As we head into the New Year, the days finally start to get a little longer, the jammed packed schedules from the holidays open up, and inevitably some of us might be feeling a little sluggish from festive feasting. To get myself motivated I like to try out some different workouts freshen up the old routine. We have lots of classes we are testing in the near future so stay tuned. This week i'm sharing my Orange Theory fitness experience with you.

What is Orange Theory?
They are self described as:
"Orangetheory Fitness is a one-of-a-kind workout broken into intervals of cardiovascular and strength training, using a variety of equipment including treadmills, rowing machines, SBT suspension training™ and free weights to tone your body and gain energy throughout the day"

2. Where can you try OrangeTheory?
Currently the greater Edmonton area has four locations: Riverbend, St. Albert, Strathcona, and Sherwood Park. If you are not from Edmonton, there are currently 200 other locations in the States and Canada to choose from.

Now, for my experience.
I called into the Riverbend studio to book my complimentary first class. The woman who helped me out on the phone was great and said I would need to show up 30 minutes early to sign my waiver and go through an orientation. It's a good thing I was fully geared up when I arrived because change rooms are basically non-existent, thankfully there are lockers provided to toss your purse into. As a first timer, the orientation was 100% necessary. The trainer showed us how to operate the machines, got our heart rate monitors strapped on, and ran through the jist of the class.

I was started on the treadmill and there you can choose to power walk, jog, or run. Never shying from a challenge I chose the run series and watched my heart rate quickly jump up into the orange and red zones.

As the screen above shows, your heart rate monitor tracks you alongside the rest of the class. We've got Benny in the blue zone straight chillin', a handful in the green zone probably walking, some in the orange "target" zone, and a few in the red going balls to the wall. The website talks quite a bit about how many calories you can burn, however this was not tracked or noted during the class.

After spending about half the class on the treadmill, we then hopped on the rowing machines, and then moved over to the open area to do a couple of circuits, more rowing, and work on the suspension units.

After a cool down stretch, the trainer went through how much time we spent in each of the zones. Turns out, I was working too hard, and ended up in the red zone too much (classic overachiever shame). I think the targeted heart rate zones could have been explained a little better prior to class.

Overall it was a great workout. Since I have a treadmill and free weights at home, I could do 90% of this workout without leaving la casa. That being said, if you prefer doing a group class, or you want to work out alongside your wifey or hubs, I would definitely try out OT for a heart pounding, butt busting good old fashioned getting your sweat on workout.

We want to hear from you! Is there a workout you have been meaning to try? Leave a comment with the link below or shoot us an email at sayhello@204park.com - who knows, maybe we'll do the testing and feature it on the blog!

xo Kali

Orange Theory Fitness Review