By Liz Witbeck
Orangetheory Fitness has opened a new location at 54 Crossing Boulevard in The Crossing Shopping Center, Clifton Park.
Orangetheory Fitness is a franchise fitness studio based in Boca Raton, Fla. The company started in 2007. There are currently more than 625 locations in 45 states and 10 countries around the world.
Other area locations include Niskayuna and Albany. Another recent fitness studio launched in the town of Victor.
The basis of Orangetheory Fitness is its heart-rate monitored, group fitness, interval training classes. The company offers group personal training workouts based on high-intensity interval training that blends cardiovascular and strength training.
When participants walk into the glowing, orange room, they are given a heart monitor. The heart monitor keeps track of vital signs. There are large screens on the walls that monitor each participant’s heart rate during class. Participants can see their progress in real time. This allows them to motivate themselves and become more competitive, not just with themselves, but with other gym members, according to the company.
Marcus Hepp is the studio manager of the Clifton Park location. He has a degree in physical fitness and previously worked for Planet Fitness.
“People like to see their results,” said Hepp, of the wall-mounted screens. “The visual aid helps motivate them further. They ask themselves, ‘How can I better that?’”
Participants are also emailed their results after class. This helps them record results and stay on track toward their fitness goals.
Contained in the email is the duration of the class, amount of calories burned, heart rate, and minutes in each particular heart rate zone.
Workouts are different for each session.
“They will never have the same workout twice. People will never hit that plateau,” said Hepp.
Classes are small, with a fitness coach in each class.
“Our coaches are top of the line” said Hepp, noting that each receives training in the Orangetheory line of fitness, as well as having a background in physical fitness. “When you come in you feel welcomed, you feel excited.”
Hepp said that there has been an overwhelmingly positive response since opening the Clifton Park location.
“Clifton Park is booming currently. We have people who are from other cities. This is a convenient location for them. They have been waiting for this.”
The science behind Orangetheory is a fitness concept designed to stimulate metabolism and increase energy, according to the company. Excess post-exercise oxygen consumption is the goal of the fitness session. There is a target heart rate zone, and when a participant can maintain their heart rate in that zone for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, they will continue to burn calories for up to 36 hours after the workout.
In this respect, a participant is not only burning calories during the workout, but also after it, called the “after burn,” said Hepp.
Sessions include rowing, treadmill interval training, and weight training. There are seven to 12 classes held each day.
“You can do this at any fitness level,” Hepp said. “We even have people in their seventies coming in and doing this workout.”
The first class is free for participants To learn more, visit www.orangetheoryfitness.com or call 644-4757.