Do not be intimidated by Orangetheory Fitness; it is accessible for all fitness levels and ages. What started in a Florida gym has grown into quite the fitness business. The franchise now has close to 500 locations around the globe. It is 60 minutes start to finish of being uncomfortable (in a good way), getting your heart rate jacked up and sweating a lot. If you like interval based training (we’re talking short bursts of speed followed by recovery) then you will like Orangetheory. When you have 60 minutes to spare in Kendall Square or Cambridge, Orangetheory is guaranteed for a good workout. Get in, get and get out, and get a good sweat in. It never disappoints.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

Every day the workout at Orangetheory is different which we love, but the premise always remains the same day in and day out. You wear a heart rate monitor and your stats are projected on a TV screen throughout class. Your goal is to get your heart rate into the “Orange Zone” for approximately 12-20 minutes of the 60 minute workout. If you want to read more about science behind the Orange Zone please do so here. We don’t have time to explain it. Just know that the Orange Zone is where the magic happens and you have to push yourself to get there.

During the 60 minute workout you will spend time at three stations: treadmill, rowing, and floor.

The treadmill portion of the workout is comprised of running or walking between your “Base Pace”, “Push Pace” and “All Out”. “Base Pace” is a speed you can run/walk a 5K at, “Push Pace” is a speed that you could run/walk a mile at, and “All Out Pace” is a SPRINT! Times, distances and incline vary depending on the workout.

The rowing portion is on a water based rower and is typically done for distance in meters.

The floor portion is a combination of bodyweight exercises, dumbbell movements, TRX exercises, and core work. All movements are demonstrated and even displayed on the TV monitor throughout the workout if you need a reminder.

INSTRUCTOR

We didn’t know until after class that we had an Orangetheory big wig coaching us. Kerri Jesson-Thomas is the Regional Fitness Training Director in the Boston Area. With a title like that we would hope she could bring the heat. And she did, in typical Orangetheory fashion. Her demeanor was friendly and approachable. Her commands and demonstrations were clear and she even called us out with a challenge that we obviously accepted.

Our only gripe would be that because of the dictated nature of Orangetheory classes it doesn’t allow much time and space for instructors to add their own flavor. Classes are scripted by their corporate headquarters and filled with a lot of commands and direction to make sure that all stations know their marching orders. Don’t come looking for inspirational mantras.

SPACE

The Orangetherory Kendall Square studio is orange and when we say orange we mean very orange. Orange walls, orange bathrooms, orange floors, orange rowers, orange toilet paper (just kidding). This is by far the nicest Orangetheory we have seen to date. Typically Orangetheory studios can be found in strip malls or in suburban plazas so it is a nice welcome change of pace to see Orangetheory smack dab in the middle of Kendall Square. The studio is street level and in a corner unit which means LIGHT and lots of it. The workout space is spacious with room for 14 rowers and 14 treadmills and extra room to strut around. There are five unisex showers and two bathrooms. This must be a record for a boutique studio in Boston.