10/15/2017
On Friday night my best friend and I tried our first ever Orange Theory Fitness class together and I was very excited to put together a full review of my experience for you all! I had heard so much about Orange Theory through friends and followers, and so when I realized that you could try your first class for free I knew I had to give it a go.
About Orange Theory
Orange Theory is a class focused on heart rate based interval training, which is my favorite kind of training and one I find to be the most effective for my body! The set up for the classes here are a little different than others I’ve tried and change daily to ensure you never get the same class twice. For that reason it is hard for me to give you an entirely accrue review of the class (because yours will be different than mine) but for the sake of this post I will share my particular workout and the general Orange Theory format.
Upon arrival you are given a heart rate monitor to wear around your wrist throughout the workout. This displays your heart rate on one of the TV’s set up throughout the room. The goal is to keep your heart rate in the “orange” zone for as long as you can, which they refer to as the “afterburn.” The longer you stay in this zone, the more calories you burn after the workout is complete.
The Workout
The room is broken into two sections; one half with the treadmills and bikes for the cardio based portion of the workout, and the other with the free weights. Our instructor brought us into the gym before the class began to explain the lay of the land and how to use some of the machines. She also explained the basis of the treadmill workouts and the succession we would be following for the sprinting exercises. Our particular workout was a power and endurance based workout, though some others may focus on other areas like strength.
We spent the first half of the class moving between in a circuit between the rowing machines, free weights, and TRX. This portion of the class was my favorite because of the pace and variety of exercises. There was a mix of upper and lower body exercises with plenty of built in cardio. Some moves included Med Ball Jacks and TRX Jump Squats.
The second half of the class was spent on the treadmills. I’m not much of a treadmill runner, but I had no problem getting into these 7 minute “blocks”. They focused on getting our heart rate up and quickly moving back into a recovery state. Most rounds included a 1 minute walk, 90 second base pace jog, and a “push” for all out sprint that could last anywhere between 30-90 seconds. These blocks were really effective and can be done running, biking, or power walking depending on your ability!
After 60 minutes I was sweating bullets and definitely felt as though my muscles were fatigued, which is one of my favorite feelings and the sign of a great workout. Our instructor was wonderful and full of energy which helped push through some of those harder blocks on the treadmill. She offered plenty of help to those who needed corrections on form and answered any questions people had.
The Membership
After the class we talked with the instructor and gave her our feedback on the workout before we were shown the membership options. This is where I’ll be the most honest, but please keep in mind that you should always form your own opinion before making a decision on a membership of your own!
Orange Theory offers several memberships levels with varied pricing depending on location. The Premier membership includes unlimited classes per month and comes at the highest cost (over $150 per month). There is a charge for late cancels and no shows on this membership, which can cost you an extra $12 per missed class. The second level is Elite and includes 8 sessions per month for over $100 per month. Each additional class can be purchased for an extra fee (which is determined by your particular gym). The last membership level is Basic and comes in at around $80 per month for 4 sessions. This option also allows you to purchase additional classes as you wish.
You can also purchase “packages” of classes, with options for 30 classes, 20 classes or 10 classes to be used within the year. These come out to about $16-18 per class on average.
My Consensus
As someone who feels confident in my ability to train myself on a daily basis, these rates seemed a little high for me. I’m also someone who keeps a very tight budget each month and prefers my $25 a month gym membership than to pay just under that per class.
However, if you are someone who feels that they would benefit from working with a trainer and prefers group classes, than Orange Theory may be worth it to you! It was an excellent workout and I had a lot of fun, so my choice to decline a membership really comes down to my personal finances and my confidence in my ability to create my own workouts. If there was an option to purchase individual classes without a monthly membership I would likely take a class every few weeks to switch up my routine and do something a bit different.
Like I said before your first class with Orange Theory is free to try it out and get a feel for the program, so I highly recommend taking them up on that offer if you’re curious! I am still sore two days later so you’ll get a great workout whether you commit or not.
Have you ever tried Orange Theory? If so leave me a comment telling me about your experience and opinion on the membership pricing!
xx Kelly
Jen
I enjoyed reading your honest opinion about OT. I learned that classes are great for some, but not so much for others throughout my gym experiences. My experience is that pre-designed, large group classes at big box gyms will only take you so far, and …you can’t out train a poor diet….or a diet high in calories even if those calories are from healthy fats lol. For me at least, I definitely need the push/motivation and someone being on me about using proper form, I love more personalized small group classes…for once, I’m seeing my body change, not just weight loss on a scale. I’m making more money than I did in my 20’s and early 30’s…so the expense is worth the investment. I signed up at an OT near me before it opened so I’m locked into a cheaper rate for their unlimited plan. I’m paying $139…normal rates are now $175 per month for unlimited.(N.J.)
