Yoga, Barre or Pilates: Which One Should You Choose?

Which enthralling workout allows you relaxing stretches while barefoot or wearing those enticingly interesting non-slip socks? You may be thinking along the lines of delicate yet powerful yoga, pilates, or barre. Well, all three are actually in-demand exercises that will look very similar. However, when you look closely, each of them holds a distinct difference that makes them unique from each other. These three workout routines hold varying principles, philosophies, and movements – despite the obvious overlaps.

Which begs the question, how can you tell the difference and how would you know which of the three is the right one for you? Let us take a closer look and a deeper dive at all three to understand which of the three best suits your fitness goals. Who knows? You might end up taking a shot at all three of them or maybe have two favorites then one that you will be very passionate about.

Yoga

Yoga, by definition, means to unite. It involves the execution of various poses, or so-called asanas, to achieve balance between the body and mind, developing unity within. The idea of unity is really a soothing idea and if you are looking for that kind of peace, then yoga is definitely worth exploring. As you may already know by now, the body and the mind are not always in sync and being able to achieve that balance can be that state you want to be. There are lots of variations of yoga in practice today. Power Yoga and ashtanga are brisk and athletic, demanding an intense level of physical strength, endurance and flexibility. While restorative yoga and yin yoga, focused more on slow, relaxing motions.

Important benefits of a yoga practice

There are many benefits to practicing yoga and they can even be far too numerous to be listed. Below are some of the biggest advantages you can gain from doing yoga.

Benefit #1: Healthier bones and joints

Yoga is considered a low impact weight bearing exercise. What this means is that yoga exercises allow you to apply tension to your muscle and bones to promote bone and muscle stimulation without causing excessive strain. This helps improve joint mobility and increasing connective tissue strength and flexibility.

Benefit #2. Improves body strength and composition

Holding your own body weight in a static position causes muscle contraction without visible joint movement. This contraction of the muscle not only helps you maintain your muscle mass but it also improves overall body strength. When more muscle fibers are recruited to help keep the yoga position in place, more energy is needed to fuel these newly recruited muscle fibers. This, in turn, helps with weight loss and improves body composition.

Benefit #3. Promotes mental health and positive mood

Yoga, like all exercise routines, has the added benefit of improving the overall mood of the person. It releases chemicals in the brain like endorphins and serotonin that helps decrease stress, increase self-esteem and boosts confidence. You probably see this calm and happy disposition in many of those who practice yoga on a regular basis.

Benefit #4. Helps with body pain

Chronic pain is a common issue among most people, regardless of age, gender or size. With yoga, you’ll be improving flexibility and reduce inflammation. As stated before, yoga can help increase muscle strength which can also help cope with the pain. They can also help prevent pain by protecting the joints through absorbing impact forces.

Benefit #5. Graceful ageing and balance

Yoga is also great for the elderly because it doesn’t require too much energy to perform. Consistent yoga exercise has led to reduced cognitive decline, improved balance and boosts proprioception.

Is yoga for you?

Fortunately for you, yoga is good for almost anybody, regardless of age or gender. Believe it or not, a 30-minute to 45-minute session once per week is all you need to relieve yourself of distress, build your strength, as well as improve flexibility and balance. It’s good for people of all skill levels and allows you to reach your fitness goals in a kind of low-key but powerful way.

Barre

Interestingly, Barre is what combines Pilates, ballet, and yoga together. A German born Jewish pro Ballerina named Lotte Berk created it while recuperating from an injury in the late 50s. Barre can be very deceptive upon first glance. It pulses with graceful movements, like that of a ballet dancer, looking more like finesse rather than challenging. However, don’t make that kind of mistake because barre combines both athleticism and grace that allows for an increased challenge when compared to yoga while also being as low impact. Shanda Domango is a personal trainer certified by NASM and is a New Orleans-based barre instructor. She confirms how barre complements muscle toning while being friendly to your joints and having low body impact.

Barre and its benefits

Barre’s a popular choice for people who are looking for an intense workout without straining their bodies. Here are some of the benefits to Barre.

Benefit #1: Increases core strength

Barre heavily emphasizes core control and balance. Different positions may use different parts of your body but all of them will require a level of core control. If you’ll stay consistent with it, you are bound to see enhancement in your core strength.

Benefit #2: Allows for a total body, multi-tasking kind of workout

Barre makes use of a good number of standing work – improving flexibility, body alignment and posture – much like yoga. There is also a solid cardio component integrated into Barre for better results.

Benefit #3: No prior dance experience is required

Some people associate barre with dancers and as an exercise class meant for dancers but, it actually does not require you to have any sort of dancing experience. It is, like yoga, a program fit for people of all ages, genders and levels of fitness.

