You might have noticed the Orangeman out at some of our events this year. Who is he? Meet the Orangetheory team below, RunWaterloo’s newest sponsor.
What is Orangetheory Fitness and when did it arrive in Waterloo?
The Orangetheory Fitness studio is based on the Orangetheory Fitness Philosophy, which started in Florida in 2010. Since then, it has expanded to 12 countries and almost 500 locations worldwide. Orangetheory Fitness came to Ontario in 2014, and our Waterloo location is one of 32 Canadian studios open so far, having opened in January 2016.
Why is Orangetheory Fitness excited to get involved with RunWaterloo?
Orangetheory Fitness and RunWaterloo are natural allies in inspiring healthy lifestyles. Bringing people together in an energetic environment to enjoy physical activity is a step to success. The workout is designed to develop endurance, strength, and power, and helps runners to increase their speed and distance through conditioning methods with proven results.
Why is the Orangetheory Fitness programming relevant to runners?
In each Orangetheory Fitness workout, we use 5-zone heart rate training. Everyone wears a heart rate monitor an the results are projected in live time on monitors throughout the studio. This ensures that everyone is working at the right intensity for them, so the workout is suitable for all fitness levels from beginner to elite. You will be coached throughout the intervals to train in zones to optimize calorie burn and cardiac efficiency. The live feedback helps you and the coach know you are in the right zone and recovering properly in between. Heart rate monitored interval training is an effective way to train, from helping to make sure you don’t go too hard during recovery intervals and long runs, to making sure you hit above threshold during hard intervals, to ensuring that you actually stay at threshold during tempo efforts. Understanding how you feel during these intervals is also very important. The Orangetheory Fitness heart rate monitor can be used in outdoor runs and synced with the app to ensure proper heart rate training on all your runs.
If you aren’t doing interval training or strength training already, get into gear with Orangetheory Fitness Waterloo. Strength training, including core work, is an essential way to boost running economy, and intervals make you faster. Both of these are key pillars of the Orangetheory Fitness workout. [Note: these are both topics explored in the RW Magazine’s Training & Performance column in the past].
To new runners, start out at a speed you can see and understand and improve from there. For seasoned runners, Orangetheory Fitness can help get you out of your “groove” and reach that next level of performance. Always doing the same thing brings plateau; at Orangetheory Fitness Waterloo, you will never do the same workout twice, so you’ll never be bored!
What will Orangetheory and the Orangeman be doing at the RunWaterloo events?
Our goal at events is always to bring our Orange energy to create fun and engaging interactions with participants, with activities which often have a physical component. For example, leading pre-race warm-ups, when possible. We are there to support and encourage all the participants by cheering them on at the finish line! We also educate the community on what Orangetheory Fitness has to offer and to give away prizes! RunWaterloo does an excellent job of putting together a wide range of running events for the community and we are proud to support RunWaterloo!
Which RunWaterloo events have you been to so far, and which ones will we see you at this fall?
This year, we’ve been out to In Running Colour, Dirty Dash, The Runway and Kitchener Kids with Cancer Run & Walk and Harvest Half. Later this fall you will find us at the Fall 5 KM Classic, and the Santa Pur-suit.
