Being a fitness instructor is a rewarding job, whether it’s barre, OrangeTheory or F45. While every instructor has their own unique style, I can say a few things are certain for every fitness instructor: We love our clients, we love, and try to lead, a healthy lifestyle and we always want to be seen as a good barre instructor.
What I’ve learned about being a barre instructor
I have been a barre instructor for four years now. By no means do I think I have it all figured out, because I certainly don’t! However, I’ve learned many lessons about being a good and a bad barre instructor.
Below I use my own experiences to explain my opinions on being a barre instructor at different types of workout facilities. I list pros and cons to the four different facilities I instructed or currently instruct at.
I first started taking barre classes at a boutique barre studio while I was in college. Eventually, I fell in love with the exercise program and was asked if I would like to be an instructor, which of course I accepted the offer! I soon learned how much I enjoyed instructing barre.
Pros of the boutique studio:
Freedom to teach whatever you would like that day.
I would get my workout in as I taught.
It was a beautiful set-up, one of the most beautiful studios I’ve ever seen.
Cons of the boutique studio:
Since I didn’t have a format (such as how many sets of thigh or abdominal work to teach this day), I would sometimes have 20 minutes left of class and not know what to teach next. There wasn’t a balance or structure to the classes so you never knew what exactly you would do more of in a class (legs or arms for example).
I taught and took the entire class. Since this is what all the instructors did, I thought this was normal. Personally, I feel when you’re performing the entire workout with the class you can’t focus on your client’s form and correct as needed. Tip: I would definitely demonstrate complex exercise moves but not the entire time.
When you’re a boutique studio, I saw there was a struggle with helping get the word out. Not everyone knew what barre was or what type of exercise studio this facility was.
After I graduated college, I wanted to continue my love for teaching barre so I enrolled in a barre certification class, Barre Intensity. It was informative and had a great format! Once I completed the in-person training, I sent in my video online to complete the certification. Once I was certified, I then taught this method at a country club and yoga studio.
Pros of the country club:
I was paid really well. 40$ a class.
I had a great mentor/supervisor who had been teaching pilates and barre for a long time.
The class times I taught worked great with my schedule.
Cons of the country club:
I never knew who or how many people I would have prior to class. Most studios use MindBody as a way for people to sign up for class. Most country clubs or large gyms do not use this.
Some clients didn’t care about the form. In country clubs and large gyms, people usually want to get their sweat on fast and easy, and that is completely fine but for barre it’s tricky because it takes time to learn the form and moves. There would be times where I would try to correct a client’s form and they would walk out!
Pros of the yoga studio:
I loved the instructors and owners I worked with.
I enjoyed all the classes the studio offered.
I made wonderful relationships.
Cons of the yoga studio:
The clientele wasn’t there for barre so we had a hard time building up a demand for barre classes. Since it was known as a yoga studio, people went there for yoga not barre. Note: I still teach a barre class with one or two clients, but I love having a full class because I feed off of my class’s energy.
I was paid per head. This means that I would get paid a base then for every three to five clients I bring in over a certain amount… I would get paid an extra amount. For example, I was paid a base of 15$ an hour but for every person over 10 people in the class I would get an extra 2$ per head. This was difficult when people weren’t there for barre. Additionally, I feel this creates a competitive nature among instructors instead of a team environment.
After realizing I wanted to instruct solely for a barre studio, I did some research to see what was in my area. I found The Dailey Method Indianapolis, a barre and cycle studio. This studio is a franchise, meaning there is more than one studio. Right away, I was hooked on the workout. I contacted the owners to see if they needed instructors and luckily for me, they were!
I have been a Dailey Method instructor since 2018 and I love everything about it–the workout format, the clients, the instructors and the owners!
If I were to list a con, I would make note that if you do instruct for a franchise such as, The Dailey Method, typically you have to sign a non-compete agreement. Some studios are more strict than others (I don’t think we are strict), but this can limit how many studios you could potentially instruct at.
How to be a good barre instructor
Every instructor cares about their clients (at least I hope so!!). As an instructor, I want to make meaningful relationships with all my clients. I want to learn about their fitness goals, the challenges they face with barre and on a personal level, about their family and life.
From a client and barre instructor perspective, I expect the following from the instructor when taking any fitness class. I feel these make instructors experienced and good at what they do.
