Orangetheory Fitness Back Bay

Situated on the 1st floor of an office building in the heart of Back Bay, Orangetheory is as high-traffic as it is high-intensity. For those looking to get in the zone in the New Year, Orangetheory will get you there and give you the post-workout report card to prove it.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

The signature Orange 60 class entails rowing, running and strength training. Similar to Barry’s Bootcamp, every class will have you guessing how many times you’ll cycle through the stations and the duration of each. The class is truly designed to accommodate all fitness levels (walkers, joggers and sprinters), and we were a fan of the speed and incline ranges posted on the treadmills that outlined Base, Push and All-out interval settings. Each of the pace groups carried over to the rowers as well, where you can expect a combination of endurance and sprint sets. For strength training, we appreciated the variety – which ranges from TRX and free-weight sets to body weight exercises like burpees and mountain climbers.

INSTRUCTOR

Jim O’Brien means business and he’s certainly in the right business. If his physique alone doesn’t convince you, then his ability to effortlessly instruct, essentially, three workouts at once certainly will. What always impresses us is when an instructor can move away from the drill sergeant coaching style (that is so common in these types of classes) and infuse their own personality, passion and motivation. Jim did just that, which made for a challenging but fun workout with the heart rate monitor results to back it up.

SPACE

Though they opened their doors in late summer, Orangetheory Back Bay is still holding on to that everything-looks-new feel. The studio is spotless and offers all the amenities that you’d desire for a pre, or post-work sweat session, including towels (bright orange), hanger space, and a few bathrooms and lockers. Inside the actual workout room, the rowers and treads are neatly and conveniently arranged in two long rows, but the weight and TRX area would likely feel a little cramped if there’s a full house… luckily, we love meeting our workout neighbors!

Orangetheory does has a corporate vibe though. And don’t be surprised if you’re asked for your credit card immediately upon signing in for the class that you already paid for online – cards are collateral for the heart rate monitor armband that amazingly reports your workout metrics.