As you guys know, I always enjoy a good, sweaty workout especially one that challenges me and can help me improve. However, since getting pregnant, I have been hesitant to push myself in boot camp or HIIT (high-intensity interval training) classes. Even though I’m working out with a heart rate monitor, since this is my first pregnancy, I am being very cautious.

Luckily, when OrangeTheory reached out to me, asking if I would like to try their Brooklyn Heights or new Park Slope location, I was thrilled to hear that they have coaches at both locations who specialize in working with prenatal and postnatal moms by providing adjustments, closely monitoring their heart rates and meeting with them before class. In addition, their heart rate based training makes it easy to stay in touch with my body throughout the workout.

Suddenly I realized that it may be possible for me to have a healthy, cautious pregnancy and still get that great endorphin rush.  I was smiling like a kid on Christmas when I trudged through the snowy Brooklyn streets towards the Brooklyn Heights OrangeTheory.  The coach for the class, Garner, welcomed me with a huge smile and quickly reviewed the workout with me as well as giving me a tour of the studio.

Since I’m still accustomed to the cramped, smaller Manhattan studios this location felt like a mansion. The location is spotless, features a huge entrance area where students can relax before and after class, showers, bathrooms and a locker area. As you can see, the studio is also spacious, featuring more than fifteen treadmills and rowing machines as well as a dedicated, spacious strength training area.

Since OrangeTheory is a heart rate-based interval training class, each student wears a chest or wrist heart rate monitor that tracks your stats throughout the workout so you can see your heart rate on the screens during class.  While you can’t use your own heart rate monitor, students can use one for free during their first class and then rent or buy them for future classes.  The goal, for most students, is to stay in the orange or uncomfortable zone for at least a portion of the class. Since I am pregnant, we discussed my previous and current fitness, deciding that my goal should be to spend most of the class in the green zone with a few minutes in the orange zone.

While each OrangeTheory class is different, most classes include a cardio portion, which is split between rowing and running, in addition to a strength portion.  This specific class session started with 25 minutes of cardio, rotating between the rowing machine and treadmill for intervals followed by a balanced strength portion targeting arms, abs, and legs.

By the end of the class, I was a sweaty mess but still smiling. With Coach Garner’s help, I made sure not to push myself too hard but still left class sweating and woke up the next morning feeling my hamstrings from the hills and feeling muscles I hadn’t pushed in the past few weeks.  In fact, I loved my first class so much that I was back just a few days later and am now seriously considering a package.

If you’re interested in trying OrangeTheory, your first class is free. If you live in Brooklyn, the Park Slope location is offering discounted packages and specials to celebrate their opening.

 

This post is sponsored by OrangeTheory Brooklyn but as you may have seen on Instastories and Snapchat, I’ve already been back again! I love OrangeTheory and all opinions in this post are my own.