Orange Theory Fitness is a big craze right now. People get a total body workout moving from treadmills to row machines, to various weight training stations all fit into a one hour class. And I took a class to see what it is really all about!

You can expect to run, peddle, row, lift weights. Sounds overwhelming?  Don’t worry the class is for all levels of fitness! The class mixes cardiovascular and strength training lead by a certified fitness coach.

The Orange Theory workout is based on five heart rate zones, which are tracked on your individual heart rate monitor.

The heart rate monitor is connected to a screen showing your cardiac output measuring in a rainbow of colors.

The zones are:

GRAY ZONE- VERY LIGHT ACTIVITY

 BLUE ZONE- WARM UP

 GREEN ZONE- CHALLENGING BUT DOABLE

 ORANGE- ORANGE EFFECT

 UNCOMFORTABLE, RED- ALL OUT EFFORT!

 The OT Beat technology lets you know when you push to push a little harder or take a breather and recover.

You want to spend at least spend at least 12 minutes or more in the Orange Zone to get your heart rate between 84 to 91% of your heart rate maximum. Basically, when you start to feel out of breath and fatigued- you'll find yourself in the orange zone.

With every workout, there is a science behind it. Orange Theory is based on the science of EPOC, excess post-exercise oxygen consumption.

If you push your body to your highest intensity, your body will work harder to recover oxygen lost during exercise. This is where the after burn effect takes place and you will continue to burn calories for additional hours after your workout is over.

At Orange Theory you can sign up to keep track of your workouts. After each class, you'll receive an email summary detailing calories burned, and other metrics so you can track your progress over time.