Just because you've decided to start a new workout regimen doesn't mean you have to commit to pumping iron three times a week. Potentially just the opposite, in fact.
New kinds of exercises emphasize using little or even no weight to build and strengthen muscles, resulting in a workout you can do pretty much anywhere at all. Barre3, a studio that offers classes combining a ballet, yoga and Pilates workout that just opened a location in downtown Toronto, has a focus on this method of training.
"We do high reps to build endurance and bring the muscles to fatigue," explains founder Sadie Lincoln. "With low weight, we can exercise the full range of the muscle and maintain proper alignment while applying yogic principles of focus and intention to direct muscles to activate to their fullest."
Lincoln also notes this means clients can push themselves further, because they don't feel bogged down by the pressure of increasing the amount of weight, or lifting further (though having done one of these workouts, this editor can attest to the significant challenge it still poses).
The instructors at Barre3 have put together a full-body workout for our readers that uses a one-pound weight, which can be done in five or 10 minutes. It's also possible to do these exercises with no weight at all.
Barre3 is also offering HuffPost Canada readers a promotion code for a free 15-day trial of the studio's workouts online. Just enter B3HUFFPO at barre3.com/redeem to sign up.
Here are the description for the five and 10-minute workouts, with detailed pictures and descriptions of each movement — along with its benefits, and potential modifications — in the slideshow below.
5-Minute, 1lb-Weight, Results-Driven Workout
Starfish: two minutes on each side (four minutes total), 60 reps each side
Incline Seated Chair Ski Jumps: one minute, 20 reps
10-Minute, 1lb-Weight, Results-Driven Workout
Horse Pose/ LROM (Large Range of Motion) Alternating Beach Ball Lat Pull: two minutes, 30 reps each side (total of 60 reps)
Starfish: two minutes on each side (four minutes total), 60 reps each side
Incline Seated Chair/SROM Triceps Lifts (Small Range of Motion): two minutes, 40 reps
Incline Seated Chair Ski Jumps: two minutes, 20 reps