Modifications. How can I make an exercise less intense or how can I do this specific exercise in a way that doesn’t hurt an injured body part? Or maybe you are just super sore and need to scale a move back for a few reps. I personally like when instructors begin an exercise as the modification and make the move harder from there.
Motivational. If I had a bad day and don’t think I can push myself at the gym, I want someone else to do that for me. I want to get my money’s worth!
A format/outline. When I try a barre class or any fitness class, as an instructor, I can pick up on the format of the class pretty quickly. While I do love innovation with certain exercise moves, for the most part, I want the workout format I know I signed up for.
Being Human. I think this gets overlooked a lot. I enjoy when my instructor uses her own personal experience to explain a move or uses her humor to correct a word she messed up. For example, I tell my clients often how tight my hamstrings are so there is no one I could do this move I’m about to make them all do. I think it’s important for clients to realize that your instructor is learning and growing in their barre journey just like you. We are human and make mistakes too! The other day I meant to say “lead with your chest..” when I actually said “lead with your breasts!” My clients laughed it off with me.
I would love to hear your feedback! Again, these are my own opinions and thoughts. Everyone is unique and has a different view on what makes an instructor good or bad.
Barre terminology may, at times, seem like a foreign language, especially when you’re a barre beginner.
Each barre class is not the same at every studio; neither are the barre terms. Universally, I’ve noticed one word remains the same in just about every barre studio: tuck. A tuck is a movement in which you tilt your pelvic bone under while your pubic bone makes an upward tilt towards the bottom of your ribs. A tuck engages your glutes, lower abdominals, and depending on what position you are in, it can engage your quadriceps and hamstrings.
Below is a list of barre terms and definitions you may hear at one or more studios.
Barre Positions
Plié / Wide turned out
A movement in which you bend the knees and straighten them again. The feet are in a turned-out position while you are in a wide stance.
First position / Narrow V / Athletic V
You are standing on the floor with your heels touching and your toes apart. If you gaze down, your feet should make a ‘V’ shape.
Second position / Turned out squat
Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder distance and turn your toes out slightly on a diagonal.
Parallel
A stance where the feet look like the number 11. Usually, the feet are placed together or hip-width apart.
Parallel squat
Place your feet directly under your hips with your feet and knees facing forward.
Pretzel (sitting position)
This may be done at the barre or on the ground. This is a more complicated barre move. On the ground, start with one leg in front and one leg back. Place your front shin in line with the mat or baseboard and keep your back leg slightly behind the hip.
Demonstrating the seated and standing pretzel position. Photo: Ashley M. Location: The Dailey Method Indianapolis
Back Dancing
This is when you lay on the floor with your feet pressing into the ground. As you press your feet into the floor, lift your hips up towards the ceiling while squeezing your glutes.
Ashley demonstrates back dancing. Photo: Ashley M. Location: The Dailey Method Indianapolis
Chair pose (generic version)
A position in which a person pulls off the barre as they sit in a chair as if it were really there. Your knees should track over your ankles while your hips stay in line with your knees. Your hips stay underneath your shoulders. Your shins face forward.
Chair position. Photo: Ashley M. Location: The Dailey Method Indianapolis
High C-curve
This is a movement in which you create a ‘c’ shape with your spine. Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your hands gripping your hamstrings; press your feet into the ground as you start to round down one vertebra at a time. Tip your hips and try to touch your tailbone to the ground.
Ashley demonstrates the high c-curve position. Photo: Ashley M. Location: The Dailey Method Indianapolis
Prone
A position in which you are lying face down. Typically, you will work on strengthening the back body in this position.
Extension / Foldover / Flat back foldover
This is a position where you pull off the barre (fold over the barre) and lift one leg. Keep the leg in line or under the hip. You will maintain a neutral spine but square off your shoulders and hips.
Ashley demonstrates a foldover with an extension. Photo: Ashley M. Location: The Dailey Method Indianapolis
Barre Categories
Seat work
This is when you will perform exercises designed to focus on the hamstrings and glutes area.
Thigh work
This is when you will perform exercises designed to focus on the quadriceps.
Ashley demonstrates thigh dancing which is an exercise that works the top of the thighs. Photo: Ashley M. Location: The Dailey Method Indianapolis
Flat back on the floor or wall
Abdominal work either performed with a neutral spine on the ground or at the wall.
Ashley demonstrates flat back at the wall. Photo: Ashley M. Location: The Dailey Method Indianapolis
Neutral spine
A position held with the back perfectly in line from the tailbone to the spine to the neck and head.
