My First Orangetheory Fitness Class

This was pretty cool. If you’ve heard of Orange Theory, you’ll probably know that it’s heart rate training and it’s designed so you burn fat for 24-36 hours after your workout (as you do with weight training and high intensity interval training, HIIT). This is of course in addition to getting you into great shape, toning up and becoming generally fitter and more energised.  There are 5 ranges of heart rate used in this training. The idea is that in the green zone (middle zone), you’re burning most calories whilst working out, and in the orange and red zone, you enter a higher heart rate range that triggers ‘after-burn’ and fat burning for up to 36 hours after your workout.

Over a 60 minute workout with up to 28 people (in this location in Santa Monica) you’re guided by a trainer who talks to the group over the speaker system, through a variety of workouts swtiching between treadmills, rowing machines (using water resistance) and a free weight / bodyweight / TRX area with matts and balls. You never get bored. On a side note, I’m not a fan of running on a treadmill – I much prefer being outside for that when I’m in fresh air and have scenery to look at. However, with this, it’s over so quickly that it doesn’t get boring. In fact, it’s fun as you’re working out with lots of others.

It’s easy to maintain a pace in the green zone, and when you’re pushed into the orange and red zone, it’s only for a few minutes. The red zone does not mean you’re going ‘all out’ – so the workouts are possible for people of all levels of fitness, I’d say. You can see your heart rate at all times so you are in control. You just adjust the intensity so you’re in the correct range.

When I normally do high intensity sprints (typically a running sprint for 30 seconds all out), after 6-8 sprints, I’m pretty much a goner! It feels amazing afterwards but I can’t push myself any further after that and I’m exhausted. Whilst HIIT is excellent for burning fat for days after the work out, toning muscle, increasing testosterone and metabolism, you do push yourself to your limits. What’s good about Orangetheory Fitness is you don’t have to push yourself quite as hard and you supposedly get the similar post workout, fat-burning effects.

I’d recommend giving Orange Theory a go. It’s fun, doesn’t exhaust you for the day ahead (I always prefer working out in the morning or often it just doesn’t happen) and when you book yourself in, you’ve made a commitment so it’s a lot easier to stick to it – as I’ve found with other classes I attend on a weekly basis. Check out the blurb from the Orange Theory site:

The physiological theory behind the Orangetheory workout is known as “Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption,” or EPOC. By providing you with a heart-rate monitor and POD, we can monitor your 5-zone interval training sessions that we call the Orange 60. During the 60-minute workout, you will perform multiple intervals designed to produce 12 to 20 minutes of training at 84% or higher of your maximum heart rate, which translates to Zones 4/5. This program design produces workout “afterburn” effect, which is an increased metabolic rate for 24 to 36 hours after the workout. When combining the amazing workout with EPOC, our clients burn an average of 500 to 1000 calories.

The Orangetheory workout will produce increased muscle Endurance, Strength and Power and if desired, tremendous weight loss. With energetic music, a talented group of fitness coaches and a high-energy studio, you have the recipe for a workout that produces BIG and LASTING results.