What Your 60 Minutes at Orange Theory Looks Like

***Long post alert!!*** The first week of September 2016 (so about three months ago) for real changed my life. Why you ask? That is when my local Orange Theory Fitness studio finally opened. If you follow me on Instagram, Snapchat, or even Facebook, I am sure you have seen me post again and again about OTF (Orange Theory Fitness). I probably get asked AT LEAST 2-3 times a day about it which leads me to thinking that this post is way overdue. Most questions are along the lines of “What do you do exactly? Does it work? Is it intimidating? It is just a bunch of cardio?” So I thought I would do a post outlining for guys just what OTF is about, and what your 60 minutes there looks like. 

First, let’s get into the program itself. Orange theory is a heart rate based workout, where you actually strap on a heart rate monitor (you can kind of see mine below my sports bra in the first image below), and work to get your heart rate in and out of certain ‘zones’. There are tv’s on the walls with everyone’s name, where you heart rate is at, and how many calories you’ve burned! They are on-going so you can see your progress/how hard you are working the entire class. (Side note: Yes, your name is up on a screen….but so is EVERYBODY’s! It is not intimidating or competitive. Everyone is there for the same reason, to get a killer workout & have fun! The more you do it the more you learn that it is only worth it to be competitive with yourself. I actually feel less intimidation here than at my local LA fitness!) Anyways! Your goal is to get your heart rate into the faster zones (orange and red) for 12-20 minutes of class. You know this because for every minute you are in the orange and red zones, you get a ‘splat point’, so you want to get between 12 and 20 splat points! That is how you get your body to keep burning calories for 36 hours after! (Splat points are also shown on the tv’s!) Your coaches get your heart rate into these zones, mostly by the cardio work; doing different intervals full of inclines and sprints on the treadmill. Each day you come into class, you will do something different. This is amazing because it doesn’t allow your body to ‘get used’ to the workout! They have endurance days (long cardio blocks, light weight with lots of reps), strength days (inclines on the treadmills, heavy weights with less reps), and power days (lots of sprinting and body weight exercises like burpees). Then they have an ESP day where they do all three. In a typical class, you will spend half the hour doing cardio, and half the hour doing strength. Like I mentioned, every day is different so there are some days where they mix it up and do things differently! Orange Theory is one of those studios where they blast music and the coaches are talking you through everything over a microphone, so it is such a motivating atmosphere!!  It makes the hour fly by, and keeps you going even when you are exhausted. At the end of class, your coach takes time to stretch with you and allows you to look over your ‘results’ on the screens, which show your total splat points, how many minutes you spent in each heart rate ‘zone’, and how many calories you burned during the hour! Who doesn’t love knowing what they actually burned during a workout?! 

Now onto results. In the past three months, I have not necessarily lost any weight. But that was not my goal. I don’t think I need to lose pounds, instead I want to tone my body, build my strength, feel healthy, and be able to eat my cheat meals WITHOUT FEELING GUILTY. For me personally, the feeling guilty after I eat something bad, has been something I have been dealing with for about the past three years. I have come a long long way, and a lot of my mindset progress is due to working out here. I deserve those treats!! I also can see my little baby muscles peeking through on certain spots of my body! During these past months, I have watched members around me achieve some serious goals. Losing a ton of weight, losing inches, and people making lifestyle changes!! Being healthy suddenly becomes a full time lifestyle, not just waves you go through once or twice a year. All the members at my gym motivate each other, support each other, cheer each other on. We have a private Facebook group where we share our goals, healthy recipes we have found, and keep each other accountable and motivated. It truly becomes a family. Orange Theory Fitness is perfect for any type of person, and especially those (like myself) who have trouble getting motivated and STAYING motivated. I know you will love your local studio as much as I love mine. 

You can shop this workout look below, as well as some of my favorite workout attire pieces currently in my closet, as well as some on my wishlist! This may be my last post until after Christmas, so Merry Christmas everyone!! I am sending virtual love to all of you and your families. May God bless your time with your loved ones this week, remember what it is all about <3 xx, Karlie 

My leggings | Similar top here & here | Similar hat here | Favorite adidas right now here & here (my exact adidas shown are NMD’s which are one of those shoes that you have to catch as it gets released or buy them off someone else since they always sell out so quickly!! If I ever find some in stock, I’ll be sure to let you guys know!!)