Orange Theory Fitness-Boot Camp

Long gone are the days when the only practical way to gain a boot camp type workout was to hire a personal trainer. The search to find the perfect trainer, the location of the gym, and the struggle to make it to your designated appointment time are just some of the issues that make the workout even more daunting. The hourly cost skyrockets quickly, pushing close to $160 for two 50-minute sessions.

Fitness aficionados who have turned to Orange Theory Fitness, the “hottest one hour group personal training” according to its website, pay the same amount for unlimited 55-minute sessions, any day of the week in a given month. Plans vary and many opt to pay even less, for two or three sessions per week, depending on their schedules and preferences. San Diego currently has 12 Orange Theory locations.

The single room workout studio at many of the locations can be deceiving, but that one room includes an array of cardiovascular and strength building machines such as treadmills, rowing machines filled with actual water, TRX suspension training sets, dumbbells, medicine balls, and more.

The Solana Beach location on San Rodolfo Drive, for example, contains 18 of each. Accompanying the fully equipped room is a set of highly qualified and passionate trainers to guide the class through the entire workout, along with motivational music to maintain the upbeat energy. The instructor may lead half of the class on a challenging uphill jog on the treadmill, directing them to “base, push, and all-out” levels (which guide them on speed and incline levels), and then jump to the rest of the class on the rowing machines or on the floor. While on the floor, the class watches the instructor’s demonstration and then is able to consult the recurring digital demonstration on the computer screens for additional assistance on the particular exercise.

Orange Theory, which now boasts over 750 studios nationwide, stands by its name, as the workouts gear individuals toward attaining the “orange” level of physical performance. There are four zones, designated by color, that track one’s progress during a given class; gray is the first zone, and as one’s heart rate speeds, he can move to the blue, then the green, orange, and finally the red zone. Accumulating at least 12 orange and red, or “splat” points per workout represents a higher intensity workout for the heart, and this ensures that one will continue to burn calories for 36 hours following the workout.

This is done through an increase in the rate of metabolism even beyond the workout room. After each class, people can leave the studio right away and a summary report of their performance is emailed to them within minutes, detailing their orange/red points, calories burned, average heart rate per hour, and providing a tally of one’s weekly, monthly, and yearly totals. These numbers are calculated through tracking of a battery operated heart rate device—made specifically for Orange Theory—that participants wear either on their wrists or around their abdomens during the session.

The computer system detects each person’s personal device as they enter the fitness room. Keeping score of one’s workout progress throughout the week and receiving the numbers directly via email helps to motivate participants to burn more calories the next time, earn more splat points, and achieve better results each time.

Aside from providing a detailed report upon exiting each workout, Orange Theory offers the bonus of working out around people with the same goal. Sam Palano, an avid Orange Theory participant, believes that “working out at Orange Theory adds energy and motivation to the workout. I find that it is easier to work out harder with all the other people around me, doing the same exercises.”

It may sound complex and intense, and some may shy away due to the rigor of the class, but the silver lining is that participants can easily lose between 500 and 1,000 calories within the 55-minute workout. Thus, it is almost an express, yet luxury boot camp where fans are turned on full blast and members can bond with their neighbors with a high-five between exercises, all while shedding numerous calories and feeling an organic high from the endorphins rush.

Written By Monica Haider.  Monica is a lawyer and resident of San Diego. 

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