Orangetheory, a fitness studio offering hour-long strength, endurance and power training classes, opened Thursday underneath the Cambria Hotel on Route 1.
Several fitness and health studios have come to the area in recent months, including Posh, a cycling and fitness studio that opened in November. But Orangetheory’s staff say their studio is unique, touting the use of technology such as heart rate monitors to track member progress and prevent under- or overtraining.
“It’s very different,” said Liz Overmann, regional general manager for Orangetheory. “We’re pretty much like a technology company mixed with a really fantastic workout.”
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The company, which started in 2010, incorporates an array of treadmill, rowing, weights and floor exercises into hour-long workout sessions. During each session, members work in individual stations — equipped with weights and other equipment where they can personalize each workout to their fitness level — before rotating.
While memberships can cost upward of $59 a month, Overmann said the studio is offering free classes to College Park residents so they can “experience the brand.” Starting last week, the studio also offered classes to “founding members” who signed up prior to the location’s opening.
While the studio officially opened Thursday, the establishment held a pre-launch training throughout last week with its sales and fitness staff.
“It’s another great new fitness facility,” said Mayor Patrick Wojahn. “I think it really reflects that College Park is developing a culture of health and fitness.”
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While students have populated the area for decades, Wojahn said the growth could be a result of the increase in younger families in the area.
“Part of living in a suburban community is people really need a place to get fit,” Wojahn added.
Josh Shirazi, an Orangetheory coach who joined after rave reviews from his sister, said the “family atmosphere” will likely attract students.
“Working out can be uncomfortable and challenging for a lot of people, so the whole family atmosphere just makes it fun,” Shirazi said. “People look forward to it.”
The new Orangetheory location is one of multiple niche fitness studios to open during a time of increased economic development in the city.
In 2016, the meditation and yoga studio Numi Yoga opened on College Avenue across from Landmark. The next year, OpenBarre Studios — a university alumna-owned studio offering a mixture of pilates, ballet and floor exercises — opened above the Starbucks in the College Park Shopping Center.
Hannah Dornbush, a junior early childhood and early childhood special education major, visited the Silver Spring studio twice last semester and is a new Orangetheory member. She’s excited about the College Park studio opening.
“I like that there’s someone motivating me to do the workouts,” Dornbush said. “It’s also workouts that I can easily do on my own at the gym if I don’t want to spend the money or don’t have the time to go to a class.”
Dornbush, who thinks the studio will get a lot of business, said that she knows a lot of people who like the Orangetheory’s workout structure.
“Now that it’s here so close and they have such great deals in the beginning, people are more willing to try it,” Dornbush said. “Once one person does it, their friend wants to do it.”
