Feel (and see) the burn

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This article was published 16/04/2016 (3771 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Ruth Asper and Kathleen Skinner say they’re putting their hearts into their new fitness concept, they’re not kidding.

The longtime fitness trainers are preparing to open Winnipeg’s first Orangetheory Fitness location, a gym that’s unlike any other. Sure, it’s got all kinds of fancy equipment, such as treadmills, TRX bands, rowers, dumbbells and medicine balls, but it’s got one often underappreciated element that’s crucial to every workout — heart-rate monitors.

Asper said being able to keep track of your level of exertion in real time is invaluable, as it helps you stay aware of your endurance, power and strength while you work out.

Oh, and there’s this — as the group interval training is lead by certified fitness instructors, every participant’s heart rate is displayed on a screen at the front of the gym.

The concept is to work out so that you’re pushed into the “orange zone” — 84 per cent of your maximum heart rate or higher — which enables you to burn the most calories, as well as creating “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption,” or EPOC. That’s what helps you burn calories after you’ve worked out.

“It’s very results-oriented,” Asper said. “The workouts are full body, created by physiologists and backed by science. The interval training is efficient in improving heart health, losing weight and gaining muscle. It’s the multi-vitamin of fitness; it encompasses strength, cardiovascular, endurance and power.”

Skinner said even though it might seem intimidating to work out in a group — especially when your heart rate is on display — Orangetheory workouts are not a competition. Well, a friendly one, perhaps.

“You’re guided through a class. You can be the oldest or the youngest; it’s for everyone. We’re taking your information and targeting what zones you should be in. You’re working at the level that’s best for you. Everybody is working at their own pace in a fun and encouraging environment,” she said.

Skinner said many people get stuck in a rut doing the same workouts all the time and wonder why they’re not seeing the results they want.

“With Orangetheory, your body doesn’t get a chance to adapt. You’re changing your workout every day so you’re being challenged in different ways,” she said.

A personal trainer can set you back anywhere from $50 to $100 per hour, but Asper said Orangetheory’s memberships enable people to train for $10 to $20 per class.

Asper and Skinner are planning to cut the ribbon on their new gym by the end of next month at Grant Park Festival in about 3,000 square feet of space that used to be a Swank clothing store and Birchwood Art Gallery.

A second Orangetheory location is scheduled to open in Sage Creek shortly after the Taylor Avenue one welcomes its first customers.

Orangetheory was founded by fitness guru Ellen Latham in Florida in 2010. It has grown to more than 400 studios in the U.S. and more than 30 thus far in Canada.