HEART RATE BASED HIIT Is this training method the next big fitness trend from the USA?

 

Do you like to push yourself to the limit and get the most out of your workout? Then this trendy workout from the USA could be the right one for you.

For years, interval training has been an integral part of our fitness studios and online sports platforms. Especially HIIT, the "High-Intensity Interval Training", is popular with many sports fans. Orangetheory Fitness is one of the absolute trend workouts in the USA and combines this method with precise measurement of the heart rate for the optimum training effect. The workout is said to be feasible for all fitness levels and at the same time to get the most out of every session.

In the USA and Canada, Orangetheory has been the trend for years - more than 1,300 studios in North America train according to the method. And here in Germany, this special HIIT training method is gaining more and more followers.

What exactly happens during Orangetheory training?

Let's start with the name: Orangetheory refers to the different heart rate zones we go through during the workout. The heart rate increases from resting to easy to challenging to uncomfortable to the "all out" zone. In this process, each zone is assigned a color. The goal of the workout is to spend twelve to 20 minutes in the orange zone, the uncomfortable zone, during each one-hour workout.

This optimally boosts the metabolism and is intended to burn more fat. The coaches guide the athletes through the various heart rate zones, keeping a close eye on the real-time data measured by a fitness tracker. Your coach can tell you exactly when you can push yourself harder and when you should take it easy.

Orangetheory trains in three different areas, with small groups taking turns: there are rowing machines to improve strength and endurance. On bicycles or treadmills, the athletes complete the cardio part of their training. And for targeted muscle building, they alternate between weight and floor exercises.

How effective is the trend workout?

The training is based on a scientific concept of the different heart rate zones. The focus is on the afterburn effect, through which we still burn energy up to 36 hours after the workout. The whole thing is medically called "Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption", or EPOC for short.

Sports fans are supposed to burn between 500 and 1,000 calories per one-hour session. The exact energy consumption depends on gender, weight and individual training level. Thanks to the afterburning effect, an additional 200 to 400 calories are supposed to be burned off.

In Germany there are currently only two Orangetheory studios, one in Hamburg and one in Lübeck. The price of the packages varies depending on the studio and the training units included.