6 barre exercises that’ll leave you feeling the good kind of sore tomorrow

• Barre workouts are ballet-inspired exercises like parallel thigh side taps and foldovers.
• These exercises are great for toning muscles throughout your body including in your core and back.
• You can perform these exercises with or without a barre. Do them at home or in a studio. 
• Visit Insider's Health Reference library for more advice.

If you're looking for a fun, low-impact workout that will help you strengthen and tone your whole body, barre is a great choice. Barre gets its name from the usage of a ballet barre during class, since some of the specific exercises are ballet-inspired. 

Here are six barre moves you can try at home. 

1. Standing thigh work 

While this move primarily targets your thighs, it will also activate your core and provide an opportunity to challenge your balance, says Danielle Cote, Director of Training Operations for Pure Barre.

In place of a barre, you can use the back of a chair, countertop, or wall.

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart with your hands on your hips. 
2. Extend your left leg straight in front of you at hip height, while flexing your foot.  Keep a soft bend in your right knee to avoid completely straightening your leg.
3. Lower the left leg down towards the floor and slowly lift it back up. Repeat five times.
4. Raise your outstretched leg to hip height, bend it slightly, and then extend it straight. Repeat this 10 times.
5. Hold the leg straight and still for 20 seconds.
6. Repeat the process on the right side. 

2. Parallel thigh side taps 

To target your inner thighs and quads while incorporating some ballet inspired movements, try parallel thigh side taps, says Andrea Rogers, barre instructor and founder of Xtend Barre. 

1. Stand with your left side to the barre (or barre replacement) and hold on for balance.
2. Keep your feet together and slightly bend both legs into a "plié", floating your heels up to "relevé" or tip-toes.
3. Tap the outside leg out to the side, and then return to center.
4. Repeat 16 to 32 times.
5. Switch sides, standing with your right side to the barre, and repeat steps two through four. 

3. Second position to curtsy

Using a combination of more traditional ballet positions, you can target your glutes and quads, says Rogers.

1. Stand with one side to the barre (or barre replacement) for balance.
2. Step your feet out to a second position plié with your feet slightly wider than your hips, keeping your legs and feet externally rotated (turned out), and both legs bent.
3. With your hips square, step your outside leg back to curtsy in a backwards lunge.
4. Return to second position plié.
5. Repeat eight to 16 times on each side.

4. Plank series

Planks activate your entire core while strengthening your obliques, transverse abdominis, shoulders, and back muscles, says Cote.

1. 1. Lie down on your stomach and raise yourself up onto your forearms. 
   2. Tighten your abs and glutes and be sure to keep your neck in line with your spine.
   3. Float your right foot off the floor, point your toes, hold for 30 seconds, and return your foot.
   4. Float your left foot off the floor, point your toes, hold for 30 seconds, and return your foot.
   5. Place both feet on the floor and press your heels back for 30 seconds.
   6. Push up to a straight arm plank with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Draw your right knee in towards your chest, hold for 20 seconds, and return your knee.
   7. Draw your left knee in towards your chest, hold for 20 seconds, and return your knee.
   8. Place both feet on the floor and hold that position (aka the straight arm plank) for 20 seconds.

5. Foldover

While most core work is typically done lying down, Rogers recommends the foldover to work your core and glutes. 

1. Face the barre with your feet together, parallel with knees bent. Rest your forearms onto the barre.
2. Hinge at your hips and extend one leg straight back to "tendu" which creates a diagonal line from the crown of your head to the back toe on the floor. 
3. Lift and lower the tendu leg up and down, keeping the leg straight and your hips square.
4. Repeat eight to 16 times.
5. Do 16 to 32 small pulses at the top with the tendu leg.
6. Repeat steps two through five on the other side. 

 6. Glute work on the floor

For a glute workout that requires no equipment or barre, Cote says you can try this series on the floor. For optimal comfort, you may want to do this on a mat.

1. Come to all fours with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. 
2. Extend your right leg behind you and bring your heel towards your butt and point your toes. Be sure to pull your abs in and keep a neutral spine. 
3. Slowly lower your right knee towards the floor and then press up slowly — think toes pressing up towards the ceiling. Repeat 20 times.
4. In a slightly quicker fashion, lower your leg and press up. Repeat 20 times. (This is essentially steps two and three at a faster pace) 
5. Hold the left leg up, flexing the foot, pressing the heel up a couple of inches towards the ceiling, and hold for two seconds. Repeat 20 times.
6. Press up more quickly. Repeat 20 times.
7. While still on all fours, extend the left leg straight, point your toes, lift up, and hold. Repeat 20 times.
8. Lift up the extended leg more quickly and hold. Repeat 20 times. 
9. Repeat steps two through eight on the other side.

Insider's takeaway

No matter what fitness level you're at, barre exercises can help you build strength and tone your body in a low-impact way. Try out all of these moves to get in a great full-body workout. 

You can also check out barre studios or see if your local gym offers barre classes so you can try even more exercises with hands-on instruction.