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Barre and Pilates are both widely renowned for their low-impact yet super effective training styles, responsible for lengthening and strengthening bodies including the likes of Jessica Alba, Miranda Kerr and Miley Cyrus. But while we often lump them together under the same umbrella, they’re actually quite different from each other. So what are the differences between barre and Pilates, and which should you be adding to your regular workout routine?
Barre puts your body’s aerobic fitness and cardiovascular system to the test, using small, intense movements to fatigue in a dynamic, high-intensity style workout. Combining movements from ballet, yoga, and some elements of Pilates, barre workouts are designed to increase your full body strength in a sweaty, fun workout.
Expect to see movements like ballet squats, curtseys, pliés, lunges and arabesque, all of which are targeting and challenging your muscles until you feel the burn (and then a little further…). This style of workout incorporates a lot of ballet movements, making it an excellent addition to your workout routine if you’re looking to improve your flexibility, mobility, and overall functional movement patterns.
Barre capitalises on small, defined isometric movements using very light dumbbells or bodyweight to tone and fatigue your entire body from head-to-toe. While you’ll often use the barre itself for stability or as a prop, barre classes also incorporate equipment like resistance bands, sliders, ankle weights and exercise balls.
Barre not only improves your full range of motion and your posture, but it also reduces your risk of injury too.
But be warned… Expect to leave a barre workout feeling all kinds of sore, at least until your body adapts. The heavy focus on your glutes, hamstrings, calves and core will help you see results, but you’ll pay the price in terms of sore muscles.
Pilates focuses more on strength than aerobic fitness, making it significantly different to barre right from the get-go. Alternating between small and large muscle groups, Pilates focuses on core strength, stability and flexibility.
Pilates can be performed either on a mat, or on specialised Pilates equipment - most commonly the Reformer machine, which adds an element of challenge and difficulty to standard Pilates movements. You’ll often begin a Pilates class lying down, activating key muscles, before progressing to challenge the body with stretching and strengthening movements, many of which emphasise core strength and pelvic floor control.
During a class, you’ll stretch your entire body - the front, sides and back - with exercises designed to lengthen your muscles and limbs, as they simultaneously tone and strengthen. By focusing on your deep stabilising muscles, you’ll experience improved posture, better functional movement patterns in daily movement and in other forms of training, and significantly improved mobility and balance. Again, Pilates can help reduce your risk of injury.
Classes often involve movements like 100s, planks, bird dogs and lunges, regularly incorporating resistance bands and Pilates rings for added challenge. While it’s not an aerobic style of training, you’ll definitely work up a sweat performing particular moves - especially when jumpboards are introduced to your Reformer classes! Reformer classes are generally considered more challenging than mat pilates, though rest assured you’ll get a bang for your buck regardless.
Compared to barre, Pilates uses fewer, more controlled repetitions emphasising correct form and mind-muscle control, instead of elevating your heart rate and making you sweat.
So now you know what each training style centres around, how do they compare?
There are a few similarities between the two - particularly the fact they both rely on body weight or very light weighted movements and small props to strengthen and work your full body.
You’ll also see some movements, such as lunges, planks and core movements, appear in both styles of training. Both are considered low-impact training styles, aiming to challenge your body while reducing your risk of injury and improving stability, mobility and posture, leading to improved performance and movement in everyday life and in your other workouts.
Both styles also incorporate lots of isometric work, challenging your muscles in a very different way to other forms of training. This means that, instead of moving your muscles forwards and backwards like you would in an exercise like a squat, you instead hold the muscles stationary in a contracted position (like a squat hold or pulse), so they’re under tension and stress even while you’re not moving. It’s a whole different way of strengthening and challenging your endurance.
And most importantly, they’re both super effective. Expect lengthening, strengthening and improved range of motion, as you pulse your way to superior results.
As mentioned, barre challenges the aerobic systems in your body, while Pilates targets the anaerobic systems, focusing more on strength and low intensity movements.
Barre tends to isolate smaller body parts using small, repetitive movements and pulses, while Pilates works the whole body at once, particularly recruiting your core muscles in each movement.
You’ll likely sweat and burn more in a barre class, but you’ll build better mobility and stability from Pilates.
Well, it comes down to your personal goals, and which you actually enjoy! At the end of the day, the most effective workout is the one you’re consistent with so whether that’s barre or Pilates for you, expect to see some pretty impressive results.
While you’ll elevate your heart rate and challenge your cardiovascular fitness as you burn and pulse your way to the finish line in a barre class, you’ll really work that core and those deep stabilising muscles during Pilates, helping you level up your functional movement patterns in all your other workouts. So essentially, both styles of workout promise some serious benefits.
So which do you enjoy the most, and feel more comfortable doing on the regular? Whichever the answer is, that is the ideal workout for you to add to your weekly routine!
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