When it comes to participating in an UpBeat Barre class, it's essential to ensure that you're using the correct equipment and techniques to maximize your workout while minimizing the risk of injury. One common mistake that many people make during barre classes is leaving their mat out throughout the entire session.
While it may seem like a convenient choice to keep your mat out during the entire class, it can actually be quite problematic. Here are a few reasons why you shouldn't keep your mat out during a barre class, and why you should wait to pull it out when you're doing floor work.
Mats to the Side Increase Safety
One of the primary reasons why you shouldn't keep your mat out during a barre class is safety. When you're doing barre exercises, you need a stable, non-slip surface to work on. If your mat isn't securely in place, you may slip or slide during certain movements, which can lead to falls, strains, or other injuries.
Additionally, if your mat is too close to the barre, either standing or a secure wall-barre, you may accidentally kick or bump it during exercises, which can be dangerous for both you and your classmates. By waiting to pull out your mat until it's necessary, you can ensure that you have a safe and stable surface to work on.
Ditching the Mat Provides Ease of Movement
In UpBeat Barre, WE MOVE!!!! Another reason why you shouldn't keep your mat out during a barre class is ease of movement. UpBeat Barre classes involve a lot of different exercises that require a significant amount of space–moving forward, backward, and in that tricky transverse plane of motion. If your mat is taking up a large portion of the floor, it can limit your range of motion and make it harder to execute certain exercises properly. Even if it looks like your participants have enough space, they might not. Jane had an experience where she was teaching a large class, and while crowded it appeared they had plenty of space. Maren attended the class as a participant and quickly realized that when she went to do a reverse lunge, she was slipping on the mat positioned behind her. Especially if you, as an instructor, have a stage, you might not realize the conditions out on the floor, so better to play it safe than sorry!
By waiting to pull out your mat until it's necessary, you can ensure that you have enough space to move freely during barre exercises. This can help you achieve better form and technique, which can lead to more effective workouts and better results.
Mats Limit our Space
If there’s anything UpBeat branding would like for you to discover about yourself, it’s that you deserve to take up space. Shrinking is never the goal here–in UpBeat Barre, we want you to fill the space of the room and give yourself a full range of motion to work with. Confining yourself to the width of your mat is mentally limiting, and just taking away that mental barrier will make a difference in your movement for your UpBeat Barre classes!
Overall, there are many reasons why you shouldn't keep your mat out during a barre class. By waiting to pull out your mat until you're doing floor work, you can ensure that you have a safe, stable surface to work on and enough space to move freely during barre exercises and not be limited by the width of your mat. By prioritizing safety and ease of movement in your barre practice, you can maximize your results and minimize your risk of injury. When floor work arrives during class, set a 20-30 second silent track in your playlist, and challenge everyone to pull out their mats and arrive on the floor with you (tell them whether they’re going to be prone or supine and what equipment they need) and then see if you can beat the clock! Chances are you’ll have a few seconds to spare and can tell a funny joke before the song begins.