Last week I was able to try Orange Theory Fitness for the first time. If you are not familiar with Orange Theory (which I was not, until they moved in next door), it is an intense cardio and weight fitness class that uses treadmill, rowing, and varying floor work. They are also the ones responsible for all those orange bikes you may be seeing around your town.
Right now, Orange Theory is offering the first class for free, which is totally how they got me in.
After our try at Barry's Bootcamp, my cousin was telling me how similar it was to Orange Theory; this made me want to try it. Now, two months later, I tried it for the first time. Really, it is quite similar to Barry's, but with a few key pros and cons.
Pros
Orange Theory was a great workout, that would have to be pro number one. One of the things I absolutely loved about it was that ever person wears a heart rate monitor and has their current heart rate displayed on screens throughout the workout room. Trainers tell you what zone you will want to be in for each segment and all you do is watch for your heart rate to be in the corresponding color. This was fantastic for every workout their was. It is ridiculously easy to stay in the right fitness zone when you are able to 1) know what zone that is and 2) watch it on a screen the entire time.
Another thing I loved about this class and the reason I would recommend it to anyone, no matter their fitness level, is that everything changes up so fast that you have no idea where the time goes. Our class started out with interval treadmill workouts mixed in with rowing. Both of these were massive cardio workouts that burned a lot of fat while massively killing my bum. Seriously, my bum was sore before this class and after, I thought walking would never happen again.
Next up was floor work where we did four sets of alternating workouts from kettlebell swings to jumps and lunges. We used balance balls, weights, and resistance bands. It was pretty fantastic! To make it even better, the end of the class is summed up with seeing the time you were in each heart rate zone during the entire workout.
Cons
Honestly, I did not find a lot of cons in this class. Everything went by fast, the workout was for toning and fat burning, and my heart rate was in the appropriate zone the whole time. Scores on all points. The biggest, and really, the only downside was the amount of leg work there was compared to abs or upper body. Rowing machines are my newest frenemy and, like any frenemy, there are pros and cons. I loved the bum work that the rowing machine gave me, but it also did a lot in my shoulders that I was not so sure about. As a girl with broad enough shoulders already, the idea of working them even more does not sound like the most fun thing ever.
On another note, a lot of the workouts were massive thigh workouts that missed the mark on arms and abs. Sure, I like thigh work as much as the next girl, but I also want to keep my thighs looking svelte and not like I'm going for a body building championship.
Overall though, it was a fantastic workout that I only wish was a bit more even in the areas that it worked. This class did not seem quite as intense as Barry's and could be better for those who are not a peak athletic form but want to work hard and get healthier. Hopefully, my next few classes will even things out because, yes, I did get a membership.
