It seems like almost every day there are new fitness fads popping up everywhere, and it can be hard to discern the effective and healthy movements from the dangerous, fake ones. However, every once in a while one of those fads sticks around and becomes a staple in every health conscious person’s lifestyle. A new movement is OrangeTheory Fitness, which is spreading like wildfire all across the US. It has recently made its way to Houston, with a new location on Louetta in the Vintage Park area.
OrangeTheory Fitness has been compared to CrossFit, an intense workout regimen, but the advocates adamantly reject this comparison. They say Orange Theory is a lot safer than CrossFit, and it is much more sustainable long-term. The physiological theory behind the OrangeTheory workout is “Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption”, also known as EPOC. The classes are 60 minutes long, and people perform multiple intervals to create an “afterburn” effect which increases metabolic rate for 24-36 hours after the workout. OrangeTheory boasts that clients will burn between 500 and 1000 calories per workout due to EPOC.
The classes are broken up into two 26 minute intervals, with one focused on cardio and the other on strength. The key to success in the classes is the intervals, and during the cardio portion participants are instructed to bring their heart rate up and down repeatedly to maximize their time. Everyone wears a heart rate monitor and their heart rate is displayed on the screen, so the trainer will keep you from slacking and make sure you are working hard enough. For the strength training portion, the trainer demonstrates the circuit and the participants do as many reps as possible until the interval ends.
OrangeTheory Fitness is a great option for people who like friendly competition, or who get motivated by being held accountable for their responsibilities. Many people are reaping the benefits of this new fitness movement, and there are new OrangeTheory centers popping up all over the country. Regardless of fitness level or age, anyone can benefit from these fun and energetic classes. On their website, www.orangetheoryfitness.com/, there is a list of the different membership packets offered. As of now, it seems that OrangeTheory is here to stay.