Pure Barre with Angela Buchman wasn’t pretty, but it worked

Ballet is for those swanlike, long-limbed, beautiful women.

Despite that, I willingly walked into Pure Barre in Fishers to try this fitness trend that uses a ballet barre.

The things I do for you people.

You see, the technique involves gracefulness, subtle moves, pointed toes and flexibility. Some of the women went straight into splits while we were stretching.

As luck would have it, I landed a spot smack dab next to the goddess of television weather, WTHR’s (Channel 13) Angela Buchman.

Try watching yourself work out next to her. Not pretty.

To top it off. There are mirrors everywhere, so I got to see clumsy, disjointed, ungraceful images of myself with every move.

But let me tell you — the workout was effective. So who really cares what you look like? And as owner and class leader Becky Retrum told me: “You’ll get better every time you do it.”

The gist of Pure Barre is this: perform small, isometric moves to target the areas women struggle with most — abs, thighs, rears and arms. The technique works to defy gravity by tapering everything in and lifting it up.

It tones and builds long, lean muscles, like the bodies of those ballet dancers. You use the ballet barre for much of the 55-minute class.

For one exercise I held on to the barre with a red ball between my legs, pointed toes squeezing my thighs and lifting my legs. They started shaking uncontrollably.

Boy did I feel like a failure (though I noticed Buchman was shaking, too). Retrum says that’s what should happen if you’re doing the moves correctly.

When your body shakes, it means your muscles are reaching the point of fatigue, which is a good thing. The goal is to have the muscle group you are targeting during each class section shake every time. After the shake, you stretch, to elongate the muscles while they are warm and malleable. And that’s what leads to long, lean muscles.

The class is low-impact with no bouncing or jumping so you could do it every day. The Pure Barre company recommends at least three to four days a week for optimal results.

Retrum says you will start seeing a change in your body within 10 classes. As an added bonus, you will also become less clumsy, more graceful and increase your flexibility.

Buchman says the more she does Pure Barre, the more she notices changes.

“The exercises are hard,” she admits, “but I always feel great after an hour in barre class.”

Maybe that’s because she looked cool as she performed the moves. Me?

“You were great,” she said with a pause. “Although I admit it does take some practice to tuck and squeeze and not drop the ball.”

Which is exactly why I plan to go back and try again.

Call Star reporter Dana Hunsinger Benbow at (317) 444-6012. Follow her on Twitter: @danabenbow.

Pure Barre

Locations:

? 726 Adams St., Suite 130, Carmel

? 11501 Geist Pavilion Dr., Suite 112 Fishers

Cost: Varies, depending on what package you choose. Options range from one class for $22 to 20 classes for $320. There is a new client special that offers one month unlimited for $99.

More info at purebarre.com.