As summer gets the best of us with weekends at the beach, summer camps, and lazy vacations, we tend to push physical activity to the side. Well, I’ll have you know I’ve been staying on-task, playing outdoor soccer once a week and attending a weekly bootcamp. And of course I take my daily walks with the dogs. I manage to get everything squeezed in during weekday evenings, but I know not all of us have that option.
In July, I was invited to attend a free class at a new fitness centre in Winnipeg’s Sage Creek neighbourhood. It’s called Orange Theory and is the first of its kind in Manitoba, though a second location will open soon on Taylor Avenue. This is no ordinary gym. Orange Theory provides a 60-minute full body workout using three components: treadmill interval training, indoor rowing, and weight room/resistance training.
Everyone uses a monitor to track their heartrate percentage, calories burned, and average heartrate (beats per minute). Your heart rate is then displayed on TV screens for the full 60 minutes, and your goal is to get your heartrate in the “orange zone” of 84 percent or higher for at least 12 to 20 minutes. Another goal is to burn at least 500 calories during the session and up to 36 hours post-workout.
I arrived at Orange Theory in Sage Creek, only a 20-minute drive from Niverville, and walked into a bright orange building. I met with the owner, Megan Scatliff Gabert, prior to my session to get more information about Orange Theory and understand what I was getting myself into for the next 60 minutes.
Next, I got fitted with a wrist heartrate monitor, received a 10-minute orientation about the equipment, and was told what to expect. Then away we went! It was the last class of the day, starting at 8:15 p.m., and there were 19 people ready to get their outwork on. The maximum for each session is 24 people and you have to pre-register, as spots fill up fast.
For the first 25 minutes of class, I was selected to be in group two, the rowing and weights/resistance training. Group one started with the treadmill, doing cardio interval training. Group two hopped on the rowing machines just as the upbeat music began… and the instructor started telling us what to do.
Row, row, row, HARDER, PUSH YOURSELF. I think we did two minutes of rowing, but I honestly can’t remember the exact times. Then we did eight minutes of lunges, squats, and side crunches, followed by another 100 meters of rowing, and we did this over and over for eight minutes. Then another two minutes of rowing, then eight minutes of deadlifts and 200 meters of rowing. Repeat! We did another couple of rounds afterwards, but I have no recollection of what we did.
My legs were tired. I was hot and sweating everywhere.
Then it was group two’s turn to do the cardio interval training. I stood up and slowly walked my way over to the treadmills, hopped on one—and then it hit me. My legs felt like jello!
I had to brace myself on the treadmill, collect myself, and say to myself, “It’s only power walking. You can do it! It’s only 25 minutes.” The options on the treadmill were power-walking with a one to three percent incline or jogging or running at a one percent incline. Throughout the workout, the instructor would yell to increase our incline or speed.
I did it! I powered through the whole workout without stopping or giving up. Boy, was I exhausted, though. I almost fell just walking out of the building. I have to say, I did get that full body workout I was promised.
Gabert, owner of the Sage Creek location, was originally a member in Edmonton before she moved to Winnipeg looking to buy a business, any business. When she left the Orange Theory in Edmonton, the people there suggested opening a franchise in Winnipeg. Here we are today, with two locations.
A big perk is that you never have to sign a contract when you become a member. There are only month-to-month memberships that come with different options: unlimited access, eight sessions, or four sessions. You can also get a punch card. Another bonus is that you get the first class free. Orange Theory is great for beginners who have no idea what they’re doing, as well as for advanced fitness gurus looking for a different routine.
Gabert also explained that no two workouts will ever be the same. The exercises are similar, but the intervals change every time.
