Barre | Down Dog 9+

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!

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.

This one, barre, has fewer bells and whistles than the others and I think both the barre and the yoga are best for people who have taken at least few live beginner classes, but I really love that I can set the time, that they always change, and that I can listen to my own music or even a podcast or audiobook if I want to instead of their music. Lately I have been switching off the barre and HIIT apps and just fitting in occasional yoga, and this has been working for me. I love that when this routine starts to feel old, I can do something different. Adding this: I am in my 50s and plus sized, and I find this barre app helps me so much with my alignment and posture and warding off injury