get fit with britt // abs

Welcome back to Get Fit with Britt! I'm going to be posting some demos of my fave exercises taught at Pure Barre Williamsburg, with the help of their awesome instructors. Pure Barre is a fast, effective, and most importantly, safe way to change your body, and follows a technique that's high-intensity, but low impact to protect your joints! Thanks to Pure Barre, I have been able to build long, lean (not bulky!) muscles while tapering everything in & lifting it up! For this series, we will pick a particular move, explain the focus area and correct form, then demonstrate it so you can practice at home! That way, if/when you come to the studio yourself, you'll be rocking the moves & way ahead of the game ;) These exercises are also a great way to get fit at home or on-the-go! I find myself regularly using Pure Barre exercises during my hotel room workouts. Additionally, you can get all the outfits I'm wearing at the Pure Barre Williamsburg studio, so definitely go by if you're looking for some fun, new workout gear! Come & join me, get that healthy & strong body you've always wanted- come Get Fit with Britt!

Today's exercise tones your abs. This initially has the look of a classic floor abdominal exercise, but you can really intensify the work by pressing your elbows and palms together in a 90 degree angle in front of your chest. Keep your movements small- back an inch and up an inch, and make sure your feet (heels) stay planted into the floor. To help keep this work out of your hip flexors, try to actively pull your navel in towards your spine, and tuck your hips up and under. Some of the best advice I've ever gotten during ab work is to remember to breathe! Strong exhales are super helpful- they facilitate your ability to contract the abs in one swift movement. Do 10 reps of each, and repeat the sequence three times for a highly effective toning exercise.

*I am not a trainer or health professional, so please consult one if you feel you're doing something wrong or could potentially injure yourself.

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get fit with britt // upper back & shoulders

Welcome back to Get Fit with Britt! I'm going to be posting some demos of my fave exercises taught at Pure Barre Williamsburg, with the help of their awesome instructors. Pure Barre is a fast, effective, and most importantly, safe way to change your body, and follows a technique that's high-intensity, but low impact to protect your joints! Thanks to Pure Barre, I have been able to build long, lean (not bulky!) muscles while tapering everything in & lifting it up! For this series, we will pick a particular move, explain the focus area and correct form, then demonstrate it so you can practice at home! That way, if/when you come to the studio yourself, you'll be rocking the moves & way ahead of the game ;) These exercises are also a great way to get fit at home or on-the-go! I find myself regularly using Pure Barre exercises during my hotel room workouts. Additionally, you can get all the outfits I'm wearing at the Pure Barre Williamsburg studio, so definitely go by if you're looking for some fun, new workout gear! Come & join me, get that healthy & strong body you've always wanted- come Get Fit with Britt!

Today's exercise tones your upper back and shoulders. Holding a light set of weights (I chose 2 lb), bring your arms to 90 degree angles at your sides. Extend them all the way straight (out and up), and then bring them back to your sides (out and down). Make sure you keep a steady pace with your arms and keep the momentum out of your movement. It should feel like you're moving the weights through thick muddy water. If you have to use momentum, your weights are likely too heavy. In the next position, when you're drawing your elbows towards one another, imagine having a sheet of paper between your shoulder blades that you're trying not to drop! Squeeze those shoulder blades together! Make sure to keep a soft bend in your knees and your hips tucked under the entire time. Repeat this sequence with 10 reps of each, 3 times total.

*I am not a trainer or health professional, so please consult one if you feel you're doing something wrong or could potentially injure yourself.

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get fit with britt // pure barre ledge

Welcome back to Get Fit with Britt! I'm going to be posting some demos of my fave exercises taught at Pure Barre Williamsburg, with the help of their awesome instructors. Pure Barre is a fast, effective, and most importantly, safe way to change your body, and follows a technique that's high-intensity, but low impact to protect your joints! Thanks to Pure Barre, I have been able to build long, lean (not bulky!) muscles while tapering everything in & lifting it up! For this series, we will pick a particular move, explain the focus area and correct form, then demonstrate it so you can practice at home! That way, if/when you come to the studio yourself, you'll be rocking the moves & way ahead of the game ;) These exercises are also a great way to get fit at home or on-the-go! I find myself regularly using Pure Barre exercises during my hotel room workouts. Additionally, you can get all the outfits I'm wearing at the Pure Barre Williamsburg studio, so definitely go by if you're looking for some fun, new workout gear! Come & join me, get that healthy & strong body you've always wanted- come Get Fit with Britt!

Today's exercise focuses on the area where your seat meets the back of your leg. At Pure Barre, we call this area your "pure barre ledge", because you're essentially working to create a ledge where your booty pops out from the back of your legs. I love this position because, yet again, you get to relax most of your body on the ground (do you see a trend here?), all while really focusing the work on your seat. Adding a resistance band around your ankle adds an extra challenge here, but feel free to do this exercise without it as well. Rest your head on your arms, flex your foot, and keep your hips tucked under. Make sure to initiate each movement with a squeeze in the back of your seat as opposed to just moving your leg. This will ensure you maintain a smaller range of movement, and are able to tone the target area effectively. Repeat three sets of ten reps for a killer seat workout!

