Combining elements of ballet, yoga, pilates, and strength training, barre is all about tiny movements, tonnes of reps, and time under tension until you're literally trembling. The result? A seriously svelte body that's been sculpted using little more than a horizontal handrail, and perhaps a few small pilates accessories. Consider us sold!
A method first developed in the late 1950s by German ballet dancer, Lotte Berk, barre shot to fame in the 1960s largely thanks to the endorsement of Hollywood stars like Jane Fonda and Shirley MacLaine. Nowadays, it's reportedly loved by a slew of Victoria's Secret models, as well as A-listers like Jennifer Aniston, Dakota Fanning, and Natalie Portman, who famously used barre workouts to achieve her 'ballerina body' for her role in Black Swan. But it's by no means a style of exercise reserved solely for the celebs.
