Results After 1 Week of Socially Distant Orangetheory Fitness Home Workouts

Photo of myself on day 7 of my 1 week doing #Orangetheoryathome home workouts

RESULTS AFTER 1 WEEK OF SOCIALLY DISTANT ORANGETHEORY FITNESS HOME WORKOUTS

​I had been a longtime fan of the brand and idea of Orangetheory Fitness before I had ever even stepped in one. There was a lot of hype across socials talking about the results and notable stars devoted to this boutique fitness studio. While I heard of Orangetheory for several years, it wasn’t until I moved back to Los Angeles, CA after college that I could finally visit a studio. (If you’re wondering why it took me so long, I went to college in Upstate NY. It didn’t help that I didn’t have a car in college.)
 
The first Orangetheory I ever visited was located in Burbank, CA and I went after hearing about its existence through some old work friends. In general Burbank has a special place in my heart because I started my career in entertainment at one of the studios there (which is like almost all of them). When I learned of an Orangetheory Fitness (OTF) in my old stomping grounds I knew I had to try it out. Before I became a member, I was a fan of OTF. After joining I’m a fanatic of Orangetheory Fitness!

In doing my part to socially distant and stay committed to my fitness journey I did a fun challenge at home. I thought why not do Orangetheory Fitness online home workouts for 1 week and record my results! 

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Disclaimer – I won’t be listing the workouts because the Orangetheory Fitness community and coaches works so hard to make these - plus they’re free on Instagram and YouTube so check them out there!

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​Sunday – Day 1 of Orangetheory Fitness @ Home

Working out on a Sunday truly is part of my weekend rest and relaxation routine. Before our socially distant world when gyms and clubs were open, a Sunday trip to OTF was a treat to me. With this being day 1 of my 7-day journey I thought it be fitting to do a primary weigh in.

Note: Weight is not the only factor or metric to evaluate your health. As part of my health journey, I personally track my metrics including my heart rate, active calories, and average steps.

​Like all OTF classes in person, the online classes begin with a dynamic warm up. Honestly, I have never been the best about properly warming up even though I know it’s so important! Having one of the OTF coaches lead you through one at the top of the class, and then through a stretching block at the end of the workout is a huge factor why I tune into OTF at home workouts as often as I do. You really get everything you need in just 1 video! On day 1, the workout was a full body one and these are my favorite! The first block hit legs, then block 2 got my heart rate up and incorporated some arms, and the last 2 blocks got in some good core and arm pumps going,
 
Today’s #s included a starting weight at 167 pounds and during my workout I reached about 700 active calories burned in the span of roughly 50 minutes. Orangetheory takes on a HIIT style, high intensity interval training system, and on average these stats match what I’d actually be having in an in-person session with a class and trainer.

​Monday- Day 2 of OTF @ Home: Active Recovery

​As important as breaking a sweat is in a health and fitness journey, listening to your body and taking a break is paramount to your progress. One of my go-to fitness trainers at OTF, Coach Maya (@fitnessbymaya) always reminds us to listen to push ourselves and also listen to our bodies.
 
Having a day off is different from an active recovery. On Monday, day 2 of my #Orangetheoryathome challenge, I opted in for an active recovery. I had a pretty busy schedule working from home that didn’t really offer me the time for a good home workout. Instead of jumping into the action I took a walk around my local park, face covering on of course, and I tried to walk at least 3 miles this day.
 
Sunday night, I knew I was probably going to skip an OTF workout. Knowing this ahead of time let me prepare some meal ideas that were fresh and clean. Food is fuel and you should never feel like you work out as a punishment for what you eat! (Another one of Maya’s amazing sayings) Thus, I made sure I was eating meals that were delicious and that prepared me for the next day.

​Tuesday – Day 3 of OTF @ Home: Cardio, Core, and Upper Body

On day 3 I was left with noodle arms and what a good feeling to have again! Since starting my health journey roughly, a year ago, I’ll soon celebrate 1 year at OTF in September, one goal I have is to build muscle. Visiting Orangetheory and seeing the weights I picked up progress gave me a real sense of pride. Like I was seeing real progress in how my body felt as I picked up dumbbells that once intimated me.
 
With social distancing closing most fitness centers, I was unsure how I’d even maintain the progress I made. Workouts like today’s OTF at home taught me that my body was the only tool I needed to maintain and even grow my strength. Powering through push-ups and repeating motions with proper form were all I needed to reach that orange zone today. (In case you didn’t know, Orangetheory Fitness is built around a model of having you work out in 5 different heart rate zones. You can learn more about that here.)

On day 3 I felt great and I really felt like I earned my breakfast power bowl after that. (You can find that recipe here.)

Doing an OTF @ Home workout in my garage getting some fresh air

​Wednesday – Day 4 of OTF @ Home: Full Body Workout Home Edition

​On day 4 of this 1-week home workout challenge I did another full body workout and this one was led by coaches from different cities across the country. Another reason I’ve enjoyed being an OTF member is because of the studio’s reach worldwide.
 
