Elite Event: New Year, New Hustle @OrangeTheory Sunnyvale

Most people have a period in their life — whether brief or tenured — in which they really nailed the whole fitness thing. I remember in early 2013, that was me: I worked out on the reg, and I genuinely enjoyed it. I was a cool kickass fitness babe.
Well, 3 years have passed since that glorious time, and I haven’t felt like that awesome fitness goddess since. But, surprisingly, I got pretty darn close at the OTF event.
When I strolled in, donning my best do-​these-​make-​me-​look-​cool workout tights, I was really excited that someone immediately told me where to go and what to do. I didn’t have to kind of wander around and guess what to do while getting self-​conscious that I wasn’t «athletic enough» for the other attendees and instructors. While in line to pick up my HRM, OTF staff members were calling me by name and personally introducing themselves (special shout-​out to Brittany!). The nerves that I had planned to channel into my workout totally diminished.
In my experience, it’s a massive indicator of someone’s true personality when you can sense a sort of contagious passion about them. I have a sneaking suspicion that even if I had gone to OTF for a regular class (instead of a YEE), I’d be greeted with the same nearly-​tangible enthusiasm. When you’re around people that sparkle, you can’t help but absorb a little of that energy. That’s the biggest value of OTF for me.
As for the workout, we were asked to choose a starting point. I stuck with what I knew: the treadmill. Surprisingly, even though I’m historically a runner, this circuit still kicked my ass. I loved it. I moved then onto the rowing — my first time EVER on a machine like this! — and realized I had no idea what I was doing. Thankfully, the team noticed, and it was probably the gentlest correction I’ve ever received from a fitness class instructor. The instructor just smiled, used his hands to show me a better way to hold the rowing bar (?), and nodded when I got it right. That’s the way to do it!
I am writing this 3 days after the event took place, and I noticed that I’m still a little sore. That’s how I know I’ll be back to OTF: when I cross-​train alone, I’m not pushing myself enough for a multi-​day burn. When I have a constructive, encouraging environment with the social contract of a group setting, you better believe I’m going to try harder.
To the Unilocal crew, this event was fantastically facilitated. I loved being able to feel productive while enjoying the true treat that is a YEE. The t-​shirt was a great and smart gift — because you KNOW that Unilocal Elite types are going to wear that around town, and it’ll be free advertising!
Side note for future, similar events: I 100% would have bought a full bottle of juice from the reps that came from Juice Co! That green juice was delicious. I’ll be back to their store and to OTF very soon — that’s a promise.

Too sore… Can’t type review… Must not move…
Ok, I’m finally able to type this review. Orange Theory is easily one of my favorite workouts in the Bay Area now that I’ve had the opportunity to test drive a full class.
The trainers are super helpful with making sure you have the correct posture, and I love that the work outs are broken up into different parts so it goes by really fast.
Also nothing like capping a YEE with some freshly ‘squozen’ juices from Juice Co. LG who came out with different flavors to quench our thirst. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for their juice at the LG Farmers market!
Overall another smash put together by our South Bay Unilocal Team! Shout out to Jon. S and CM Candice for taking care of us Unilocalers!

What a great way to start 2016 by getting my ass kicked (in a good way, of course) with some Orange Theory Fitness!
I don’t know what else that I could write in this review that other Unilocalers haven’t written. Nicole did superb being our instructor — she was full of energy, not pushy like how other trainers out there, she the perfect balance of letting us go at our own pace and being uncomfortable for a minute or two during our work outs. Daniel (who coaches at OTF Campbell) and Dave were walking around the whole time to help us out with our form either either the rowing machine or with the free weights area. It was also my first time wearing a heart rate monitor! I could see which zone I was in and it was fluctuating between the green and orange zone. Towards the end of the work out, they send you your performance via email with how many calories you’ve burned and how long you were in the zones.
I enjoyed the rowing machine the most followed by the treadmill because the songs were just up beat. Remember it’s 60% legs, 20% arms and 20% core. If your arms and core is hurting more than your legs when you’re done with that workout, you did it wrong. At the end of our workout, Unilocaltern Jon S. handed out a Unilocal goodie bag and OTF gave us shirts. Sandwiches were delicious and Juice Co. LG had some refreshing samples on the table for us. I loved the one with the ginger, apple, kiwi. The beet one was amazing as well.
Thank you to Candice for putting together this great event and OTF Sunnyvale staff for the wonderful experience!

