I was interested in testing out some new gyms in London and I was lucky that Orange Theory was…read moresigning up people for their soft opening. If you signed up, you could get discounted monthly memberships, and 4 free classes. The sign up was kind of long and confusing but in the end, I was signed up and ready to hit the classes.
The staff here are working out the kinks as it hasnt actually had its grand opening yet so I dont want to judge them too harshly. They are helpful and welcoming which is all I can really ask for at this point.
The classes are essentially high-intensity interval training (HIIT). They actually promote the same process as my current gym, the 'afterburn effect'. When you do short bursts of intense activity for a small period of time, your body continues to burn calories during the day. I know that this process works for some people, as I've been working out this way for a year, and I've seen many people lose a ton of weight due to this type of routine.
Inside the orange-lit workout room you have a row of treadmills, a row of rowers, and a row of weight stations with a trx, bosu ball, free weights, and an ab dolly. During the workout, the trainer will let you know what you need to do. Every workout is different. No 2 workouts are the same so if you dont like doing the same thing over and over, this spot is for you.
I have to say, the best thing about these classes is the technology. Before you enter, you are given a heart rate monitor. This is a cost of about $80 but these things arent cheap so its worth it. When you walk in, the staff can see that your monitor is on and working (or not working and you need to adjust). When you go into the workout room, the monitors above you tell you your heart rate, along with everyone elses. The goal is to get into the 'orange zone'. This is where you want to be to get that 'afterburn effect'. For every minute you are in the orange or red zone, you get a 'splat point'. I dont think there is any reward for getting splat points other than getting to a final goal that your trainer may set for the group. They say that you should attempt to get 12-20 splat points in a session. You'll start in the grey zone, move up to the blue as you warm up, the green will show your warmed up, the orange is the spot where you are working, and the red is where you are going all out. You'll spend a few minutes here, but they ensure you are not uncomfortable or at risk of hurting yourself.
When your workout is done, you actually are EMAILED your results for that session. The minutes you worked out, the amount of time you spent in each zone, the calories burned, and splat points earned. Coolest. Thing. Ever.
If you are someone who likes a smaller class, likes to have instruction, and wants something new and exciting each workout, this is the class for you.
However, if you are like ME and you are not a fan of running...then maybe you will want to try a few classes and figure it out. I am no cardio bunny. I like body weight exercises and I like the bike or elliptical but I loathe running. I went to a few workouts, the first had about 20 minutes of running (intervals of slow, medium, and fast pace) and another class had 10 minutes of running, and a bunch of rowing, and then more running. Oh my goodness, my legs were burning.
I don't think I will end up signing up for Orange Theory simply because I am at a point where cardio is actually doing me a disservice. I need more weight training. While there are SOME weights here, it is lower weight, high reps, at least for the classes I attended.
I definitely suggest checking this place out and giving it a try. It's very cool and the heart rate stuff is not as gimmicky as I thought, it's pretty awesome!
