Orangetheory Fitness

Orangetheory Fitness in San Clemente opened its doors less than a year ago, and already has become a community hub where people of all ages and backgrounds come to get healthy in a positive, high-energy environment.

Owners Dusty and Staci Dial, who live in San Clemente with their five-year-old daughter, were introduced to Orangetheory Fitness by their friend Marc Thomas, who owns studios in Newport Beach and Laguna Niguel. Dusty and Staci opened their first studio in Rancho Santa Margarita, followed by their San Clemente location in March 2015.

“We wanted to create a place where people would be able to come in and just forget about their problems for an hour,” says Dusty, “and after one of these workouts, with the energy you’ve used, and the endorphins you’ve created, you’re in a fantastic mood.”

Each 60-minute class provides “personal training in a group setting,” combining the benefits of a certified personal trainer with the fun, motivating atmosphere of a group class – an approach that’s unique in the fitness industry, and among the many reasons Men’s Journal rated Orangetheory Fitness the #1 workout on “The 20 Best Workouts in America” list.

Created by Ellen Latham in 2010, Orangetheory is a science-based, full body workout that utilizes the principles of high intensity interval training (HIIT), and excess post exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). HIIT incorporates short bursts of super-high intensity effort for 1-2 minutes at a time, ensuring that 12-20 minutes of an hour-long class are spent in the heart rate zones proven to achieve EPOC – a state of oxygen deficiency that forces the body to burn more calories to equalize the loss.

Orangetheory Fitness’s logo of a fat cell exploding says it all. A typical class burns an average of 500 to 1000 calories and creates a metabolic increase, through EPOC, that allows you to keep burning calories at a higher rate over the next 24 to 36 hours. In other words, you’re able to reap the rewards of afterburn from an Orangetheory Fitness workout long after you’ve left the studio.

Participants receive heart rate monitors that calculate their maximum heart rate based on age, weight, and sex. They then choose the workout intensity that is right for them according to their fitness level. “You could have a 90-year-old woman working out next to an NFL player and they’ll receive the same benefits of the workout because they’re working to their own fitness level,” says Dusty.

Orangetheory Fitness uses a multi-faceted attack, alternating between treadmill, indoor rower, and resistance training, including free weights, TRX straps, an ab dolly, and body weight. Classes emphasize endurance, strength, or power – and with over 550 exercises in Orangetheory Fitness’s library, there are thousands of combinations to choose from, guaranteeing that no two classes are exactly alike.

Each class is led by a certified personal trainer who has gone through a rigorous selection process. New members arrive 30 minutes early in order to receive their heart rate monitor, watch part of a workout, and spend time with their trainer getting acquainted with the equipment. From that moment on, their personal trainer is always on hand, making corrections to form or providing an alternate version of an exercise, if necessary.

Benefits include weight loss, greater muscle tone and strength, increased endurance, and a marked improvement in overall health. “The best part of this business,” Dusty says, “is seeing people’s lives change. We’ve had people come in with Type 2 diabetes, and after a couples of months their doctors are wondering how they are improving their conditions.”

People typically start to feel better within the first few weeks, and it takes about four to six weeks to start seeing visual changes. “Give it at least three days a week for six weeks,” says Dusty, “and you’ll never go back!”