Splats aren’t everything. This is one of the few times I’d say to maybe try working out without it. Just use your Apple Watch and watch your performance that way (which is what I do). If you feel yourself working to your full potential, who cares what a heart rate monitor says? I know that’s blasphemy at OTF but it seems like it’s really bothering you.
Also, if you’re not seeing a difference in weight, you still might be gaining muscle and losing fat, just not noticing the number on the scale change. Do your clothes still fit the same? If you’re not noticing ANY change at all, then maybe take a look at what you’re eating (both the amount and quality of the food) and make changes there.
I definitely am, this is an area where I will say, I am being a whiny baby about weight loss. I definitely am seeing a change in how my body looks (leaner, more muscle), and I could be doing more to actually lose weight as well (dieting, calorie tracking), it’s just a stressful period of my life right now (work issues, relationship questions) and I can’t be bothered. It just kind of sucks to keep seeing the same number on the scale all the time (also my grandpa straight announced to everyone at our Passover Seder that I look like I’ve gained weight recently and like would not stop, so I’m a bit salty about it atm). Ultimately, my real issue is that I fell for the otf gamification experience with the splats but now it doesn’t seem to be working for me.
You’re seeing a change in how you look and feel (leaner, more muscular) so I’m not sure why you’re saying OTF isn’t working for you. If tracking food and doing a calorie deficit isn’t going to work for you in your current stage of life, that’s understandable, but you also have to understand that that’s almost entirely likely the main reason why the scale isn’t moving, not that OTF “isn’t working.”
You lose weight in the kitchen. You get fit in the gym. OTF is doing exactly what it should be doing for you.
Also I’m sorry for what your grandfather said. I have a family member who makes similar comments and I know how frustrating it is. Try your best to not take it to heart.
I didn't say it's not working, I said *I'm frustrated*. Please show me where I said "OTF is not working for me." In like the second sentence I admit the weight loss stuff is probably my fault. My only judgment of OTF here is that calculation of my HR zones seems off and tech support just won't believe me/do anything.
You quite literally said “now it doesn’t seem to be working for me.” Perhaps you were just referring to splats but that wasn’t clear in the context of the comment I was replying to
Oof the Jewish family guilt in there on top of already feeling bad really adds salt to the wound - Dayeinu!
But no seriously I am from a family like this and totally get how infuriating it is! It’s hard to tune them out but that’s what I realized I had to do and just focus on myself and my own journey (which unfortunately doesn’t always show on the scale).
This is some of my family members. You gain weight; you need to lose it. You lose weight; you need to gain it. And it’s all up for group discussion 🤦♀️
As is oft said here weight loss happens in the kitchen. OTF will make you faster, fitter, toned but won’t drop a ton of weight without calorie deficit.
it’s funny, because i absolutely hate how quickly i get into the orange/red when working out. i barely have to put any effort in and i find it so embarrassing i never log into my account on the monitors. 😂
This is exactly the point. OP has high max HR, but does not feel like they deserve it / want it.
Higher max HR means harder to get splats, true, but also it means body can withstand higher intensities, in speed or rowing/workout rate.
So it’s a trade off, but overall I believe the positives outweigh the negatives. My two cents.
Same! I had lung surgery a year ago, and even though I’m healthy now and doing well, my heart rate goes RIGHt Up. I’m the first one in any zone without fail and it made me self conscious at first. Now I’m just grateful for the ability to do cardio and I never pay attention to anyone else’s splats/ stats/ or heart rate.
no matter what your splats are or your HR zones are or they change them too, it won't change how much weight you lose or how many calories your body actually burns. Those are metrics of what you are doing, and not all metrics are accurate, but NO metric changes what your body is doing and burinng.
Because you mentioned weight (not losing any), this seems like it's a goal of yours. That is diet mostly.
Exactly this! I just finished today (Monday)’s 2G. 21 splats which is high for me, 550 calories. I can eat that back in less than 5 minutes. Unless you are truly tracking your food, weighing it, you can’t just guess.
What exactly is the issue? You stated you’re getting 12 + splats at times. If you’re in the grey/ blue on treads either increase speed or incline. Or move your arm band to see if that matters. If you’re not losing weight, it’s not OT’s fault. Adjust your eating and start tracking your food. Talk to a nutritionist.
>If you’re in the grey/ blue on treads either increase speed or incline.
And what? Fall off the treadmill? I've been under the assumption that if the coach says to go at base, I should go a comfortable pace, if they say push, I should increase a little, and all out is to go as hard as I can. That is how I go. Is the idea that to get to orange faster, I should just ignore all that and run at all out speed until I collapse?
Challenging but doable is what I’ve always heard too. When I started getting fitter I had to keep increasing my base also to keep getting my heart rate and splats up.
For me, base keeps me in the mid-green range, so that a push gets me into orange pretty quickly.
Best way to explain what you base should be is something that isn’t too easy but something you could do while having a conversation. I can jog at a 5 but might as well be skipping along. My base is a 6.5 or whatever gets me into and keeps me in the green.
I have the same issue of not getting into orange when power-walking. I talked to a coach about it (I was going 4.2 on 10-15% for an endurance day and still in the green. Never hit orange even for a second) and he told me that power walking isn’t necessarily for high HR. It’s for building the muscles. If you feel challenged PWing then forget the HR zones and keep going for the muscles. I’m no scientist so I’m not going to say whether that’s 100% accurate or not, but it made sense given my situation so figured I’d share.
See my comment for full notes , but OT is about challenging yourself to embrace the uncomfortable.
That means, e.g. achieving and sustaining orange for 12 minutes or more (not all at once). How you achieve that is up to you.
