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| - DISCLAIMER: LONG REVIEW. Sorry.
I've been very curious about Orangetheory Fitness since they opened up gyms around town and finally got to try a free class with my co-worker. He's been attending classes for about two months now and raved about the workouts and the 12 pounds he's lost since starting up here. But he also does CrossFit classes when he's not here, so I wouldn't necessarily say the weight loss is all due to Orangetheory (OTF).
OTF uses heart rate monitors in their classes so that participants can get the most efficient workouts by trying to keep their heart rate in the proper zone while training. Each person wears one during the class and your results are flashed on screens overhead with everyone else's so that you can see if you're in the correct zone as you're working out. There are 5 different heart rate zones with different colors assigned based on effort level, from grey to red. The goal is to be working at the orange zone the majority of the time, which is the most efficient level to be burning at 84% or higher of your maximum heart rate (zones 4/5). If you're not familiar with heart rate training or this just sounds like mumbo jumbo, no worries. All you need to do is follow the instructor's lead and shoot for the color that he/she wants you to be in as the class proceeds. As an endurance athlete, I use a heart rate monitor in training and races so this is indeed a real technique and philosophy, thus my interest in these classes. Google "heart-rate training" and you can get the low-down yourselves.
Before Class:
-paperwork
-tour of the facility (smaller than I expected)
-shown how to use their heart rate monitor, treadmills, and rowing machines. Members buy their own heart rate monitor when they join.
Class:
This happened to be an Endurance class, as opposed to a Strength or Power theme class, so the majority of the time was spent on the treadmill and rowing.
- 3 levels of effort here: Base, Push, All-Out (Sprint). Whether you're a walker, jogger, or runner, your intensity can increase by adjusting the incline and speed.
- warmed up by walking for a few minutes then Base pace (a little harder effort), followed by Push (harder still) for 2 or 3 minutes at a time, with some All-Out sprints thrown in, but never sprinting for more than a minute. This process repeated for 30 minutes. I ran when it was Push and All-Out, but there were several people who walked the whole time, too; they would increase their incline to make it harder and elevate their heart rates accordingly. I found myself looking at the monitor a lot to see if I was in the correct color zone; if I saw orange when it was supposed to be orange, I was happy. I was also sweating.
- After the first 30 minutes, we switched to the rowing machine for the second half of the class. We rowed for 1000 yards then did dumbbell shoulder presses, chest presses, and planks. Each movement was demonstrated by Chelsea, the instructor, first plus there are other TV monitors that have the exercises flashing on the screen with animation to demonstrate the moves. After that first 'block' there was a second one with more rowing, dumbbell arm curls, using TRX training pulleys, and V sit-ups.
Chelsea led us through stretching and cool-down at the end, with some downward dogs thrown in for good measure.
Overall, this was a great class that I enjoyed, plus I really admire their concept of using heart rate training. I don't have the desire or time to join another gym at this time, but I can see how people can get results from coming here based on this class. I would consider doing a month of classes down the road. You go at your own pace which is constantly monitored and each class is different with an emphasis on endurance, power, or strength. Your results for the class are immediately e-mailed to you, as well, so you can see how many calories you burned and how long you were in each zone. The goal is to score 12-20 'SPLAT' points, meaning you were in the orange for 12-20 minutes of the class. I scored a 23 because I was in the red zone for 3 minutes. I'm okay with that.
You can get a pass for two free classes on their website to try it for yourself. Be ready for the hard-sell at the end, though.
Short version: If you don't like treadmills, rowing machines, weights, or sweating, this is not the place for you.
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