These effective moves target your entire body.
Sometimes, all it takes for a little motivation to workout at home is to have a fun routine you can follow. This 15-minute barre workout for summer 2022 from Lululemon MIRROR trainer, Amanda Robinson Baxter, may be just that for you. Barre is an excellent way to work on your core, and has been growing in popularity over the past few years.
With help from Baxter, we’ve assembled a fun summer barre routine you can easily do in your living room or outside in the backyard. Even if you have tons of fun summer plans, like going to the beach or vacaying at the lake house, you’ll still want to carve out 15 minutes of your day to try any of these 11 barre exercises wherever you are.
Before you begin, Baxter recommends starting with forward contractions for 45 seconds. To perform this move, bend forward with your chest over your thighs and your back flat. Once in this position with your arms forward, “roll up one vertebrae at at time arching your back.” As you tilt your chin up, bring your arms to the sides as well.
For this first barre move, get into a “squat position with your chest forward and hips hinging back.” From there, you’ll want to alternate “pedaling through your heels while staying low” and do this two times for 45 seconds each. Baxter says this workout will really target your quads, calves, and ankles.
From a standing position and your arms overhead, march in place while bringing your knees to your chest. As you do this, spin your chest “while pulling your elbows down so that you connect your opposite knee and elbow together.” This barre move really targets your core as well as your waistline and obliques, and you should aim to do two reps for 45 seconds each.
If you’re trying to focus on your legs this summer with all the shorts and bikinis you’re wearing, these second position pliés target your glutes, hamstrings, and inner and outer thighs. From a second position, Baxter says to “bend your knees dropping your hips so that they are parallel with the floor.” You’ll really feel the burn as you “extend your legs standing up tall.” Do this move three times for 40 seconds each.
To continue working on your lower body and even your waistline, try these reaches. In your second position, “draw your elbow into your waistline” and “push off of your foot to straighten your leg while extending your arm overhead to the opposite corner creating a diagonal line with your limbs.” Once you’ve extended all the way, come down into a plié as you bring your elbow back in. You should perform two reps on each side for about 45 seconds each.
Another leg-focused barre move are these lunges. According to Baxter, you’ll want to begin in a “staggered stance, crossing one leg behind the other,” like you’re about to curtsy. From there, bend both your legs as you try to reach a 90 degree angle. Once you’ve held for about 45 seconds, come back to a standing position. This move should be done twice on both sides.
This is when you’ll want to make sure you have a good workout mat, because you’ll need to get on all fours. To really work out your core, extend “your opposite arm and leg in the air to create a straight line with your limbs.” When you’re ready, “bend your knee and elbow into your chest” before extending them out again. Do this move two times on each side for 45 seconds as well.
This is a super fun barre exercise that’ll target your core, glutes, and waistline. From your previous plank position, lie down and extend your top leg to the side. From there, sweep your leg forward and then back to the side. This is a fun move to perform while listening to your songs of the summer playlist. Just make sure you do this move twice on each side for about 40 seconds each.
Get cozy on your mat by lying down on your back, but extend one leg in the air. Have your other foot on the mat, so that you can press on it to elevate your hips in the air for 40 seconds. You’ll feel the burn in your glutes before you come back down. Make sure to do this move twice with both legs.
For your final barre exercise, get into a plank position with your hands under your shoulders. Next, bring your knees in one at a time towards your elbow. While you’ve worked out a lot of your lower body, this move targets your upper body as well as your core and waistline. Be sure to do two reps for about 45 seconds each.