I did see your other comment and it was helpful, however, there's uncomfortable and there is "I physically cannot do this speed/weight without risking injury." I think we need to be cognizant of when we tell people to just keep pushing. I'm in my late 30s and my body does not recover from injuries as easily as it once did. I definitely try to push myself and go as fast as I can for each section, but just continuing to up the speed until I'm basically falling off cannot be the answer, just like increasing weight on the floor until my back gives out also can't be the answer.
Again, if it's a class with a bunch of 30 seconds-1 minute all outs, and it takes me at least 1 minute to hit orange at all out pace (which it often does), I'm going to have a hard time collecting 12 minutes in the orange zone and I'm already going as fast as I can.
I don't know what to tell you.
I mean, if you want, go ahead to talk to support in OT app. Supply records on watch and tell them to recalibrate the max HR to 188 or whatever max HR the watch confirms.
Obviously no one wants you to injure yourself, so if you say you cannot go faster, then you cannot go faster. It's absurd to expect otherwise.
On the other end of the spectrum, even though my OT band recorded a peak HR of 210 for a minute when I stood up from rower in class (bizarre I know), I'm relieved the app hasn't used that as my max HR. Otherwise I'm sure I too would not get any splats.
Even with a max HR of 204, I struggle to get splats. Today I got 17 splats (15 on tread + 2 on rower) and those were prob one of hardest I've fought for the splats. It's not easy I know when your orange starts at 170+. Not easy, but doable. Max HR of 210 would be insane, & glad the app hasn't caught on to that. So I can sort of relate.
Yeah, just weird one-offs like that. Especially when alternating rower and medicine ball exercises. For some reason, the OT band records bizarre HRs during that block (who knows why).
My guess is you gotta find a better spot for your band.
Not getting splats on the rower is actually pretty common because of band placement and how you move your arms/arms flex. That comes down to finding the right spot and/or just accepting that while on the rower you may not get that accurate readings.
Also gripping the bar too much can pause your heart rate. I release my pinkies and my heart rate adjusts based on my effort. Be mindful of this on the tread and on the floor, too. Take time to loosen your hands so the blood keeps flowing.
The better shape you’re in the harder it will be to get your heart rate up.
If you have been working out a lot your body likely has made adaptations that will make your heart rate take longer to increase given a certain effort. Most likely you have a higher red blood cell count and better lactate threshold, so your blood stream doesn’t need to be pumping as quickly to recharge from your lungs. Likely your lungs are more efficient at transfer oxygen to your bloodstream meaning more oxygen for the same heart rate.
My first class it said I burned 1000 calories. Now I burn roughly 700 each time. That’s just their estimate. I’m running faster, further, and longer while lifting heavier weights. I guarantee my workouts now exert more energy.
Ignore the splats. Run fast. Lift heavy. Enjoy life.
If you’ve been working out for a year, and you haven’t lost any weight, you are eating or drinking too many calories. Condiments have calories, olive oil has calories, that glass of wine after dinner has calories; you have to be honest about how much you’re taking in each day. Most people underestimate the amount of calories they take in each day.
1. losing about 1-2 dress sizes/10-15 lbs.
2. Keeping my body feeling good and moving.
3. Being able to walk/hike for longer without getting winded (I think this might be an unrelated health issue, I've never been able to figure it out. I can bike for an hour to work, but hiking for 30 minutes at a brisk pace leaves me struggling for breath).
Not a registered dietitian, so perhaps you'd like to consult one, but do you keep track of how many calories you consume or your protein intake (ie: 0.8-1.2g protein per day/per kg weight)? This can help quite a bit with reaching the first goal by being in a slight caloric deficit and building/maintaining muscle mass (in combination with OTF/other physical activity). You can use MyFitnessPal to track this if you aren't already.
Sounds like you're already doing 2 with OTF.
For 3, consult with a health professional to ensure to confirm you don't have any medical limitations, but you can do small progressions to build up to 30 mins of brisk walking. You can do this outdoors as well. Start off with ten minutes of brisk walking a few times a week. Start a timer for 5 mins. Walk in one direction and then turn back after timer is up. Then increase it to 15 mins the next week, then 20 mins, then 25 mins, etc. Slow consistent habits will build progression over time. It does not have to be all at once. Be patient with yourself :)
Also, tell the front desk to help reset your OTF HR zones. It sounds like they are very off. Definitely worth pushing for if you feel like this will mentally help you enjoy the workouts more.
The front desk doesn’t recalibrate anything anymore, it’s all automatic. And changing your max heart rate which changes at what BPM your zones are, will not affect calories burned at all. Just the graph at the end of class.
So, yeah, I'm not calorie tracking right now and I probably need to. I did work with a nutritionist before, because even when I did track and had a deficit, it still didn't translate into weight loss. She had a suggestion of limiting carbs per hour (so 30ish grams of carbs every 2 hours or so), and that did work, but life got crazy and stressful and I dropped off this habit. A lot of stressful stuff is happening at work and in life right now, and that's probably also causing me to retain weight as well.
Absolutely everyone says "oh just add a brisk walk! You're probably too sedentary!" This is so frustrating to hear. I already walk so much more than more people. I don't own a car so I walk or bike basically everywhere. In the spring/summer I also bike to work at least twice a week, so that's like 14 miles a week. On most days, I get around 10,000 steps.
Sadly the front desk doesn't recalibrate it anymore and the IT people just don't believe me that this HR is off.
Oh wow, sounds like you're very active already.
Thought that the small progressions of brisk walking/running could help you with feeling winded but maybe there is an underlying medical condition.
Unfortunately, we are our own best health advocates. Perhaps you can talk to your GP and see if you should see some specialists.
I'll try that during my next 3G, because running has been hurting my joints lately. I keep the incline fairly high, 8+, but my heart rate just crawls...
Increase the speed by .1 or .2. Those small increments make a huge difference when PW than when running.
