Orangetheory Fitness: What to know about the popular HIIT workout

Orangetheory is good for: those looking for a full-body workout in a more relaxed class environment.

Orangetheory Fitness: My first-hand experience

I attended my first class at Orangetheory’s South Park location in Charlotte, NC. While your experience may differ slightly, I stick to writing specifically about the workout experience, not location-specific occurrences.

The first 30 minutes: Before the sweat

On your first day, Orangetheory’s team will ask you to get there 30 minutes early in order to complete the required intake forms, set up your heart rate monitor, and get a tour of the studio. The team will walk you through the 5 heart rate zones and ask about your exercise background to better tailor the class to your limitations/desires.

Getting warm (the gray zone)

Five to ten minutes before your workout begins, the instructor will open the doors to allow those in the class to begin warming up. During this time, the instructor will outline the class: demonstrating the floor exercises, outlining the speed options on the treadmill, and going over the rowing plan. Make sure to clarify if you have any questions during this time, the instructors will be more than happy to re-demonstrate techniques or provide alternatives if you cannot perform a specific exercise.

The three stations: Treadmill, rower, and floor exercises

1. Treadmill: On the treadmill, you’ll have three options for personalizing the training to your skill level. Beginner, jogger, and runner provide three separate classes for how to break a sweat, but you are free to switch between classes if you feel the need to increase/decrease intensity at any time. I chose the middle-tier, jogger, and shifted between an active 4 to 6 mph up to an uncomfortable 9mph for the final push. There are also options here to power walk or bike based on ability.

2. Rower: The class uses water rowers, which which differ from typical mechanical rowers only in that they provide a more natural rowing feel and aesthetic. The instructors will reference pace (the frequency of your rowing pulls) as well as watts (the force behind your pulls) in motivating you to raise your heart rate and hit that orange zone.

3. Floor exercises: The floor exercises will vary greatly from class to class, but I found the exercises relatively intuitive. There are TV screens in the corners of the room that actively display the exercises and proper form, so if you ever get lost, just look up.

 

What to know about Orangetheory Fitness

What is Orangetheory Fitness (OTF)?

Orangetheory Fitness is a popular high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout class, that according to their website, “combines science, coaching and technology to guarantee maximum results from the inside out.” The typical class is an active, 1 hour group training session that utilizes treadmills, water rowers, and floor exercises to burn calories and work up a sweat.

>>Learn more: Orangetheory explained by a year-long veteran

Where is Orangetheory Fitness located?

Orangetheory’s headquarters are in Boca Raton, Florida, but with gyms in all 50 states and 23 countries, you’re bound to run into an OTF gym sooner or later.

What can I expect of an Orangetheory workout?

Expect an hour of active work, typically divided into three 14 minute blocks with cool down and station changes in between. The class is upbeat and energizing, yet not full of coaches screaming at you to push yourself. The trainers do a great job of tweaking the workouts to all experience levels, so do not fret if you are not a gym rat.

 

The 5 heart rate zones

Splatt points

Orangetheory’s workout is built around “Splatt points”, which are earned for every minute you are in the orange or red zones. In order to achieve “Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption” (the after-burn effect of the workout that can raise your metabolic rate for up to 12 hours), instructors recommend shooting for at least 12 splatt points. In my experience, the heart-rate monitor can be unreliable within the rowing and floor exercise portions of the class due to constricted blood flow to the arm wearing the device, so I had to earn the majority of my splatt points on the treadmill.

How much does an Orangetheory membership cost?

While Orangetheory’s memberships may differ based on your location, in general there are three different membership tiers to choose from. There is a basic membership, which typically costs $59 and gets you four classes a month; an elite membership for $99 (eight classes a month); and finally a premier or unlimited membership, which will run you $159/month. If you choose a lower-tier option you can add additional classes to Basic or Elite for $14 and $12 respectively.