I’ve been a loyal Unilocaler for 3 years and a OTF member for 6 months. I’m obsessed with both, so this event was pretty much the best night of my life. This was especially so since my husband, Justin M, came with me. He hears me talk about how much I love OTF all the time, which a lot of the time sounds like «I almost threw up during my all out today, it was awesome.» or «I rowed a mile and I thought my arms were going to fall off but they didn’t and now I feel great,» or sometimes I just chat «OTF! OTF! OTF! OTF!» when I get ready for class.
I love OTF because its an intense workout, but its scalable to all levels. This was great because all fitness levels of Unilocalers were able to take part, and everyone got a good workout! I did, at least.
The set up was tough, since we all need heart rate monitor pods and our info in the computer. It was a lot for the staff to handle, and it did slow the pace down. Still, once we got going it was great! The instructor was excellent, I loved her energy and clear instructions. I felt like the class was a pretty good introduction of what Orangetheory is all about.
The juice afterwards was perfect — exactly what I wanted after a workout! I loved the little shots of different kinds. The beet juice was my favorite.
I pledge allegiance to OTF nation! Hope more Unilocalers will be joining me.

Really intense work out! Unique approach to fitness!
Though it took time to setup, it was great they could accommodate such a big group. I overheard someone saying that the turnout was more than expected but they went with it and did a great job.
I really must compliment the trainers/​coaches. They were so sweet and motivating and helped anyone they could with form, increasing weights, and injuries. I have a slight injury in my legs and when I noted it to one of the trainers, he kept checking up on me and making sure I was okay and safe. I really liked that. For the weight area, I usually like to do more reps and less weight so to start off with 8 lbs and then move to 10lbs (per the coach I moved up weights for one exercise). I’m not sure if I would do the work out as part of my weekly regimen (I tend to overexert myself and that’s why I’m injured right now), but for peeps who have tougher bodies than me, bring it on!
The goodie bag and shirts at the end were cute touches and though I didn’t eat the sandwiches, I thought it was great to have veggie (thanks, Candice for representin’!) and meat sandwiches.
Thanks Orange Theory! :)

My first Elite event! I was so stoked to see a workout event on the calendar, and I heard good things about OrangeTheory, so I knew it would be a great night.
I first walked in and was automatically greeted by a friendly member of the staff. We signed in, received our heart rate monitors, and prepared for the workout to begin. Getting ready took a bit of time since it was a lot of people getting a monitor, but the staff was extremely helpful and upbeat the whole way through.
Then the workout: Nicole is great! She clearly knows what she is doing and is very motivational and approachable. The rest of the staff were also kind and helpful throughout the workout.
The workout was INTENSE. I am sore all over, and I expected no less. I enjoyed weights on the floor and the rowing machine, but I’d have to say my favorite was the treadmill. I’m not a runner, so Nicole’s motivation was exactly what I needed and left me feeling like I really pushed myself.
The only real bummer of the night was that my heart rate monitor never worked! It would’ve been cool to see my stats, but the workout was well worth it nonetheless.
The gifts bags, sandwiches, and juice samples were really generous and perfect for a post-​workout. This was a well-​planned event, and I am now stoked to go to more Elite events in the future!

