It’s Form Friday and we decided to shake it up a bit!!!  We thought you might like to see our B.Silque Lifted™ Superman!!! It is one of our FAV transitional moves! It is challenging, yet oh so rewarding! Here we bring the How To straight to YOU!

First you take both feet in front of your body and bring your silque to the plumb line.  Take a single hand hug and pull your chin just over the silque and kick your legs through the center of the silque.  With control, land with your hips on the silque or just slightly below the hips in superman.  Once you are in a secure position, readjust your hands by sliding them up the silque and allow the chest to open more.  Legs now extend long and core-set tightens even more. To dismount, simply allow the left foot to lower to the mat followed by the right foot and let the chest lift to standing.

Seems simple enough right? This simple transition flip from say ankle cradle bridge to lifted Core-set duty, works the WHOLE upper body as well as the core! Join us Friday’s at 11am or all week long during our B.Silque Lifted™ class to master Superman!

 

Happy Friday Beautees

XOXO

B.YOU™ Inspire-ers

Flatten your belly in FLAT BACK!!!!

It’s time to fight the holiday pounds and flatten your belly in Flat Back…a huge core toner!!!!  But don’t get discouraged, this exercise takes time and practice to master!!!  Take these Form Friday tips to your next b.barre class, and you will feel the tone and burn!!!  

First, you’ll want to make sure your back is completely glued to the wall/mat.  Hinging forward and inching yourself back will ensure you are flush and ready to work!  Next, you’ll want to take an underhand grip on the barre, keeping your elbows close and shoulders plugged down.  Gently pulling out on the barre and slightly hinging  your chest over your abdominal wall will help you press your lower back into the wall and pull your abdominals up and in.  Lifting the abs will lift the pelvis and put you in perfect form to get ready to move!

Check out Stephanie below in perfect FLAT BACK form….

No matter which variation you are doing (legs bent or extended), you’ll want to make sure you don’t use your thighs to lift.  It’s a huge mind body connection in FLAT BACK!  You have to take the work out of your quads and put the contraction in your abdominals.    Try lowering your legs or alternating one leg at a time to help you focus more on the core.  

Try these tips and if you still have trouble finding the connection, ask your Inspire-er for help before or after class.  That’s what we’re here for…to help YOU master the exercises and get the most out of your workout!!!  

HAPPY FRIDAY BEAUTEES!!!!

Your LOW carb Pretzel!

This Friday we have decided to take on Pretzel! When performed in proper form, the reward is body changing! Practice makes perfect in this glute focused variation and we are here to help you master it!

Standing pretzel is where we LOVE it most at B.YOU. Whether standing profile to the barre or facing it, the set up of a perfect pretzel remains the same. Lets work together this week to shape & lift the bubble 🙂

Pictured below Stephanie is facing profile to the barre, with the inside hip lightly touching the barre. The standing leg is soft with the hips squared forward and abs engaged. Start to extend the outside leg back behind the standing leg and then out at a diagonal. Bend the leg in half and rotate the outside hip externally! Engage by shifting the outside hip back forward!

Now lets check alignment! For the outside glute to engage, the working leg needs to be behind the standing leg. The hip is open and the knee is pointed out. The working leg’s toe should be pointed or flexed based on your Inspire-er’s cue, but the foot is pointing towards the foot that is on the mat. This will help bring the working leg’s shin parallel to the wall behind you! Check the abs, hips, chest, & chin! Keep them lifted & engaged throughout the exercise!

Before you start your variations cued by the Inspire-er, make sure you are contracted in your targeted glute. If you don’t have it, don’t move it. Keep adjusting until you find your glute muscles catch! Be careful not to over extend the spine or tuck the pelvis! Keep your hips inline with each other and your chest and shoulders strong!

Make sure you learn your proper pretzel position this week! Inspire-ers are standing by to help you succeed!!!

Happy Friday Beautees!

Oh So AB-ilicious

Who does not like ab work?!? We base our figure and our fitness level off of how are abs look…which is wrong! At B.YOU™ we focus on keeping our CORE-set tight through out every exercise, which is working all of our abdominal muscles. We use them for stability, balance, and to protect the rest of our body!

