Ellen Latham plans on “painting the world orange,” and her means to an end lies with Orangetheory Fitness, an interval-based group training franchise that was co-founded by Latham and her business partners, Dave Long, Jerome Kern and David Hardy, in 2010.
Members of Orangetheory Fitness participate in 60-minute training sessions that cover three areas — treadmill interval training, indoor rowing and free weight or resistance training — in 15-20 minute intervals. During the hour-long session, members wear heart-rate monitors, and are expected to keep their maximum heart rate at around 84 percent or higher. The franchise theorizes that training at this level will lead to increased muscle endurance, power, stamina and weight loss.
So far, the world hasn’t been dominated by Orangetheory’s signature hue, but the franchise is making some traction — almost 15 states boast Orangetheory franchises. With 32 studios opened and over 100 franchise licenses sold, Latham expects the franchise to boast over 200 studios by the end of next year.
Who exactly is this woman who plans on “painting the world orange?” Latham sat down with Club Solutions to discuss her “Ultimate Workout,” and how Orangetheory Fitness got its start.
CS: How did you get your start in the health and fitness industry?
EL: I’ve been in the business for 38 years. I have a bachelor’s degree in physical education and a master’s in exercise physiology, and for years I managed spas, fitness facilities and owned studios. Twelve years ago, I opened up a Pilates studio in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. that was very, very popular.
CS: How did you go from owning a Pilates studio, to co-founding Orangetheory Fitness?
EL: I was doing really great with [the Pilates studio] and I started thinking — how could I keep and retain these clients for many years? As a physiologist, I knew that I had to create a workout that got the heart rate over 85 percent for 20 minutes. I knew I wanted some functional training in the workout, and I knew I wanted to utilize the stabilizer muscles — the muscles that hold the shoulder, back and neck up — so I put together routines, exercises and equipment that would cover the gamut of that. I opened up a 1,900-square-foot space and called it “Ellen’s Ultimate Workout.”
CS: What kind of results did you see?
EL: Well, it just went crazy. I encouraged all of my Pilates women to go and complete the Ultimate Workout two times a week, while still doing Pilates, and they were changing their bodies dramatically. In four weeks they were having profound changes. I’ve taught everything — I probably still have leg warmers in my drawer from the Jane Fonda days — and I’ve never seen these kinds of changes occur so rapidly.
CS: What makes the Ultimate Workout effective?
EL: I just reworked running and weights. I didn’t create anything — I reworked things that have been around since 1940 and things that will be around for another 40, to 50, to 100 years. So the beauty of this is it’s not a fad — it’s steadfast cardio and weights. I just repackaged it into this great format.
CS: The Ultimate Workout is the foundation for Orangetheory Fitness. What do workouts at Orangetheory Fitness look like?
EL: All of our members are strapped into heart rate monitors before they begin their workouts, and there’s a big screen on the front wall that displays their heart rates. Different zones are displayed, and the instructors tell you which heart rate zone they expect you to be in throughout the hour-long workout.
CS: During the 60-minute workout, members perform multiple intervals, and do both cardio and strength training. Why does monitoring your heart rate work?
EL: You’re educating the client, and that’s huge. Because how many workouts do you do that you’re guessing, “Am I working hard enough?” Or, “Am I going to get results?” There is no guessing in this workout. Everything up there on the screen is telling you if you’re going to get results or not.
CS: What’s the first thing you’d notice when you walk into Orangetheory Fitness?
EL: The first thing you’d notice is that fitness is being celebrated. There are orange lights, music and an instructor greets you in the front. We find that to be very engaging, and clients like that.
By Rachel Zabonick