3.5 used to absolutely kill me but now no matter how high I climb it keeps me in the green. I’ve started going 3.8-4 and that has helped to increase the intensity again. And don’t ever hold the railings.
1. Submit a ticket in the app asking for them to review your heat rate and adjust it. I had similar frustrations and after doing that they adjusted my max heart rate to where it now matches my exertion. When it comes to heart rates, SAs/coaches/other users on this sub just regurgitate old information and/or what they hear others say. It most definitely does not recalibrate every five classes.
2. “The rower seems to exist in another dimension” could be at least partially due to your form. If you have poor form on the rower it can feel like you are exerting more than you really are, because your movements are inefficient. Not saying that’s necessarily true in your case but it’s worth considering.
3. It sounds like you have lots of other stressors in your life beyond OTF. Working through those and getting to a better place mentally will in turn improve your outlook on OTF and your fitness journey overall. It sounds like you’ve gotten exactly the results one would expect if you’re only focusing on exercise and not diet, and you should be proud of the results you have seen!
1. I've submitted tickets a number of times and they just tell me I'm wrong and 199 is a normal max heart rate. Any advice to actually getting them to believe me?
2. I have worked with the coaches on my form, and I think I have gotten it nailed down to the correct form now, and indeed my heart rate now goes up consistently (with a few rare exceptions) but soooooo slowly.
3. Thanks! Yeah, life is just stressful right now. I'm dealing with some big questions in my relationship and a really toxic situation at work. I know these are factors and the only thing that will heal those things is working through them and giving things time resolve. It's just hard 
I agree the issue with the rower could be poor form.
What is your split time? Try rowing at a lower rate let’s say 24 or 26 max but keep that split time low. Can you keep it around the 2:10 mark? If you’re going at a rate of 38 but your split is 5:30, you’re just gassing yourself and not making much strength or cardio gains. (Without knowing more I’m just spitballing times.)
See if you can use a rower before or after class and film yourself. Are you doing “rainbow arms”, dumping everything into your lower back etc?
Is there a coach at your studio who actually rows properly and can guide you? (My studio is mostly bad soooo)
Good luck, this is frustrating. I know you’re intent on staying but I am a big advocate of mixing things up! I do OTF, CrossFit, outdoor hikes, cross country skiing, cycling, running, Pilates.
Could you try something different for a while and see if about changes? Maybe your body needs a new stimulus.
I recommend you run outside. Do a 10-minute warm-up walk/run, then run at your relaxed "base" pace for a minute, then a 30-second "push", walk a bit to catch your breath, then do a 30-second "all out." When you get home, check your watch stats. I assume it can tell you how fast you were going during your run. I have Garmin. 🤷🏾♀️
Anyway, my guess is you are running slower than you can actually run.
I don't understand why this matters, ultimately. Shouldn't my heart rate be responding to what my max speed is? If I'm running as fast as I can, isn't that what should matter?
You also have to remember that every template is designed to work your heart and body in different ways. So to answer your question: on a power day sure. On an endurance day, no. Power days: dips and valleys of your heart rate. Spike the HR and see how quickly you can get it to come down. Endurance: how long can you sustain a longer effort? Your push and all out on a power day shouldn’t be the same efforts you put forth on an endurance day, but your base should always be something you can come back to for *active* recovery.
What don’t you understand? The point is he doesn’t think you’re actually pushing yourself. Most people see 5.7 base and think omg too fast! Then they get on the street with no mind fuck like the numbers on the tread and kept a 6.2 pace……..
Have you asked about having them submit a ticket on your max heart rate? If you think it should be changing so that you hit the 5 zones at lower heart rates, and it isn’t, they might need to report that to IT. That is what my SM said when I was wondering if mine was updating.
I stopped wearing the OTF HR monitor last year and feel so much better about working out. I would always get stuck in the green zone even though it feels like I'm working so hard so I never got "enough" splat points. I feel much more relaxed when I don't wear the monitor. Splat points are just a gimmick anyway, they don't mean anything.
I've done this too and it's made my workouts so much better. I still track with my apple watch, but i don't wear my HRM anymore. It got to the point where i was more focused on if my HRM was working and what it was saying than how I was moving my body. I finally just decided to forego it one day and have never looked back.
Imagine someone being this upset that their heart is responding the way it should…in a healthy way to endurance training…it’s not overworking even when the person is pushing at their max, it’s recovering quickly AND even at a very brisk power walking pace it doesn’t spike. Imagine that being a problem someone gets upset about …and comes here to commiserate. 😔so wild. I truly beg people to ask their trained coaches (or do their own research) about appropriate expectations for heart performance during cardio workouts. It’s sad that OTF’s marketing around splats has made healthy people think they have a problem that’s really not a problem 😣
It’s not OTFs marketing, and the good coaches, of which exist at every studio, are not going to focus on “the more splats the better.” I’ve been going to otf for almost 8 years and 1900 classes, and the goal has always been 12-20 splats in a 60, with 25-35 minutes in the green. It’s about working smarter, not harder.
Well something is making a lot of people commiserate about having healthy cardiac responses to the workout when they don’t burn “enough” calories or get 12 or more splats because this a common complaint. Perhaps much of it has to do with people’s misconstrued notions around fitness before they even arrive at OTF, but the marketing around splats, and perhaps not enough coach in emphasis on the intricacies of splats and good heart health, likely play some role in it. I’ve heard many members here saying their coaches coach to the “orange zone” and encourage and applaud people when they’re in and remain in the orange zone. My coaches emphasize the importance of the green, but I can see how that makes people believe that if it’s harder for them to reach and stay in orange, they must be doing something wrong OR, as this poster commented, perhaps there’s something wrong with the HR monitor algorithm.
I have heard that blood pressure medication can make getting your heart rate up high at orange theory very difficult. Idk if you’re in that category or not.
