Screens show just how hard everyone is working during an Orangetheory session.
IT’S 5.45am on a rainy morning in Sydney. It’s cold, grey and miserable. And it’s about to get even worse.
I’m at the Bondi branch of Orangetheory Fitness, about to try out the new workout that has fitness fans all over the world sweating.
In just five years, the franchise has grown from one gym in Florida to more than 600 worldwide, including three in Australia. It’s been dubbed the new CrossFit, the new Soul Cycle, the new, well, everything.
So what’s it all about?
The brainchild of ex-pilates teacher Ellen Latham, Orangetheory is all about working out just hard enough — and, importantly, measuring that output, so you know exactly what you’ve done.
What makes this workout different is that each gym-goer has a heart monitor strapped to them as they work out. The monitor sends stats to a scoreboard that’s visible to everyone in the class.
The aim? To get into the “orange zone” — above 84 per cent of your maximum heart rate — for at least 12 to 20 minutes of the 60-minute workout. Since everyone can see how everyone else in the class is doing, it’s a boon for super-competitive types.
There’s no hiding in this exercise class. Picture: Tim Hunter.Source:News Corp Australia
In the gyms, you’ll find a row of treadmills, rowing machines, free weights stations and TRX suspension equipment.
Users are guided through each station by a group personal trainer and told to go at their “base level” (an effort you could sustain for 10 to 15 minutes), “push” level (where you’re getting uncomfortable) or “all out” (really, really hard).
By combining cardio (treadmill and rowing) and strength training (weights and TRX), you’re getting a high-intensity interval workout.
The orange zone is important because after working out for that long with that much intensity, your body is pushed into excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC).
And that’s good because it means you’ll burn a lot more calories than normal after the workout, even if you’re doing nothing more than #netflixandchill.
The night before my class, I was nervous. I’ve never done CrossFit; my fitness philosophy (such as it is) is simply to do something active you enjoy — it’s much easier to stick at something that doesn’t make you want to give it all up. So I run and lift free weights. But I highly doubt either put me in the fabled orange zone.
Most fitness experts recommend you train at a variety of intensities, mixing HIIT with activities like swimming, yoga and walking. Picture: Tim Hunter.Source:News Corp Australia
In the first half-hour of the class, I was disappointed. Only 160 calories and four minutes in the “orange zone”? While half the class did intervals of weights and rowing, the other half were pounding the treadmill.
The rowing and weights were really, really tough — I had to stop several times during both to catch my breath. The weights movements were fairly difficult (which is, of course, the point) and I felt like they were definitely above my fitness level.
Still, I felt like I was working really hard — why wasn’t I in the orange zone when so many others were? My type-A competitiveness was kicking in, even if my heart rate wasn’t.
On the treadmill, though, I started to burn some serious energy. It was easier to push myself on this station (probably because I run regularly) and I really went for it. In total, I burned 609 calories and stayed in the orange zone for 27 minutes. I felt amazing.
But, I wondered, couldn’t I just get this by using a FitBit on my treadmill at home?
“Yes, you could,” exercise physiologist Dr Sharon Hetherington of Exercise and Sports Science Australia said. “But the question is, would you push yourself that hard, regularly?”
Trainer Blake Worrall-Thompson agreed. He said that the benefit of group personal training is that once you show up, someone else is doing the hardest bit — motivating you.
“If you go to a regular gym, most people there do not work at a level of intensity that’s creating much EPOC,” Worrall-Thompson said. “So having those stats there for you to see is extremely effective, I’d say.”
Picture: Tim Hunter.Source:News Corp Australia
And is it safe? One of the chief criticisms of CrossFit is that poor technique can lead to injuries.
“As long as there is proper pre-screening for injuries, potential heart disease and diabetes — all risk factors when you’re working out so intensely — then it’s a great option for a workout,” Dr Hetherington said.
“It’s a version of high-intensity interval training, which is all about bang for buck. You could work out moderately for 150 minutes a week, or you could work out vigorously for 75 minutes — you get the same benefits but in less time. And that’s why people find this kind of
workout so beneficial, and keep coming back to it.”
Worrall-Thompson added: “As long as you are having those rest periods between getting your heart rate so high, then you’ll be fine.”
So would I do it again? The rowing felt like torture and the next day, my legs burned in a way
they never have before. Seeing the results (once they were good!) was highly motivating. But
the best thing about Orangetheory is that it takes the guesswork out of your workout. If you want results (and who doesn’t?) and you’re prepared to work very hard, this is the routine for you.
There’s no cheating because you can see exactly what you’re doing — and so can everyone
else.
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