This article originally appeared in Well+Good.
Barre workouts are deceptively difficult. Their small, ballet-inspired movements may make them look easy, but all of a sudden your muscles start shaking and it hurts to laugh and walk up the stairs the next day. The reason? These workouts activate and strengthen slow-twitch muscle fibers, aka the small muscles that usually coast during movements like squats and deadlifts. This sneaky muscle group supports our posture and joints, and strengthening them helps prevent injury and increase endurance. In this week’s Trainer of the Month Club, professional dancer and trainer Sydney Latuoco guides us through a barre-inspired no equipment full body workout that’s full of the small-but-mighty movements needed to target those slow-twitch muscles.