Barre

With degrees in both exercise science and dance, Ballet Body creator Leah Sarago found that performing muscle-lengthening exercises resulted in the feminine physique so many women are pining for. Leah currently has a number of DVDs out, but I was particularly taken with her Ballet Body Core Workout ($20). The 45-minute video offers a combination of standing abdominal exercises, movement sequences, and mat work.

Ballet Body Core Workout engaged my abdominal muscles as promised, but I also found it to be an effective full-body workout. I felt the burn in my core, arms, legs, and butt from start to finish.

Keep reading to learn why I loved this workout.

Try this thigh-sculpting move in the comfort of your own home, and see it work some magic on your gams. This barre-optional exercise from Pure Barre helps shape the body without the need for any equipment. Try it tonight!

The Setup

If you don't have a barre in your home, find a doorway you can stand in easily.

• Stand straight with your heels together and toes slightly apart to form a V shape. Bend your knees and place your palms against either side of the doorway for balance.
• Picture the barre behind your lower back, which will help remind you to tuck your pelvis under and pull your abdominals in.

Step One

• Extend the right leg straight out in front of you, with pointed toes.
• Take two counts to lift the right leg up until the foot reaches hip height, then lower it back down for two counts. Repeat five times.

Step Two

• On the last leg lift, keep your right leg up. Try to hold your leg in the highest position you can.
• Bend your right knee, and then lengthen it back to straight. Do this 10-15 times.
• Remember to keep your left knee bent to help stabilize your body.

See the rest of the variations and cooldown after the break!

Chill out on your belly and tone your butt at the same time — what's not to love? This frog exercise, found in many barre workouts, is great for toning and lifting the bum. And you can do it at home.

Start lying on your stomach on top of a mat or soft area. If your mat is on hardwood, then I recommend folding a piece of the mat underneath your hips for extra cushion. With one fist on top of the other and your elbows bent, place your forehead into your top fist, and press your arms into the floor for support. Bend your knees, flex your feet in the air, and lift your knees off the floor.

From this position, extend your knees behind you, using the energy in your heels to press your legs away in a pulsing tempo. With every press your heels, emphasize the slight straightening of the knees as you pulse your legs away from your butt. Think of a frog that squats down and leaps. Your knees are making a similar motion and, like a frog, your legs are suspended in air. Complete this exercise for 20-30 reps. For added challenge, release your arms out in front of you for the last 10 reps to tone your upper back at the same time.

Photographed at Pop Physique in San Francisco, CA

Ab workouts don't always need to be about endless crunches. Work your middle with this neck-friendly single-leg extension exercise. Making your abs do all the work helps eliminates neck strain and will give you svelte abs in no time.

Set-Up

This ab move has the same set-up as our other ab exercises that won't strain your neck. Put them all together to create a series.

• Start by sitting up with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Pull your abs toward your spine as you roll backward until your elbows make contact with the ground.
• From this position, tuck your hips so your lower back connects with the ground. Squeeze your shoulder blades together, lifting your head nice and tall. You are now ready to begin.

Single-Leg Extension

• Extend one leg toward the sky, and point that foot.
• Begin to pull your straight leg toward your chest; exhale sharply, and contract your abs as the leg moves closer to your core. Complete 10-15 reps.
• Do press your shoulders down, away from your ears, to keep your neck relaxed.
• Bonus move: Extend and straighten your bottom leg so it is parallel to the floor and hovering off the ground a couple inches.

Keep reading for another variation on the move.

You don't need to be fluent in French or even have taken ballet before trying a barre class. This style of exercise may be modeled after ballet, but it is, after all, a workout. The movements are thoroughly instructed, so the only thing that may throw you off are the words themselves. Here is a guide to the most widely used barre terms that you'll hear in class.

• First position: This is part of the setup for many barre exercises. In first position, you are standing on the floor with your heels touching and your toes apart. When you gaze down, your feet should look like a small "v" shape.
• Plié: This is a pretty French term that means to bend, or fold. It is only used when referencing a bend in your knees, which you do often in barre. You can take a plié in almost any standing position. Your instructor might alternate the words bend and plié intermittently.
• Relevé: The actual meaning of this French term is lifted, or raised. The word is used when instructed to lift your heels off of the ground. This is usually only instructed when your heels are together, either side by side or in front of one another, so that you have plenty of ankle support.
• Second position: Stand with your legs separated from each other, with your feet about two feet apart, and your toes pointing outward on a diagonal. From here you will most likely be instructed to take a bend in your knees. Once you plié, make sure your heels are under your knees and your shins are parallel to prevent injury. Every barre goer loves to hear the term second position because it is often used for a series of thigh exercises. The position might feel like a break at first, but you'll begin to feel the burn.
• Tuck: A key concept in barre, the tuck is part of the secret to sculpted thighs and seat. You may even hear this instruction during your ab exercises. It simply means to pull your hips forward while drawing your abs back. If you look at yourself in a mirror, you can see the tuck happening from a side view. When you tuck, the arch in your lower back will disappear, elongating your tailbone. This can make any exercise feel harder and therefore show more results, so embrace the tuck.

Chair is that move you love to hate in your barre class. It burns, you shake, and it tones your thighs like none other. Since this exercise requires a barre for balance, trying it at home can be just a bit of a challenge. Here's a way you can set it up in house to either prepare you for your first barre class or throw into your schedule between classes.

Start with your back flat against a wall. As you slide your back down, walk your feet out together until your knees hit a 90-degree angle. Make sure your ankles fall directly below your knees and your thighs sit parallel to the floor. Once you're there, press your arms against the wall behind you for support and try to hold the position. One-minute holds are recommended for beginners and two-minute holds for the more advanced. You can repeat this three times with stretching in between.

See a more advanced variation of this chair exercise after the break!

Barre class is a highly effective workout and can burn up to 500 calories per session. On top of torching calories, you should have a longer body from barre in no time — that is, if you're doing it right. Many people who take barre class report seeing few to no changes in their body and can't understand why. Here are the top six mistakes people make in barre class to miss out on those results.

• No focus: If you're daydreaming or zoning out in class, you aren't getting the full benefits from the exercises. It's similar to eating mindlessly in front of the TV; when you're distracted, the activity you're doing holds less value.
• Eating habits: Since this workout can exert so much energy, you'll notice an increase in metabolism and your body may need certain foods — like protein — more. While replenishing your body is a must, take careful notice to what you're refueling your body with. Steer clear of foods that are high in caloric value so that they don't creep up on you. Remember the mantra "calories in, calories out."
• No cardio: Barre classes tone your muscles to make you look cut, but cardio is essential in helping zap fat. If you've stopped walking as much or aren't doing any type of cardio, you won't be able to see the tone you're putting into your physique. Try to incorporate at least 30 minutes, ideally after this strength-training workout.

Keep reading. There are a few more reasons after the break.