Fitness Fitness Tips Trainer of the Month Club

This Beginner-Friendly At-Home Barre Workout Will Leave Your Entire Lower Body Quaking

Allie Flinn

August 23, 2021

Each month, a new trainer takes us through four of the best workouts they have in their back pocket. Follow along weekly for new ways to sweat it out with us. See All

The fitness industry often portrays exercise as something that's one-size-fits-all, with modifications mentioned as an afterthought, if at all. This makes it hard to ditch the mindset that scaling a movement equates to weakness, and that you're not getting the same benefits... which is absolutely not true.

In this episode of Trainer of the Month Club, Kelsey Lindell, a personal trainer and disability advocate, demos a lower body barre workout with modifications. "If you haven't noticed, I am missing half my left arm. So because of that modifications are really important to me," says Lindell. "Whatever modifications you need to take, take them. I'll give them as we go...If you ever need to take a modification, remember it doesn't mean that you can't do the workout, it doesn't mean that you're not strong enough. It means you're listening to your body, and that's how we get the strongest."

Before you get started, grab a chair or something that you can put weight on that's around hip-bellybutton height. Then, Lindell gets you ready for the workout with a standing warm-up, starting with your feet in a "Y" position (AKA second position in ballet and barre). "If you're not sure what that means we're going to start with a turnout," she says. "If you're not sure what your turnout is, I would say start with parallel legs, and be loosey goosey...then squeeze your butt. Your feet will naturally fly out to your natural turnout." Everyone's natural turnout is different, so don't try and force your feet to turn out super wide if that's not natural—"What are we doing? We're listening to our body," reminds Lindell.

After the warm-up it's time to get that lower body working. Expect lots of small, controlled movements (and, you know, that signature barre muscle quaking). "You're not going to like me after this," Lindell jokes. Ready to get moving? Follow along with the video.

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