Princeton Review: Pure Barre

Hello lovelies!

The latest in our Princeton Review series isn’t a store or restaurant, but a class! Pure Barre is a fitness studio, that according to its website here is a “total body workout that uses the ballet barre to perform small, isometric movements, which burn fats, sculpt muscles and create long, lean physiques.” In college/normal people terms, this basically means low-impact, small exercises, such as the plank and squat-like movements at the barre, with different muscles tensed.

I was first introduced to Pure Barre by a classmate, since the Princeton Pure Barre studio, located at 31 Hulfish Street, offers special packages for students and newcomers. Since Pure Barre is a franchise, each studio offers different prices, class schedules, and specials. At the Princeton Pure Barre studio, new-comers can get a month of unlimited classes for $99. If you are a full-time student, there are unlimited class semester packages, that run from $650-$499 depending on when you start. So, price wise, if you are student, although it is expensive, a single class runs for $27 dollars, so if you go often enough, the unlimited deals are the best.

The Princeton studio is nestled away on the second floor in the Hulfish plaza area. Once you go in, you are welcomed by the desk, always manned by a smiling member of their staff. There is rack to hang your jackets, and cubbies to leave all other items. There is only one studio where the class actually takes place, with two walls of mirrors, and another without. The last wall is where the stereo system is placed. On all three walls, a ballet barre is screwed into the wall and the floor is carpeted. This is meant to allow your feet to grip the floor better when doing activities such as planks. They also recommend the purchase of sticky socks (see an example here (single pair) or here (pack of 12). You can purchase the socks for $14 in store, or an off-brand one from Amazon (linked above).

The class itself is pretty straightforward. Each class is around 30-35 students, with a single instructor that gives instructions and provides guidance to any students that may not have proper form. The lingo that they use takes a while to get used to. “Tuck” means to engage your abs and pull your hips towards your abs. Some other phrases you might here are “Heavy Tailbone” and “Isometric Hold.” You can take a look at the Pure Barre website to get an idea of their specialized terminology here.

They always play upbeat and energetic music, helping you get into the groove, even though the exercises can be excruciatingly painful. My experience going into a month of Pure Barre as a previous athlete that hadn’t done any exercise or strength training for three years other than dancing, was that it was making me use and tone muscles I didn’t even have.

The exercises change with each class and each instructor, but they typically follow the pattern of.

1. Warmup (Basic arms with 2-3 pound weights in both hands and gentl abs)
2. Thigh work (usually done at the barre, such as squats while holding onto the barre and pulling away).
3. Seat work (This is what you call your tush. Typically these exercises will be done with the barre)
4. Leg Work (A variety of leg exercises, some of my favorite are leg lifts)
5. Ab Work (They always work your main abs as well as your sides)
6. Stretching (Typically only a couple minutes at the end of class, but still extremely satisfying)

Many of these exercise favor small, controlled movements. Requiring that you understand and can move certain muscles in your body. This was pretty difficult for me at the start, and I still find myself being challenged each time I go into the class. One of the best parts about Pure Barre is how it changes each class though, I’m never bored because I never know what to expect!

All in all, Pure Barre isn’t necessary as “high-impact” or will burn as much fat as maybe some other classes, its great for toning and muscle control. I personally love the Princeton Pure Barre studio because all the instructors are so outgoing and friendly. Additionally, as a student, its great to get a head start in the day, feeling good and empowered by attending one of their 8:00 or 9:30 am classes!

I highly encourage anyone interested to try out their 4-week $99 unlimited package! You can check out the Princeton Pure Barre studio and their class times here, and maybe I’ll see ya’ll around! If you don’t live in the Princeton area, check out their main site for any local Pure Barre studios near you!

 

Lululemon Discounts~

Heyo friends!

I’m here today to talk about how to get Lululemon discounts as a college student! Now, this is really location specific, as I can only speak for certain discounts in the Princeton, NJ region, since this has been my experience. But it wouldn’t hurt to ask your local store if it is near a college campus and you are a student!

So, the Lululemon store that is in Princeton, NJ offers student discounts of 25% on all purchases through their Sweat Collective program. For those of you who don’t know what the Sweat Collective is, it is a program that typically only certified yoga/dance instructors or fitness instructors, can gain access too. There is a rigorous application process that you can find here if you qualify! However, what I found out is that my local lulu store provides this discount for Princeton students as well!

This is especially great whenever a special promotion is also going on, such as a We Made Too Much sale! Unfortunately, this discount only works at this specific store for Princeton students, but its still a pretty great deal and it wouldn’t hurt to check out if other local stores offer this discount as well!