OrangeTheory Fitness (OTF) is one of the hottest workout classes out there. I’ve seen so many people rave about it, from all across the country. So when I stumbled upon a free trial (thank you creepy facebook ads), I decided to give it a try myself and see what all the hype is about!

Disclaimer: This post is no way sponsored or affiliated with OTF. This is just my personal review & take aways!

Getting Started

Setting up my free class was easy. I just plug my info in online and then shortly after, a local OTF rep texted me to set up a time for my free class. Once I got there (they ask you arrive 30 minutes early), the signup process was easy & streamlined. The rep behind the desk makes sure you fill out the required paperwork (waivers, etc), takes your date of birth (to calculate your max heart rate), and talks to you about your current fitness habits.

There was a class going on when I arrived, so once that class was over, the “coach” came over and she introduced herself to me. She was very friendly and took me into the studio and began to explain how OTF worked. 

Essentially, there are 3 different areas - treadmills, rowers, & weights. Depending on the format of the class, depends on how often you will rotate throughout the class. From my understanding, there are 3 main formats of each OTF class - endurance, power, & strength (I could be wrong on this one, sorry!) - but the workouts are always different, so you’ll never experience the same workout twice. 

From there, the coach makes sure you understand how the interval training works on the treadmill & how to properly row. And then you start your workout! 

Overall, I thought the class was fun and definitely a good change of pace from my usual workouts (lifting). Knowing that I could watch my stats throughout the workout was really cool to me because, I’m a nerd at heart, and love tracking my heart rate zones. Also, my competitive side really kicked in when I could see everyone else earning more splat points (1 point = 1 min spent in the orange heart rate zone, also known as the anaerobic heart rate zone) than I was, so I knew I had to step up my game. (The goal is to earn between 12 & 20 splat points/class, but they don’t tell you that until after the class is over). Below you can find a complete list of pros & cons of OTF. But first, how OTF works...

The theory behind OTF & How It Works

OrangeTheory is all about getting you to exercise where your heart rate is beating in its anaerobic zone. This means your body is using more oxygen to work than it has available. This is known as EPOC or Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, or “the after burn”. Simply put, the after burn works by your body consuming more oxygen than it has available (think oxygen debt), therefore, once your workout is over, your metabolism is going to stay higher, longer. This is when your body begins to play “catch up” & begins to “pay back” your body for the oxygen debt it accumulated during your workout. This oxygen “pay back” keeps your metabolism high, allowing you to burn more calories throughout the rest of the day. EPOC is the base of all interval training workouts. This is why you burn more calories doing a 60 minute interval training class (like OTF) compared to if you went of a 60 min walk or run.

Pros

Here’s a list of what I found to be positives about the class:

• The class gives you stats so you can track your progress over time

• The stats also allow you to learn what it feels like to be working in different heart rate zones

  • Also know if you should push yourself harder or dial it back a bit

• It’s formatted as a high intensity interval training class, which is one of the most effective ways to achieve fat loss in a short period of time

• You can try the class out for free

• There is a trainer there to help guide you through the workout

• Every class is different so you’ll never experience the same workout twice

• Get a more accurate calories burned count since you’re wearing a heart rate monitor

• You’re in a group fitness class so you have others to support you

• Everyone’s stats are on the screen (no names, only initials) so you can see how you’re doing compared to others

• Great music & atmosphere - it definitely helps the time fly by

Cons

Here’s a list of some potential negatives I saw about OTF:

• The trainer to participant ratio is high (there’s only 1 trainer/coach & up to 30 people taking the class) 

  • I personally find this to be dangerous in a format like this - not everyone can get the attention they need to make sure their form is proper & safe

• There was little time spent on the warm up and cools down (I swear we only stretched for 2 minutes)

  • Warm ups & cool downs are just as important as the workout itself

    • This is where we can help prevent injuries the most!

• The cuing is done in chunks - first for the treadmill, then for the weights - so it’s hard to tell if the coach is cuing to your group or the other group

• While OTF is advertise for all fitness levels, I wouldn’t recommend it to novices because 60 minutes is a very long time to workout, especially at such a high intensity, for someone knew to exercise.

Summary

Overall, I found the class to be very enjoyable & a great change of pace from my usual workout routine! I left feeling challenged & I felt like I pushed myself in a way that I haven’t been able to push myself in a long time. There is a great atmosphere & class format that you wouldn’t find anywhere else - I can see what all the hype is about! I would recommend OTF to anyone who has been working out consistently for at least 40 minutes at a time, most days of the week, for a minimum of 3 months, to make sure you are able to handle the 60 minute class. If you haven’t, I would begin to work your way up to 40 minutes and then consider trying a class out for yourself. I would also recommend OTF to anyone who is looking to add some HIIT (high intensity interval training) to their routine, or to anyone who just likes group fitness style classes! I know I will definitely be back for more! 

What are your thoughts? Are you interested in trying it out for yourself? Have you already tried OTF before? What were your thoughts? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Xox

Veronica

If you’d like to learn more about OTF & try a class out for free yourself, you can click HERE

Photo by Chase Kinney on Unsplash