Try It Tuesday: Orangetheory Fitness

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to try out my very first Orangetheory Fitness class. As it was my first class, I had to arrive 30 minutes early to get a tour and a breakdown of what Orangetheory Fitness is about. So here’s what I learned…

The class is split between cardio and strength/resistance. The studio equipment such as treadmills, rowers, TRX equipment, weights, and more. The physiological theory behind the Orangetheory workout is known as “Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption,” or EPOC. EPOC helps you burn more calories and contributes to the afterburn effect where you keep burning calories after the class for 24-36 hours. This gives you faster results and a faster increase of fitness and endurance. The EPOC system is pod based where they use a heart rate monitor to monitor your 5-zone interval training sessions that’s call the Orange 60. The heart rate monitor sends your information to the software which transmits it to the screen in the studio.

The screen shows your zones determined by your heart rate. The green zone is 71-73, orange zone is 84-91, and red zone is 91+. In class, your cardio sessions are broken down into three zones: Green Zones – the Base, Orange Zone – the Push and finally the Red Zone which is All Out. The majority of the class you spend in the Green Zone, and approximately 12 to 20 minutes in the Orange/Red Zone combined.

During the class, you earn “Splat Points” which are points you gain during class. You can see it on the screen as you workout and if you’re competitive like myself… you’re going to want to push harder to get more points! I had spoke to a regular member and asked her why she enjoyed Orangetheory Fitness and Raquel said that it was the best one hour workout and she loved how motivating the scoreboard was. You see, there is something about having a scoreboard that helps gets you going!

Orangetheory Fitness has 4 different “types” of workouts that change every day. They are Endurance Days, Strength Days, Power Days, and Combo Days. This means that on some days there are longer runs, other days more polymetrics, or more strengthening. I got lucky and showed up on a Combo day so I got to try out a little bit of everything.

At Orangetheory, you never attend the same class twice. Their team of fitness expert coaches from their head office work to make new workouts every day. The new templates are sent out weeks in advance so trainers have time to review the workout and every Orangetheory Fitness facility will be doing the identical workout on the same day.

Okay, so what exactly did I do? I started off on the treadmill and ran my little butt off! We did intervals and hills before we got off and moved onto the weights.

We worked on doing some lifting with dumbbells before jumping onto the rowing machine. We alternated back and forth between the two to keep our heart rates up and going and I was exhausted!

What did I like about it?

I really liked how Orangetheory Fitness ensures that no workouts are the same, it keeps you on your toes. It’s harder to slack off when you don’t know what’s coming! Orangetheory Fitness is also great for you if you don’t want to have to plan out your own workout at a regular gym. Here you have someone talking you through a new workout every time without you having to do any planning. There’s also no need to worry about sharing equipment as everyone has their own station compared to a gym.

There are also fun challenges that Orangetheory Fitness puts together. When I went, there was a marathon board where members can add up how much they ran during the class and see who reaches the marathon distance first.

In addition, I love how after every class, you can get your workout summary emailed to you!

They have also created an app so you can earn Splat Points anywhere (by syncing up the heart rate monitor from Orangetheory Fitness), set personal workout goals, join challenges and view current, weekly and monthly performance summaries. It’s also great for people of all fitness levels due to it being your personal heart rate pace, so you can progress at your own pace and still see results (i.e. I substituted powered walked instead of running).

Overall, Orangetheory Fitness is a great way to get lasting results as the high intensity interval training gets you in the optimal heart rate zone to burn calories. The class is filled with high fives, motivation from the trainer, and great music that will keep you wanting more. Check out their website to find out more and to find your nearest location.

PS check out their cute merchandise! I loved their lobby.

[Tweet “Try It Tuesday: Orangetheory Fitness! #RiseAndBurn #canadianfitness @otheoryfitness”]

QOTD: Do you go to Orangetheory Fitness? Do you like it?

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