[caption id="attachment_49593" align="alignnone" width="620"]
Photo: Pond5[/caption]
Take off your shoes but don’t get too comfortable. This barefoot barre workout will leave you sweaty and feeling the burn all over your body.
“This is a really, really great way to work the entire body in a low-impact way and to pretty much touch on every single muscle group, especially a lot of those little muscle groups that tend to get forgotten when we focus on the larger muscle groups,” says Daily Burn 365 trainer Becca Pace.
While most barre workouts require an actual bar, you can do these moves using just your bodyweight and a yoga mat. Plus, you’ll be happy to know you won’t be doing any burpees. Barre workouts are all about tiny movements that require you to focus on form, stability and balance. Need a break? Feel free to pause to roll out your your wrists or take a breather in child’s pose, Pace says. And prepare to work muscles you didn’t even know you had!
RELATED: Try This 12 Move Total-Body Workout
The 5-Move At-Home Barre Workout
[caption id="attachment_46403" align="alignnone" width="620"]
GIF: Daily Burn 365[/caption]
1. Walk-Down Planks
How to: Start in down dog, then walk your hands out into plank pose, letting your left leg float up a few inches off the ground as you move forward (a). Think about zipping your belly button in towards your spine and reaching the crown of your head forward. Your shoulders should be over your wrists, with your fingers spread apart (b). Keeping your elbows straight, hold the plank for 30 seconds (c). Bend your knees and slowly walk your hands back into downward dog and repeat on the opposite side.
RELATED: 3 Fat-Burning Circuit Training Workouts
[caption id="attachment_46404" align="alignnone" width="620"]
GIF: Daily Burn 365[/caption]
2. Half-Moon Leg Lifts
How to: Get on your hands and knees, arms straight, knees bent at a 90-degree angle (a). Straighten your right leg and lift it off the ground. With your foot flexed, tap your toes out to the right side, off your mat (b). Then, engage your glutes to lift your right leg up and over your left leg, tapping the floor on the outside of your left foot (c). Repeat for 30 seconds, then switch legs.
RELATED: The Louis van Amstel Dance Workout You Need in Your Life
[caption id="attachment_46405" align="alignnone" width="620"]
GIF: Daily Burn 365[/caption]
3. Forearm Plank Knee Taps
How to: Get into a forearm plank, shoulders over elbows, heels pushing back, spine long. Pull your shoulders away from your ears (a). Tap your right knee down to the floor, then your left knee. Alternate for 30 seconds (b). Then, tap both knees to the ground for 30 seconds.
RELATED: The 5-Minute No-Equipment Back Workout
[caption id="attachment_46406" align="alignnone" width="620"]
GIF: Daily Burn 365[/caption]
4. Plié Pulse Series
How to: Stand upright, feet positioned wider than hip-width apart, toes pointed out at a 45-degree angle. Raise your arms straight out to your sides, holding them at shoulder-height, or place your hands on your hips (a). Bend your knees to go into a plié squat, then return to standing. Repeat for 30 seconds (b). Then, bend into a plié squat and pulse for 30 seconds (c). Repeat both variations one more time.
RELATED: Tone Your Thighs: 3 Moves for Awesome Legs
[caption id="attachment_46407" align="alignnone" width="620"]
GIF: Daily Burn 365[/caption]
5. Inner Thigh Lifts
How to: Lie down on your left side, left forearm planted on the floor perpendicular to your torso to support your body. Lengthen your neck to avoid collapsing into your supporting arm (a). Bring your right leg over your left leg, bending the knee and planting your right foot in front of your left knee (b). Keep your left leg straight and foot flexed, and rotate your foot so it’s lying flat against the mat. Then rotate the foot so your toes point into the air, and lift your leg about six inches off the ground (c). Repeat for 30 seconds, then switch to opposite side.
Want more no-equipment workouts you can do anytime, anyplace? Sign up for Daily Burn 365, free for 30 days.
Originally posted December 2015. Updated May 2016.
The post Pulse, Plank, Plié: The Barre Workout You Can Do at Home appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.