Why Slow Workouts Are the New Burnout Cure

Slower workouts are having a moment, and not because they’re trendy, but because they work. They’re the antidote to a life lived in overdrive. When you’re constantly in “go mode”, your nervous system doesn’t know where or when to safely land. Following a workout like Barre, Pilates or yoga gives it somewhere to land. They teach you to move with intention instead of urgency.

Although we might think it, slow doesn’t mean easy. Barre is tiny, precise, and deliberate - the kind of movement that demands presence. It forces you to feel your muscles rather than sailing through endless reps. It builds deep strength, but it also rebuilds something we’ve all been missing: a relationship with our bodies that isn’t based on punishment.

When I launched The Barre Coach, I saw how quickly women’s energy shifted when they embraced this approach. They’d finish class glowing, not gasping. They’d message me to say, “I didn’t realise I could feel strong and calm at the same time.” And that’s exactly the point.

Slow workouts are the new burnout cure because they work with your body, not against it. They regulate stress, support hormones, and strengthen from the inside out. They remind us that being powerful isn’t about pushing harder - it’s about knowing when to pause.

So if you’re feeling fried, here’s my challenge: swap one of your high-intensity sessions for something slower this week. Tune in, breathe deeper, and notice how much energy you still have afterwards. It might just be the most productive thing you do all day.

So much of what we’re searching for through movement - energy, clarity, calm - can’t be found by pushing harder. It’s found in the pause, in the stillness between reps, in the breath you finally remember to take. Slower workouts don’t ask you to do less; they invite you to feel more.

If you’re craving that reset, I’ve created a special Slow & Steady class collection inside The Barre Coach App - a series of calm, grounding workouts designed to help you rebuild your strength without burning out. Take a peek here.