I haven’t done any Elite events in South Bay since I moved from Houston so I was definitely excited to get invited to this one.
I work out of Sunnyvale so I knew parking was going to be an issue. I just parked in the nearby lot close to where Target and Macy’s are, and it’s a pretty short walk from there. Checking in took a while because everybody had to be registered and provided a heart rate monitor, so unfortunately we started a good 20 minutes past the hour.
I do regularly go to the gym but I focus more on weight training, thus my cardio levels are probably not where they need to be. I had done a bit of research about OrangeTheory so I was prepared for an intense 60 minutes. The workout is fun and as the instructors mentioned, they basically do all the thinking for you. I think with these many folks it was hard to get some focused attention from the trainers during the actual workou but I think we managed with the quick intros we got for each station. Never used the rowing machine before, so learning the proper form from the trainers was a plus.
I do wonder how accurate those heart rate monitors are because my report said I burnt like 1000 calories and I spent the majority of my time in the red (i.e. you’re almost dying) zone. but honestly I felt fine!
The bag of goodies, sandwiches and drink samples from Juice Co. were much appreciated. Thank you Candice, Unilocal,and OrangeTheory for giving my new year’s resolution a big push in the right direction

Gooood morning, South Bay Unilocal Elites. I woke up this morning SORE and feeling good!!!
As for a review of this YEE:
I was excited for this event mostly because this was going to get me off my butt and make me move. I used to be an avid runner but I stopped running in 2015. My 2016 resolution was to get back into my runner’s shape. This was going to require a lot of different workouts to get me fit (legs, core, cardio, endurance) and also a lot of motivation to start from scratch again.
OrangeTheory’s 60 minute workout was perfect. ~20 min rotation of running, rowing, and weights was enough to get that heart rate up without getting bored of the activity. The coaches were very professional in giving tips (and Nicole, I’m not gonna forget about the ear tip for balance!)
One part that I wish I knew before the event was how challenging parking would be. I parked in a «guest» parking spot in a nearby apartment complex because I couldn’t find street parking :(
I felt pumped, challenged, and sweaty after the hour. Just the way that it should be after a good workout! The cherries on top were the unexpected sandwiches (the veggies were so good!!!), juices, and schwag :)
Thank you Candace, OrangeTheory, and the Unilocal team for putting on a great event! Here’s to another great year for the Unilocal Elites!

My first South Bay Elite Event! Hi guys!
I am basically Classpass’s spokesperson and side note — it’s best thing ever — so I workout a lot because of it and have been to a lot of «trendy» nice studios. Loved the event, but I don’t think I’d get membership here. Few notes:
1. Wasn’t expecting this many people! I do wish that it was a smaller grouper so the instructors could come around and fix form and give personalized encouragement. Maybe during their classes, they are smaller. I felt like Nicole was yelling out the treadmill instructions but it distracted me when I was doing the other stuff.
2. I thought the floor stuff was really repetitive. During only 4 moves over 15 min is boring!
3. I wish they gave us a rundown of the time in each activity to pace ourselves. I felt like I could have pushed myself on the treadmill more thinking there would be more than 1 «all out».
I was going to comment on how I didn’t like the orange lighting, but I read another review here and it said it’s meant to conceal blemishes/​insecurities. Cool! Also, I’m a «runner» (use the term losely…), and I’ve always wanted a studio to incorporate treadmills. They have cool spin studios, why not cool running studios! So I did like that here.
Also, all the swag, veggie sandwiches (so excited to have a CM that’s vegetarian yay), and juices were amaze! Plus the email/​heartrate concept is pretty neat. I noticed they kept saying not to focus on the HR thing. but isn’t that what differentiates them from just a gym?

