Orangetheory and getting into the orange zone

[Anonymous]

I have been doing OTF 2-3x/week for 3 months now and still have a really hard time hitting the orange zone for more than 7min/class. I also only hit orange when I am on the treadmill. There was 1 time i did it for 11min. I have no idea how some people in class hit 20-30 minutes. Sometime during the warm-up I see people in the orange and some of them are pretty fit people.

What gives? how do i get more orange minutes? I push hard and feel like i can't breath, but my HR is still not high enough. And no it's not like I am in incredible shape or anything. Sometimes I feel like my legs are worn out before my HR gets high enough.

[Anonymous]

This is why i think OTF is a little bit gimmicky. Some of best athletes have super low heart rates due to their training and level of fitness, and I bet they would have a tough time getting into the orange zone for the majority of the class. When i wasn't in shape, getting into the orange zone was super easy...because getting winded came naturally and my heart rate at rest is fairly high So I don't fully believe in their "theory" for folks who are well conditioned.

[Anonymous]

I have a higher resting heart rate, which means it's easier for me to hit and maintain the orange level numbers. Don't worry about it OP, some of those people are probably cheaters like me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a higher resting heart rate, which means it's easier for me to hit and maintain the orange level numbers. Don't worry about it OP, some of those people are probably cheaters like me.

+1. I hit the orange zone during warm up. I'm just walking at a sped of 4. Most of my time is spent in the red zone. I don't buy into it that much. I go by more how I'm feeling. When I really go all out, I know it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a higher resting heart rate, which means it's easier for me to hit and maintain the orange level numbers. Don't worry about it OP, some of those people are probably cheaters like me.

I figured that was the case for some people. I am not in amazing shape or anything, but I do have a low resting HR, always have. My HR also drops quickly when I slow down.

OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is why i think OTF is a little bit gimmicky. Some of best athletes have super low heart rates due to their training and level of fitness, and I bet they would have a tough time getting into the orange zone for the majority of the class. When i wasn't in shape, getting into the orange zone was super easy...because getting winded came naturally and my heart rate at rest is fairly high So I don't fully believe in their "theory" for folks who are well conditioned.

Preface this by saying I don't know Orangetheory, but as I understand it, the Orange Zone is 84-91 percent of your maximum heart rate ...

Athletes often have low *resting* heart rates, but your *maximum* heart rate is not related to your resting heart rate, and not a reflection of your level of fitness. Some very fit people have max heart rates of 220 or more, or 160 or less. And your max heart rate doesn't change according to your level of fitness.

If you know what *your* maximum heart rate is, it shouldn't be difficult to get into *your* "orange zone" -- unless the workout just isn't rigorous enough.

I am a pretty fit person. My resting heart rate is about 52. (My garmin thinks it is 47, but I don't think that is really right.) My max heart rate is between 190 and 195 (higher when I'm hyperthyroid and lower when I'm hypothyroid). I know this because I regularly wear a HRM when I work out. So I guess my orange zone would be in the high 160s-low 170s. I regularly hit that when running on the treadmill or doing the elliptical. I would consider that a high level of exertion, but one I can maintain for a good amount of time.

My husband's max heart rate is more like 170-175 -- so his orange zone would be in the low 150s. I am barely breathing hard in the low 150s. That's not because I'm in better shape than him, or in better shape than I used to be. It's because we have different maximum heart rates.

If Orangetheory doesn't take into account people's actual maximum heart rates, versus their MHRs according to a formula, then it's ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why i think OTF is a little bit gimmicky. Some of best athletes have super low heart rates due to their training and level of fitness, and I bet they would have a tough time getting into the orange zone for the majority of the class. When i wasn't in shape, getting into the orange zone was super easy...because getting winded came naturally and my heart rate at rest is fairly high So I don't fully believe in their "theory" for folks who are well conditioned.

Preface this by saying I don't know Orangetheory, but as I understand it, the Orange Zone is 84-91 percent of your maximum heart rate ...

Athletes often have low *resting* heart rates, but your *maximum* heart rate is not related to your resting heart rate, and not a reflection of your level of fitness. Some very fit people have max heart rates of 220 or more, or 160 or less. And your max heart rate doesn't change according to your level of fitness.

If you know what *your* maximum heart rate is, it shouldn't be difficult to get into *your* "orange zone" -- unless the workout just isn't rigorous enough.

I am a pretty fit person. My resting heart rate is about 52. (My garmin thinks it is 47, but I don't think that is really right.) My max heart rate is between 190 and 195 (higher when I'm hyperthyroid and lower when I'm hypothyroid). I know this because I regularly wear a HRM when I work out. So I guess my orange zone would be in the high 160s-low 170s. I regularly hit that when running on the treadmill or doing the elliptical. I would consider that a high level of exertion, but one I can maintain for a good amount of time.

My husband's max heart rate is more like 170-175 -- so his orange zone would be in the low 150s. I am barely breathing hard in the low 150s. That's not because I'm in better shape than him, or in better shape than I used to be. It's because we have different maximum heart rates.

If Orangetheory doesn't take into account people's actual maximum heart rates, versus their MHRs according to a formula, then it's ridiculous.

they do not. they base it on a formula that takes age and weight into account. So i do suspect it is not completely accurate. Thus the reason some people hit 85% more easily than others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why i think OTF is a little bit gimmicky. Some of best athletes have super low heart rates due to their training and level of fitness, and I bet they would have a tough time getting into the orange zone for the majority of the class. When i wasn't in shape, getting into the orange zone was super easy...because getting winded came naturally and my heart rate at rest is fairly high So I don't fully believe in their "theory" for folks who are well conditioned.

