Orangetheory Fitness — Attraction in Irvine

I was a member here from June 2024 to February 2025 (although I stopped regularly attending class in November ’24, after Nike Training Studio and Nike Running Studio opened at the Los Olivos Marketplace near the Irvine Spectrum).

pros: Genuinely nice, caring people. There is zero gymtimidation here. Supportive, positive, encouraging environment. It's a very beginner-friendly environment. If you're not a "gym person," you'll feel very comfortable here. Like most other studios and gyms, there are free Lifesaver mints, water bottle refills, showers (although I've never used them), clean bathrooms with hair ties, tampons, etc.

neutral: +/- I'll be honest–their marketing schtick can be a little gimmicky. The benefits of EPOC (excess post-oxygen consumption) are wayyy overstated. That said, if you don’t currently like to exercise, and would like to make it a habit, gamifying it with heart rate monitors can help. That's the real benefit of OTF–exercising (for self-described "non-gym people") in the context of a positive, supportive, encouraging environment.

cons: • Cramped space. There's not enough room (between rowers or behind treadmills) to do reverse lunges w/ knee drives in between rowing 500m, 400m, 300m, etc. There's barely enough room to lift or do TRX exercises if you get assigned the first or last floor station. • Not enough heavy dumbbells for the Strength 50 classes. • Too much emphasis on intensity (getting heart rates up), and not enough attention paid to (running, lifting, and rowing) form • Odd combination strength/floor movements (during Orange 60 classes) that target muscle groups that don’t make sense from a power, strength, or hypertrophy perspective (e.g. sumo squat to upright row, forward lunge with woodchop, bosu ball single-leg hip thruster with single-arm chest press) • Membership cancellation policy. It’s not as easy as giving 30 days’ notice. For example, I sent an e-mail saying I wanted to cancel in late December, but wasn’t able to do so until nearly mid-February (because late December was too close to 1/11, my upcoming billing date). If you don't time it right, you will end up paying for at least an extra month–even if most of the classes go unused.

Initially, I wasn’t sure if I was going to cancel OTF–which is why I froze my membership in November. After taking a few classes at Nike Training Studio and Nike Running Studio, I realized that Nike Studios improved on a lot of OTF’s weaknesses–no more “cardio with weights”-type workouts–there are plenty of heavy equipment to lift, push, or pull (kettlebells, sleds, landmines, sandbags, etc.); beautiful, spacious interior design; more coaching with a focus on running and lifting form, and a 4-hour class cancellation policy (OTF’s policy is at least 8 hours). The founder’s rate for unlimited classes at Nike Running Studio & Nike Training Studio was only $11 more than OTF’s unlimited rate, so it was...

I originally rated OrangeTheory a 1 star but bumped it up to a 4 star. I went on a challenging hike today and wasn't even winded. To be honest, nobody else could keep up with me. I attribute it to the fitness level I achieved from doing OrangeTheory and so I am appreciate of them and their workouts.

If your goal is to get into great shape and you like a group class environment then I think OrangeTheory could be a good fit for you. Everyone there from the employees, instructors, and members are all nice and friendly and the workouts are fun. Plus the studio is clean and the orange glow feel is a nice touch.

If your goal is to build muscle or lose body fat like mine are, I do think there are better options out there. I spend a bunch of my free time reading, watching videos, and learning about fitness and trying it on myself and I'm convinced that fat loss is at least 80% nutrition and muscle building is a combination of proper weight training and nutrition. OrangeTheory is mostly cardio and while that is great for your heart health and overall fitness it has very little impact on your body composition if your diet and weight training are not on point.

I docked one star because they prominently display a 30 day quit free guarantee on their website but they wouldn't honor it. To me that's false advertising. The best companies including Starbucks, Costco, or Amazon guarantee their services and products will happily give you a refund if you are even slightly dissatisfied which is why I go back to them time and time again. I know they'll always have my back and so I trust them. The companies that market one thing but have a bunch of fine print and don't honor it, lose my trust and so I generally stay away from them.

If they don't want to stand by you guarantee then simply don't include it on the website. But to have it there so prominently and not honor feels like it violates false...

I have taken over 1,500 classes at this studio, so I think I can be relied on to leave an insightful review. If you know that you need personal attention and motivation to drive you through a workout, but don’t want to pay for a personal trainer, this is the place for you.

The coaches and staff work hard to provide personal attention and the franchise has done an amazing job developing a community/culture.

The templates vary daily (which is important to mix things up) but the classes are mostly HIIT based. Lately they are starting to mix in some strength focused classes, so that is exciting, and necessary if you want more than just HIIT.

Shout outs to coach Melissa, Kaycie, and Glennis who I have taken over 200 classes with each of them! Melissa (Coach Mel) is so passionate about OTF and that passion will rub off on you. Kaycie strives to drive you to personal gains and won’t let you slack. Glennis (Coach G) will make things so fun (some of us don’t find working out fun 😂). Coaches Kimberly (don’t call me Kim), Taylor, Bradley, and Joey are awesome too! Melissa, Kaycie, and Taylor all used to be members with me back in the day and then became coaches; I think that is a unique dynamic that demonstrates how special this place is.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the staff. They make you feel like you are their favorite member (even though I know I am not!). They always remember your name and your favorite spot to be in class (tread 5?). They are so friendly and knowledgeable.

I joined here in 2015 and haven’t looked back. I’m keeping myself in physical and mental shape at a reasonable price and making a lot of friends along the way.

Highly...