One of my favorite elite events so far! Thought they did a great job with thoroughly explaining the workouts, the trainers were awesome and inspiring and per usual there was some awesome swag to take home to commemorate the very intense calorie burning that went down.
I’m a member of OrangeTheory and I’m so glad that this event helped expose this studio to some more local Unilocalers! It’s hands down my favorite workout class I have ever participated in. Truly a real and worthwhile workout where the hour flies by!
Thanks Candice and OTF for an awesome evening! Can’t wait to rep my OTF shirt with pride. :)

I want to start off by saying a BIG thank you to Candice and the OTF staff. Our trainers for the event, Nicole, Daniel and David? Or was his name Dave? I’m sorry. I got it confused. My dad has the same name, and he goes by both, so I kinda mixed it up in my head. Sorry. Also thank you for the goodies too! The backpack which I’ll be using for my hiking trips, the sweatband to represent Unilocal,the hand sanitizer also good for hikes, then the energy drink and bar. Also the shirt OTF gave us too! I can’t wait to wear it! I love free shirts. Oh plus the sandwiches; they were delicious! Also the juice company that came out too. That beet one was amazing! I liked the one with kiwi and celery too. Very refreshing.
Getting to the event. I knew it was going to be intense even though we were able to go @ our own speed. I wanted to give it almost my all. I can’t give it my all since I have a heart condition. :[ The trainers were all very nice, and made sure if anyone had any health problems to let them know. I really liked how Daniel came around and helped me get into the right position for the row machine and while working with the weighs. Also I liked how Nicole wasn’t pushy, like some trainers they get so into it themselves that they think they’re motivating, when they’re just shouting. When one of us would need a quick break, they let us have it. It wasn’t a bootcamp. It was a fun, but intense workout.
It was also my first time wearing a heart rate monitor. It was cool checking the screen to see what area I was in. Most of the time I was in the green and orange. 3 mins in the red, surprisingly. I also liked how they sent us an email with our own performance summary. I burned 585 calories. Yay me lol. This class kicked my butt though. I am still so sore right now. I can’t walk normal, my knees are killing me. I won’t be going back to the gym till probably next monday. lol. Boo.
I also found something else I love doing now. The rowing machine! I love it! It works out your legs, arms and core. My arms aren’t too sore, but I could feel it. Remember it’s 60% legs, 20% arms and 20% core. If your arms and core are hurting more than your legs when you’re done with that workout, you didn’t do it correctly. One advice I will remember! :] Also you’re back needs to be straight. If it’s curved, you may hurt it. Thank you Daniel for helping me fix this.
This was my 2^nd YEE and I’m very happy with it. It got my 2016 into more of a fitness year. Thank you again! And SYOY! :D

I would say I must be the one who worked out at a more paced way than the suggested because, guess what, I took several photos. So to contradict another Unilocaler, that was me and pics are coming along with this review:)
Needless to say I am super sore today, my whole body is aching because I am not used to super intense workouts. This was an awesome experience to try, although I don’t think I will like this time of training for me on a weekly basis (again, too intense). I loved loved loved the rowing part. That was my favorite and very original equipment with the water tank and all.
Awesome trainers. The girl doing the comments and giving instructions was super cheerful and very good at what she is doing. I felt I was more at a disco party that at a normal gym. I liked that a lot. The loud music was great to keep up with the pace. The orange color was very unique to me, I like it a lot, I think it is very original plus you don’t feel the harshness of the ultra bright light in your eyes and you don’t focus on checking your cellulite at the mirror, but you concentrate in working out, listen to the music, and just pushing it to your limit.
The male trainer was fantastic too, helping and telling us when we were doing something not properly. I enjoyed my time there and we had a super treatment, with a flattering shirt from the club, a bag with nice and useful freebies, delicious (and really needed for me!) sandwiches and, oh, those amazing natural-​not sugar added juices.
Thanks Unilocal and Orange Theory for this fantastic event.

Great event and an intense workout. I will definitely be on the look out for more fitness/​activity oriented events (but food events are always a crowd pleaser)!
I liked that parking was easy to find, how clean the facility was and how easy it was to keep up with trainer instructions. Cubby holes were a pleasant surprise since I was wondering where I’d store my phone and keys.
Only gripe was that my heart rate monitor was one of the ones not working for the first 20 minutes. I kept getting distracted while checking the screen to see if I’d pop up. I was also on the treadmill at this time which is probably where the majority of the calories are burned. Sadness since the stats aspect was the biggest pull for me.
All in all, still an awesome event, especially it being my first Elite event. Thank you for putting this together!

