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Tired of curling cans of beans on a yoga mat in your apartment? Orangetheory’s free online At Home™ workouts continue for those who aren’t able to return to the studio just yet, while more than 900 locations have already welcomed members back.
To ensure a healthy return, Orangetheory has reduced class capacity, modified class scheduling to allow for disinfecting protocols, and provided staff with personal protective equipment.
“We have an internal COVID-19 task force that works closely with the medical advisory board to operationalize and educate on the protocols; we meet almost daily to stay abreast of any new information as it becomes available,” says Dr. Rachelle Reed, Orangetheory’s global director of fitness science.
To get an idea of what it’s like to head into the studio right now, three Orangetheory members from different cities shared their first class back experiences.
The Importance of Personal Fitness
Why do you work out?
Fatima Macalaguin (Nurse practitioner in Chicago, Illinois): It's more of a mental game than a physical one; it’s about wanting to feel and look a certain way. It’s a mental thing. It’s those 45 minutes, or that hour, where you really don’t notice there’s a pandemic going on, even if you are working out with a mask, or if class sizes are smaller. I need it for my sanity, for my routine, and just to feel normal.
Chris Strub (Social media consultant in Greenville, South Carolina): I’m self-employed, so my work and career heavily depend on my fitness: my physical fitness, my mental fitness, my emotional fitness. When I started with Orangetheory, I noticed improvements in all those areas.
Karen Freberg (Associate professor in Louisville, Kentucky): I use that time just for health and fitness, and it’s the best investment I’ve ever made. Having time to exercise is a stress reliever and helps me sleep much better. If I go a couple of days without working out, I’m bouncing off the walls because I have so much energy. Even during COVID, doing the home workouts, taking that hour, or 45 minutes, really made a world of difference.
Finding Orangetheory Fitness
When did you start your OTF journey?
Macalaguin: A lot of my nurse friends were posting about Orangetheory two years ago, and I became curious. I couldn’t find the right workout regime. The gym wasn’t working for me. I wasn’t seeing the results I wanted. I ended up trying that first class, and I was just addicted from there.
Strub: I joined Orangetheory on January 2nd of this year, so I’m relatively new to OTF. I’m sure many people have that same New Year’s resolution experience. I live across the street from my Orangetheory location, so I have seen for two years lots of healthy people go to and from the gym every 60 minutes, and I decided to go check it out. I had always been a bit intimidated by the idea of Orangetheory, but once I tried it, I was immediately hooked.
Freberg: Three years ago in December, my sister started taking Orangetheory classes in D.C. area, and she was like, “Karen, you need to try Orangetheory,” and I had heard about it — I had a few other friends who were doing it — but I never really experienced Orangetheory. So, I went to my first class, and it was intense in a good way. I felt amazing afterward. I came back to Louisville and decided I was going to sign up. Since then, I’ve loved it; everyone’s been very welcoming and supportive. I try to go almost every day.
Returning To Class
What stood out about your experience?
Macalaguin: I wasn’t sure what going back would look like because the Orangetheory I knew was about high-fives and people hanging out in the lobby, talking after class, and all those things bringing that community feel to Orangetheory. I ended up going back on the second day after the studio opened, and I decided to keep my mask on. I’m still struggling to get back to where I was before the pandemic, but the cleanliness and safety exceed my expectations.
Strub: The Orangetheory staff really thought through every last detail about how you physically move from one spot to another to avoid walking next to anyone else. Even entering the studio, you arrive five minutes before class starts, stay socially distanced outside the studio before coming in, they check your temperature at the door, and you can’t use the lockers anymore to prevent being shoulder-to-shoulder with others while entering or exiting. Every moment from start to finish is quite different from what it was in February, and that’s how it has to be for now.
Freberg: I greatly appreciated the transparency. Orangetheory maintained a constant line of communication through their social media and emails that said: here’s the update, here’s what we’re doing, here’s the expectations. I knew before I physically walked into the studio exactly what to expect.
Feeling Safe In The Studio
What made you feel confident about going back?
Macalaguin: Cleanliness was definitely a factor. If it’s a priority for them, which I believe it always has been, it made me feel safe to return.
Strub: There are 13 treadmills in a row and 13 rowers all lined up shoulder-to-shoulder. While it may still appear the same, once you get into class you are intentionally distanced from fellow members. To me, that’s by far the biggest change — class capacity is less than a third of what it was initially, allowing everyone their own space.
Freberg: I would emphasize the commitment to guidelines. All instructors have been wearing masks, everyone has adhered to the rules, practicing social distancing; for me it’s been the follow-through and consistency.
As members consider returning to their studios, Dr. Rachelle Reed suggests learning more about what Orangetheory is doing to keep members as safe as possible while reopening amidst COVID-19 by visiting the website, or by calling their studio to get clarity regarding any protocols. She also encourages people to engage with members who have returned to the studio through their studio’s Facebook and Instagram pages to learn firsthand about their experiences. And, if a studio is still closed, or if members aren’t ready to return just yet, she encourages everyone to continue taking advantage of Orangetheory’s free At Home workouts.