Round back
A position in which the spine is curved, a flexion position.
Barre Terms / Phrases
Burn
When the muscles are about to fatigue and you begin shaking. Instructors may say something similar to “find that burn” or “find that shake”.
Pulse
A movement typically done to the beat of the music with a very small range of motion. It’s similar to when an instructor says “down-an-inch then up-an-inch”.
Relevé
The word is used to instruct you to lift your heel off the ground.
Point / flex
A point is when you extend your toes away from your shin. The idea is to lengthen your muscles and reach with your toes. A flex position is when you pull your toes up towards your shin giving you a calf and hamstring stretch.
Bend stretch
A tiny quiver in the joint followed immediately by an extension and contraction of the muscle being worked.
Down-an-inch-up-an-inch
A one-inch range of movement in a slow, controlled motion. Slightly larger than a pulse, smaller than a full range of motion.
Heavy tailbone
A position that is held by engaging the core and bringing the spine to neutral, creating a straight line from the head to the tailbone.
Hold / Isometric movement
A movement held in its deepest, tightest, lowest position to achieve isometric contraction. May be used with down hold, lift hold, squeeze hold, circle hold, etc.
Low impact
A low impact exercise that keeps at least one foot on the ground at all times.
Pelvic floor
The pelvic floor consists of the deepest muscles of the pelvis located between the two sitz bones from side to side and between the bases of the sacrum posteriorly and the pubic bone anteriorly.
Pressback
Typically refers to a movement of the knees backward while keeping a heavy tailbone position. The two motions create the opposing forces at work to lean and tone the muscles.
Shake
A movement in which your muscles start to quiver because of the difficulty of the position.
Stall barre
A piece of equipment used for corrective and strengthening exercises. It is secured to a wall and people typically hold at the very top of it and hang down.
While there are a variety of barre terms not mentioned, I feel these are the most confusing when trying a barre class your first time. Additionally, the exercises and phrases may be used interchangeably.
About the Author
Ashley fell in love with barre while in college. After taking classes for a year, the owner asked Ashley if she would like to be a barre instructor and the rest is history! After Ashley graduated, she decided to continue her love for instructing barre at a variety of studios around Indiana. Ashley is a current barre instructor at The Dailey Method Indianapolis. Ashley has a passion for helping others find or continue their fitness journey, and she enjoys the friendships she makes along the way.
Jill Dailey of The Dailey Method pictured here in a Dailey Method studio. Image courtesy of instagram.com/daileymethod
How did Jill Dailey of The Dailey Method manage to grow her namesake workout into a more than 50-studio franchise across four countries? The Barre Blog had the chance to dig into TDM’s history with its founder and creator, and to talk all things barre.
If you’re not familiar with The Dailey Method, their focus is on alignment and form and is designed to deliver a balanced, full-body workout resulting in a high-calorie burn.
Among their barre class offerings are a signature Dailey Barre class, a cardio-infused Dailey Interval class, a basics class appropriately called Dailey Barre Basics, and a fast-paced Dailey Fusion class among many others. They’ve also launched an on-demand service for anyone to access their classes online.
Image courtesy of instagram.com/daileymethod
Our Interview With Jill Dailey
You’ve built quite a following since you first opened the doors to your Marina District studio in San Francisco. In the early days did you ever think that your workout had the potential to turn into an international exercise phenomenon?
No idea! Really my intention was just to have my own little fitness studio and run that, I never expected it to go big… franchising, expanding was not really my drive. Mine was just teaching classes which is still what I love to do the most… is teach the classes and teach teachers.
I got a lot of women coming and taking my classes that wanted studios of their own, saying “I love this community, I love what you offer, I want to have this in my neighborhood, I want to have this in my town,” and it really just organically grew from that.
Image courtesy of instagram.com/daileymethod
When you started your business, the barre scene must have been almost non-existent in the Bay Area.
I was the first barre studio on the west coast. There was really nothing. I got it from going to New York and taking Lotte Berk classes, so that was really where I was inspired. I was a pilates teacher so I started incorporating a lot of Lotte Berk’s moves into my pilates training and then realized I liked that better.
Taking classes at the Lotte Berk Method in New York must have meant you had some pretty famous classmates since there have been many studios and spawns to have come out of that method like Physique 57, Exhale, The Bar Method and others. How would you say your method differs from those other franchises?