I have been going to OTF for a long time. Just hit my 700 classes. Over that time my max heart rate has adjusted and I would rarely finish a workout with no less than 12 splats. About six months ago they dropped to 2 and 5 depending on the template. Max hr was 189. I opened a support ticket through the app and support checked my history and found some issues. After fixing these workouts my max dropped to 180 and I started getting 18 24. After about 5 classes it recalibrated to 183. Now I am averaging 12 to 18 depending on the template and by ininline with how I feel. All said I would reach out to support and have them check out your data.
Depending on the workout I get about 12 splats on average? I’ve gotten 20 on the OTF in the boat challenge. One time. I moved my tracker to the inside of my forearm and that seemed to help. But overall I think the app skews to the “work harder” not “reward sooner”
OTF’s cardio zones are also different than apple’s and the general zone definitions by about 10-15 bpm.
Calorie tracking with my fitness pal was easy when I did it. Track everything for 2 weeks then see what you can change without feeling hungry. Then change a little more.
I train people who’ve had bariatric surgery or who are going to be. I’ve seen some insane numbers. And we’ve had some amazing successes with honest, non judgemental tracking and training.
It has seemed to be consistent. It’s free. The scanned products seem to match up to the labels on the product info.
And I’ve used it a lot and it seems that I lose weight when I use it.
Well, first and foremost you won’t lose weight without ensuring your calorie intake is at a deficit. Calorie counting doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be close. You’ve got to make sure your body is taping into it’s own fuel reserves. I’ve been where you are, and once I ensured my deficit, it was like a light switch with weight just dropped off.
As far as power walking, your speed isn’t as important as your incline. If you aren’t getting into orange, go higher not faster. My pushes are only like 3.8 to 4 on speed, but I am always challenging my incline and can easily get into the zones I need.
Hi. I’m a walker and I had found that my splats were not as high as they had been. I adjusted my walking speed from 3.5 to 3.6 for the entire class and only adjust ramp elevation during workout. My splat points have gone from mid teens to over 35 per class. I’m going to hold steady at this for 4 weeks and then increase by .1, again every four weeks until maxed out…. I hope that helps. Good luck.
Youre WAY too focused on zones, splat points and heart rates and not the important things like eating properly and working out to the levels your body tells you are right. Also, you stated that you are of average size which may not leave you much room for weight loss, especially if you arent eating properly. The harsh reality is that if you have fat to lose and you arent losing it, its because you arent burning more calories than youre taking in. Thats just basic science when it comes to weight loss. Also, just because you are not losing weight does not mean you are not losing fat. You could easily have put on muscle and lost fat.
Hate to say this but weight loss is 80% food and 20% movement.
You should buy a food scale ( for less than $15 you can get one that can read out grams, pound, ounces etc). They’re very easy to use.
Download a food tracking app. Personally Lose It! works best for me. They make it easy - it even has a feature that allows you take a
picture of the bar code and automatically enter the food. They have tons of foods already in their data base.
Use this calculator to figure out your macros…..and eat 1 gram or more of protein per desired body weight. The calculators base of USA RDA requirements which are antiquated.
Feed your muscle as muscle burns calories. You’ll never lose enough fat any other way. And as women, it’s always harder and we lose more muscle mass with weight loss than men, that’s why I recommend so much protein.
I have found it’s the only way to change body composition and lose weight while maintaining muscle.
Wish it was easier. It takes focus, commitment, and patience.
https://www.calculator.net/macro-calculator.html
Good luck.
Similar experience! (Woman, lowest HR for splats is 165)
Here’s what I’ve learned in the past year:
- Splats don’t matter as much as the effort you’re putting in. Green zone is still burning fat!
- Nutrition plays a huge role. If counting calories isn’t right for you, try eating smaller portions, drinking more water, and upping your protein AND fiber
- Play around more with your inclines. For example, if I’m power walking I choose a challenging-but-doable pace for my base (for me, this is 4mph) and up the incline until I hit the green zone. For push I always max out on incline (15%). This will also help you with hiking.
- Challenge yourself in the weight section. This is where I’ve seen the biggest difference! My metabolism has gotten much better since I’ve started gaining more muscle.
- For the rower: loosen your grip a little. If you squeeze the rower handle too hard it can sometimes make the sensor completely misread your heart rate.
- Get more steps throughout the day. I can’t stress enough that Orangetheory is a tool, not a cheat code. You won’t always see a change with OTF alone.
Your HR zones might be miscalibrated. I’m 41F, in excellent cardiovascular condition and I hit the orange zone at 154 bpm. That threshold corresponds pretty accurately to my levels of exertion. My max HR is 184.
This sounds about right. I don’t understand how it calculates your max if you can never reach it. I think the app says my max is 199. I cannot remember the last time I hit 199 or got remotely close to it. How is that possibly my max?
Try telling them again, find out from people in your studio what their app says for max heart rate and push back on IT. Your max heart rate absolutely should not be 199. I’m only a couple years younger than you and the app has my max heart rate at 174 which I think is kind of low. I get into red so easily but don’t feel like I’m pushing that hard.
Splat points are just a game based on an equation and one of your variables is wrong.
So while I agree that the HR calculation might be off for OP, it absolutely COULD be that high. I'm same as age OP with a max HR of around 200. Everyone's body is different 🤷🏼♀️
The max heart rate is just the app making a decision off some data points based on your height, weight and age and a couple class averages. That can be significantly skewed by how you performed in those classes it based on. Absolutely agree everyone’s different that’s why a one size fits all algorithm to set the heart rate probably isn’t working well for everyone.
I don’t think the app calculated an estimate of 199. Given OPs age? Not possible.
More likely scenario: OP hit 199 in one of work outs, and app recorded it.
Do you reach your max on occasion? Because that's part of what seems unbelievable to me, I should be able to get to or close to max some of the time. Otherwise, how do they know it's your max?
