Working out with a bar can mean different results, depending on which type of bar equipment you use. From using a ballet bar to a pull-up bar, resistance exercises using bars can help you stay fit aerobically and gain flexibility. Most workouts with bars for women also help you build and maintain muscle strength.
Ballet Bar
Ballerina Lottie Berk and her orthopedic surgeon created a ballet bar program more than 40 years ago to help Berk safely recover from a serious car accident that left her temporarily disabled, according to reporter Lori Corbin for ABC News in 2010. Based on typical ballet dance warm-ups and exercises at ballet bars, innovative bar classes take workouts a step further and include aerobic and strength building exercises. You don’t have to be a ballet dancer to participate. Set to high-tempo music, bar class workouts keep you challenged as you strive toward total-body fitness with exercises that work both major and minor muscles, according to Corbin's report. First made popular by celebrities, bar class workouts are gaining momentum with the public as an efficient and convenient way to keep in shape in the 21st century. Participants work from ballet bars at ballet studios to lengthen and strengthen, according to Corbin's report.
Body Bar
Women can use body bars for both upper and lower body strength building workouts. Unlike a weighted barbell, a body bar increases your flexibility while building muscle during exercise. You can start out with a lighter body bar and progress to a heavier body bar to add more resistance to your workouts. Perform push-ups and sit-ups, as well as traditional lifting exercises, such as curls and presses, with a body bar, according to fitness trainer Rebecca Lee for Protein Factory.
Barbell
If you’re ready to build even more muscle, work out with a barbell weight system. You don’t necessarily need a bench or other equipment to get an efficient upper-body workout and build strength with a barbell. For beginners, women can lift the barbell without weights attached to get used to lifting exercises. Gradually add heavier weights to your barbell during weightlifting repetitions. For a total-body workout, also perform aerobic strength training exercises using a barbell, such as barbell abdominal rolls or full squats, according to Bodybuilding.com.
Pull-up Bar
Working out regularly on a traditional pull-up bar is a convenient way for a woman to stay in shape and build muscle. You can usually find pull-up bars at gyms and other workout facilities, and you can also improvise with elevated bar playground equipment for daily pull-up workouts. Keep your upper body and abdominal muscles fit with pull-up exercises while also getting a cardio workout.
References
- ABC; New Spin On Bar Workout Whips You Into Shape; Lori Corbin; June 07, 2010
- The Bar Method; How The Bar Method Exercises Work; Burr Leonard; 2011
- YouTube; Body Bar, Inc. -- The New Body Bar Workout; Keli Roberts; July 21, 2008
- YouTube; Protein Factory -- Total Full Body Workout -- How to do a Body Bar Workout; Rebecca Lee; Oct 1, 2010
- Bodybuilding.com: Exercise Guides -- Barbell Exercises
- Bodybuilding.com; Pullups For the Beginner; Timothy Ayson
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