What Barre Does for Your Butt and Thighs

When people start doing barre workouts consistently, they often (happily) notice a change in their thighs (and the rest of their body), which makes sense, since the movements challenge you in totally new ways.

But potentially slimmer thighs aren’t the only benefit of this sculpting powerhouse of a workout.

Barre strengthens and works the whole body, including your thighs.

But to be clear, you can’t burn fat in an isolated area of your body. (“Spot reduction,” as it’s called, is a fitness myth that refuses to die!)

If and when you notice barre changing your thighs, you’ll likely see changes in the rest of your body, too.

“We look at the lower body as a whole and take a functional approach to our lesson plans,” says Andrea Rogers, founder of Xtend Barre.

“This means we work in all planes of movement to help you get stronger for your everyday activities.”

What Barre Does to Your Thighs

Although barre may end up giving you leaner legs, you might notice them going in the opposite direction slightly at first, says Rogers.

That’s because you’re challenging your body — especially your muscles — in a new way, and that novel stress can cause a mild inflammatory response, a potential consequence of which is mild swelling caused by fluid retention.

So if you find your pants are fitting a bit tighter during your first few days of barre, don’t sweat it. It won’t last long, says Rogers.

And once your muscles get used to this type of exercise, they’ll stop holding the water and you’ll end up with stronger, slimmer thighs as a result.

(The same could be said about other parts of your body, too!)

What Barre Does to Your Butt

Aesthetically, get ready to be perkier. Because you’re doing so much work with your glutes, including learning to contract and activate them efficiently, you’ll strengthen them — and likely get what’s known as the “barre butt.”

Even more important than the look of your glutes is how well they function, Rogers says.

Xtend Barre focuses equally on building strength and enhancing stability throughout your hip flexors and glutes. When that happens, she says, you’ll have much stronger control and mobility.

Simply put, you’ll move better. And with a nicer butt and thighs, too.

Where You Can Do Barre

Although you’ll very likely see full-body changes, you’ll also discover other benefits, like better endurance, strength, focus, and mind-body connection.

Too bad you can only get all of those at a boutique barre studio that has limited class times, pricey memberships, and might be hours away, right?

Wrong.

With Xtend Barre, the studio is wherever you are. You don’t even need a barre, as the moves can be performed with a chair, the back of a couch, or even a countertop.

“This is a low-impact, accessible workout anyone can do anywhere, anytime, at their own pace,” says Rogers. “This is for all ages and levels of experience.”