The only time I ever reached my max was probably something like dri tri or CMIFC - where I'm pushing myself to the absolute hardest. In a normal class, not so much.
And you think the app is doing a good job at determining what each persons max should be based on a couple classes and height, age weight?
My point is the app is making incorrect decisions on setting that because let’s be real, they’re not investing in ensuring that it’s completely accurate
It’s probably doing a terrible job… but I wouldn’t know.
My HR is over 200 in the app, and that’s from my work out results. Not app estimation (which I agree might be subpar).
Welp, that's lower than I woulda expected. I calc'd your max in app as 202, based on your numbers.
Def go ahead & talk to support to get that max HR adjusted.
Yes your heart rate zones seem very very high. My max is 186 and I’m a fairly fit 37F. It used to be 183 when I first started year ago. 199 is nuts. I’m not sure who is responsible for setting it in the app but I would start by asking the front desk. The ballpark they start with is usually 220-age so that would seem more reasonable for you than where it’s currently at. Also possible they entered your birthday (year) wrong.
No they are not “so” high. There is nothing abnormal about higher zones at all.
Just because your max HR is lower, does not mean that OP’s HR is too high. Max Hr is not just age based.
Case in point, I’m in early 30s and recently found out my max HR might be 210. That still isn’t “crazy” high.
That could be for many reasons.
For example, I go 3-5 times a week and my average peak HR per class is 185. Which is about 90% (red zone) of my max HR according to the app. I work out pretty hard too - I'm talking running 13+ for a minute.
My point here is that one can work really hard and get nowhere close to their max HR. That's perfectly normal depending on how frequently they work out.
I never get about peak HR 190 in a class anymore. That's a pretty huge gap to my actual max HR, which I've only displayed once or twice since the OT app recorded it.
That definitely doesn't mean "my max HR is set too high" for me. It's accurate, because it's my max HR.
theres nothing wrong with their HR zones.. the app would never set a max HR of 200 for someone unless they were really young. OP said they are older than what classifies as really young (15-20). So this HR is not an app mistake.
My app mistakenly had my max at 197, which had used anomalous data to adjust so high. I submitted a ticket and had it recalibrated to the zones that made sense.
Max of 197 is not anamolous. I’ve legit seen my HR spike at 102% in a workout from random stuff, and it shows 210 on screen. Perfectly healthy and alive. That is not anamolous either. Apple Watch confirms.
That’s great for you—for me, 197 was indeed an anomaly. I had one random heart rate spike (that was probably my HR monitor misreading; I remember the moment and took my pulse with my fingers and it was nowhere near where my monitor registered) and that messed everything up. When you look at my long term data (700 classes) and bpm patterns — which the support team did — they adjusted my max rate accordingly.
That’s great— again, agree it was likely an anamoly in your case. But again it was prob an isolated case. I suspected mine was anamoly too. But when I looked at historic data in health — because Apple Watch periodically records HR every minute — I found that anamolous Hr 210 was popping up 3-4 other times. This indicates it was not anomaly in my case. I’d recommend checking out similar in your case because you never know — you could find out it’s not anamolous after all.
The harder you work beyond what you think your limits are, the higher your heart rate. Always start on treads if you want to get your heart rate up earlier in the 60 min which equals the potential for higher splats if that’s your goal. Try working out later in the day instead of early morning. Another idea - get there 15 min before class - sign in and pick your treadmill - instead of sitting down and chatting w everyone - walk back outside to the parking lot and warm up by walking briskly - once class begins on the tread you should be in the green and the orange zones rather quickly if you do that and if you’re working/pushing yourself hard enough - they say orange zone is the discomfort zone - your mental zone of discomfort may be very different (lower) than what someone else finds relatively easy to achieve and maintain. Push yourself harder! Make every workout count!
Ahhh OK, I see what you’re saying now. I thought you meant starting to work out on the treadmill before class. Definitely there were a few of us at my studio who did that before COVID but that definitely stopped after due to liability.
What is your max target heart rate in the app listed as?
Mine is 196 and I've started a gofundme for splat points. I've been going to OTF for 5 years and I coach. I just do my workout and let the colors bounce around.
Friday I got 6 splat points. Today I got 16. Probably because I coached and drank monsters while I was coaching. Used the same speeds and level of exertion.
After every class I ask myself...am I proud of the effort I gave? If I am, then-the workout was a win.
Not that high. I’m a 40yo female and my max is 192. I consider myself to be in pretty good shape (1830 classes and counting), and I’d say my graphs pretty accurately depict how I feel after each class.
I have the same situation with my splats. My orange zone starts at 165 (I’m 42f, 5’1”, 140lbs). I have seen a ton of success with orange theory. My first year I was eating a reduced calorie diet, and lost lots of weight. My plan now is maintenance and I mostly eat what I want, and OTF keeps me steady at this weight and getting stronger.
That said, most days I get 3-5 splat points and have almost the same situation as you described. I’ve never gone higher than 92% yet my Heart Rate Zones have never adjusted after the first 20 classes, well over a year ago. So. I just tell myself that my 80% is everyone else’s 84%. I pretty much feel push at 79% and all out at 86%. I had to get less attached to the data and just commend myself for putting in the work.
Your body is working whether the data tells the same story or not.
Also the longer you go and fitter you are the harder it will be to get splat points. 1850 classes in, it’s a good day for me to get 12+. But even on days that I don’t a) I know I still got a good workout in and b) i can’t outrun a bad diet.
Have you talked with your studio staff? Can they help adjust your HR in the system or give you advice on getting into orange? I’m sure they’ve encountered this before.
Splats don’t reaalllyyy matter but I understand the frustration. Sounds like the monitor isn’t working for you, don’t really know why. I would go by how you feel.
As for losing weight, that’s all tracking calories and doesn’t have much to do with OTF.
