Barre is one of the most effective full-body workouts available. It isn't the new craze everyone thinks it is. While the method really blew up several years ago, it has been around for decades. Barre originated with Lotte Berk in 1959, and her students (and their students, and then then their students) have created many different schools of this powerful type of exercise.
Top-tier workouts aren't just for celebrities. While it is well worth it to pay for a class in the studio (and many instructors offer new clients discounted rates just to try out a first class), there is plenty to learn from the social media accounts of the best instructors. Here are ten of the best barre (and sometimes, Pilates, too!) accounts to follow on Instagram.
10 Chrissa Benson: Physical Kitchness
Chrissa Benson is Physical Kitchness. She is a food, fitness, and lifestyle blogger who keeps things real and fun. The mom of two (with one on the way) is a certified barre instructor with great tips for the busy person working out at home. Chrissa has done some awesome IG live classes over the last few months. She has a tab of stories saved for workouts, and even more can be purchased along with meal planning tools and recipes. For a no-nonsense workout that will have every muscle group on fire, check out Physical Kitchness.
9 Kira Stokes Fit
Kira Stokes is one of the biggest names in the personal training industry. She is versed in all kinds of fitness techniques, including barre moves. Kira is known for training celebrities like Candace Cameron Bure and Ashley Graham. Though the IG heavily markets Kira's on-demand classes (which many enjoy), it also features snippets of helpful movements that one can easily pull into home workouts.
8 Andrea Rogers
Andrea Rogers is the founder of Xtend Barre, a popular method that leaves clients feeling strong and lengthened. Her IG grid is definitely curated, but it is a nice combination of quotes and short clips of Andrea sharing barre moves. Taking an Xtend class in person is a great experience, but they offer some online classes for purchase, too.
7 Hilal Leigh Pilates
Hilal Leigh is a Barre Concept instructor and a certified Stott Pilates instructor based in London. When it comes to helping her followers stay active, Hilal is a dedicated friend.
Her frequent videos are very specific, going step by step, which makes working out in a small space so much easier. Hilal went through a neck injury and used Pilates in recovery, so she knows how to make barre, Pilates, and stretching work for anyone.
6 Lauren Chiarello
Lauren Chiarello's passion for living life to the fullest is so inspiring. She teaches both in New York and in Connecticut: barre, Pilates, and TRX. Her classes are challenging but joyful, a special sort of hard work that is so kind to the body. Lauren dedicated three days a week to teaching free Instagram Live classes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. She will be moving to Zoom in July, and her amazing classes can be purchased here.
5 Balanced Body
While Balanced Body's Instagram skews more towards Pilates, they are premier educators in many forms of fitness. Their page is great for people who want to see a little bit of everything, and they are kind enough to offer short suggestions for exercises and stretches fairly routinely. Things like breathwork and abdominal strengthening are vital parts of barre.
4 Tracey Mallett: BBarreless
Tracey Mallett is one of the most popular Pilates and barre instructors in the world. She created the BootyBarre method a decade ago, and studios everywhere teach this glute-burning form of exercise. Mallett then took her barre routine and created ways for people to do barre moves with no barre present.
This is perfect for the folks at home. Interested in becoming an instructor? Tracey is invested in the education of barre teachers, and it's great to watch her short videos on Instagram to get some ideas for fresh classes that target all muscle groups.
3 London Barre
London Barre is truly one-of-a-kind. The Instagram page does not offer a ton of moves or tips, but it does leave viewers with some inspiration. The studio adheres to barre as originally taught in the Lotte Berk Method, and they have had a special visit in their New York studio from instructor Esther Fairfax, Lotte Berk's daughter.
2 Barre Body
This Australian barre company is delightful. The quotes will make anyone who has experienced a class smile. The photos are a combination of carefully posed moves and candid shots in the beautiful studio. There aren't a ton of instructional videos for new students to peruse, but the IG is a glimmer of positivity in a fitness industry that so needs it.
1 Everbalance
Everbalance is a yoga, barre, and Pilates studio in Jacksonville, Florida. Founder Tetyana Boyeva is a skilled trainer who facilitates a healthy environment for all her clients and instructors. With the variety of fitness options, it is totally possible to achieve a state of balance in both the body and the mind. Everbalance's IG page is a great way to see what a local studio community should be. Check out their unique schedule of online and in-person classes.