I think that our focus on alignment and always really analyzing the body and letting the method evolve based on making it better for people is a little unique. We have alignment principles, we have a very intense teacher training program, we format our classes with a reason. Anytime you say “why do you do that before that?” I’ll be able to tell you because we really looked at your physiology and understand what people’s needs are. I feel like it can take on a little bit more of a rehabilitative [practice]. We don’t do anything in our classes that we don’t think is a functional movement.
Image courtesy of instagram.com/daileymethodboulder
Do you have any interesting stories from your days in New York?
I had a client who was from New York who loved the Lotte Berk Method. A couple of times she flew me out there to take classes so that I could train her. I went out there a couple of times. I did spend a week with a woman who owned a studio in Larchmont [New York], Debbie Frank, she owned a studio there, she was an ex-Lotte Berk teacher. I was introduced to her and spent a week with her, learning her systems and all of that before I opened.
So you had a personal training business before you started this —
It was mostly pilates is what I did. I did pilates and personal training.
From what I understand, you brought some of those clients over [to your first studio]. How did you convince your early day’s clientele to try a class when they may not have even known what the barre workout was all about?
I had quite a few clients but when you’re doing personal training versus what you need to do to pack a room it’s totally different. I think the ones who were working with me who came over knew what I was doing because I was training them in a similar way. Oddly not a lot of them came with me because if you’re someone who wants a personal trainer to come to your house or you’re going to go workout one-on-one with somebody you don’t generally then just go take classes, it’s a different mindset. It was almost all word of mouth like I remember doing a whole bunch of mailers 19 years ago, like postcard mailers, I maybe got a school mailing list or something [laughter] and mailed those out, but it was just word of mouth. I was packed from the minute I opened my doors. In the beginning, it was like people really want this and people need it and it was an awesome reception.
How do you think barre has evolved since then? There are so many companies that are coming up now, so would you say it’s changed at all since you started?
My barre has changed for sure. I would love to have a video of myself teaching class 19 years ago versus the way I teach it now. I think a lot more knowledge has come into it, I mean obviously, the fact that it’s still around and it continues to grow shows that it’s something that’s a very valid method that really works. I mean there’s just so many different barre studios now [laughter]. When I opened it was Lotte Berk and then The Lotte Berk Method moved into The Bar Method. When their 10-year licensing agreement finished they moved three blocks away from me in Cow Hollow. There wasn’t a barre [studio] anywhere and then there were two barre studios right here. You walk around downtown San Francisco now and there’s a barre or pilates studio on every single street.
..and now they’re also incorporating barre into pilates studios, yoga studios as well, so you have that to compete with…
I feel like a lot of places do that, but one of the things about barre is people really love it and they make it their practice so they want to do it almost every day. When it’s in a gym they don’t really have that capacity to take…you know I have 8-15 classes a day on my schedule. That gives you a lot of freedom. When you go to a gym, they have barre, they have pilates but they have it three times a week. You have to be very specific about when you can go.
Part of your offering is also Cycle.
It is. We have a Dailey Cycle component. It’s generally 40 minutes on the bike, and it’s really alignment-based, so we talk a lot while you’re riding, how you should be riding, how you should be sitting. Then it’s 20 minutes of arm work, stretching and core work so you’re still getting that full-body workout.
How did you decide to incorporate that type of exercise, was it to compliment the barre classes?
It actually really was the brainchild of a studio owner in Illinois. Their clientele likes to work out really, really hard, so she really wanted to have a cycle component but have it work with the barre. I let her test it and it worked great, and then others wanted it too.
Do you think that there isn’t enough cardio in a barre class alone, that you do need that added component?
I don’t, personally. I took an interval class yesterday morning and I guarantee you my heart rate went way up. A lot of studies show that cardiovascular strength isn’t as important as the muscular strength and the foundation of your skeleton and all of that. As long as you eat well, don’t smoke and don’t stress your heart out unless it’s genetic, doing work that actually works the muscles gives you more benefit than doing a bunch of cardiovascular work. Cardiovascular work just makes people feel good, it’s the endorphins. But I personally feel better during a barre class, than I do a cycle class. I do it but it’s definitely not my favourite.
What can people expect when they walk through the doors of a Dailey Method studio?