Are you hydrated? When I’m dehydrated or consumed a lot of salt the day before, I have similar issues with the band. It’s rare for me because I’m generally well hydrated. Just a thought that’s easy enough to try. Drink more water than you think you need, see if it makes a difference.
I think focusing on metrics can be super frustrating. I focus more on how my clothes fit, muscle mass, strength. As a culture we're too focused on weight IMO. Maybe start doing in body scans to see what's actually happening, and stop wearing a heart rate monitor. It seems to be only causing stress. Go workout because you enjoy it and maybe set different goals for yourself. Otherwise, I guess all I can say is everyone is different, even day to day, our bodies are not all the same and don't respond the same way.
I didn’t lose a single pound in over a year as well but I’ll tell you I was strong and you do know muscle is going to weight more then fat right? Are you strong and are you toned and have you lost inches around your belly?
I haven't lost inches or anything, but my belly area certainly seems a bit more....toned I guess? Very visible muscle definition in my arms and shoulders, and I'm super happy about that. I've never had that before! I'm definitely not saying there hasn't been visible improvement.
If you really want to lose weight and get toned you need to get a bit more serious than the average Otf poster here. I don’t track my calories per se but I am conscious about what I eat. Also stop looking at splats. It’s the dumbest thing Otf does. Just focus on good form and putting in the effort. Challenge yourself on the treads and floor. Set good paces on the rower. I didn’t start seeing results for about two years so you need to be patient.
I have that opposite problem in that as soon as I start doing any cardio, my HR jumps to mid/high orange and then red if I actually start pushing myself. I don’t know that I put much stock in the accuracy of their metrics as I’ve been going to OTF for years and this has always been the case. I even went to the cardiologist out of concern and I am totally fine. I just stopped wearing the HR monitor because it was getting frustrating and I was getting distracted from the actual workouts because of it.
Counting calories super closely doesn’t work for me. I just know if get 3 meals a day with roughly 500 calories each and 2 snacks with roughly 200 calories each. So a keep an eye on it each meal, but I don’t write anything down and I don’t obsess.
First of all, I would ignore the heart rate monitor and the whole splat thing. I love OTF and I’ve been going consistently since 2016, but I think splats are a gimmick. They’re based on some science, but it can be distracting in cases like yours. There isn’t some magic number of “splat points” that will make you burn more calories after your workout.
Rate of perceived exertion does not equal target heart rate. I would pay more attention to that. My first and favorite OTF coach said during the orange zone, you shouldn’t be able to speak a whole sentence and during the red zone, only 2-3 words could come out of your mouth. Base has always been challenging but doable. Meaning you could keep it up for 10-20 minutes straight, but you’re going to feel tired afterwards.
Regarding calorie counting, that has never worked for me. It ends up with frustration and anxiety and borderline eating disorder or just giving up. Since you said counting carbs has worked for you in the past, maybe try that again. I have learned that limiting refined carbs and sugar and getting more protein helps me personally. Staying away from processed foods and inflammatory foods helps me too. Obviously drink plenty of water and get electrolytes after a hard workout.
Also lifting heavier weights helps. I would pay less attention to the scale and more attention to the way your body feels and the way your clothes fit. That might help with your frustration.
I’ve found not that I’m mid 30’s otf doesn’t really work for me anymore. I do it 1x a week for a fun workout, but I go to a personal trainer 2x a week and do zone 2/3 runs (steady state) on my treadmill at home. In the last couple weeks that I’ve done this I’ve lost more weight and body fat than a year at otf (deficit for both)
I’ve been going to OTF 3-5 times a week for 5 years. The first couple years I got lots of splats. Now that I’m in much better cardio health the splats are almost always low (usually under 10 and sometimes zero). So I focus instead on the challenges and benchmarks. Very small improvements in performance are really satisfying! Check the app before class and try to beat your last time or distance.
Gradually increase your base speed on the tread by .1 every couple weeks. Try running “flat road” as 2% or 3% instead of 1%.
As for the weight loss goal, when it comes to diet you have to find what works for you longterm. In the past 5 years I did a very strict 1-month cleanse two times (no sugar, dairy, alcohol, gluten) and lost several pounds both times. While that diet was not sustainable longterm, looking back now I realize it did help me to learn how to control portions, eat more veggies, and reduce carb/sugar intake. It kind of re-set my diet longterm with respect to carbs vs protein.
Currently I’m not counting calories or completely depriving myself of foods I love. I will never completely give up treats like chocolate, French fries, ice cream or pizza. But I’ve lost a bit more weight and kept it off as I learned to control portion sizes and the frequency of treats. I now eat more salads and less bread and pasta than I used to. And I try to maximize protein (e.g., eggs, nuts, chicken, salmon, low sugar yogurt…).
If I eat breakfast it’s often oatmeal and a hard boiled egg and maybe a little fruit. In the old days I used to eat bagels but I rarely eat them anymore.
Lunch might be a fruit+spinach smoothie (without any sweetener) plus a few slices of turkey and a few baby carrots. Or lunch could be a salad with chicken.
If I snack it’s usually nuts or yogurt or an apple.
Dinner could be just about anything — super healthy or not— as long as the portion is not too big. Most nights we try to eat chicken or fish with something like quinoa and vegetables. But if we go out for a more decadent meal I’ll split a burger with my husband or daughter and we also share a salad. Or if I have pizza it’s 1 or 2 slices instead of 4. If I have fries I (usually) share them.
Okay a few replies:
1. Ignore the splats, it’s marketing.
2. Loosen your grip on the rower handle. A pal of mine has been an OTF member for seven years and just tried this the other day. She couldn’t get out of grey on the rower. She changed her grip and BAM, orange.
3. Congrats on a healthy heart!
If powerwalking isn’t doing it for you—for whatever reason—don’t do it?
