We rowed until we reached a specific distance, then hopped up and did a few exercises with a medicine ball before coming back to the rowing. (So much respect for my brother, who was on the crew team in college). Lauren and I started off on the rowing machines, which was hard. If you spend at least a minute in the orange zone or above, you’ll get a “splat point.” After your first class is over, you’ll meet with the instructor to go over your performance in the class, and they’ll tell you how you can sign up for more classes/packages if you are interested. They also give you a heart rate monitor to wear during the class, which is one of the main things that sets Orangetheory apart from other HIIT workouts-your goal is to spend at least 12 minutes in the “orange zone” (84-91% of your max heart rate) to optimize the amount of calories you burn post-workout, even while sitting at your desk the next day. They’ll have you come in about 30 minutes before your first, just so they can show you around the studio, ask you a few questions about your personal fitness history and goals, and introduce you to the instructor. My fabulous friend Lauren (hi, Lauren!) agreed to join me to a 6:45 pm class on Monday, and we signed up for the workout at the Lincoln Park studio using this link. What it was like: Signing up for your first Orangetheory class is a bit more involved, but it’s really not that hard once you figure it out. Price: Free for your first class, contact your local studio for specific pricing Quick description: A combination of rowing, weight exercises on the floor and running on the treadmill, all geared towards getting into specific heart rate “zones” (more on that later) The workout: Classic Orangetheory 60-minute workout The studio: Orangetheory in Lincoln Park (Carolyn) and in Downer’s Grove (Liz) Something to note for moms, too-most of the Shred415 locations in Chicago offer childcare! The overall vibe of the studio and staff was super friendly but just competitive enough to make me want to work hard. The amazing playlist during the class put me in a fabulous mood, and it was a great way to kick off the weekend. Overall impression: Especially since Shred415 is available through ClassPass, I’m pretty excited to add the workout into my routine. We finished up with some stretching and then everyone went on with their Friday nights! Sometimes I feel like weight classes move too quickly or you skip over certain muscle groups, but this felt like an incredible full body workout. Plus, like I mentioned, the running portion of the class is what you make it-people were running at all different paces and inclines.Īfter each treadmill segment, we swapped places with the people on the floor and spent fifteen minutes doing a mix of different bodyweight exercises. Fifteen minutes may sound like a long time to run on the treadmill if you aren’t typically a runner, but the time flew by, and you got just the right amount of walk breaks. Woodway treadmills are supposed to be super smooth and lower impact, and I could definitely tell the difference. Shred415 was my first time running on Woodway treadmills, which are awesome. When you first get going on the treadmill, you choose your “base pace” for the class (this could be running or walking, depending on what you feel comfortable with), keeping in mind that you’ll be adding more incline or speed from there. Trish suggested that first-timers start out with the treadmill, which I really liked-I think it’s a bit easier to end the hour with weights instead than sprints! Like the name of the studio implies, the class consists of four fifteen-minute segments, either running on the treadmill or doing weight and body exercises on the benches on the floor. After checking in, the girls at the front desk introduced me to the instructor, Trish, who walked me through the format of the class. What it was like: Going in, I probably knew the least about Shred415, but I LOVED this workout. Price: 9 points through ClassPass, specific Chicago pricing here Quick description: Four fifteen-minute segments, alternating between the treadmill and floor exercises. The workout: Total Body with Trish, 4:15 pm on Fridays I’m lucky that all three workout classes are available just a few blocks from my apartment in Lincoln Park, so I was able to try them all over the past month! Here’s what each class was like: But I’d also heard great things about Barry’s Bootcamp and Shred415, and from my initial understanding, they were all the same type of workout-that is, high-intensity interval training with the goal of boosting your metabolism and maximizing fat loss. We both have friends who rave about the workout, and we had seen some pretty incredible results. When we first started talking about doing a Chicago workout series, Liz and I knew we definitely wanted to try Orangetheory.
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