The Orangetheory is an Experience in Fitness

I first heard about Orangetheory through someone I admire and respect. We were at the beautiful Columbia Gorge Discovery Center attending a wedding for a mutual family friend when he spilled the beans about this awesome workout that was coming to town.

This is where I first heard about Orangetheory Fitness

He said to me, “Go online and check about this workout, see if it is something that you could get behind 100% and believe in as a trainer.” For those who don’t know, previously I was an instructor for Les Mills GRIT Strength + Plyo and I had to discontinue teaching the class due to what I believe — professionally — that GRIT was highly effective for conditioning but it was far from a balanced program. In other words, you would get the fat loss with that class format, even though you would need to supplement outside the workout the balance the large amounts of pushing exercises (presses, etc) and the very small amount of pulling exercises (rows, etc).

The Orangetheory Fitness concept is trendy — NOT gimmicky

Growing up, my mother was always into new ways to support her physical and mental health. As I learned later on in life, through my own professional experiences, I realized that not only was she experiencing the benefit of natural health, she was also ahead of the trends.

Fact: HIIT is the number one fitness trend of 2014

Due to the widespread exposure of HIIT, there is less need for me to explain the benefits, but in a nutshell:

• HIIT is a more effective training method for young, older, and athletic (wide population benefit)
• HIIT promotes a healthier body composition than steady state cardio (more lean muscle, superior bone density, less body fat)
• HIIT is more effective for the time spent. 20-30 minutes is the ideal time for a HIIT session (Orangetheory spends about 26 minutes on treadmill intervals using heart rate monitors to move seamlessly through the heart rate zones)
• HIIT maximizes beneficial post-exercise hormonal release and modulation. In other words, high intensity workouts create an environment within the body which has a health-promoting, anti-aging, and recovery effect. Some of these hormones are human growth hormone, IGF-1, adiponectin (fat burning hormone), testosterone (good for men and women), and more.
• HIIT fights against Metabolic Syndrome. For people who are unaware, metabolic syndrome is defined as a combination of factors throughout multiple organ systems that relate to one’s risk for cardiovascular disease and preventable death. Metabolic syndrome typically involves an unhealthy inflammatory response to everyday life — you are more at risk for nearly all sickness when you have increased markers of metabolic syndrome. You will retain more stress and body fat if you are sedentary and eat poorly — which relates directly to metabolic syndrome. Exercises is step 1 to counter-acting that.

This is an EXCITING time in the world of fitness because researchers are able to measure the effects of high intensity interval training on many different types of populations, ages, and fitness ranges. The research is becoming overwhelming to support the fact that HIIT solves the problems of the typical person.

You get more results in less time

You heal, strengthen, reinforce, reinvigorate your body through HIIT.

Needless to say, I am behind the workout 100%

For the majority of the healthy population of adults in Seattle, Orangetheory will produce very desirable results both physically and mentally. Your success will lead to positive feelings about the self and your body will reflect the care that you have in yourself. I am so passionate about fitness — when I get off track, exercise and nutrition will always be there to bring me back up.

We started this project last summer, I joined in September of 2013. Before I took the job, I scoured the internet for as much information as possible about Orangetheory and people involved with it. I read every review I could find online, I watched all of the videos, and in October I was blessed to be flown to Phoenix to try out four different workouts with expert OTF Fitness Coaches.

Let me just say that getting in the Orange zone is a challenging ordeal for me personally as I am a highly proficient runner and the beauty of the workout is that no matter what, it is near impossible to plateau. The better shape you get, the more effort you will need to put into it to get to the coveted Orange zone. You will realize that with increased performance comes a significant drop in body fat. The heart rate monitored technology is highly motivating as a runner.

What’s next for Orangetheory Seattle?

Our location in north Capitol Hill at 519 Broadway E is wedged between other company’s which offer fitness facilities and/or services. As I get to know more and more of you in the community (and thank you for welcoming my humble self), I recognize the importance of acknowledging that there is some fair competition out there.

With the fitness industry, there are a couple crucial elements.

1. Relationships

Will you share my inspiration — will you let my inspiration flow through you, giving you energy, power, strength and the endurance to proceed towards your goals? I believe in relationships, being caring and respectful of our people, is the number one way to create win-win opportunities.

2. Fitness center / facility / workout

People want good equipment, a clean facility, expert professionals, a welcoming atmosphere, and the best 1 hour Workout in the Country (that’s Orangetheory of course). In time we will prove ourselves and become established as a highly desirable fitness studio. I believe this because I will contribute myself wholly — to provide a service that supports people holistically, even though we specialize in the best group workout period. In later posts, I will go into common questions about OTF vs. other group workouts.

For now, I’ll leave you with this thought…

There is no more perfect moment than now, because now is truly all that we will ever have. I hope you make the most of it, whether through the healing and transformative action of fitness or by making that sliver of time necessary to consume some sort of cruciferous vegetable. I say this with no shame, YOU are worth it.

Stay tuned and take care all