Way back in January at the top of the year I was doing a lot of traveling for work. In the span of 8 days I bounced from Park City, UT, back home to L.A., and then to New York City. In all of these cities I was jam packed with work, catching up with friends, but I always managed to find some “me time.” What I did to both destress and get some endorphins going was hop into an OTF class whenever I could. And that’s one of the reasons I loved being a member of this fitness studio because I knew of its reach. No matter where I was, I just needed 1 hour to go from feeling good to feeling great.
 
The benefits of today came in doing all kinds of movements from planks to burpees. Today’s workout focused on a lot of compound movements, like squats to overhead presses. ​These types of movements challenge me and definitely keep things interesting.

Thursday – Day 4 of OTF @ Home: Feel the Burn, Even on Zoom

​Day 4 was a funny one alright. I like to do my workouts early in the day before I start work. In the world of public relations there’s no real schedule and things can happen anytime. On Thursday, I had to jump on a call. However, I was midway through my home workout and I had a decent pump going on. On top of not wanting to lose my vibe my pre workout was in full effect, trying to simply sit down was not an option.
 
I spit my screen and managed to finish my set of squat jacks and high knees all while listening into my Zoom meeting. That’s the thing about working from home especially in today’s world, you’re always at home so you really can’t say you’re busy.
 
It was still a great workout, and I averaged burning about 630 active calories in a 50 minute window. Great stats in my opinion !

Friday Day 5 of OTF – Full force & All Out

​Friday, I had a day off! Again, when working in public relations it’s hard to fully be, “offline.” But an important part of my life is learning to make time for myself and my wellbeing. I am worth more than my work and that’s a lesson that I wish I would have known sooner. Like a lot of fitness studio and personal training sessions, the coaches at OTF deliverer lines that sometimes hit deep.
 
For me, that idea of taking just 1-hour for a workout is 1-hour that puts you ahead of where you want to be. On day 5, we hit cardio, core, and upper body again and I was more than pumped. Thanks to some luck and rapid-fire fingers, I ordered some dumb bells that I pulled out for this day. The results of day 5 are below and wow was it a good day. On this day, I also weighed in at 164 pounds, it’s worth noting that I mostly workout first thing in the morning with only a small snack. You don’t need to do fasted workouts, just thought it’s worth noting.

Screenshot of my OTF @ Home Day 5 numbers

​Saturday – Day Off

Saturday was a real day off! I kind of just walked around the mall and posted a vlog, which you can see here. 

Sunday – Results 1 Week of Orangetheory Fitness @ Home Workouts

​Alright here is the final verdict! After doing 1 week of Orangetheory Fitness home workouts I must say I am very happy, and slightly surprised by the results. In the week that I did these home workouts consistently I burned an average of 481 active calories, compared to 391 the week prior.
 
My weight slightly changed as well. On day 1, I weighed in at 167 and at the end of this week I was floating between 161 and 163 pounds. Not a huge difference, but just so amazing to see! There were no other differences I made in terms of my diet or lifestyle. However, I did notice that I was going to bed earlier and in the mornings I felt more awake.
 
My body was naturally tired from working out and it was good to see that in the mornings I had more of a drive to get moving. Of course, when I needed a boost I always reached for a Celsius to get going. Because who doesn't love a good pre workout?! And after a good workout nothing was better than a great post-home workout meal, because food is a friend!

Screenshot of average calories burned doing #Orangetheoryathome home workouts

At the end of this challenge I admit that I feel great and had fun, and that's what matters! Again, I did this because my health journey is something that's important to me. I've seen friends and colleagues a like notice more than my physical changes but also the changes in my confidence overall. 

I believe that fitness and heath looks different for every single person. I wrote this as more of a fun piece on doing something different while maintaining social distancing. Remember to always do what feels right and trust the process! Thank you so much for reading these Words by Will! I'll see you in the next post, and also check out below for some shoutouts to some amazing people!

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I want to give a quick shoutout to the OTF community and OTF LA Instagram (@orangetheoryLA) that really helped me stay inspired when I first joined and when I was also going through recovering from a major accident.

Thank you to Coaches Maya and D'Artagnan (@the_woods64) in particular for being the 2 coaches who I completed my challenge and earned my OTF socks from! And shoutout to OTF SA associate Melissa (@melissa_leighhh) who helped me sign up for Orangetheory Fitness in the Burbank Studio.

​More shoutouts! SAs Justice @Justice_Shank, Casey @caseless, Elise (@elisemari3), Coaches Halima (@halimakhannn), Celina (@celinavitocruz), Travis (@Travvtv), Kristina (@Kristinatheresa)

(If I missed anyone I'm so sorry, lmk and I'll make sure you to include you!)

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