Bombshell Antics: Orange Theory Fitness: 6 week challenge

On thursday I joined a six week challenge at Orange Theory fitness! This challenge is different from any other I have joined being that it has a nice money grand prize for the top male and female! So I can't slack! I got to win.

So you may be asking, what is Orange Theory Fitness(OTF)? I had been asking this question for a while and last month I came across them at a race expo and got info on them and was intrigued. OTF is not your typical gym. It reminds me more of a bootcamp being that you have to sign up for classes and the classes are relatively small. None have been over 20 people. & you have a trainer that is there to push and motivate you.

The name OTF really tends to throw people off but the meaning behind it is quite interesting.

OTF is heart rate-based interval training utilizing the rowing machines, treadmills and a variety of strength equipment. The workout is segmented into blocks of work, and by the ability to view your heart rate % on a screen, it encourages you to do the best for your ability. What to expect: -A calorie scorcher and major sweatfest. Like any workout, you get out of it what you put into it, but this is a wonderful blend of heart-pumping cardio and muscle-building strength. -When you first arrive, you receive your heart rate monitor (“pod”) for the day. You attach it to your chest strap and during the class, your name and heart rate zone, categorized by color, are projected onto a screen. Blue is the cooldown/warmup zone, green is moderate, orange is fitness and red is the high limit. Ideally you’ll want to stay within a green or orange zone for the majority of the workout, hence the name “Orange Theory.”

I must say, I am enjoying these workouts so much. I've been going to classes for almost 2 weeks now and it has been so motivating and fun. Even got me going to sleep early since I attend 6am class! I love seeing how many calories I am burning, how hard I am pushing myself, and secretly competing with others in the class. I am coming to realize, how much more I enjoy bootcamp type classes. They keep me motivated more and keep me pushing myself to another level.

An example of the TV screens

I also love how we get emailed at the end of the class our training report.

So I think this 6 week challenge will be very effective for me as long as I keep my eating under control! I will be working out 5 to 6 times a week. 4 of which will be at OTF. The workouts are super intense so I don't know if I would do them 5 or 6 times a week but I will see as time go on.

With the challenge, we have to do 3 OTF classes a week and we weigh in every thursday, the last Thursday being Oct. 23rd. There is a chart posted so we can all see how everyone is doing and know how much more we need to push ourselves & we get a 'star' every time we attend a class YAYY! & GAME ON!

My eating has sucked all of summer and caused me to gain 15lbs (10 of which I'm sure was in Europe) but can't dwell on that. I must dwell on how to get back down to where I was before Summer and hopefully in 6 weeks I will see some great progress towards my ultimate goals!