Barre Classes with Coach Courtney Townley

Genesis Transformation Coach, Courtney Townley, recently went through the Booty Barre certification program and is now teaching barre classes in Kalispell, MT at Flathead Health and Fitness (300 1st Avenue West). Classes are 1 hour in length and are held Wednesday at 9:30am and Friday at 8:30am. Be sure to come early…classes are very well attended:)

A tidbit about the GT friendly Barre:
There is no denying the strength, flexibility, and power of a dancer’s legs. Dancers spend hours training their legs to support all kinds of amazing physical feats from balancing on the balls of their feet, to jumping great heights, to turning at incredible speeds. Well-balanced, powerful hips are a MUST for these movements to occur, which is why many high level performers (across many athletic diciplines, not just dance) take ballet barre classes regularly.

Barre classes have been flooding into the mainstream fitness industry over the past year and have become wildly popular among attendees. These classes require no previous experience, are sure to elevate your heart rate and strengthen your legs and core in a fun and dynamic way. The classes move rhythmically from start using the beat of contemporary music, making the class a far cry from the rigid ballet classes you may have experienced as a child. So, if you hear of a class in your area….check it out! Your hips will thank you.

Courtney’s everyday tips to lift and activate the glutes:

Your glutes are an integral part of your core muscles, which means if you do not have strong glutes, you will not have a strong core. A few simple things to implement into your daily life that could make a big difference in your ability to use your glutes to support you:

• ALWAYS implement hip extension exercises into your workouts (things like deadlifts and bridges should come to mind).
•  Use your full stride when you walk. An very simple way to implement more hip extension into your life is to just be aware of your gait. Many people have a tendency to not extend their hip enough when then walk, and end up sort of kicking their feet out in front of them. Focusing on how you walk and utilizing the extension phase of your gait can be a glute saver!!!
• Focus on the center of your heel when weight bearing on your legs. We tend to place an unnecessary amount of pressure on the balls of our feet when we walk, stand and exercise, which actually puts more emphasis on the quadriceps. Simply putting more weight in your heels, but not hyperextending your legs to do so, has the power to wake-up the backs of the legs.
• Anchor your tailbone. Walk around, stand and move as if you have a heavy weight on your tailbone. When your butt is pushing back, and your lower back is over extending, your butt is NOT engaged, and therefore, neither are your abdominals. Your pelvis should always sit directly under your rib cage to maximize support of your lower back.