South Florida’s Data-Driven Trainer
Pairing new technology with endorphin-fueling moves, Ellen Latham’s gym empire is optimizing fitness through metrics.
Words: Mike Darling
Images: Mary Beth Koeth
Slack off at the average gym, and odds are nobody notices. But give less than your best effort at Orangetheory, and you’ll know in seconds. First, your wristwatch — a Fitbit-style gadget that everyone wears — senses the dip in your heart rate and transmits the data to OT Beat, a high-tech fitness tracking platform. On digital leaderboards hanging from the ceiling, the color of your name transitions from orange to green to blue — signaling your flagging output to your sweat-soaked peers. Minutes after you’ve finished, an email arrives, summing up how you did.
This is the kind of real-time, personalized feedback that Orangetheory founder Ellen Latham is convinced people want — and, as evidenced by her track record, this tenured trainer’s predictions are rarely off. “I’ve done it all,” she laughs, “I’ve been training since the Jane Fonda legwarmer days.” But about 15 years ago, Latham zeroed in on a growing interest in group pilates classes; in fact, she was one of the first trainers in America to recognize its potential. Sensing the workout could benefit from a hit of heart-pounding cardio, Latham added machines and weights, fine-tuned the more grueling routine, and called it “Ellen’s Ultimate Workout.” Within months, it was one of the most in-demand group fitness classes in Ft. Lauderdale. “The results were beyond anything I’ve seen,” she says. “It was remarkable.”
“When you have measurable data, you can apply it any way you want — whether you’re trying to lift heavier or just lose weight.” — Ellen Latham
Not long after that, Latham was approached about franchising her concept. And that’s when she innovated again. “I thought people wanted a more individualized workout,” she says. “And when you have measurable data, you can apply it any way you want — whether you’re trying to lift heavier, or just lose weight.” That’s when Ellen’s Ultimate Workout evolved into Orangetheory, a metrics-driven 60-minute program that combines the strengthening moves of pilates with high-intensity cardio. Latham poured $1 million and more than a year of development with a 10-person team into developing the tech — a wireless, Bluetooth-enabled wristband that tracks metrics like calorie burn and heart rate, and feeds into a centralized platform that broadcasts the data live. The idea is that this will motivate you to reach the “orange zone” — a metabolic threshold in which your heart rate spikes to 84 percent of its maximum output for up to 20 minutes.
Trainers like Latham believe that reaching this zone causes your body to burn fat as its primary fuel source, and even leads to an “after burn” effect, which means you continue to incinerate calories well after you’ve stepped away from the rower. And so far, it looks like Latham has another hit: Orangetheory, which was founded in 2010 out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, now operates more than 350 gyms nationwide, with plans to open another 365 locations 2016. Those goals — if realized — would put the boutique chain in league with leviathans like Gold’s Gym and Planet Fitness, but with one major difference.
“You’re not putting yourself in the hands of some trainer who earned his certification because he passed a two-hour online certification. Our workout is based on real science and results,” explains Latham (who, it’s worth noting, holds a masters degree in exercise physiology). Combine that expertise with one of the most sophisticated technological platforms found in any gym, and Orangetheory is confident the allure will be strong enough to draw people away from its cushier competitors. “There’s no juice bar here,” she says, with just a hint of pride. “There’s no place to sit and hang out. Our promise is simple — give us an hour, and we’ll help you get the most out of it.”
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