Orangetheory Fitness – Midtown West

Orangetheory Fitness Midtown West is a great go-to workout that caters to all levels of physical ability and experience. This treadmill, rower, and weight-based workout consistently offers a solid workout, that can be easier or harder depending on how much you push yourself. Of all the Orangetheory instructors we’ve ever taken, Shannon was a stand-out, who brought a cool and laidback vibe to the class (with old school hip-hop beats to match). The midtown west location is spacious and clean, though perhaps not in an ideal location if you’re hoping to meet your gals for a cute post-workout brunch.

RUNDOWN

WORKOUT

We must say, this particular iteration of Orange 60, may have been one of the best Orangetheory workouts we’ve ever done. After strapping on our heart rate monitor (included with the drop-in fee, bonus!), we started out the day’s “switch” workout. What that meant was short four-minute blocks, switching back and forth between the treadmill and the floor several times over the hour-long class. Each treadmill segment was the same, hitting jog, push and run speeds for varying intervals. After each tread segment, the floor blocks consisted of two moves; one weighted (think bench fly’s, kick backs, shoulder raises), and one power (a la jump squat, jump lunges, pop jacks) performed consistently for three minutes, followed by a quick 1 minute sesh on the rower for an “all-out” row. The beauty of these short blocks meant we could push ourselves, knowing the time would fly by. As most people are aware, Orangetheory sets itself apart from other similar bootcamp classes with their heart rate monitor and “Orange Zone” theory. Workouts are comprised of five zones that are calculated based on a person’s individual heart rate, spanning from the grey zone (rest), through to the red zone (all out effort). The magic lays in time spent in the “Orange Zone”, 84-91% of a person’s maximum heart rate. While some people may consider this a load of hooey, it is fun to watch your heart rate rise and fall with the workout, as well as read the post-class email containing fun metrics like calorie burned and miles covered on the treadmill. And if you’re not into the mumbo-jumbo of heart rate monitor, don’t wear it! It’s a great workout either way.

INSTRUCTOR

Shannon was a super cool and laid back instructor, but by no means did this mean she did not push us hard in her class. Her vibe was casual, as if she was addressing her friends, which made it easier for us to nudge our treadmill up a few miles when she nonchalantly suggested we run faster as rounds came towards an end. Her choice of music matched her persona, with old school hip hop and R&B songs, along with some remixes. Shannon gave clear weight suggestions for the floor segments, and also provided several modifications for anyone unable to perform all the moves in the program. She also enthusiastically called out people in class who hit PRs, stating “if we don’t put this on Instagram, it didn’t happen!”- a girl after our own heart.

SPACE

Perhaps not in the most hip area of New York, the Orangetheory Midtown West studio is spacious and friendly. When we walked in, we were greeted by extremely welcoming front desk staff, who asked us if we preferred to start on a treadmill or the floor. Self-locking lockers are available, with a whiteboard to write down your locker number, for the forgetful among us. Immediately across from the locker area is a large mirrored counter, with hairdryers, dry shampoo, lotion, hair ties, and other necessities. What was surprising though, was that this area is the “get ready post shower” area, completely out in the open, just down the hall from the studio entrance. There are five individual shower rooms in this studio, a pretty amazing number for a midtown studio, however having to get primped out in the open is somewhat of a downer.