I hope the first thing they get is a big smile from somebody. That’s a big part of having a welcoming community and having a place where you come in and you feel seen and you feel safe. In general, I think that The Dailey Method studios are really friendly and welcoming. Generally, you check-in at the front desk, somebody will show you where the mats are, where the weights are and you wait for class to start. We try to get you up by the mirrors so you can see your body when you’re exercising but a lot of times if you’re a brand new person you like to hide in the way back corner. I know I do that when I go to classes that I’m intimidated by. I think generally it’s a very positive experience and supportive.
How would you say the culture/vibe differs from your competition?
I could say even within The Dailey Method there’s a different vibe in different studios, which I think is so much of the intrigue of the boutique studio business. You have an owner, so that studio takes on the personality or the life or the energy of the owner. If you’re someone who is really hard, you’re going to attract a whole bunch of people who are really intense and like to work out really hard. If you’re really open and playful and really just believe in alignment and teaching the best class possible, that’s going to show through in your studio and I hope that’s what shows through in mine.
Speaking of owners, what do you typically look for in owners?
Because this started so organically, and it was so long ago, it was all about the product. We didn’t have to do a lot of marketing or social media when we first opened. I worked and worked and worked on the product, and I still do, I’m always making the product better.
It really drew people that appreciated that and fell in love with that. Owners, in the beginning, were really people that were good at the method. They were good at performing it, at teaching it, they had the personalities. It was really just about, can you deliver this? Because if you can deliver this, I’ll let you be a studio owner.
It worked for a while but as times have changed you have to have somebody that is also business savvy. All these women would open studios with no business background, no idea how to run a studio and they were fine but now you have tonnes of competition and you have to market it and you have to work on your sales pitch and all of that, it’s a different animal.
Now I really have to find that combination of someone who has both capabilities, or who has a partner, because I don’t allow someone to own a studio that doesn’t teach the method. One person could but within that partnership one of them has to be the face of their studio. I’m very protective of the product.
So going forward how do you see The Dailey Method evolving? Are you thinking of introducing new classes, are you looking at expansion?
We’re always doing a slow expansion and again I really go based on the individuals versus getting out there and opening up a whole bunch [of studios]. It’s finding the people who love The Dailey Method and supporting them having a studio themselves. We have an online product now, and we’re spending a lot of time and energy on that, to get more exposure and have it available to more people.
It seems that’s the way a lot of companies are going…
It’s just this day and age. We have a basics of barre certification that you can get continuing education credits for and am planning on putting that online. That’s supporting our owners to help train their teachers so they don’t have to do it all themselves. They have a platform to get them 10 of the hours there, 10 out of the 15.
Do you think the barre workout has staying power?
I think so. I don’t see how it can’t. It’s been around for so long and people love it. One of my studios just had its 16th anniversary and there were five women in the room that have been coming to me since we’ve been open.
I think one of them had just gotten married and now she has three kids and one of them her kids had just left the house and now she is 75.
It works for them, they don’t get injured, and if they are injured they can come in and rehab themselves. I know that there are a lot of fitness fads and I like to go try them out too but this is based on this is actually safe for you. It’s going to make you feel good in your body.
I definitely think it has staying power. I can’t see it going away anytime soon.
I know not every studio has the cycle component but it’s nice to have that component because it makes it more of an appealing membership if you have both options.
In regards to adding other formats, no. We have a really good range of barre classes. We offer Dailey Gentle which is very, very fundamental, functional movement based around a barre class but super slow.
I’ve had people coming back from injury, with broken knees come in. For people who are older or who might feel intimidated then we have a basics class that is kind of like the next step up.
Then we have Dailey Barre, then we have a fusion class which is barre and interval combined and then we have our interval. So we have a lot of formats but they’re all based on the same alignment principles.
You’d be comfortable in any one of those classes if you take the regular barre class because we’re using the same names, doing the same movements, it’s just whether we’re doing them at a quicker tempo or more repetitions.
It gives people some variety in the type of classes they can take —
Yeah, but it’s like I’m not going to start jumping rope. [Laughter.]
Right, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
Exactly.
Okay, so now I want to ask you some fun, rapid-fire questions…
What’s your favourite barre exercise?
Standing parallel seat work.
Planks or push-ups?
Planks, always!
Favourite time of day to take a class?
8:30 am
Favourite barre prop?
Definitely the circular band. It’s one we just added.
Favourite post-class activity?
Either taking my dog on a hike or depending on the time of the day going out and having a drink with a friend.
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