We give YOU a polisher at the end of BarreAmped classes with our fun & abdominal exercise C-Curve aka The Curl. You are working all of your abdominals to the top of your chest, your obliques {side} and into your pelvic floor. Love it? Hate it? Yes, it is a love-hate relationship that makes us feel amazing afterwards! Success starts with set up, here YOU go:

Begin sitting up tall with a long neutral spine with your feet flat in front of you and hips distance apart. Take your pinky through pointer finger under your knee caps with your thumbs on top of your knees. Allow your shoulders to roll down away from ears with your elbows out. Chin is lifted off your chest and your chest is open, now is where you begin to roll down allowing your abs to curl your pelvic floor up, with belly button pressing down towards the mat and chest rolling over your abdominal muscles. This creates the C shape in your spine. Your goal is to strengthen your abs enough to allow you to go lower with the small of your back into the mat.

YOU will get there!

Never roll down too low where your abs don’t have a chance to engage and your feet float off the mat. This usually will create a lot of negative tension in your neck! We don’t want that. We want your obliques and every inch of your abs to be quivering! So press your feet into the floor through all 4 points of your feet and make sure your abs are buying not your neck! 

We hope you have enjoyed this Form Friday as well as enjoyed your Halloween!

Have a FAB-you-lous weekend

XOXO

 

 

We are feeling the weather change this week and bundling up!!! Make sure you check out our cover ups and comfy scarves to help you keep warm and comfortable before & after workouts!

This Friday we bring you Water Ski to help your body stay warm! This BarreAmped burner will leave you feeling untouchably strong & your leg muscles ignited during this cold front!

This advanced thigh exercise is slightly difficult to properly find yourself in and we want to help you become successful because the results are phenomenal! As you know, form is key! Here is the proper set up to melt your body into perfect form:

1. Start by bringing your hips to the barre and place your hands about shoulder width apart with palms down. Grabbing around the barre place the tips of your toes only 1 inch from the baseboard and your heels together.

2. In one swift move engage your core & begin squeezing your heels together as you lift your heels to High V {toes only 2 in. apart from one another} and allow your knees to flare open. Your hips in tandem will be lifting towards the barre and your chest rounds over your abdominal wall creating the S shape in your body.

3. Now it’s time to check form once your body seems engaged. Start from the feet up! High releve’ with heels glued and big toes just slightly apart in a narrow V. Knees are open and hips are pressed towards the barre while your abs are engaged and your chest rounds over your abdominal wall.

4. Ensure you check your shoulders. We want them pressed away from the ears and maintained in their pockets! Chest is always open and chin always lifted. Just like always maintain the chin-pelvis alignment as well as the back of your head with the tailbone! This ensures a safe spine!

One thing to check in this exercise is that 1. Your heels don’t drop & 2. You are not squeezing your seat to lift the hips! Its all core 🙂

We hope you enjoyed this Form Friday and just remember to take your mind back to the warmer weather as you feel like you are Skiing on the water!!!

If you haven’t read our last post-Stretching to B. your Best YOU, check it out!     Because stretching is so important, we’ve devoted 2 weeks & B.Silque™ Stretched is this week!

Check Rashna out in this inverted child’s pose! This stretch focuses on your lower back, your arms, shoulders and allows your entire body to relax! It not only relaxes your body, but this fantastic stretch allows your mind to unwind!

In order to melt into this relaxing stretch you must first properly get into an inversion! Follow these steps to success: Stand in front your silque {silk}, with your hands in a back hand hug place the silque at the small of your back. Leaning in to your silque, keeping your spinal alignment, allow your silque to be secure by your body weight and slide your hands a little higher than your hips. Core must be completely engaged to prevent injury! As you lean back, straddle both legs wide and allow your thighs to catch you from falling through the silque. The wider you allow your straddle, the more secure and successful you will be! Keep holding onto your silque and allow your heels and feet to come in front of your silque and in front of your body and slide them through the silque latching your toes around the fabric. Keeping your knees bent you will now feel locked into your silque and you can release your hands!  You should feel very comfortable and secure in your silque and with your inversion at this time. If you do not feel locked, your feet may be wrapped the wrong direction. You can always set back up and try again! Once you are ready allow your arms to spread and the ops of your hands to skim the top of the floor! Once you stop swinging, you can take your hands down to the mat and walk yourself forward into your inverted child’s pose!

We hope you are now relaxed and your mind unwinding! Enjoy this awesome stretch next time you are in our B.Silque™ Lifted I class!

xoxo

Happy Friday Beautees

This form Friday we want to focus on stretching! Filling your workouts with strength training and cardio is what we focus on when we want to get fit or loose weight, but a huge mistake in creating overall health & fitness is ignoring the importance of stretching!

