Scary or not, these fun halloween-themed leggings will get you into the holiday spirit.
Webs by Goldsheep
Price: $98
Ghost Emojis from Goldsheep
Price:$98
Candy Corn from Goldsheep
Price: $98
Bat Leggings from LaineyDesigns
Price: $69
Skull Star Power from Terez
Price: $78
You may have heard of The Lotte Berk Technique but who is the woman behind the workout? Lotte Berk, born Liselotte Heymansohn in Cologne, Germany is considered to be the originator of barre. She was a renowned European ballet dancer until she suffered a severe spinal injury.
After the accident, Lotte began working with an orthopedic surgeon. It was during her recovery that she designed a series of exercises to strengthen the spine and core to assist. After making a full recovery, Lotte Berk began sharing her method with others.
Even though Lotte trained as a modern dancer, her exercises are specially designed for non-dancers. She also incorporated use of floor and bar work into her routines.
In the early 70s, a woman named Lydia Bach opened The Lotte Berk Method in New York. Inspired by Lotte’s workout, Lydia purchased the rights to use her name in North America and opened studios in her name, first in Manhatten, followed by Bridgehampton, Los Angeles and eventually via franchise locations throughout Connecticut.
Burr Leonard was a student and eventual owner of those franchise locations throughout Connecticut. After a decade of teaching the Lotte Berk Method, she and her partner decided that the technique they were teaching had diverged so much from the original that they decided to branch out on their own and hence The Bar Method opened their flagship studio in 2000 in San Francisco.
Physique 57’s Jennifer Vaughan Maanavi and Tanya Becker were a teacher and student duo that met while Tanya was teaching at The Lotte Berk Method’s New York City studio. Saddened by the sudden closure of the studio, the pair decided to go into business together. Today you’ll see Lotte’s influence in Tanya’s choreography, which is set to energetic and motivating music. Tanya incorporated cardio, strength training and soothing stretches to the routine, which build off of the Lotte Berk technique she once taught.
The cover of Lydia Bach’s 1971 book about The Lotte Berk Method.
In some way or another, every modern barre class today has either been directly or indirectly influenced by Ms. Berk’s technique. The results that studios hope their clients achieve are really just the same as they were a few decades ago. The goal of a Lotte Berk class is to firm, lengthen and shape the muscles to their optimal form. Today’s classes use the foundation that Lotte created, with a few more gimmicks. Equipment like step-up platforms, straps and balls were never part of the original technique.
You’ll see Lotte’s influence manifest in many different forms in today’s classes. For instance, many franchises including Pure Barre do not allow their clients to wear midriff-baring tops. Exposed skin to cool air make the muscles more prone to injury. Lotte Berk was a big advocate for injury prevention since her methods were created to facilitate her own recovery.
Speaking of injury prevention, the popular “tuck” that we hear so often referred to in class, was simply a pelvic tilt in the early days. It was an exercise based on dance that was meant to protect the spine.
If you want the authentic experience, head to a studio that offers the closest thing to the original technique. If you find yourself in Hungerford, England, you can take a class at the studio owned by Lotte’s daughter, Esther Fairfax. If you happen to find yourself in Switzerland, take a class with Tina Graf, if you’re in the UK stop into Disco Barre Studio or if you’re in the United States, theLONDONmethod in California, LONDON BARRE in New York or Barre Bayou in Louisiana. The Good Barre also offers online classes.
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 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.
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.
Whenever I need a female empowerment anthem to get pumped up, I think of the Spice Girls with their girl power message or Beyonce’s fierceness. However, there are so many fun, female-focused songs by some kick ass women that should also be recognized.
Get the full playlist here:
Spice Girls – Never Give Up On The Good Times
Let’s start with the pop group who rose to fame on the idea of girl power, the Spice Girls. Though Never Give Up On The Good Times might not be the quintessential anthem about female empowerment, it is a fun one that will get you pumped up before or at your next workout.
Beyonce – Run the World (Girls)
This song might be the most appropriate song for this list. I just love the lyric about women being strong enough to bear children and then getting back to business.
The Pussycat Dolls – I Don’t Need A Man
This is a song about not needing a man for happiness and we love it. Sing it ladies!
Destiny’s Child – Independent Women
Destiny’s Child were known for empowering women but perhaps their best known female anthem was the millennium hit that came from the soundtrack for Charlie’s Angels.
