I am not opposed to spending big money on fitness. I’m happy to pay for access to pricey reformer pilates studios; I don’t buy into the idea that cheap franchise gyms are “just as good” as premium ones; and I spend a small fortune every month on expensive activewear sets. I’m not, however, spending a boatload of money on barre classes, no matter how trendy and effective they may be.
I want to take barre classes, as they combine ballet, Pilates, and yoga into a challenging, effective workout that can help with muscle tone, flexibility, and core strength. I just don’t want to do it badly enough to shell out all that cash. Luckily, YouTube has my back here, in the same way it does when I’m looking for variety in my cycling or yoga workouts. Here are my favorite YouTube options.
Action Jacquelyn
Jacquelyn Umof has over 200,000 subscribers on her Action Jacquelyn channel, where she’s been posting barre, yoga, and fusion-style workouts for years. A trained ballerina and former NBA dance squad member, she knows what she’s doing and makes it easy to follow along with.
Her channel has come a long way in terms of production quality, but the quality of the workouts themselves has always been excellent, so you’ll get something out of it even if you’re following along with a routine that is eight years old. There’s a big variety here, too: Barre workouts for pregnant women, for brides, for people who have no equipment available, and for those with specific goals are all abundant, so you’ll find something that matches your needs.
BHome Fitness
BHome Fitness, from Ella Jotie, typically features shorter, more focused barre instruction videos. With almost 33,000 subscribers, BHome Fitness has built up a reliable fanbase of viewers who tune in for quick, effective workouts that target specific muscle groups.
Videos are well-organized, too. In pre-made playlists, you can find a 31-day introductory challenge, specialty beach workouts, and even ones where Jotie is teaching to small classes, so you can watch how other people move and how she instructs them.
Nourishmovelove
With her Nourishmovelove channel, Lindsey Bomgren offers a lot of different workout formats for her over 800,000 subscribers, but her barre routines are not to be missed. They tend to be on the longer side—about 30 minutes—and focus on feeling the burn, but she also works in cardio elements that kick things up a notch.
If you’re looking for a channel that gives you some variety, detailed instruction, and solid production quality, Bomgren is a great instructor to start with.
Bodybarre
Bodybarre is a fitness studio in Houston that offers on-demand memberships, but also uploads quality workouts to YouTube, as well, where the company has a little over 30,000 subscribers. Unlike the others on this list, Bodybarre classes are filmed in the brand’s studio with participants joining in, which means you can actually see how this would all look if you were to take an in-person class.
Because taking a new kind of exercise class in a studio setting can be a little intimidating, this is a great option for beginners or anyone considering signing up at their local barre gym.
Move With Nicole
I actually recommended Move With Nicole in my roundup of best YouTube Pilates classes already, but I’m adding her in here because her channel also features excellent barre workouts. She has over five million followers and a massive variety of videos available, so this is another solid option if you’re looking for a reliable trainer you can follow through a host of different types of exercises.
Like all of her videos, these are well-produced and it’s easy to find the right one for your needs, as she makes clear in video descriptions whether you’ll need equipment and how long the workout will take.