 At B.YOU™ we focus on stretching throughout class! We will take time after we work each muscle group and allow time to stretch the fatigues muscle. We also take the last 8-10 minutes of class to really focus on a full body full stretch! Here are key points and benefits of stretching:

 

• Increased flexibility

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Let’s face it, we are all aging and with aging comes shorter & tighter muscles- We need stretching as part of our many anti-aging regimens!

 

• Wider range of motion & increased balance

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Stretching allows us more ROM {range of motion} in our joints and helps us balance! That is exciting, plus increased ROM keeps us active!

 

• Increases blood circulation and helps prevent muscle soreness & cramps

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After we Shake to Change our muscles, we need to stretch to allow blood and nutrients to get to our muscles. This reduces lactic acid build up and helps our muscles to heal! We love being sore the next day because it hurts so good, but we also have to function… this helps us chase the kiddos with ease!

 

• Reduces possible injuries

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We have all heard this before, but stretching and flexibility is a measure of overall fitness and it makes us healthier and a better athlete!

 

• Muscle Definition

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Why didn’t this bullet come first! That is our overall goal at B.YOU™ is to provide you with long, lean muscles with a feminine physique from shoulders to calves! Ladies, this is the secret… stretch what momma gave you! 

 

So next time you want to leave class early because you feel like the work is done… well you’ve missed your ticket to a stronger, healthier, and leaner you! Stick around and zen out before you leave class, the benefits are real and your mind as well as your body will thank you for it!

 

Happy Friday Beautees

 xoxo

1st Position aka High V is a challenging exercise that will make you quiver as soon as you melt down only 5 inches!!! We are excited to bring this knowledge of perfect form to you as we use this thigh burner for the next 7 days!

As always we encourage you to stand arms distance from the barre, this helps change your dependency to your core for balance and precision instead of our security blanket {the ballet barre}! Once there, take your heels together and toes just 2 inches apart {thin piece of pie} then simply check your stance–ears over shoulders over hips over heels {ESHH}! This is when you put on your HIGHEST pair of HEELS 🙂 Coming into your highest releve’,  engage your abs  which will tighten your CORE-set and start to slide down your imaginary wall, keeping your ESHH. You will then slide down about 5 inches OR until your thighs engage.

It is important to start with muscle engagement, so before you begin your tiny movements you MUST be engaged and connected. Challenge yourself to dig deep and mentally connect to your body before you start a set. You will find the contraction and the muscle before you begin and the SHAKE starts almost automatically. The Mind Body connection is real and this connection brings real results! Try it in your next class and dig deep for it, each and every exercise!

A few other details you want to focus on in 1st position {high V} are your knees. Once you have lowered down 5-7 inches into thigh engagement, you want your knees to be flared open and your inner thighs engaged. You will check your toe width to ensure you are not straining your knees. Adjust your V width according to your body’s comfort and always listen to you body!

The steps are simple, but you just have to keep reminding yourself of the proper form through all your sets: ESHH, flared knees, core-set tied, chin up, chest open, heels high and squeezed together & last but not least, weight shifted in between your 1st & 2nd toes! We hope these tips and this Form Friday will help you succeed in this awesome classic barre exercise!

Happy Friday XOXO,

B.YOU™

Oh how we love to whip out a little Leg Lift action at B.YOU™! This BarreAmped thigh focused exercise will leave you begging for a break. Since it is such a burner, form can be lost & negative pain with no gain can occur! Check our Form Friday Tips!

Start by placing your back slightly against the barre! Without leaning backwards towards your mirror, simply ensure your feet are directly under your hips, your hips under your shoulders, and your shoulders under your ears!!! Take your hands wide, bracket to bracket, soften your knees & engage your core- next will be your preference… either heels down or in releve’, but knees are always soft on the standing leg! Then bend the knee on your working leg and left your leg straight out into full extension! 

Now it’s time to recheck form and keep form! So re-engage your abs to ensure your core is in full effect, which is how you are going to protect your back from pain, then ensure your shoulders are pressed away from your ears and your chest is open. Check your standing knee once more, it should be soft and your working leg straight! Back is still grazed to the barre, but you are upright with your shoulders over your hips!

It is easy to loose form, release core and tuck your hips under here, but you can stay strong and keep form all the way through!!! Your goal is to keep your leg as high as you can, but as your thigh & hip flexor fatigue, your leg will start to lower which is perfectly normal! Your challenge is to keep it high with perfect form!!!

Lets burn those thighs this week together!!! 

Happy Friday xoxo,

B.YOU™ {her modern fitness boutique}