Life After PFC: Orange Theory Fitness with Kerri

Written By Kerri Cerundolo • 3 min read

With a leap of faith my husband and I made the cross country move to San Diego. This was a bold move but I knew it made sense for me. I had a great support system ready and waiting. I have heard many times, if you want to succeed in business you must surround yourself with the right people. The same can be said about your health and well being. The right people for me are the friends I made at PFC, staff and campers alike. It was not long before some of these friends became workout partners and introduced me to a new gym- Orange Theory. My level of fitness had been improving and I was excited to try something new.
Orange theory designs their 60 minute classes around a Base. Push. All Out effort philosophy. This High Intensity Interval Training is structured around indoor rowing, treadmill, and strength blocks. Strive to drive your heart rate into the fat burning green, orange and red zones. Your goal is to attain a 90% maximum heart rate effort in the orange and red zones (combined) for 12-16 minutes of the total class. I find this very challenging, which I like because it helps me identify what I need to work on.

“Endurance” “Strength” or “Power” are the focus for each workout. The schedule is always changing, therefore every month, every day is different. Perfect for those who crave variety or tire easily with their fitness regime. “Endurance” classes are the ones I have attended the most often. They have longer treadmill blocks with bigger push paces, (uncomfortable yet manageable breathing), and higher repetitions on the weight blocks. I love these endurance classes. I have seen steady progress where I can push myself more. I would not consider myself a runner or even a jogger, but as I continue on this fitness journey, I realize you have to be willing to adapt, revisit and re-challenge yourself. Intervals at Premier Fitness Camp, where you would run around La Costa resort, never appealed to me but on a return visit to camp I decided to try it again. This time I was hooked. It is still extremely challenging, but I kept at it and week after week I saw measurable improvement. I credit this achievement to Orange Theory. As I progressed through those endurance classes I was building just that. I would often think of those push paces as I drove myself to finish those intervals around La Costa. Just the conditioning I needed to get me through what I once found impossible. It is wonderful to see the changes happening within the workouts as well. With each treadmill, rowing and strength block I see increased stamina and can endure a lot more.

“Power” workouts at Orange Theory are also my favorite. It is all about dynamic movements. Explosive, powerful pushes with all out effort for speed and watts on treadmills and rowers. This means sprints people! Another challenge for me is sprinting. It has been great chronicling my progress here. Watching my speed grow in these short intervals has been a huge mental boost. It continuously keeps my head in the game. Whatever level you may be at, your biggest competitor is you. The trainers deliver a great workout, constantly coaching you to tap that plus sign a little bit more, to see what just even a few taps can do.
Orange Theory is a phenomenal option for Premier Fitness Campers. You get a whole lot of an all day camp feeling in a 60 minute class effort. You also get to wear those familiar heart rate monitors, which display what zones you reach during class. Results can be studied at the end with your trainer. The interval training provides excellent metabolic burn. I love that feeling when you know that the effort you put into class keeps working for you hours later. It is awesome seeing my progress at Orange Theory. I constantly am pushing myself here and I always know I’m going to get a great workout. The staff exhibits a wealth of knowledge and experience, and delivers challenging workouts with a sense of fun. I always leave feeling empowered. Check out an Orange Theory establishment in your area. You will be glad you did!

“Strength does not come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you thought you could not do”.