That was indeed an intense workout, and conveniently next to the Caltrain station. This was a fun event of endurance thats for sure. It was pretty packed and unfortunately two unlucky people had to use the bike and the elliptical but still same workout.
I just wish my heart rate monitor wasn’t at 0% majority of the time. Thank you for the intense event!

This was probably my favorite Unilocal Elite Event ever. I love being active and fit, but I’ve never really been a fan of «fad» studio classes. I’ve tried Barre Method, I’ve tried spin classes, I’ve tried Core Studio, but nothing has enticed me to stick with it. I think OrangeTheory just might make a believer out of me!
The facilities were quite impressive, and the staff were all really helpful and welcoming. I was pleased to see that they have shower facilities on-​site, even if they don’t have towel service. The main fitness room is stocked full of the latest equipment including top of the line treadmills and water erg machines. The orange lighting gives off a bit of a weird club-​vibe, but maybe that’s what they’re going for. The music that they play is certainly loud enough! I like that they also keep the room comfortably air-​conditioned because you WILL get hot from your workout. All of the trainers were super upbeat and energetic. They also gave plenty of modifications to accommodate injuries (like my weird knees).
The part that appealed to me the most is that they use all this technology to generate data and analytics to motivate your workout. Also, you’re in an environment with a bunch of other people, so you’re not working out by yourself, and at the same time, everyone works out at their own pace!
Thanks Candice and crew for putting together this event! And for the swag bags full of lovely healthy goodies to close out the night. And thank you to OTF for the cute shirts! I’m definitely googling a membership now. :)

I’ve done sports my whole life. I work out virtually every day. Eating well and staying fit (while practicing moderation) are what I do. Yet nothing and I mean NOTHING could have prepared me for tonight. I’m still surprised that I made it out in one piece. But I did and I’m here to share my story of tonight’s event.
Being the first elite event of 2016 and being my first elite event (yes, now that I’m done with college and have a more flexible schedule with where I currently work, I am finally attending events), I made it a point to get here as soon as I could.
Everybody at this fitness center was nice and it was definitely a welcoming environment. Orange is my favorite color and as a fierce, unapologetic Giants fan, I felt right at home. It was also great to see all of my fellow Unilocalers too. We began by filling out a short waiver to indemnify the fitness center for any potential injuries this evening. We were each given heart rate monitors to strap around ourselves (under our shirts) and then we were brought into the workout room where we were introduced to three trainers who gave us a rundown of what was to take place.
We were split into three groups and spent intervals of time on the treadmill, rower, and then on the bench with dumbbells. As time would go by, the workouts would intensify per the instructions of the trainers. The music in the background helped me get through it.
At the end, we were sent off with a goody bag, a t-​shirt, sandwiches and drink samples.
Bottom line, I am DEAD. But I can die happy because being able to partake in one of my favorite pastimes with other Unilocalers is the tonic I need after a long day at the office.
Thank you, Candice, Jon and my fellow Unilocalers, for a night I will not soon forget. See you all at the next event, Unilocal fam!
5 stars all the way

Expect no pictures from this event. We were all a little too busy bleeding orange sweat for that.
Everyone knows I love to workout — 365÷24÷7. Okay, not that much, but I am team no days off. That’s why you know you can trust when I say Orange Theory kicks butt! Using the AMRAP and interval training concepts to push to your personal best, Orange Theory allows each individual to challenge him or herself. Using some nifty bluetooth heart rate tech, you can easily see when you’re in the orange zone. With a mix of treadmill running, water rowers, and weights, it is a great mix of maxing out your cardio and also strength training.
The hour flew by (and not just because we were running for our lives on the treadmills.)
Plus, the juice samples after were so refreshing and shout out to Whole Foods sammies for some post-​workout carbs.
Thanks to Jon and Candice for organizing just the type of event I love! Fitness — love. Fitness with fellow Unilocalers — simply amazing!
Leave it on the floor!
Love it! I got that post-​workout orange glow (and not just from too much beta carotene eating squash).