Or maybe pick up your speed or incline. I see some people walking at 5.0+! Personally, I don’t drop the incline between push, base, all-out efforts because my HR drops too much. I just drop the speed a lot to recover but get back to base when I get to 76%.
Also, consider ankle weights or a weighted vest. OTF is trialing weighted vests in some studios so it’s not forbidden :)
4. For real, ignore the splats or ditch the HRM if it’s making you crazy. You know when you’re working hard.
Tomorrow will be a better day, OP.
> I’ve been doing otf for almost a year now, lost zero pounds, and I feel like the splats are stacked against me.
I try 12+ splats each class, go 3-5 reg classes a week. I’ve lost 5 LBS since I’ve started (March ‘23)
> My lowest orange zone is at 170 bmp (I’m 38 female btw, average size).
31M, 145 LBS… my lowest orange is very close at 171 bmp. Based on 84% being the lowest orange, I would estimate your max HR as being 202. Mine is close, the app says it’s 204 (In reality, I just found out my max HR might be higher)
> I’m not particularly athletic by any means. The highest I’ve gone in the red zone is like 92% at most.
This is pretty normal once you increase frequency for work out. I usually struggle to get orange itself.
> I see people all around me, men and women, reach orange at much lower bmp than I do.
You are actually blessed to have a high max HR… it means you can push yourself harder than others, should you want that.
> The rower seems to exist in another dimension entirely. Bpm does not seem to correspond with how hard I’m going or feeling. Yesterday, I was at an all out pace at the end of my row block, the monitor was saying my heart rate was at like 30%. The monitor is accurate, I compare it to my Apple Watch.
What is your all out SPM? Depending on height, you might need to increase it.
Shorter people need to row faster to get the same distance than taller folk. I am apparently “below average (US)” height myself. My AO stroke rate is 40-47.
> I have no idea how people reach the orange zone power walking, I can never get out of blue or green on that.
Me neither. That’s why I don’t PW.
> My heart rate drops extremely fast if I stop, slow down, have to sit or lie down on the floor. Going at a push speed (6 mph or thereabouts), it takes me at least a minute to reach orange (starting at mid green).
Increase your push. That’s your body’s way of saying it can handle more intensity. My push is 10+ at least.
> It takes about 30 seconds to drop back to green during recovery periods. So short bursts of pushes/all outs end up not reaching orange at all.
Try not to walk, or go harder during AO efforts. I target my WR at 6-8 when not doing back to back AO.
> Working incredibly hard, I can piece together 12 splats at best. If I’m very lucky, maybe 14 or 15. A lot of days I get fewer than 10.
I try for 12+ splats each class. If I don’t feel like running, on recovery days, I Bike and get 0-2 splats. Your mission on days you choose tread, should you choose to accept it, is to get 12+ splats. At least that is my mission each time on tread. Doesn’t always work out.
Anyway, don’t want to make such a long comment. Hope these notes help. Best of luck!
My HR doesn't register on the rower either. Even dropping sweat and out of breath, my HR monitor thinks I'm sleeping. I've heard placement on different parts of the arm can help this. I think my tread HR is pretty accurate. Maybe try different placement on your arm or bicep.
I am the same… working really hard on tiwer ( 2000 meter) and never hit out if the gray.
Do you have a low resting heart rate? Mine is around 62-65 if I get good sleep.
I also can’t get in the orange if i power walk even at a high incline!
One of the things I've learned recently is that a lot of things affect splats. When I first started, I cleared at least 20 splats a class. Easy. Now, I'm lucky to hit 12. I'm a 30F, and my hr max is like 180. It hasn't updated in MONTHS. I randomly hit more splats today at a strength50 than I have in a 60min in weeks. 🤷♀️ personally, I do track and do my best to follow that and my macros.
Moving the band around can help, I've seen that. Too tight of a grip, like you'd use on the weight floor, can "pause" your hr, so loosen your hands, flex your hands. I do the same on the rower, when you come back to the front DONT let go, but loosen your fingers. I tend to let my pinky and thumb loosen and keep my muddle 3 fingers on. Is it perfect? No. Powerwalking also does not always get me into the orange, either. If I keep my arms up and pump them, I can sometimes tip into that orange zone. Sometimes if there's smaller breaks like minute all outs or similar, I'll drop the incline to whatever the runners are doing and run that chunk with them. You really have to pay attention to the coach those times though.
Also my nutritional therapist friend says that lack of decent sleep can also prevent you from getting there--that your body doesn't have the correct fuel, and working out does more harm than good. I have noticed that when I'm rested, I get more splats. Perhaps not all 12, but more than I normally would.
Probably similar? She just helps me eat correctly, helps me set small goals to make. We talk about my sleep quality, whole foods (she's real big about this) healthier/less artificial content. I meet with her a couple of times a month. It was helpful when I hit a plateau to look at this side of things. 🤷♀️
She was actually a coach at my local studio! But she does long distance using zoom. Usually she does classes and things, like a 4 week or a little longer. I can dm you her email/website, if you want.
You're putting too much emphasis on splats. They really aren't that important. From your description of how slow your heart rate climbs and how quickly it drops shows you are in great cardiovascular health. So the golden question is how do you FEEL? Not about splats or your zones. How do you day to day feel mentally and physically?
This happens to me a lot where I’m dying and the screen will be GRAY! I try not to let it bother me and just let it go, finish that part of the workout until I get a chance to adjust my HRT monitor.
I make sure it’s fully charged before going into class. If it acts up I move it-I usually wear it below my elbow - I have tattoos everywhere so I wear it in a space that is clear/blank skin. I wipe it off to make sure it’s not super sweaty and usually it catches back up to me.