Preface this by saying I don't know Orangetheory, but as I understand it, the Orange Zone is 84-91 percent of your maximum heart rate ...

Athletes often have low *resting* heart rates, but your *maximum* heart rate is not related to your resting heart rate, and not a reflection of your level of fitness. Some very fit people have max heart rates of 220 or more, or 160 or less. And your max heart rate doesn't change according to your level of fitness.

If you know what *your* maximum heart rate is, it shouldn't be difficult to get into *your* "orange zone" -- unless the workout just isn't rigorous enough.

I am a pretty fit person. My resting heart rate is about 52. (My garmin thinks it is 47, but I don't think that is really right.) My max heart rate is between 190 and 195 (higher when I'm hyperthyroid and lower when I'm hypothyroid). I know this because I regularly wear a HRM when I work out. So I guess my orange zone would be in the high 160s-low 170s. I regularly hit that when running on the treadmill or doing the elliptical. I would consider that a high level of exertion, but one I can maintain for a good amount of time.

My husband's max heart rate is more like 170-175 -- so his orange zone would be in the low 150s. I am barely breathing hard in the low 150s. That's not because I'm in better shape than him, or in better shape than I used to be. It's because we have different maximum heart rates.

If Orangetheory doesn't take into account people's actual maximum heart rates, versus their MHRs according to a formula, then it's ridiculous.

they do not. they base it on a formula that takes age and weight into account. So i do suspect it is not completely accurate. Thus the reason some people hit 85% more easily than others.

Yeah, that's totally bogus, then. And you're right -- it would be very easy for some (me) to reach that number and hard for others.

[Anonymous]

When I tried OT, it says I went OVER 100% of my max heart rate.

So everyone's body is different. I'm pretty fit and have a low resting heart rate, but maybe my range is just wider? For the cardio portion, I spent almost all that time 50/50 in red/orange.

As long as you're really pushing yourself in those "all out" portions, I wouldn't worry about the numbers too much.

[Anonymous]

I rarely get any splat points or time in the orange b/c of my low resting heart rate..... my coach said move the bars to the right --- blue is like green ---- green is like orange. Not sure if that is a good methodology b/c I do not feel like I am super fit. However --- my legs and my arms are soooo sore, I don't think I can aerobically push any more --- maybe as I gain strength I'll be able to push more aerobically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a higher resting heart rate, which means it's easier for me to hit and maintain the orange level numbers. Don't worry about it OP, some of those people are probably cheaters like me.

+1. I hit the orange zone during warm up. I'm just walking at a sped of 4. Most of my time is spent in the red zone. I don't buy into it that much. I go by more how I'm feeling. When I really go all out, I know it.

The HR range for people like you (and me) needs to be adjusted. Im very fit. I do OT on my easy days. My HR runs high. It's easy for me to hit the red zone.

A better measure of cardiovascular fitness is how fast yiur Har drops ehen yiu stop.

Basically the way they calculate HR ranges at OT is a one size fits all. If the OP truly has a hard time getting into the orange, they are not working hard enough. However, that is doubtful. Ignore the zones, go on how you feel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a higher resting heart rate, which means it's easier for me to hit and maintain the orange level numbers. Don't worry about it OP, some of those people are probably cheaters like me.

+1. I hit the orange zone during warm up. I'm just walking at a sped of 4. Most of my time is spent in the red zone. I don't buy into it that much. I go by more how I'm feeling. When I really go all out, I know it.

The HR range for people like you (and me) needs to be adjusted. Im very fit. I do OT on my easy days. My HR runs high. It's easy for me to hit the red zone.

A better measure of cardiovascular fitness is how fast yiur Har drops ehen yiu stop.

Basically the way they calculate HR ranges at OT is a one size fits all. If the OP truly has a hard time getting into the orange, they are not working hard enough. However, that is doubtful. Ignore the zones, go on how you feel.

I am the OP... so my issue ended up being that my max HR was set way too high, even higher than where their formula would have put me. When i asked where it was they re-toggled something in their settings and it automatically drooped by 8 beats per minute. Since then I get in the orange zone a lot more, still not as high as some people, but at least I feel like I am getting "credit" for the work I put in. I do still think the value using their formula (220-age) is on the high side as every on-line calculator I have used puts me 6+ BPM lower than their setting. I have also noticed that I pretty much never hit the red zone even after and all out sprint which is how you should really be determining your max HR.

Everyone is obviously different. I know quite a few people who's max HR is probably higher then the OTF setting as these people are in the red zone for a vast majority of the class even when they are not sprinting or working all that hard.

If you suspect that you are indeed working hard and that their value may be off, ask about it. They will set it to whatever you want if you really don't think the value is right.

[Anonymous]

Has anybody just stopped wearing the monitor?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anybody just stopped wearing the monitor?

I stopped. I was tired of it constantly not working. In some of the older studios (with people that have been doing OT a while), I have been in classes where 1/2 the class isn't using one.

[Anonymous]

Did the front desk input your age in the computer correctly? This is a part of determining your stamina in reaching the zones.

In error, my Orange Theory location inserted my age as 16 years old (I was 33 at the time of joining) in the computer system. I had to be near passing out on the treadmill to be in the orange zone.