A Review of Pure Barre’s Stretch and Restore Class

There’s no doubt that stretch and restore classes are rising in popularity as clients look for ways to recover from active workouts.

Pure Barre, the largest barre franchise on the globe has introduced a new class format. Though not technically an official class format just yet, the class is being added to some schedules as an intensive. Intensive classes are occasional classes that focus on one area of the body like the seat, thighs, arms etc. It’s still uncertain if this will remain an occasional intensive or join the list of permanent class offerings including Classic, Reform, Empower and Foundations.

I wanted more insight so I went right to the source. According to Pure Barre‘s VP of Training & Technique, Katelyn DiGiorgio, they have received “incredible feedback from members on the new format” and “studios will continue to grow the availability of the offering.”

Photo courtesy of Pure Barre.

What is Stretch and Restore in a Nutshell?

Pure Barre’s new intensive offering is held every month among a variety of intensives in addition to their core class formats – Classic, Reform, Empower and Foundations. It will be held a few times each month in studio. When I tried it, I did the virtual livestream option.

Despite the class name, this class is no walk in the park. Described as a class that combines sequences of flexibility and strength training, this intensive is meant to both stretch and engage the muscles in a full-body flow. Similar to other Pure Barre class formats, Stretch and Restore will have you testing your balance while improving your strength.

Why did Pure Barre start offering this class? According to Katelyn, “our Intensive offerings allow us to get creative and narrow the intention of a workout, so we decided to create an Intensive offering with a heavier focus on stretching to help clients work on flexibility in a varied and additional way at our studios.”

What to Expect in a Stretch and Restore Class?

Before taking this class, I thought maybe it would be an extended version of the nice stretching sections that are part of the Classic class. I didn’t expect there to be a significant amount of core work and for the class to move at a quick pace. It was a nice complement to other Pure Barre class formats.

If you’ve ever taken a Vinyasa Yoga class before, you know that you move through sequences at a fast pace. In Stretch and Restore there were a few fluid sections where we would flow through a series of exercises to test our balance and coordination while working on strengthening and toning muscles. Think downward dog into a hover plank and back to a downward dog again.

As far as equipment goes, you will typically be given a double tube, Reform tubes, and one of their Pilates balls. Equipment might vary by class.

The class began with a nice easy warmup with hands to the ceiling and light stretching. This is far different than a Classic class which has an active start with marching on the spot, which is intended to raise your heart rate. A nice calm start is welcome on occasion, so I appreciated that we weren’t jumping into the deep end right away.

This was followed up with active stretching. Soon we were already in a plank position doing pushups and mountain climbers on the floor.

We used the tube for added resistance as we flowed through some standing stretches. This section was very yoga-influenced.

After this series of stretches, we headed to the barre. The barre assisted us in quad stretching as we pulled off the barre to stretch and flowed through some additional active stretches.

Near the end of class, the tube was brought out to assist in some floor stretching including a nice happy baby moment. The class concluded by lying on our backs with our eyes closed. A nice way to cool down at the end of the workout.

Photo courtesy of Pure Barre

Have you tried the class before? What did you think? Leave a comment below.

Haven’t tried it yet? Pure Barre is offering readers of The Barre Blog a Free Barre Intro Class at participating studios. Visit this link for more details.