Barre | Down Dog

Title says it all~best at home barre that I’ve ever done. I love that you can custom pick what areas you’d like to work on. I feel like a real ballerina when I’m done(😅😂)&my other workouts don’t really hit my calves like this barre does-so that gets me every time, in a good way! I don’t know what I’d do without all of Down Dog App’s different apps. I use them all the time(pretty much daily). Today I did a core only class after a bike ride-which was perfect!!! 😍 Thx DDApp we love you guys so much. If you’re hesitant to download the app.. try the free trial like I did. I knew I would keep paying for it indefinitely- that was 6 years ago and I’m still going strong. 💪🏽

The yoga app (down dog) is great but Barre is awful. The only pro is that it does provide a large number of exercises for the body part you want to focus on. The negatives are many: 1) arms are completely left out, you can target most other body parts but not arms at all 2) there is no adjustment for ability level. Many of the excises given are too hard for me and the video doesn’t provide any modifications for making the move easier or harder 3) the verbal directions are terrible. The instructor says vague things like “lift” (lift what? In what direction?) “tuck” (tuck what? How?) “squeeze” (squeeze what? For how long?) “lift to the side” (what side?). And, even if you watch the video while trying to do the exercises it is very hard to see what movements the demonstrator is doing. 4) sometimes numbers are shown on the screen counting down how much longer you need to do the exercises and sometimes they don’t appear at all. It is frustrating to not know how much longer an exercise will last. 5) the music is very repetitive. I’ve heard the same songs over and over.

Thank you for these apps!! I got a free trial of them as a grad student during quarantine and am totally hooked. I did ballet when I was younger and have lately struggled to keep up a regular workout routine, especially as a college and grad student—I used to go to the gym or go for runs but after a few weeks my workouts would just be the last priority and I’d stop. These apps have totally transformed my lifestyle, I love that I can do a quick 7-min workout on that app if I am feeling low energy, or do yoga or barre for however long I want but still get a well-balanced session. I also hate pre-recorded sessions and especially the sentimental philosophizing that usually accompanies them, but these apps just get straight to the workout in a gentle yet encouraging way. I am hooked, these are so much better for me than trying to go to a gym or go running on the street, not just during quarantine!