Workout Wednesday: We Tried It: Orange Theory

Orangetheory Fitness is all the rage. When high intensity internal training (HIIT) came onto the scene with a vengeance, OTF was one of the first studios to really gain traction. Around our office, several women rave about it. As does Heather Dubrow. So we decided to try it for ourselves, since Orange Theory locations are everywhere. We each went separately, so as to not impact the other's opinion with our own. Our experiences were fairly similar, and surprisingly we all ended up with very similar opinions.

A quick note to start: Orangetheory offers a free class your first time, but this offer is only available at your local studio. For most people that isn't an issue, but it was a little annoying for Katie 2 when she wanted to try the class when she went to Michigan to visit family for the weekend. 

You can go online to get information or you can just show up at the studio and tell them you want to try a class. They will let you know what class is available. Once you're signed up, they ask you to come 30 minutes before the class to fill out paperwork and have them hook you up with a heart rate monitor (very important for the OT experience). 

All the newbies for the class are grouped together, and the instructor will take you into the studio a few minutes before everyone else to explain the workout, show you proper technique, and answer any general questions. Then they explain the Theory: earn at least 12 "splat points" to achieve maximum afterburn, that extra calorie burning boost you get from a great workout. "Splat points" are earned for each minute you spend in the "orange" or "red" zones based on your heart rate. Everyone in the class has their name on screens around the studio with their heart rate (and color) on display. 

Workouts involve three stations: rowers, treadmills, and floor exercises/weight stations. If you're not a runner, don't worry. You can power walk or trade in the treadmill for one of the limited number of stationary bikes available. You will rotate around the stations throughout the hour. How long you spend at each station and what you do varies every time you come in. At the floor exercise station, you may do actual exercises on the floor, or you may use free weights, resistance bands, a bench, or TRX bands. There is a video screen reminding you what exercise to do and how many reps (the instructor tells you at the beginning of class, too). There is also a person demonstrating the exercise on the video, so you know if you're doing it right. 

For Katie 1 and Elizabeth's classes, there were two instructors- one running the class and the other walking around and correcting form. Katie 2 only had one instructor, but she did come around to correct form and provide modifications. Katie 2's instructor paid special attention to the newbies- maybe because no one else needed help, or because she was trying to make sure we had a great experience. 

After class, the instructor stayed behind to walk through the results (which also gets emailed to you). All three of us agreed that the staff was not at all pushy about getting us to purchase sessions. Below is a real sample email of the results email one of us received.

Overall, all three of us seemed to like the workout. An interesting thing to note is the price disparity. Katie 2 found that for 8 classes per month at her OTF location, it cost more (albeit only $4 more) than her unlimited gym membership. Because the studios are franchises, Katie 1 and Elizabeth found more reasonable prices. Katie 1 thinks OTF gave a better workout with nicer equipment than Shred for about the same price. We all have indicated that we would probably try the program again. Katie 1 says she may do it once a month or so in addition to her regular workouts (she likes to rotate in a studio class every now and then). Katie 2 doesn't think she will add Orangetheory at the current time, but may use it when she moves, before Equinox opens their new location close to her new house. Elizabeth agrees with Katie 2, and would consider OTF is she didn't already have the gym membership. 

Other random thoughts: 

1. The studio is pretty dark. The light bulbs are orange (they really doubled down on the whole orange thing). Katie 2 is convinced the lights are orange because it makes it harder to see how dirty the equipment is. (Don't worry, they do pass around wipes. But they do so at the start of class. By the end, the wipe is completely dry and not useful for cleaning jack.)
2. Elizabeth's instructor told her that OTF offers three types of classes: endurance, strength, and power. The schedule doesn't indicate which class is scheduled, because they don't want anyone to cherry-pick the classes they like and avoid those they don't. Strength classes (the one Elizabeth was in) involved one trip around the room to each station. Endurance classes apparently include more incline on the treadmill; power classes have more explosive moves. 
3. If you are competitive, this is a good class for you. Katie 1 loved the heart rate monitor and the fact that her stats were tracked during class. Racking up more splat points than others in her class was right up her alley.
4. Katie 1 got a great tour of her studio, which included fully equipped bathrooms with showers and blow dryers. Katie 2 didn't get a tour, so she doesn't know if her studio is equipped with the same stuff. 

If you're interested in trying out Orangetheory, there are studios all over. We hope our summary let you know what you can expect, and that you make the most of your workout. 

Have you tried OTF before? Did you try it because of our review? Let us know!!