Barre Blend Review – not from a coach!
A couple of months ago I completed Beachbody On Demand’s 80 Day Obsession workout– you can read my 80 Day Obsession review here. After completing that, I kind of lost my workout mojo and did nothing for a couple of months. To be honest I was feeling lazy and unmotivated and didn’t want to do anything too high energy. Beachbody’s Barre Blend workout seemed interesting so I decided to give it a go. Read on for my unbiased Barre Blend review.
Note: I’m in no way affiliated with Beachbody On Demand.
What is Barre Blend?
Barre Blend is one of the online workout programs offered by Beachbody on Demand which streams workouts and provides nutrition plans. It is created by barre expert and professional dancer Elise Joan and it is a combination of ballet, barre, Pilates, and cardio interval training. The workouts are low impact but with high intensity intervals. I was definitely sweating throughout the workouts! It promises to “sculpt and tone without lots of impact, while improving posture and flexibility”. Because there are lots of repetitions of small range movements, you definitely feel the burn.
Each class works you all over but there is a special body-part focus each day.
For each move, you are offered a choice of intensity. There is a modifier move for beginners, a mid-line option for intermediates and an intensifier option for the more advanced. Each workout also comes with a 10 minute enhancement or recovery workout which you can choose to do.
You will need to to subscribe to Beachbody On Demand to get access to Barre Blend.
You also get:
- Daily Motivation Cards
- Get Started Guide + Workout Calendar
- Beachbody Guide to Nutrition with recipes and meal prep tips
You can check out the following sample Barre Blend workout before committing to the program:
What is Beachbody on Demand?
Beachbody on Demand offers a whole suite of online workouts. Beachbody on Demand also has nutrition programs that you can follow being the 2B mindset and the Ultimate Portion Fix. I haven’t tried these but presumably you’d see the best weight loss results if you combined one of the nutrition programs with the workouts. The nutrition programs cost extra.
Beachbody on Demand is also part of a MLM where you can sign up with a Beachbody coach to keep you motivated and can also buy meal replacement shakes (called “Shakeology”) and supplements (called “Beachbody Performance”). I didn’t want any of that so I just joined via the Beachbody on Demand website.
What are the Barre Blend workouts like?
The workouts start out at around 30 minutes each and then increase to 40 minutes. It is an 8 week program – 5 days a week with 2 days rest.
Each day of the week targets a different area of the body as follows:
- Mondays – Classic Full Body Blend
- Tuesdays – Booty Blend
- Wednesdays – Cardio Blend
- Thursdays – Core Blend
- Fridays – Lean Legs Blend
- Saturdays and Sundays– Rest and Replenish.
The workouts are never repeated. On Saturdays and Sundays you can also choose to do one of the four rest and replenish workout (10 Minute Yoga Blend. 15 Minute Yoga Blend, Char Stretch and Roll and Replenish.
There are 25 additional 10 minute workouts you can do as follows:
- Enhance the Core
- Enhance the Cardio
- Enhance the Upper Body
- Enhance the Lower Body
- Enhance the Booty
- Side-Lying Legs
- Booty Band Party
- Arm Party
- Bodyweight Barre
- Power Chair Series
- Breathwork Flow
- More Standing Core
- Full Body Sculpt
- Ripped N Ready
- Enhance Your Lean Legs
- Shredded Arms
- Best Booty Ever
- Feel Good Cardio
- Barre Burn
- Rev Up/ Slim Down
- Fat Burn 1010
- Lift & Shape & Elevate
- Define and Flow
- Tone and Tighten
- Power Flow.
Staying motivated
Barre Blend strives to be more than just a workout program – Elise also tries to make each workout a motivational session. There are Daily Motivation Cards to help “cultivate a positive mindset”. For example “I AM CONFIDENT I believe in myself and my abilities”. This is then carried through each workout. Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of this and ended up playing my own music during the workouts.
Probably what helped me the most in actually completing the program was committing to doing it first thing in the morning, even though I’m not a morning person at all. I found that it helped me start the day off on the right foot. Also, very few things can get in the way of the early morning timeslot. There also various Facebook Groups you can join to keep you motivated but I didn’t bother with any of those.
If you needed extra motivation, you could sign up with a Beachbody coach. This will get you access to a challenger group – a group of people starting each workout at the same time. You can then share your trials and tribulations. But presumably if you did this the coach would put the hard word on you to buy stuff like the shakes etc. which I’m just not into.
What kind of results did I get with Barre Blend?
This program definitely firmed up my butt and legs. I wasn’t in great shape before starting the program. but even if I was, I think the program would still be challenging.
It’s intense, but low impact (unless you do the advanced options). I probably saw the biggest changes in my glutes and hamstrings. My abs also got more defined and I saw some flexibility/mobility improvements as well.
I’m also intending to repeat the program again without having to do the modifier moves.
Is Barre Blend for everyone?
I’d say yes – Barre Blend caters well for all fitness levels. If you’ve never done a barre workout before, or if you’re just starting out, you can follow the modifier who does an easier version of each move. You can also do the moves without weights or the resistance loops if you want too. If you are very fit, you can follow the intensifier and do the 10 minute enhancements that focus on particular body parts.
I think Barre Blend would be a great workout for anyone wanting to firm up their problem areas like their butt or legs or build long, lean muscles and improve their posture. However Barre Blend may not be enough if you are looking for a heart-pumping workout. There are elements of that in Barre Blend, but it’s not a traditional HIIT cardio type workout. If you feel like you need an intense, cardio workout to feel like you’ve actually worked out, then you might want to add in some additional cardio a couple of times a week.
Is a Beachbody subscription worth it?
Does Barre Blend help you lose weight?
Pros of the Barre Blend program
- You can do the workouts from home or anywhere you have an internet connection.
- It’s cheaper than a gym subscription and you’ll save time on travelling to and from the gym.
- New workouts each day keeps things fresh.
- The workouts don’t require much room.
- One person in the class is a “modifier” meaning they do an easier version of each exercise.
- If you struggle to motivate yourself, you can always get a Beachbody coach (for an extra cost).
- You could repeat the workout program at a higher level of intensity if you wanted to.
Cons of the Barre Blend program
- There are no breaks in between moves. Once a workout begins, you keep moving and working until the very last minute.
- The way BeachBody pushes their Shakeology shakes, nutrition bars etc. can be a bit off putting. The cynic in me wonders what happens after you finish the program – are you meant to just keep buying these forever?
- I was a bit worried at times that I wasn’t doing the moves correctly. But BeachBody recommends you check out their “Barre Basics” workout before undertaking the program so you get a feel for how to do the moves correctly.
- Some people might find the host Elise’s positivity a bit much. But I guess you could always just turn your own music up if you wanted to.
- If you are looking to lose weight and you want a diet plan to follow, you need to pay extra for Beachbody’s nutrition programs.
Barre Blend cost
How long is each workout?
Each workout is about 30 – 40 minutes long.
Is Barre Blend difficult?
Courtney has a passion for all things fitness on a budget. She loves home workouts and trying out different fitness gear.