Let me tell you a story about my dog, she’s the best little weirdo! So my overgrown puppy loves licking sweat salt (you know, dried sweat, the good stuff). Yes, she’s odd. Anyways, I came home and have never felt so loved. So many doggy kisses. SO MANY! I definitely sweat up a storm! I didn’t know what to expect from the class and was pleasantly surprised! Compared to a spin class my friend dragged me too (I have found out spin is not my thing, it makes me cranky.) The class mixed things up and I was always doing something new which I loved. My favorite part was def the treadmill bit, and least fav was the rowing.
The heart rate monitor is a great idea, and it’s nice having that information easily available while working out. And turns out, every time I needed I break I was in the red zone (woot woot).
The email right after class with your activity breakdown is AWESOME. I’m a data nerd so I was like: D
Staff was so friendly and helpful!
Candice and Jon, thanks for organizing, it was nice changing up the type of elite events I usually go to!
Gonna sleep like a baby tonight.

Holy crap, I did not expect this 3G workout to be so intense! I work out on my own a few days a week, so I thought I’d be able to handle this. This work out blows what I do out of the water.
30-​something of us were split into three groups, rotating between weights, treadmills, and rowing machines, 15 minutes each. Before we got started, we were all equipped with a fancy Bluetooth heart rate monitor that tracks how hard you’re working out on a tv screen. It was pretty neat, since the number goes from green to orange to red, depending on how fast your heart rate is going! It did kind of suck for the small handful of people whose monitors were not working correctly though.
There were 3 trainers helping out. Nicole was on the mic, setting the running/​walking pace for those on the treadmill and encouraging everyone. The other two trainers helped people out with the rowing machines and weight lifting, to make sure your form is correct.
Since this was pretty intense, I felt like the stretching at the end could have been extended a bit longer. Other than that though, I would definitely recommend Orange Theory to people who need that little extra bit of motivation to get healthy!
Big thanks to Candice and Jon for putting this event together :)

My first Unilocal Elite Event of 2016, hallelujah! I felt good shedding the calories from dinner time and that workout room felt like a sauna post-​workout, whew!
Walking into Orange Theory, we grabbed our respective name tags, signed a waiver, and then attached our heart rate monitors on. I, for one, have never put on a heart rate monitor on while working out so I thought that this was pretty cool and VERY motivating during my workout. On the big screen TV, not only do you get to see your heart rate pumping, but you get to see your fellow Unilocalers heart rates’ as well. At one point throughout the intense 45-​minute workout, my heart rate was the highest while everybody else’s was at an average pace, which made me realize how much more I need to workout, haha! Also, seeing your peers’ heart rates soar way higher than yours makes you feel like you gotta work just as hard too!
In the workout room, there are three stations. The first workout station I did included lifting weights in different stances and positions. After that first station, I couldn’t believe I had to do two more stations because I was pouring sweat already! Next, came the treadmills and the best part about this was the pace that the fitness trainer assigned us with. There were three paces that we cycled back and forth throughout the 15 minutes and I like how it pushes us to walk or run past our comfort zone. If I were in control of my own treadmill pace, I know that I wouldn’t have sweated as hard as I did tonight. Lastly, the third station included the «rowing» machines, which I can’t explain too much about since I ended up going on the elliptical. However, from word of mouth, it seemed like a lot of Unilocalers enjoyed the rowing machine!
All in all, a GREAT Unilocal Elite Event and a GREAT workout. All of the fitness trainers were very approachable, helpful, and informative throughout our session. Cannot wait to pass out in bed tonight!
P. S. Fun fact: Nicole, one of the fitness trainers, told me that Orange Theory contains orange lights because it hides away the «flaws» (scars, etc.) that you may see in other light intensities at other gyms. Basically, these lights help build up your confidence for a great workout ahead. Yay for orange lights! :)
(Pictures to come soon)