My health insurance company pays for most of my regular gym membership, where I take yoga and Pilates…..love the variety of movement and techniques! So yes….all together I pay 150 for OT and my big box gym…I go 7 days a week and I see it as an investment for my mental and physical health:-)
Kelly
Hi Jen! I totally agree, so many people I know need to be in a class environment to WANT to go workout, that community experience is a huge reason for them to get out and follow through on that scheduled commitment. As someone who grew up playing team sports I can totally get behind that, doing hard things alongside others always makes it just a little less hard 🙂 How amazing your insurance covers so much of your membership too, that’s wonderful. I definitely think that when I get older and have that disposable income paying this much for classes will be a typical monthly expense for me so I am not ruling out gyms like OT totally, just for now while I work my way through my twenties and reach that level of financial stability (hopefully soon!!) thank you for your comment and input, I enjoyed reading it!
Steven Ashley
Enjoyed your analysis of Orangetheory. It’s a solid program which can produce some results but I totally agree it is not really worth the price they charge over the long haul. One can achieve similar results with a fitness tracker and as you said…a 20-30$ a month gym membership. I have to give the people at OrangeTheory credit. They have found a way to take the ordinary 20-25$ a month gym (in terms of size and equipment and basically upcharge the hell out of it by taking a well known principle HIIT and incorporating it in a fun way. They also have done a nice job of capitalizing on the social aspect of marketing. Not being critical, I admire the model but like all crazes the bubble will burst. Eventually a lot of their clients will migrate to cheaper alternatives such as a cheaper gym and timing stuff themselves lol.
Kelly
Totally agree, Steven!! I feel like eventually a lot of these class trends will come and go, fitness classes are great but some of the more boutique and expensive classes target such a specific audience and most of us don’t have that much cash to throw around each month (though I’d like to!!) thank’s for your comment 🙂
Peter
I know two people who did Orangetheory all last year and never lost a pound. One of them encouraged me to try the classes, but sometimes it’s good to be cheap. I stuck to my old P90X videos, cleaned up my diet, did true interval training on the side (unlike the pseudo intervals of OT), and shed over 50 lbs, which I’ve kept off.
It seems like there’s always a new flavor in boutique fitness, and a new franchise eager to fleece you with promises of weight loss based on the latest “science.” But weight loss usually boils down to sound nutrition, the total elimination of snacking, smart exercise (weight training being the smartest), and non-exercise thermogenesis, or the basic commitment to sit less and more more. Orangetheory addresses none of these issues.
Kelly
Wow!! So impressed with your weight loss on your own terms. I am a total advocate for finding what works for you and not feeding into the hype or listening to the noise out there. Educate yourself first, never follow blindly etc. I totally agree with your last point too, Orangetheory is a blanket solution, and as we know there’s no such thing as one size fits all when it comes to your health. Thanks for this thoughtful comment!!
Anna M Vickers
Thanks for your comments about Orange Theory. I too felt it was a good workout. It was reassuring to know that other people have turned down this sort of membership. It seems nice and I would’ve been interested but it became out of my price range, quickly, when you add the heart rate monitor, and two months of membership. I’ve found that good discipline and a solid hiit cardio variations you can have about the same experience at a $25 a month gym. I even have a heart rate monitor fitbit, which gives me the type of information necessary on a regular basis. I’m happy that it wasn’t just me. Happy fitness days to you and all 🙂
Kelly
Absolutely! I think if you have a strong enough grasp on fitness in general (i.e. how to lift properly, good form, the difference between low impact and high impact training, etc.) then you can have just as good of a workout and a routine at a gym or at home for a fraction of this cost. On a greater scale I feel like most memberships are buying into a community and joining moreso for the social aspect and team environment that can be found within group workout spaces, but for the service you are getting and its likeness to so many generic plans, I don’t feel like the price tag was justified for me. You certainly are not alone! I use an Apple Watch and workout at my gym and at home and love it, I am happy with my decision and am glad you are too!