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Turning Challenges into Opportunities

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Any Barnes Barre Tech
Photo by Erick Gibson.

Amy Barnes, owner of Barre Tech and Swēt Ride, shares her organic gym bag essentials and how to avoid falling into a fitness rut.

A lifelong dancer and martial artist, Amy Barnes always knew the benefits of a ballet barre to shape the body. She sought to push the traditional barre method further by perfecting her own technique. Students at her Del Ray-based studio, Barre Tech, can experience energetic classes that blend different genres of music and precise beats per minute for a unique (and challenging) barre workout. With the increasing popularity of classes like the Burn 60 option, which combines ballet, kickboxing, tabata, core work and stretching, Barnes eventually opened a second location in Clarendon.

In an effort to offer a well-rounded workout, last year she and former Barre Tech instructor Kat Zajac launched a complement to her barre classes—Swēt Ride, Alexandria’s only indoor cycling boutique. “We wanted to do something different and unique, so what we utilize is ‘sweet spot training’ when you operate at 80-90 percent of your potential. Cycling is going to make the barre enthusiast faster and leaner. Barre is going to benefit the rider by making them stronger with more tone and endurance,” she says.

Staying motivated can be difficult at any fitness level, so Barnes launched the Fit Tech Challenge series this year to offer students an extra incentive to remain committed to their practice. Participants will take four classes a week and begin the day with an at-home exercise series six days a week with playlists and recipes to accompany the routine. Each person will earn “barre bucks” and qualify for a grand prize each session. The next challenge begins on April 1, and although it’s strenuous, Barnes believes that ultimate effort reaps ultimate rewards. “Challenges are just opportunities in a different tank top,” she states. –Angela Bobo

Amy Barnes Barre Tech
Photo by Erick Gibson.

1. “[Swēt Ride] is a clip-in studio that offers shoes and heart-rate monitors for borrow.  We believe in the efficiency of clip-in cycling shoes because it provides a safer, more robust workout.”

2. “These products are all handmade organically by one of my Barre Tech students, Jodey McGuire of Pure Aesthetica. Not only is she a great girl, but she’s a female entrepreneur of a successful small business.”

3. “I love Gouter [sold in studio] because the way they design their recipes and market their tonics is for a restorative value. The stretch tonic has turmeric root, which is an anti-inflammatory, and I thought, ‘Hey this would be great to put in a face wash.’ So I looked for face washes that have raw organic material. I learned something from working with them.”

4. “The Barre Tech clothing line involves tank tops, pants and also a long-sleeve shrug of a top. We also have some satchels that are great and durable. On the back of one tank it says #barrelove, and on the back of another it says #shakeon.”

5. “Beaty Counter’s Mission (is) to get safer products in the hands of everyone (women, children, and even men). I love their products because their combination of safe ingredients is not only beautiful but highly effective.”

6. “These Diesel headphones fuse Monster’s secret experimental audio savvy with style. The result is a scientifically backed impact on your senses for better sound for the brave.”

(April 2015)

The post Turning Challenges into Opportunities appeared first on Northern Virginia Magazine.


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