Why We Love: Pretzel

Pretzel is a classic barre exercise that most people love to hate. But we love it for so many reasons! Here are just a few of our favorite reasons to love Pretzel:

1/ Finding internal rotation is super healthy for the hip.

This internal rotation of the leg inside the hip joint is a position that we don’t typically get a lot of in our daily lives. Happy, balanced hips are the goal!

2/ Gently brings the front of the hip into a stretch while the glutes work.

Taking advantage of opposing muscle groups on either side of the joint, the hip flexors are in extension while the glutes are contracting. 🍑💥

3/ The BarreAmped® approach to Pretzel is accessible to most bodies.

You might notice that none of the pictures in these slides show the back knee lifting off the ground. It’s because it’s not necessary to get great work! And so often, different muscles end up being recruited just to lift the knee and the foot will drop, losing our internal rotation. Sometimes the “modification” of holding the back foot up makes the work more effective by allowing you to actually target the glutes!

What do YOU love about Pretzel? Drop a comment below and let us know. 

This exercise is found in our Level 2 BarreAmped® Training. Get started today training online!