I love working out and have been wanting to try Orangetheory Fitness classes for a while. If you haven't heard of it, Orangetheory is a high-intensity heart-rate-based interval class that includes rowing, treadmill running, and strength/weight training. Several people that I know do it, and love it, but I was always a little intimidated to try it out for myself.
Working out is honestly a necessity for me, and I've been in a bit of a rut lately. Exercise classes are my favorite, and OTF sounded like an awesome workout. I'm home for the summer and there's an Orangetheory in my city, so I figured now was the perfect time to try it.
I called and scheduled a consultation with one of the coaches before my first class. I was definitely nervous, but at this point, I was committed. I arrived about 45 mins before the class I signed up for. I talked to a coach about my current fitness level, why I wanted to try Orangetheory, and what my goals were. It was a really enjoyable chat! He showed me around the studio, gave me a demo of all the machines and stations, explained the heart-rate system that they use, and explained how the classes work.
When it was time to start my class, I was really excited. At the beginning of the workout, the instructor talked to my class in the entrance room and kind of hyped everyone up and made sure everyone was ready to go. He even announced that it was my first class, and everyone clapped for me! That definitely felt good!
I started out on the rower, then moved to the weight training portion, and finished on the treadmills. The instructor played really fun music and guided us through each section of the workout. It was really cool to look up at the TV screens during the workout and see exactly what my heart rate was. It was really helpful for knowing if I needed to kick it up a notch. Because I was constantly moving throughout the workout, it went by so fast! I was a sweaty mess by the end of it but felt really energized and strong! One thing I was nervous about was if I would feel self-conscious next to everyone else in the class. What I realized was that everyone is SO consumed in what their doing and the workout is so upbeat and fast-paced, that no one else is paying attention to me at all!
Overall, I LOVED it. I felt very welcomed and comfortable. The instructors were awesome and made sure I was ready for my first class. It was challenging and encouraged me to push myself, but was very fun at the same time! I signed up for a membership right away! Another thing I appreciate about it is that every single class is different, you'll never do the same thing twice. If you're on the fence about trying it, I would definitely go for it!