Britney Spears – Stronger
Brit’s songs in the early 2000s were generally more about relationships than girl power but this song told girls to stand on their own two feet and that’s why we think it should be included in the list.
Meghan Trainor – No
We love this song for telling women that you can tell men to take a hike and that’s why we think it should be included on this list.
Katy Perry – Roar
Of the many female-focused hits in Katy’s discography we could have included, Roar stands above the rest as a real uplifting song. Special shout out to the song Firework which could have easily been substituted for Roar on this list.
Christina Aguilera – Fighter
Christina gets us into fighting form with this 2002 hit.
Demi Lovato – Confident
Demi came back onto the scene in 2015 with a vengeance with the release of her appropriately titled album Confident. Her most empowering track is of the same name.
Aretha Franklin – Respect
We can’t not include this classic from the queen of gospel, Ms. Aretha Franklin. The timeless hit still holds up today.
Rachel Platten – Fight Song
There’s a reason why Hilary Clinton chose this song as her campaign theme song. Though she didn’t win the election, we still enjoyed hearing it at her rallies.
Kelly Clarkson – Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)
We love this rockin’ anthem from Kelly Clarkson off of her 5th studio album, also of the same name.
Gloria Gaynor – I Will Survive
A classic girl power disco anthem. We love this song for its lyrics just as much as it gets us dancing.
Taylor Swift – Shake It Off
Taylor says it best in this song about confidence, just shake it off.
Shania Twain – Man! I Feel Like A Woman
This Shania classic might have been our go-to pre-drinking anthem but it also works as a good song to get pumped up to during a workout.
Hailee Steinfeld – Love Myself
We couldn’t agree more Hailee, love yourself before anyone else.
Eurythmics, Aretha Franklin – Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves
Annie Lennox’s feminist hit is made even more powerful with help from the gospel queen, Aretha Franklin on the track.
Fifth Harmony – BO$$ (BOSS)
The sassy lyrics in this song make us want to earn “Oprah dollars” too!
Nadia Walker Arnold is one half of the pair that founded Barre Forte in 2012. Back then it was known as Body Barre before a rebranding took place in 2014. Today the company offers nearly a dozen different barre-related classes at their six studios across Colorado, Kansas and Florida. Barre Forte also offers teacher training recognized by the American Council on Exercise and the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. Entrepreneurially-minded people who love the brand and who are looking to open their own studio might be interested in Barre Forte’s licensing opportunities.
Barre Forte Founder & Partner Nadia Walker Arnold
What were you doing before you opened up your first studio?
I was a hairstylist and a private investigator.
When did you first know that you wanted to create this business?
After my first barre class.
What attracted you to opening up your own business?
I just knew that I wanted to expand on barre and open a studio that represented and captured who I am.
What do you love most about being a business owner?
I love my clients and the close family feel that Barre Forte encompasses.
What was the biggest obstacle or challenge with launching the business?
Location, location, location. Trying to be in the perfect area for our target demographic.
What do you love most about barre?
I love the fact that it’s new and ever changing. Not a single class is the same and it never gets easy.
What do you hope clients get out of a class?
The feeling of accomplishment and addiction to the burn.
How does the vibe at your studio differ from other studio cultures?
We are very up beat, we tend to push the limits. All of our music is mixed in house so that allows for an edgier feel. We also encompass community! Treating every client like family, not just another member.
What do you usually play in your studio?
We have every type of music imaginable. From big band to country to remixed remixes!
You currently have six studios in three different states. Where would you ideally like to see your business expand to? Do you have certain locations in mind?
I would love to be in the south, Canada and the Midwest to start.
What do you think the fitness industry will look like in the next 5 years?
Good question, I feel like it is always changing, new trends are introduced but I feel like the benefits of barre are here to stay. At least I hope!
Anything else you would want people to know about you or your business?
We offer a 2-day certification that is recognized through ACE, AFAA, and NASM. We host in Colorado as well as travel to other states that need us.
We have a great licensing program and hope to find other awesome women to fall in love with our brand and want to open a studio of their own.
We may be nearing the end of summer but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still time to enjoy these super delicious mixed berry frozen yogurt pops. The recipe is super simple and can be customized with different ingredients to your liking. I personally like using mixed berries in the summer when they are in season. Try swapping berries for peaches, bananas or other fruit you desire.
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
Directions:
Tips:
The number of servings will vary depending on the size of the pops.
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