Call me twisted, but receiving this text from my friend, Soriya, made me do a happy dance:

We were planning a mini-girls retreat at her home in Austin. This proposal worked perfectly. I was late in my goal of trying one new-to-me workout in June and I’m always up for trying something new.

Our time involved lots of talking, wine, moving her practice, getting to know a golden dude name Kemar, and a fabulous dinner Monday night.

Tuesday the alarm went off, we ate a light breakfast, and headed to Orangetheory.

What is Orangetheory?

From the website:

Orangetheory is a 1 hour, full body workout, focused on training Endurance, Strength and/or Power.  We use Heart Rate Based Interval Training, which burns more calories post workout than a traditional exercise. When wearing our Heart Rate monitors, your real time results are displayed on large screens throughout the studio. Intensity is based on your individual Heart Rate zones, making the workout effective for all fitness levels. To top it off, our fitness coaches to lead the workout to prevent you from over or under training.

Orangetheory Fitness (OTF) is circuit-based. The gym has treadmills, water rowers, and weights.  Throughout the training session, you rotate between these sections.

The workout is guided by your heart rate. Exercise science teaches us that high-intensity interval training (meaning work hard, back off, and repeat) is great for increasing metabolism for up to 36 hours after the workout (!)

Each class is structured uniquely, meaning you’ll never repeat the same class twice. When I taught indoor cycling, I always told new students to try it three times before they decide if they love it or hate it. I’d recommend the same for OTF.

The participant chooses an equipment number for the session. Whether you’re on the treadmill, rowers, or strength station, you stick with your number. This simple idea is brilliant, as everyone knows exactly where to go and there’s no congestion through station switches.

Benefits to Orangetheory

Great all-around workout

I’m all about efficiency. Cardio, strength, core … check to all.

No time to get bored

I admit: I’m a little ADD when it comes to exercise. Even when I run, I prefer to vary my speed over a steady-state endurance. Orangetheory fits this bill perfectly. We rotated three times between each station. While on the treadmill, we were guided to vary our intensity every thirty to sixty seconds. The weights had two movements we repeated three times.  This also made the time fly by.

Great beginner training

Participants wait in the waiting area before entering the gym. While waiting, Heather, our instructor, came to retrieve all the newbies (which was just me). She took several minutes to explain the class structure, the screens, and her cues. She even reserved the end treadmill for me, which made it easier for her to check on me. Screens show proper form and rep count for the strength movements. Although I teach group fitness myself, it’s still awkward the first time I participate in a new class. You’ll be well taken care of when you go.

Analytical

If you like charts, graphs, and numbers, you’ll be in heaven. Not only do you watch your heart rate vary through intervals, you also get to see your final chart. If I had several classes worth, my geeky analytical side would eat this up.

Self-moderation

In my classes, I tell my students, “I don’t care what you’re doing, I care how you feel.” What I mean by that is if I’m trying to get them breathless, they can choose any level of burpees they want. Or they can modify push-ups to their own level, as long as they are challenged.

Orangetheory does a great job of empowering students to drive their own workout. The treadmill can be adjusted via incline or speed. Walking on a 10% incline keeps the impact low but the heart high. It doesn’t matter what your speed or incline is … what matters is that heart rate.

Drawbacks

• Orangetheory is NOT the place to zone out. If you want to put earbuds in and let your mind go, this isn’t the place. I did feel a little frazzled with the constant cueing, but I’m confident that resolves itself after attending a couple classes.
• It’s evident when you’ve lost heart conditioning. For example, if you’ve been allowing yourself to walk more, run less, and lower the intensity of your workouts (hand raised), you may find your heart rate doesn’t lower after those intervals as quickly as you’d like. This is also why it’s always important to check your pride at the door and embrace where you are that day.
• This intense workout is not big-dinner-friendly. Consider not enjoying a scrumptious meal the night before complete with appetizers, dessert, and wine. Some might say that’s not the best fueling. (Actually, every fitness professional ever will tell you that, including those who break their own rule.)

Know before you go

• You’ll be given a heart rate monitor to borrow for the class. If you become a member, you’ll want to purchase one from Orangetheory.
• Bring a water bottle and a sweat towel.
• Tip: Grab a disinfectant wipe from their bin before you get on your equipment. You don’t have much time in between rotations. This also prevents the person getting on your treadmill from thinking you are gross and don’t clean up after yourself.
• Take a moment to read the FAQ’s

Orangetheory Fitness is right up my workout alley. If you’ve been wondering what the hubbub is about, give it a shot. You won’t be disappointed (even if you don’t quite get all the directions the first time).

Interested in my other experiences? Read about them here:

January – Bounce Fit Club with Kangoo Jumps

February – High-Intensity Pilates

March – Epic 180-mile relay run

April – Pound Fitness

May – Sling Bungee Fitness