A new Orangetheory Fitness just opened near my house and I was curious to try it.  Fortunately a couple of my girlfriends felt the same way, so we made a date.

These ladies ROCK!!

For our first class they asked us to arrive 30 minutes early for orientation. One of my favorite features of this workout is that it’s based around your heart rate.  My results are posted below.  We were fitted with our heart rate monitors, met the instructor (Sunil), and were ready to go!

Half of the class starts on the treadmills and the other half begins with weights/interval training.  Of course we chose the treadmills…hello comfort zone!  The mood is great with dim lights and club music.  We were having our own little dance party.  I’m sure the rest of the class thought we were nuts, but working out should be fun!

There is a monitor above the treadmills with each class members name.  It lists your heart rate and shows if you’re in the Base (green), Push (orange), or All Out (Red) zone.

Here’s a link from their site to explain the Science of the OrangeTheory Workout.

For my workout: My Base was 6mph (1% incline), Push was 9mph (1% incline), and Push was 9mph (3% incline).  Next time, I’m going to increase my inclines.  I’m afraid I will fall off if I run any faster!

Halfway through the class we switched workouts and did the row machine, TRX squat jumps, core work, weights, and abs with a medicine ball.

I’ve never done heart rate training, so I LOVE having this data.  And, having my number on the big screen made me so aware of keeping a nice relaxed breath and posture.

After the class, you can look at your results, BUT they also send you this email summary.  How cool is that?!

I will definitely take more Orangetheory classes in the future!  Sunil was so encouraging and motivating throughout the entire hour.  I know it’s cheesy, but his high-fives kept me pushing towards the end.  As a runner, it was harder to get my hear rate into the red zone.  Increasing the treadmill inclines will surely help with that in my next class.  If you have one near you, check it out.

Do you workout with a heart rate monitor?  Is so, do you wear it for every workout or just certain ones?

Did you race or have  a long run this morning?  Feel free to brag about your run!!!

Happy Weekend!!!