Benefit #4: Muscle growth and definition

If muscle definition is your goal, then it is a unique benefit that barre can give you. You might not be aware of it but there are muscle fibers that contract slowly and they are of good use during prolonged physical activities that require endurance. And so, unlike other exercise routines, barre can actually target these slow-twitch types of muscle fibers. You see, these are the muscle fibers that are not being used as much in typical high intensity and interval-training workouts. Training slow twitch muscle fibers can help with overall long-term endurance for a wide variety of activities.

Benefit #5: Mind and body connection

As you work out, your mind and body will start to have a connection. Proper posture, good balance and flexibility start to become innate. Your body and your mind learn to adapt this healthier lifestyle which, in turn, improves your overall quality of life.

Is barre for you?

Barre is practically for everyone but it is most recommended for men, dancers, or for those who feel that yoga may be too easy for them. Another key aspect that people like about barre is its dancing component which tends to attract more women. Beachbody on Demand’s Barre Blend in particular is all about gaining a more solid understanding on how to flow in seamless form and technique. Of course the physical results will be apparent but more than anything, Barre Blend will render you more self-confident as your body awareness is enhanced.

Pilates

“Pilates is a modern-day movement modality focused on achieving physical goals and increasing core strength.” – Andrea Rogers, Xtend Barre and XB Pilates Creator

It was Joseph Pilates, a German physical trainer, who developed the Pilates workouts as a sickly child to heal and grow stronger. Later on, he designed Pilates programs that made use of mats and other equipment. While yoga focuses on relaxation and Barre focuses on micro-movements choreographed to music, Pilates leans more towards fitness. So yes, you will use equipment as well as perform unique breathing patterns and counted repetitions. Pilates uses a lot of equipment like mats, weighted balls and thera bands. However, it can be performed without them as well.

The benefits of Pilates for you

Just like barre and yoga, Pilates focuses on the mind and body connection as well as a special emphasis on the core. Evidently, Pilates has a lot of benefits but here are some important highlights.

Benefit #1: Deeper core development

Pilates targets the core muscles just like Barre but it places more emphasis on the deeper layers of the abdomen. Not only will this provide better core strength but also improve balance, prevent injury and reduce pain.

Benefit #2: Total-body strength plus toning

Another similarity that Pilates has with Barre is its ability to help tone the body. However, Pilates is more intense than Barre, the exercises are much more effective and with faster results. Having said this, you can expect a well-toned belly, more defined muscles, and increased flexibility as you keep practicing.

Benefit #3: Big welcome for beginners

Despite being the most difficult of the three exercises, Pilates is still recommended to beginners for it’s easy to learn but hard to master routines. They can be just as relaxing as yoga but still be challenging enough to make you break a sweat.

Benefit #4: Athletes definitely welcome

Pilates can also be modified for athletes to increase their muscle strength and joint flexibility. Whereas, yoga focuses on its spiritual aspect and barre focuses combining graceful movement with athleticism. The Pilates philosophy centers around concentration, control, precision, flow, center and breathing.

Benefit #5: Improved posture overall

One of Pilates’ main focus, as stated before, is core development. Once your core has strengthened, the rest of your body tends to straighten out, giving you better posture. In turn, this will make you look fitter.

Is Pilates for you?

Just like all the other previous exercises, Pilates can be recommended for everyone. However, it can be said that it is especially recommended for people who are looking to see concrete results. You see, Pilates is far more intense than yoga or barre but it can also be just as relaxing. It’s a very flexible system that can be modified to fit any exercise regimen. If you are looking for a big change though, then this could be what you are looking for.

Choosing and Practicing

By this time, you may be thinking how you can start with your chosen program and move forward with your practice. But first, have you decided which is it for you? Should it be yoga, barre, or Pilates? Here’s a rundown to help you decide which program is the right one:

Yoga52 are the kind of workouts to do when you are feeling stressed out and want to just get rid of those negative feelings. It also helps with flexibility and building up your strength. You will definitely improve your balance and shape your body like no other exercise can – except yoga. To see results, you have to be able to attend to at least one full class of yoga a week for the whole year round. Of course, you can always go for more classes because once you get started, you will want to do more and your body will ache for it. You will notice how your body becomes stronger with only 30 to 45 minutes per yoga class each week. Remember, the goal is to de-stress, increase your flexibility, and reduce pain.

Xtend Barre is the one developed by Rogers as a professional dancer. It is a combination of ballet barre, high-energy cardio, and mat Pilates traditional methods all done in 30 minutes. It is meant to sculpt your body into that lean and strong physique much like that of a professional dancer.

 

XB Pilates is all about reformer-inspired moves and mat Pilates fused into one incredible workout that is less than 30 minutes per day. This is what you practice if you want to sculpt your whole body, lift that booty, tighten the core, and burn unlimited fat. Lisa Hubbard’s Beginner Pilates in particular allows you the opportunity to learn the basic but fundamental Pilates movements in three weeks. You will see your progress as you go through each session and will gradually master the alignment and form of each movement – with the guidance of Lisa, of course.

These 3 programs are all currently available on BODi (Beachbody On Demand)