St. Albert's newest fitness facility uses a fat-burning routine that keeps the body working long after you've left the front doors.
Orangetheory Fitness pushes participants to complete a half hour of interval cardio training and a half hour of full-body functional resistance training two-to-three times a week.
"In the hour that you work out, you're [doing] absolutely everything that you would need to be doing from a fitness perspective," said owner Blake MacDonald.
Each participant is outfitted with a heart monitor that tracks the heart rate throughout the hour-long workout. The goal of the cardio component is to elevate the heart rate to 85 per cent of the maximum for 12-to-20 minutes, he said.
"If you can do that, it will put your body into what's called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption," MacDonald said. "It creates a higher state of metabolism for the body, whereby you're not just burning calories during the workout but you're burning a whole bunch afterwards."
He said the body will continue to burn calories up to 36 hours after the workout has finished and is designed to shed excess pounds while toning muscle.
"If you're looking to become a body builder, it's probably not the right workout for you," he said. "If you're looking to lean out and drop some body fat, this is the perfect workout for you."
Regardless how effective a workout is, people need to show up to reap the benefits. MacDonald said this is half the battle, but said he expects the atmosphere at Orangetheory Fitness to keep bringing people back.
"Most people don't like working out; it's not something you look forward to," he said. "You have to create an experience that's fun and engaging, has great music, (has) a real social atmosphere and a team atmosphere too."
Presale underway
Doors are expected to open at the end of October, however, presale started last week allowing founding members access to outdoor boot camps and sneak-peak classes.
"What we're trying to do is really establish a community with this facility," he said. "I think it'll be hugely popular; there's just nothing like it."
A pre-sale location is set up in Inglewood Square, which will soon be home to the facility.
To draw attention to the business, a pair of marketing tactics have been raising eyebrows in the city.
An individual, clothed in an orange bodysuit, has been dancing and directing traffic to the pre-sale location while a series of orange bicycles have been placed throughout the city.
"The difficult thing in today's market is to get noticed," MacDonald said. "You have to think of innovative ways of getting people interested in what you're doing."
Some of the bicycles were placed on public property last week but have since been moved as they violate city bylaws.
MacDonald and business partner David Hardy previously owned Edmonton's Clubfit location, but sold it in 2008. The pair spent the following few years looking for their next fitness endeavour until discovering Orangetheory Fitness.
The franchise started in Florida roughly three years ago and now has more than 50 locations throughout the United States. St. Albert is the first location north of the border.
"We're just super excited to be started," MacDonald said. "We look forward to being a part of the community for a very long time."
