Head about Orangetheory Fitness ? Their advertising ads were constantly appearing on my Facebook wall feed. They were successful in capturing my attention.
Before the opening of their new fitness studio at Robertson Quay, I’ve already taken part in their pre-opening event. They have organised a few giveaways and HIIT classes just to reach out to the public and get their name out. I’ve attended their Bootcamp class at Botanic Gardens and from that session, I got to know more about Orangetheory Fitness and the exercise routine they’ve adopted.
It’s like a 60-minute HIIT workout. The only difference is that you would have to put on heart rate monitors so that you would be able to keep track of your heart rate and calorie burn while you exercise. It’s like exercising with numbers. This heart-rate-monitored training is designed in such a way that your heart rates is kept within a target zone (or orange zone) that stimulates metabolism and increases energy. They believe that exercising at the targeted range of heart rate allows your body to burn calories more effectively for a longer period of time even after working out. This form of fitness philosophy is backed by the science of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. You would definitely need to know the basics of human physiology to fully understand how this fitness philosophy works. To put it simply, it’s just a form of exercise routine that results in a longer ‘afterburn’ effect and this is similar to the HIIT workout.
Effective?
If you have tried HIIT, you would know how tiring it and at the same time, satisfying. It not only increases your stamina but it also really helps in fat burn. But of course, you would need to do it the right way.
Two weeks ago, Orangetheory Fitness in Singapore has officially started offering their VIP 2-week trial classes to the public. I was interested in trying out this form of exercise so I join the bandwagon and signed up for the trial classes.
Their new studio was located at 38 Martin Road, which is located very near Common Man Coffee Roasters Robertson Quay. Their second studio at Tanjong Pagar would be opening up soon as well.
You would need to take a short flight of stairs up to the studio which is located on the second floor. They’ve got only one exercise studio with all the exercise equipment, changing rooms and toilets. It’s a cosy studio and the changing rooms are really small but they’ve got all the gym-goers necessities – lockers, showering facilities, towels, hair dryer and basic bath amenities. I just wish that it was bigger because it can get very cramped when everyone starts coming into the changing room to get ready before a class.
Shampoo, soap, deodorant, cotton wool, lotion and cotton buds were provided. That was pretty thoughtful of them though.
Showering Facilities
Thank goodness that you don’t need a padlock for the lockers! I know that some gyms still require their own members to bring their own padlock and keys!
That’s the fitness studio which has treadmills, water rower machines, weights, TRX, BOSU and exercise mats. There are also TV monitors in the studio where all your names, heart rates and calories burnt are reflected on the screen.
Before the workout, you will either need to put on the OTBeat Link or OTbeat chest strap. So the OTBeat Link is like a wrist watch where you wear it on your arm and the OTbeat chest strap is a black strap where you would need to strap it your lower chest area, against your bare skin.
You can purchase these heart rate monitors on your own from Orangetheory Fitness or you could loan it from them. After you put on your heart rate monitors, you will be given a placard with a number to inform you of which station you’ll need to head to first. Usually, half of the class would start running on the treadmills while the other half would do circuits which consisted of strength-training exercises.
There’s usually one personal trainer in the class to give instructions and guidance when needed. He or she would tell you when to speed up or slow down during the 30-minute interval training on the treadmill. And while you are doing your circuits, the trainer would be there to check if you are doing the exercises correctly. It’s no different from any circuit training classes except that there’s the use of the heart rate monitor that provides you with immediate feedback. It tells you if you would need to push yourself more or less during the workout.
Verdict? I’ve gone for two sessions and I have to say that it is very effective. It’s definitely useful to see how fast your heart rate is and to see if you can push yourself further to reach the ‘orange’ or targeted zone for a more effective workout. It kind of motivates you to work harder as well because the longer you are in the orange zone, the more points you will gain. On the first session, I scored only 11 points. But on my second session, I scored 23 points. It definitely keeps you going! However, it might get a little mundane over time since the workout pattern is pretty similar. But if you enjoy doing circuit training, you might get hook on to this.
The staff there were all very friendly and energetic so heading there for a workout seems rather fun too. I would have considered taking up a membership there but the rates were a little steep and location-wise, it wasn’t to my advantage at all.
Are you a member of any fitness studios in Singapore? Tell me which is your favourite gym or fitness studio!
Orangetheory Fitness (Robertson Quay)
38A Martin Road #02-01
Robertson Quay, Singapore, 239059
Tel: 6266 1715
