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power yoga

Pure Barre Review

December 21, 2011 by Kristy 17 Comments

I did it.  I survived my first Pure Barre class.  It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I’m sore today (mostly my butt and abs) but I guess it could have been worse.

I think I may have stumbled upon the best marathon-friendly strength training class.  No jumping, no drills, no lunges, no squats…bouncing is not allowed.  Instead, movement is confined to mere inches.  So how can Pure Barre be so effective?

It’s fast moving.  Aside from little breaks to stretch out the muscle group that you just worked on, you are constantly moving.  Or I should say, squeezing, pulsing, and tucking (hence the reason why my butt hurts so much).  And you work muscle groups for minutes at a time.  We worked on abs for a few minutes (no breaks – I was dying), and then got into a plank and held it for 90 seconds!

We worked abs, glutes, quads, and arms.  The whole shebang.  My arms and quads feel fine (next time I’ll increase my weights for arm work) but my abs and glutes…not so much.  What a wake-up call.  As a runner, your core and butt should be strong to support your hips.  I’m clearly lacking strength in those areas.  I’ll never forget my RRCA instructor’s words of wisdom during my coaching certification:  the knees are innocent victims to a weak ass and unsupported foot.  So true.  Everything works in a domino effect from the foot up or the hip down.  Take care of the foot and hip and you take care of the knee.

I will definitely be going back to Pure Barre.  It definitely takes a few classes to get the lay of the land.  The only downside?  Cost.  It’s very expensive – $23 per class!

Up next…a power yoga class!  Maybe I’ll be ripped by the time Boston comes around?  Ripped or not, I will definitely be stronger!

A Strength Training Conundrum

December 20, 2011 by Kristy 20 Comments

For the past few weeks, I’ve been going to a Whole Body Strength class at my yoga studio.  It’s a 1-hour circuit training class and it’s enjoyable and convenient.  And…it’s also getting comfortable.  As in the last 2 times I went (despite upping my weights) I woke up the next day not sore at all.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m challenged during the class but the next day I want to feel like I did something.  And, it being a circuit training class, we do some drills and jumping which I’m not a fan of.

Marathon training is taxing enough.  Each time your foot stikes the ground it has to absorb two to three times your body weight…multiply that by miles per week and you got a helluva lot of pounding.  Add drills and jumping during your strength training class and I get very nervous about injury.  Call me a nervous Nellie but I’ll save CrossFit and Bootcamp for the off season.  I even asked my PT about CrossFit (since I have a Groupon) and she told me to be very careful.  She treats a lot of patients because of CrossFit.

So I’m looking for strength training that is marathon training-friendly (i.e., minimal impact).  Here are the options I came up with:

BodyPump
I would love to do this but, unless I join a gym, it’s not feasible 🙁

Pure Barre
Per the website,  Pure Barre is intelligent exercise. The technique protects your joints as it does not involve any bouncing or jumping. Each strength section of the workout is followed by a stretching section in order to create long, lean muscle without bulk. The workout launches a full blown attack on the areas of the body all women struggle with: abs, hips, seat and arms. It defies gravity by tapering everything in and lifting it up.

Defies gravity?!  We’ll see.  I have heard that you feel like you got hit by a truck the next day.  Sweet.  Just what I’m looking for.  And I can unleash my inner Black Swan.  Look out.

Power Yoga
A new yoga studio opened up around the corner and they only offer power yoga.   I used to take an athletic yoga class years ago that always kicked my butt to the curb.  And I don’t even need to list the ways yoga benefits runners.

I’m thinking a power yoga and Pure Barre session each week will work out just dandy with marathon training.  We’ll see.  I plan on going to Pure Barre tonight so, as long as I’m able to type tomorrow, I’ll let you know how it goes.

Ever take a Pure Barre class?  

Do you enjoy the hit-by-a-truck feeling post-race or post-strength training?  I have to admit I love it.  It’s a nice reminder of what you accomplished!

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