds
We can include H.I.I.T here in order to change the theme of your
class - examples:
Tabata 20 second intervals for 8 rounds
50 second - 10 seconds
45 second - 15 seconds
40 seconds - 20 seconds
30 seconds - 30 seconds
Notes
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Chapter Number 6
Barre Bend
Stretch & Yoga on the barre
We are going to hit every part of the body in both ballet and Yoga themes. These stretches
can be used in the warm up, throughout each focus section and as a cool down.
alternatively your Barre Fitness class can be 100% BEND.
Basic Barre Stretches
Side Barre Support
These can be super challenging due to the leg being
lifted and rested on the barre. it is important that
this position does not compromise posture and
alignment.
Particularly appropriate for the more flexible
Facing the ballet barre
When facing the barre we have so much more support and can achieve much greater
ranges of motion.
Yoga on the Barre
We have a collection of traditional yoga postures and stretches. Each series creates a
simple sequence for you to teach straight away. These postures can be used , in the
conditioning focus section and as a cool down. Alternatively your Barre Fitness class
can be 100% YOGA.
Sequence 1
Sequence 2
Sequence 4
In this sequence we focus on
both full depth and height
making it an ideal inclusion in
your barre body and barre burn
sections
Sequence 5 - Advanced
For this sequence the barres must be fixed to
the wall. make sure that your class have
demonstrated that they are fully competent at
these exercises on the floor before you raise the
feet.
Balance postures and stretches
Moving forward
There is so much content here for you to construct a series of classes from basic to
advanced. I look forward to seeing you on future Barre Fitness courses and look out for
our DVD’s and downloads.
Massive thanks
To Alex Rees for sharing her content, her motivation and for being a constant source of
inspiration. I hope we do you proud. To our models Liz Hopkins and Di Leek (general all
round Goddess).
References
Relationship Between Hip External Rotation and Turnout Angle for the Five Classical
Ballet Positions
Coryleen B. Gilbert, MS, PT
Michael T. Gross, PhD, PT2
Kimberly B. Klug, BS, P T
