Over the past 6 months or so, I have managed to drop 30 pounds due to a change in my diet. Also over the past 6 months, I have had several life changes, including moving back to New York City and starting a new job. So, while I have done an excellent job eating right, I have not really gone to the gym on a consistent basis since May 2017 (yikes!). Now that I have my diet under control, I figured I would attempt to get back in the gym this year so I can drop my last 10 pounds. Whilst binge watching Living Single on HULU, I managed to catch a commercial for OrangeTheory Fitness. It looked like a great workout, so I figured I'd check it out. I called and scheduled a free intro class, and I attended this past Tuesday. Guess what...I didn't die! Although there were moments when I thought I would! But let me bak up.
First, the Williamsburg, Brooklyn location is beautiful! The ambiance puts you in a great mood, and sought of preps you for the pending butt whooping. I interacted with a wonderful staff member who got me all set up and explained the OrangeTheory concept. So what is it? OrangeTheory is heart rate monitored training designed to maintain a target zone that stimulates metabolism and increases energy. They call this the "afterburn," as members burn an estimated 500 to 1,000 calories during a 60 minute workout, and they keep burning calories for up to 36 hours. I was all in!
After meeting the trainer and having her explain to me what the workout will look like, we got started. Now, I am not going to give you a long diatribe of entire workout, but it went a little something like this: run hard...row hard...strength training...run harder...row hard...strength training...run hard as hell...row hard...strength training...done!
The verdict: the workout was difficult and required me to push past my comfort level...and I loved ever minute of it! I was genuinely surprised at what I was able to do and how far I was able to push myself. According to my heart rate monitor, I burned about 550 calories in 60 minutes, and I spent about 25 minutes in the target heart zone (OTF recommends being in this zone for 10 - 20 minutes per session). I was super proud of myself, and I felt great when I was done. All in all, I didn't die! After being inactive for 6 months, I was expecting any workout to be challenging. I was not, however, expecting that I would be able to power through and get it done. I'm totally going back!
So...if you are looking for a great workout that is challenging and will push you to new limits, try OrangeTheory Fitness. Full disclosure...it is kind of expensive, but it may be worth it if you have a challenging schedule with little time to work out. It is also great if you are trying to shake up your daily workout routine to meet some new goals. I will check back in once I drop those last 10 pounds!
