On Sunday I checked out Orangetheory with my friend, Caitlin. I discovered that your first class at Orangetheory is free and I couldn't pass up an opportunity to take a free workout class. I posted on Instagram about wanting to give it a shot and she decided to join me!
We booked a class for a Sunday morning so that we could grab lunch afterwards. Going into it neither of us were quite sure what to expect. We're both pretty independent with our workouts and don't do much in terms of group fitness classes. You're probably wondering why we even did it in the first place then. Well to try new things, of course!
We arrived at Orangetheory a half hour early to fill out some paperwork, get our heart rate monitors, and get a run down of what to expect during the class. The space is conveniently located at 5841 Penn Ave. in Pittsburgh with plenty of street parking available. Upon entering we were greeted by two friendly employees who showed us around and made us feel comfortable in the studio.
Lockers, restrooms, and showers are available. Everything is very clean and laid out well in the space available. The workout room is well lit and spacious with tv's placed properly throughout the room so that you're able to check your heart rate throughout the class.
Each day the workout is different and on Sunday we did a class that consisted of half cardio and half strength training. Caitlin and I started out on the treadmills. I was glad about that because treadmill workouts is far from my favorite thing to do! Plus, personally I like to get the cardio out of the way before the strength training in my workout.
On the treadmills we did interval training with some incline thrown into the mix as. It was tough! But the time went by fairly quickly and we switched over to the strength portion.
We started out on the rowing machine and rowed for the duration of the time that we were instructed. Then we switched to weights and did 5 sets of two exercises at various reps before jumping back on the rowing machine. We alternated between weight exercises and rowing for that portion of the class. It went by so fast! I had a lot of fun with it and by the end I was definitely feeling it!
After class is over you get a short stretch and can check out your heart rate results on the screens or look them over in your email. It was cool to see how hard I worked throughout the class and recognize that pushing yourself to crazy limits isn't the best way to do things. The program is designed to work and challenge yourself to create an afterburn which will increase your metabolic rate for 24-36 hours after the workout.
Overall, I had a great Orangetheory experience. It's not something that I would do regularly but I would go back on occasion for a class! Everyone was friendly, the environment was welcoming, and the workout was a great workout.
It's definitely something that I would recommend giving a try! After taking that class I was wondering about other fitness classes that I can try out. Do you have a favorite fitness class that I should try? If so, let me know!