If you dreaming of having a svelte, toned Ballerina body, then you need to raise the bar on your workout regime. To get your physique into tip-top shape, Barre movements are a great form of exercise. While most Barre classes are taught inside studios, many Barre exercises can be done virtually anywhere. To inspire your fitness journey, we’re excited to share the “Barre on the Beach Series” with you.

In collaboration with our friend, Natalie McDaniel (a Barre instructor in Carmel, California), Inspirations & Celebrations recently started a new 5-part fitness tutorial series. In Part 1, we learned how to sculpt and tone the arms and Part 2 taught us 5 booty-sculpting moves for a better-looking backside, and Part 3 showed us how to strengthen and firm our legs and thighs. Follow along as Natalie shares fun Barre exercises you can do at home or on the beach!

Barre on the Beach – Part 4

If you want a flatter, firmer tummy and a defined waistline, then these 5 Barre exercises will help you effectively work your core. By doing these Barre exercises, in addition to looking more fit, you’ll also feel stronger and have less low back aches. Working your abs and obliques not only helps to re-shape your torso, it also helps boost your overall strength for normal everyday activities (like carrying bags, lifting boxes, or working at a desk).

Featured in Part 4 of the Barre on the Beach Series, Natalie shows 5 exercises that focus on engaging the abdominals and obliques. If you do not have a yoga mat, you can always modify by using a towel. 

Exercise 1:

Begin by laying down, placing the feet slightly wider than the hips. Take your right hand behind your head and reach your left hand toward the right knee. Making sure to let the head fall heavily into the palm of the right hand and begin to crunch reaching outside the right knee. Complete 20 repetitions. Then switch sides – taking the left hand behind your head and reaching the right arm outside the left knee. Completing 20 repetitions. This move works your abs and obliques.

Exercise 2:

Place both hands behind your head and bring your knees up, stacking them over your hips. Pressing the knees together, and being careful to not pull on the neck, lift your shoulders up off the floor. Start to crunch up to your highest point, and slowly lower back down, not allowing the top of your shoulders touch the floor. Repeat this move 25 times. 

Exercise 3:

Stay in the same position on the ground with the shoulders lifted and knees above the hips. Reaching the hands towards the heels, start to pulse up an inch, and down an inch, making sure to keep the chin off the chest. Complete 25 repetitions. 

Exercise 4:

Laying on the ground with the shoulders raised, bring one leg up, allowing the hands to come onto the calf with both toes pointed. Let the opposite leg hover about 2 inches off the ground. With the hands supporting the calf, start to lift and lower the body, not allowing the shoulders to touch the floor. Do this 20 times, then switch legs and repeat. 

Exercise 5:

Bring the body up off the ground. Rest the palms of your hands flat beneath the shoulders with elbows bent and fingertips facing forward. Bring the knees together and lift the feet off the ground. With the knees bent, start to tap the toes side to side, being careful to not let the body swing; just the legs should be moving. Do this move 25 times. 

How to follow the ‘Barre on the Beach’ Series

To follow this 5-part Barre tutorial series, subscribe to Inspirations & Celebrations by email, RSS, or Bloglovin.

For more exercise tips and tutorials from fitness experts and celebrity trainers, check out the Fitness section on Inspirations & Celebrations. Be well and stay inspired on your fitness journey!

Fitness Contributor: Natalie McDaniel