I had heard really good things about Pure Empower from the instructors at my local Pure Barre studio, so I was excited to give it a try when it launched in mid-August, especially since I had never had a chance to try the Platform class that Pure Barre used to offer. Pure Empower is 45 minutes of heart-pumping intervals that has you working at a quick pace but still targeting all the same muscle groups and giving you the same Pure Barre burn you’ve come to know and love.
According to the class description, Pure Empower is a high-intensity, low impact, full body workout that combines strength training with cardio-centric circuits.
When I arrived, the instructor went over the framework of the class and pointed out the differences from a classic barre class. The most obvious difference is the use of a 6-inch plyometric step-up platform and ankle weights. Those ankle weights are no joke. They add next level intensity to the workout.
The Format
The class comes with the same high-intensity, low-impact goodness you can expect in a classic PB class and follows a similar format minus the ab work against the wall.
The warmup started off easy enough with some nice gentle stretching but before I knew it we were already ankle weight deep into cardio circuits. A few mountain climbers later, I was already breaking a sweat and wishing I had brought a towel.
Even though it’s a cardio-centric class you won’t be able to avoid all those gruelling floor exercises like planks and v-sits. You can also expect lots of lunging activity. There were curtsy lunges and lunges of the old fashioned variety but to make it more interesting they throw in the platform to lunge from to test your balance. Speaking of the platform, it acts as a nice accessory for push-ups, mountain climbers and other fun floor exercises.
Conclusion
If you have never been to Pure Barre before I would recommend trying a classic Pure Barre class, before you try Pure Empower. The reason being is because the class is only 45 minutes and you move through the sequences quickly. Though this gives you more opportunities to sweat, it might be easier to learn the fundamentals at a less intense pace.
Overall I found the class to be a nice compliment to the classic Pure Barre class. It’s a class I could see myself enjoying every third or fourth PB class.
Have you tried Pure Empower? What did you think? Leave a comment below.
I want to try pure empower! Thanks for the info
Empower is SO awesome!
Empower is terrible for people with lower body injuries. Especially the groin. Definitely going to be sticking to the classic barre class.
I try and squeeze in 2 Empower classes each week for the cardio; I strongly believe it’s a nice compliment to Pure Barre classic.
I’m trying my first composer class this Saturday! I’m pumped about it!