2-month review: Orangetheory Fitness

I first heard of Orangetheory Fitness from my brother-in-law. He’s never been a fan of gyms or exercise, but my sister convinced him to give Orangetheory a try. Three years later, he’s lost 50+ pounds and is motivated to maintain an active lifestyle.

Orangetheory Fitness is an hour-long cardio and strength training workout with treadmills, water rowers, and floor equipment like dumbbells, benches, and medicine balls. It uses interval training to target different heart rate zones:
💚 = challenging but doable
🧡 = uncomfortable
❤️ = all out/sprint effort

The idea is that if you spend at least 12 minutes in the orange and/or red zone, you can get an “after burn effect” in which you burn more calories for <36 hours following the workout. You can read more on their FAQ page.

I was intrigued by my bro-in-law and sister’s enthusiasm, but was worried about how the treadmill and rower would affect my knees. I ended up caving last Black Friday and signed up for a membership—because who doesn’t love a good deal? I figured I was getting zero cardio and thought strength training would be a good way to improve my overall fitness level and help me ease into weightlifting. It was worth a shot.

I have a membership for eight sessions a month and try to go once or twice a week, depending on how my knees feel. Now two months in, here’s my initial assessment:

Post-workout momo at Orangetheory Fitness.

Post-workout momo at Orangetheory Fitness.

Pros

Momo’s Orangetheory stats from the last class.

  • Built-in accountability. Since I have to reserve a spot in each class and get charged for canceling within 8 hours, I have an incentive to follow through and show up.

  • Convenient. There are more locations and class times available than my regular gym, LA Fitness, which gives me more flexibility with my social life and work schedule.

  • Improved strength. It’s getting easier to hold yoga poses and move heavy boxes around my apartment.

  • Motivating. The real-time stats from the heart monitor keep me working hard throughout the class.

  • Sense of community. The class size is limited, and everyone is very positive and upbeat!

  • Variety. The workout changes each day, so it’s hard to get bored.

Cons

  • Cost. It’s my second gym membership and covers only one type of exercise (my LA Fitness membership includes yoga and other classes, and I have access to a swimming pool, weightlifting equipment, etc.).

  • Injury risk. Due to my hypermobility issues, I never thought I’d be able to run a block, let alone for minutes at a time, as I do in each OTF class. I’ve been able to jog in class, though not without consequence: my knees problems have flared up again. This obviously isn’t OTF’s fault. They offer alternative equipment (ellipticals, stationary bikes), though it’s not the best choice for my body.

  • Variety. While variation from class to class is a pro, the flip side is that it’s harder to measure progress.

I’m so glad my bro-in-law and sister introduced me to Orangetheory! It’s been a lot of fun. I have a six-month membership and will decide whether to extend it closer to then.