Naturally, because it’s how I do things, I decided to drag Will with me. He comes to visit me for one week and what do I do? Force him into a fitness class. The best part is that I took him to his inaugural Crossfit WOD at Big Horn that same morning, so not only did he have to acclimate to the Mile High City, but he also pulled a double workout. Think he’ll ever talk to me again?!
Orange Theory Fitness
The premise behind the Orange Theory Fitness workouts is that intervals reign supreme. Each one-hour session is divided into four intervals involving treadmills, rowing machines, TRX suspension systems, and dumbbells. Additionally, each participant is provided with a personal heart rate monitor and strap to use during the class (If you are a regular attendee, it may be easier and cheaper to purchase your own, Orange Theory-friendly strap.) A screen is located in the corner of the room that shows each participant’s individual HR. In short, it’s all about the numbers!
 |
Will walked in just before class started and I had zero idea what to expect as I waited on the bench. {ETA: Many people have questioned this portion so let me clarify: I showed up to class 20 minutes early, dressed to workout, as the website suggestion. I was told to wait on a bench until class started. Will got stuck in traffic and he arrived just as the class was beginning.} The class immediately split into two sections — strength training and treadmill — so we chose the strength area. The music came blasting out of the speakers, the instructor started loudly yelling instructions into her headset, and I stood there like a deer in the headlights, staring at Will.
Y’all, I had literally no idea what was going on!
The Orange Theory Fitness instructor was directing both the treadmill intervals and the strength training intervals so it took me a bit to figure out when she was talking to us, when she was talking to the runners, and when I was just confusing her with the sound of the music above. I finally realized that the strength training workout was written on a chalkboard at the back of the room and that helped me settle into a decent workout. I didn’t think the rowing or dumbbell workouts were anything spectacular, but I did enjoy using the TRX. I’d never tried one before, and let me tell you– those TRX push-ups are beastly!
Halfway through class, the two groups switched and we were put over on the treadmills. Just like with the strength training portion, the instructor dictated our treadmill workout. We each established our own base paces, “all-out” paces, and slightly strenuous tempo paces. Then, we dialed into those paces when the instructor said, for as long as she said! We also did some incline running which felt surprisingly awesome on my legs.
Afterwards, everyone stretched in a group and took a look at the screen with all of our overall heart rates during the class. The goal was to create a triangle with your blue, green, orange and red zones with your green and orange zones being somewhat equal at the top of the pyramid. According to the instructor, I could’ve used less time in the blue zone and maybe rolled that into the orange.
So, what was my overall takeaway of Orange Theory Fitness?
The Good: I really enjoyed the treadmill half of the class! I’ve never taken a treadmill class before and I thought it was a great time. I liked having someone tell me what to do on the treadmill because it made me push myself more than I would on my own. Additionally, I loved the numbers aspect of the workout. I’ve always enjoyed numbers during my workouts (HR monitors, Garmins, etc.) and this class was no different. I found myself frequently looking at the screen to determine which zone my heart rate was located in.
The Not-So-Good: The class was definitely a bit chaotic, especially at first! I was really unimpressed during the first 10 minutes when all I could hear was the loud music and the instructor yelling. A brief explanation at the beginning of class would have been helpful, but unfortunately, I think the instructor assumed that everyone knew how the classes were structured. I did not, so it got me a little flustered for awhile and I found myself looking around the room in bewilderment. However, this is something that would go away with regular attendance. Additionally, Orange Theory Fitness is definitely pricey! The regular rates are as follows:
Edited to Add: Orange Theory contacted me to let me know that the class I attended was actually a pre-opening class. In essence, this means that they are still working out the kinks (e.g. the loud music, the instructor cues). Additionally, I will add that I took the Monday class which means there was still an entire week of of pre-opening classes for everyone to figure out how to run everything smoothly. This practice could very well make a huge difference in the organization of the class.