*I am not a trainer or health professional, so please consult one if you feel you're doing something wrong or could potentially injure yourself.

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get fit with britt // inner & outer thighs

Welcome back to Get Fit with Britt! I'm going to be posting some demos of my fave exercises taught at Pure Barre Williamsburg, with the help of their awesome instructors. Pure Barre is a fast, effective, and most importantly, safe way to change your body, and follows a technique that's high-intensity, but low impact to protect your joints! Thanks to Pure Barre, I have been able to build long, lean (not bulky!) muscles while tapering everything in & lifting it up! For this series, we will pick a particular move, explain the focus area and correct form, then demonstrate it so you can practice at home! That way, if/when you come to the studio yourself, you'll be rocking the moves & way ahead of the game ;) These exercises are also a great way to get fit on-the-go! I find myself regularly using Pure Barre exercises during my hotel room workouts. Additionally, you can get all the outfits I'm wearing at the Pure Barre Williamsburg studio, so definitely go by if you're looking for some fun, new workout gear! Come & join me, get that healthy & strong body you've always wanted- come Get Fit with Britt!

Today's workout focuses on thighs, specifically your inner & outer thighs. Adding a tube around both of your thighs during this exercise increases the challenge and allows you to really intensify the burn you'll feel. As you move your legs in & out, make sure to control the movement in both directions (instead of just releasing the tension in the tube), so that you can effectively work both the inner and outer thighs at the same time. Stay up high on your tip toes, with your heels together & toes apart, maintain a relaxed grip on the bar, and as always, keep your hips tucked under. Do three sets of 10 reps of each movement for a workout that's sure to get your legs summer-ready in a jiffy!

*I am not a trainer or health professional, so please consult one if you feel you're doing something wrong or could potentially injure yourself.

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get fit with britt // deep abs

Welcome back to Get Fit with Britt! I'm going to be posting some demos of my fave exercises taught at Pure Barre Williamsburg, with the help of their awesome instructors. Pure Barre is a fast, effective, and most importantly, safe way to change your body, and follows a technique that's high-intensity, but low impact to protect your joints! Thanks to Pure Barre, I have been able to build long, lean (not bulky!) muscles while tapering everything in & lifting it up! For this series, we will pick a particular move, explain the focus area and correct form, then demonstrate it so you can practice at home! That way, if/when you come to the studio yourself, you'll be rocking the moves & way ahead of the game ;) These exercises are also a great way to get fit on-the-go! I find myself regularly using Pure Barre exercises during my hotel room workouts. Additionally, you can get all the outfits I'm wearing at the Pure Barre Williamsburg studio, so definitely go by if you're looking for some fun, new workout gear! Come & join me, get that healthy & strong body you've always wanted- come Get Fit with Britt!

Today's exercise focuses on abs, specifically that deep, under layer of abs that can be tricky to reach. Pure Barre has a strong focus on core work, and in this slouched position you are really able to isolate your deepest of abs, effectively toning them just as you do the top layer. Slide your mat about a quarter of the way up the wall, and lean up against it, forming a C curve with your back. If it feels like you're slouching, you're probably in the right position! This can be a tricky exercise to master, but be sure to keep your abs pulled in (navel to spine!) and hips tucked under. I've found that exhaling with each movement really helps me target and tone these deeper abs in an effective way. Length is more important than height in this position, so it's more beneficial to keep your leg straight but lower, as opposed to bent and higher! Repeat this cycle three times with each leg. 

*I am not a trainer or health professional, so please consult one if you feel you're doing something wrong or could potentially injure yourself.

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get fit with britt // outer seat

Welcome back to Get Fit with Britt! I'm going to be posting some demos of my fave exercises taught at Pure Barre Williamsburg, with the help of their awesome instructors. Pure Barre is a fast, effective, and most importantly, safe way to change your body, and follows a technique that's high-intensity, but low impact to protect your joints! Thanks to Pure Barre, I have been able to build long, lean (not bulky!) muscles while tapering everything in & lifting it up! For this series, we will pick a particular move, explain the focus area and correct form, then demonstrate it so you can practice at home! That way, if/when you come to the studio yourself, you'll be rocking the moves & way ahead of the game ;) These exercises are also a great way to get fit at home or on-the-go! I find myself regularly using Pure Barre exercises during my hotel room workouts. Additionally, you can get all the outfits I'm wearing at the Pure Barre Williamsburg studio, so definitely go by if you're looking for some fun, new workout gear! Come & join me, get that healthy & strong body you've always wanted- come Get Fit with Britt!

Today's exercise focuses on your butt (side seat, outer seat- whatever you want to call it)! While you relax your upper body on top of the barre, your lower half gets a super intense workout, all from tiny up & down movements in your leg. Create this movement by squeezing your seat as opposed to just lifting your leg- that way the muscle groups in your butt are isolated and you'll really feel the burn there. The small, subtle movements really target your outer seat, helping to lift and tone throughout. Be sure to keep your shoulders relaxed, abs pulled in, and hips tucked under to see the best results. Repeat three sets of ten on each leg.

*I am not a trainer or health professional, so please consult one if you feel you're doing something wrong or could potentially injure yourself.

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