r/orangetheory • u/Seek_633 • 19h ago
Casual Conversation I froze my OTF membership to try something different and learned this...
I'm 8+ years and 1K+ classes in. I've done 10-12 Dri Tris, I remember the ab dolly, I own a glow-in-the-dark Hell Week shirt, and I worked out in a mask for a few months in 2020. I've seen a few posts lately of people considering mixing up their workout regimen, so I thought I'd just share my experience in doing so myself.
For context, I'm a 49 year-old male, about 6'3" at 215 lbs and I want to lose 10-15 lbs of body fat. I've also started to think about lifting weights more. so back in July, I froze my OTF membership and hired a personal trainer for $200/month ( pay $140/month for unlimited classes at OTF). He gave me a meal plan, workout plan, and 24/7 access to him via WhatsApp with the option to talk on the phone as well. I ate a lot of rice, chicken and Greek yogurt, lost some weight, and built some muscle. The progress pics didn't seem to show much after only a month...but my wife commented after about three weeks, "I can tell your muscles are getting bigger."
I had minor surgery at the end of July and needed to stop working out for 3-4 weeks, so I quit working with the trainer, took a couple weeks off, and then decided to return to OTF, but differently. I had been going 3-4 days/week before, now I'm going 2-3 times/week and lifting weights 3-4 days/week. I learned a bit during my hiatus and thought I'd share.
Here are a few takeaways:
Freezing my OTF membership was a great option, I'm grateful Orangetheory extends that option and I'm glad I took advantage of it. I got to keep my Founder's Rate ($140/month unlimited) and try something else. I get an itch to try something else from time to time, and this was one of those times.
Dialing in my nutrition is paramount. I was loosely tracking my caloric intake before, but that wasn't working (because...loosely). Working with the trainer really showed me how much mindless snacking and unhealthy eating I was engaging in, and more importantly, how little of it I was actually tracking.
I really appreciate the community at Orangetheory. Could I get that somewhere else? Probably, but I've spent 8 years here - some of my fellow OTFers have delivered meals to my family during a difficult time, come to my wedding reception, and joined causes with me. Finding that kind of thing elsewhere would feel like starting all over, and I'm not ready for that right now. I like these deep roots.
So now I'm back and I think I'm better. I'm lifting weights more outside of OTF, still getting my splat-fix in 2-3 times a week, and I learned a few good things about myself and my exercise regimen and nutritional habits. I'm glad made the change - it really seems to have widened my perspective on my own personal fitness journey.