Do you feel like you’ve made some progress when it comes to exercise, but you just can’t seem to get the muscle tone that you’re looking for? If that’s the case, barre has come to the city. Bike or Bar has incorporated this ballet-influenced exercise routine into its expanded offerings. Bike or Bar owner, Alexander Saia Leo, tells me that thanks to repeated phone calls wondering if she offered barre classes, she decided that it was time to make the commitment. No the exercise has caught on like wildfire. “Barre is muscle toning exercises that integrate ballet, yoga, pilates and dance,” Alex told me. “We’re the first to offer this in the city. This international movement started within the last three years. The exercise strengthens and tones your muscles – it’s intense… it’s perfect for people who are already on the leaner side, but want to tighten and tone. This is cardio, but it’s more about serious muscle strengthening.”
Ever since it first opened, Bike or Bar has been busy introducing myriad workout techniques to the space. Not long ago the business expanded into another room towards the back of the building where they brought in rowing equipment and had a custom built aluminum and magnesium barre built and installed. “Our barre trainers are professional dancers,” Alex continued. “If you want to get fit… I mean seriously fit… then train with barre and you will be working out small muscle groups that you never even knew that you had. You’re going to feel the benefits of the workout two days later… that’s the type of exercise that we’re talking about. At the same time we have clients (guys and girls) that range in age from 18 to 75 – barre is still considered a low impact exercise made up of conditioning, isometrics, and interval training (to music).”
For those people who still have not figured out how to get to that last stage of training – the one that will take the tummy, arms and legs from OK to KO, then it’s time to raise the ‘barre’ on your body.
An added benefit is that classes are a mere $9 (single class) and as low as 4$ (package)… some of the most inexpensive rates in the country because Alex feels that everyone deserves to be fit.
Bike or Bar | 904 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, New York 14222 | (716) 417-6602
Photos: Molly Vine, Ashley Rodriques, Megan Castlevetere