If you want the long, lean limbs and sculpted body of a ballerina (but don’t have the co-ordination of a dancer or the desire to wear a tuu) then barre is the workout for you. The classes use small holds and isometric movements to tone your bod and improve your posture. They may seem like simple moves but you really do feel the burn, and you get results pretty damn quickly too. Fancy flexing your muscles? These are the best barre classes to try.
Check out our recs on the best HIIT, spin, pilates, boxing, weights and yoga classes too.
Barrecore
Barrecore is probably the premier barre studio in town, thanks to its signature method of interval training applied to each major muscle group. As well as a warm up and stretching throughout, the classes have sections for the thighs, the seat and the abs – it’s like legs, bums and tums on steroids.
Chelsea, Mayfair, Wimbledon, Chiswick, Kensington, Hampstead, Moorgate, Wandsworth, Notting Hill, Islington
barrecore.co.uk
The Refinery
This Hackney studio is putting the boogie in barre with its Disco Barre class; the moves are intense and the playlist is banging. There are also a range of combo classes on offer, like Box & Burn, which involves light weights and bands as well as boxing movements, and Barre + Body Conditioning, which adds pilates into the mix.
Hackney
therefinerye9.com
Define London
Created by former Broadway performer Ashley Verma, Define does New York-style barre. And what exactly is that? Well it’s amped up – that means music, energy and non-stop body burning, with classes incorporating balance balls and gliders. And once you’ve experienced it in the studio, there are online vids available for you to practice at home.
Fitzrovia
define.london
Fly LDN
With a motto of ‘Good Vibes Only’ FLY LDN asks you to leave your ego at the door and is one of the few studios in London that has a no bullshit policy. As well as yoga classes they also have pretty mega barre classes on offer too. With the class centring around the playlist, they combine dance, pilates and yoga to create a low impact yet high results 45-minute workout. Classes at FLY are £20 but you can bag yourself your first class for only a tenner.
Aldgate
flyldn.co.uk
Barre at POPfit
Based in London Fields, POPfit is a boutique fitness studio that is also home to the UK’s first ever Fabletics store, allowing you to try on clothes pre/post class. Similar to the other classes at POPfit, barre is powered by a pop playlist, which will have you struggling not to sing along. Barre at POPfit is everything you’d expect from a barre class and will push you to your limits focusing on your arms, legs and abs. First timers can bag unlimited classes for one month for only £50 too!
London Fields
wearepopfit.com