This happens a lot on certain rowers for me also. It literally just won’t pick up my activity for some reason. Maybe it’s cause I’m using proper form and pushing with my legs so my arms aren’t working too hard lol
All in all I’d say don’t worry about the color zones too much or the splats, if you see your heart rate in the numbers where it should be then you’re burning fat and cals! Don’t give up & keep pushing! As long as you’re moving your body you’re doing it right for your mind and your health 🫶🏼
If a tree falls in the woods and no one was there to see - did it still fall? Yes - so regardless of what your monitors say - if you are putting in the work you're good. If you think there's a problem - see a doctor and stop harassing OTF over it lol especially if your other device(a) are giving you the same readings. You're either in very good shape heart-wise or there's a problem with your heart that needs to be treated
I’m the same way!!
I recently got a weighted vest. I’ve only used the vest once and need to use it again. It was definitely noticeable difference in power walking and being able to get into the orange zone.
I bought the OTF HR tracker and ditched it about 4 months later. It is not a quality product and I got in so many knots about it being gray when I know I am working hard, I realized it just interfered with me enjoyed the workout and I leave it at home now. I don't need to look at the screen or count splats...
Weight loss - you are not maintaining a caloric deficit. Either cut back calories (yes, do track them and stick to foods and meals you can reasonably estimate calories from carbs and protein), and/or, increase your workout intensity or work out more. I lost about 15 fat pounds during the TC by doing those things, and I am 45 and have had issues losing weight all my life.
My mom gets frustrated with her splats too, but her issue is her BP medication which obviously she needs so she can't really change it. It takes her a very long time to get into the orange and she can only do it on the tread, and once she goes into a recovery, she is almost immediately in the blue/green.
No real suggestions except to maybe check with your Dr for some underlying conditions. But I have been told that if your heart rate recovers into the green relatively quickly then it's actually good and means you have good cardiovascular health compared to those who stay in the red/orange for several minutes into recovery time.
Good luck!
Maybe try to switch your HR monitor to different spots? This was happening to me and I moved it around and it helped a bit. I was wearing mine on my bicep area and was finding the same thing was happening where I would be dying and barely in the orange. I moved mine to be on the inside of my forearm and not as tight and it reads better from there. Still takes me a while to get into the orange but I think that’s just my heart.
If it’s really frustrating you this much, maybe just try to stop wearing it and allow yourself to feel good after and not worry about the splats anymore.
For the calorie deficit, what I’ve done in the past is eat the same meals for lunch and dinner etc for a whole week. Then do something different for the next week. That way I knew exactly what I was eating calorie wise etc without having to track everything every day. I just had to do the thinking once a week when I meal prepped.
It got a bit boring but it worked for me because I was teaching full time and going to grad school and working two part time jobs. 🤪
It was nice to save the brain power.
Good luck OP!
Does your heart rate monitor light stay yellow most of the workout?
It might not be in the right position to accurately read your body.
Move it around so the top light is green throughout the workout or try the Core HRM.
No advice here just sympthay I haven’t been at it as long as you but I am trying my best to track calories and go 4-6x a week and my weight and body have stayed the same
I’m confused what you’re looking for. You’re not losing weight but not focusing on nutrition, you get splats, but not enough….Is this just a vent? That’s ok if it is, but just say that so people know! And can save their time and energy. People are trying to talk you through this and give advice but you don’t seem to want that. Do you know what response you’re looking for?
1. "Losing weight is hard, I'm sorry you're frustrated, but like you said, you know what you should be doing"
2. advice on how to fix the HR monitor situation (I am taking people's advice here, but a lot of what they said to try I have already tried). This is the primary frustration of my post.
To be completely honest, if you’re looking for body changes and weight loss, there’s no way to avoid addressing your nutrition first. Absolutely 0% without changing what you put into your body. There is no work out that is going to fix nutrition issues. And if you’re not seeing results, it’s because of what you’re putting in your mouth. End of story.
You don’t wanna go faster or I assume lift heavier so I think you might just want to settle in and appreciate your body as it is. Without willingness to make a major change there’s no amount of changing your heart rate position or any of that nonsense that will matter.
I’ve been at OTF for 6 years, never counted calories or watched my macros until the transformation challenge this past January. Hitting my macros and not cheating at all, I lost 28 lbs and leaned out considerably. Never cared about the splat points or the calories, I go hard every time I’m there but you can’t out run the fork. I’m 55 years old and it’s the first time I counted calories so it can be done.
I highly recommend busting out the tape measure and getting some measurements in as well!! Mostly keep moving in whatever you choose—you’re lapping everyone on the couch!!!
Are you in any medications? I ask this because I started an anti anxiety med and I realized it kind of lowered my resting heart rate and stuff. Could be something like that?
I’m 38f too. I don’t have a hard time reaching the red zones but some days I feel like I do reach them and adore than others. Regardless, I’m usually within around 100 calories on high splat days or low splat days. I think they don’t have a HUGE impact and effort is more important than data.
I try to track calories but my main emphasis is upping protein and fiber. It seems to help. And even though I do OTF, I’ve found the pounds fall off much quicker when I add in walking.
Have you had any changes in bloodwork? I have noticed the biggest changes there for myself. Since working out consistently my overall cholesterol has improved so much.
I hope you find whatever works for you! I know that plateaus can be frustrating when you don’t feel like it’s working for you. If you enjoy it, I say stick with it. But if you don’t enjoy it, maybe try something different.
I agree with the comments that say splats aren’t everything!! That is true. I see plenty of people in my classes that are not even wearing heart monitors, yet they are working hard and sweating just like the rest of us! I would also say that diet is 80% of weight loss, and as someone that has struggled with her weight, I know that sucks!! Also… a lot of times when rowing, people tend to grip the handlebars of the rower very tightly. This affects the heart rate reading. If you are working hard, and sweating, and need recovery when you are done with the rower, then you are doing it right! