“Dig in, you can do it! Wohoo!” These were the inspiring words flying out of Daren’s mouth, my instructor at Orangetheory Fitness in Paradise Valley, as I ran my butt off on the treadmill—and they worked! With each “Wohoo!” of encouragement, I dug a little deeper until I was trotting full speed ahead, all the while glancing at the magic screen to check my heart rate. Wohoo! I was in the zone!
So, Orangetheory. You may have heard of the latest fitness trend—heck, even the New York Times has covered it—and with the opening of the new Arcadia location there are now 5 Valley locations (the 6th is opening up early January 2013 in Gilbert (Dana Park!). The Orange in the name refers to heart rate zones. When you hit the “orange zone” you’re working at 84-91% of your max heart rate. This is the zone that’ll continue to boost your calorie-burn long after class is over (up to 36 hours post-workout). In other words, you get fat-burning and boosted metabolism in one—and thanks to the wireless heart-rate monitor that everyone in class wears, you’ll know exactly how hard your heart is working.
Yes, it all sounds very scientific, and it is—but the class was a blast and a half. Yes, there was Daren keeping us all on our toes with his Wohoos… and the high-energy music… and the intervals that had me going full throttle on the rowing machines one minute and TRXing my biceps the next. No way could you get bored, plus, the intervals keep your mind and body guessing, which is key for getting results. When your workout plateaus so does weight loss.
That’s partly why the class regulars keep coming back. The hour-long class is time efficient (I didn’t waist a second in the 60 minutes) and results driven. If you put the work in you’re pretty much guaranteed to see a difference. Want proof? Just look at the before and after shots on the pin-up board. One of the gals almost looked like a different person with a fresh haircut to match her new tight and toned body.
Type A types will love the instant feedback. Besides the TV that displays your real-time heart rate, at the end of every class you can get a printout summary that tells you exactly how many calories you burned and how many minutes you spent in each of the different zones. It’s personal training meets group exercise class, and the whole time you have a coach and the handy monitor to keep you accountable. Works for me!
Want to check out the new Arcadia location? There’s a sneak peak happy hour this Friday, Nov. 30 from 6-8 pm
Bonus: Get your first class free!
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To learn more
Orangetheory Fitness
