New Wave in Workouts: Orange You Up for It?

Fans of high-intensity interval training can't get enough of Orangetheory Fitness.

Orangetheory Fitness members on treadmills
Treadmill training is just one element of the Orangetheory Fitness workout.

Step into any Orangetheory Fitness workout studio in New Jersey and you’ll instantly feel the competitive vibe among the die-hard clients who don’t mind their performance ratings being posted on a leaderboard for all to see. It’s part of the philosophy behind this super-popular alternative to PureBarre and Soul Cycle classes.

I checked in with Garden State natives Carolyn and Ned Bolcar who own Orangetheory Fitness in New Providence. (Ned is an All-American with quite a sports pedigree including NFL stints with both the Dolphins and the Sea Hawks.) New Jersey already has eight Orangetheory Fitness locations and this husband-and-wife team is opening their second location in Middletown this summer with plans for Morris and Monmouth counties in the next year. (Nationwide, more than 500 more franchises will open by year end.)

Orangetheory Fitness has been featured on the TODAY show, CBS This Morning and in the New York Times.

The 60-minute sessions are organized into five performance intervals of cardiovascular and strength training, and clubs provide members with wearable heart-rate monitors. Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) is the physiological theory behind the workout, which uses a variety of equipment including treadmills, rowing machines, suspension training and free weights. High-intensity intervals are designed to produce between 12 and 20 minutes of training at a minimum of 84 percent of a member’s maximum heart rate. Orangetheory Fitness says participants burn 500 to 1,000 calories per session in conjunction with EPOC.

Proponents think it’s a powerful way to manage and improve risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.

Orangetheory membership prices range from $59 to $159 per month depending on attendance.

“I just read in Harper’s Bazaar that rowing is the new spinning because rowing is a full-body workout that, unlike spinning, hits every muscle in the body,” says Carolyn. Ned adds, “There are just 30 days until Memorial Day, so this is a great time to join our Middletown location before it opens (with special pre-opening rates) to experience the best one-hour workout sweeping the nation.”

 

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