Because the thought of going to the gym makes me shudder, the only answer seemed to be trying out one of the hundreds of exercise classes that fit girls always name drop in their Instagrams of their elaborate Acai bowls that go perfectly with the Lululemon leggings they actually wear around. Though I’ve tried cycling classes like FlyWheel and muscle-shaping classes like PureBarre, recently I dragged my out-of-shape booty to a couple of classes with Orange Theory Fitness and, ladies, I think I found us a one-way ticket to kick-a$$ town.
The first Orange Theory Fitness class is free, so why not try it out? If it’s not for you, never go again and at least you will feel better about the large pizza you scarfed down the other night. If you love it, consider a membership!
Either way, here’s what to expect for your first Orange Theory Fitness Class.
- You have to be there thirty minutes early before your first class so they can explain the class procedure to you. Honestly, more complicated than you would think.
- You wear a heart rate monitor. You are given the option to have a wrist heart monitor similar to a Fitbit or one that wraps around your chest. Either one works and is really just what you are more comfortable with! I borrowed a chest one my first couple classes and sweated so much it slipped down to my belly button, so there’s that.
- There are TV screens around the room. Based on your heart rate, you will be categorized into color zones of grey, green, orange and red. The goal is to spend most of the class in the Orange zone, which is the target heart rate zone. This is where you’re working hard, probably out of breath and burning a lot of calories. At the end of the class, you can see the amount of time you spent in each color zone and the amount of calories you burned. You can also compare your numbers to the other people in your class. Perfect opportunity to get out that tension between you and your roomie with some friendly competition!
- There are three stations during the class that you rotate your time going through. There is a weight room, 12 rowing machines and 12 treadmills. These workouts mix cardio and strength building. Translation = you won’t be able to walk or wash your hair the next day because you’re entire body will be sore.
- Each class is different. It may be a power day, strength day, endurance day, etc. Each of these classes will differ in intervals and intensity of each station.
- The treadmill portion of the workout: there are different levels of the treadmill that the instructor will scream out. You begin at a base rate, but there is also a push pace (about 2mph above your base) and an all out pace (2-3mph above your push or anything you have left). This part, to be blunt, sucks.
- Orange Theory is a lot like having a person trainer that you share with 12 other people. The instructor encourages you to push yourself to your limits and will help you complete the workouts in the correct way.
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It will be hard and you will sweat a lot, but you will also burn hundreds of calories! The class is a great mixture of strength and cardio and the fast-paced environment will keep you motivated. I even asked my instructor what Spotify playlist he used because I was really feeling myself.
If you’re interested in trying out your first free class with Orange Theory Fitness, click on the link below and find your local OTF!
https://www.orangetheoryfitness.com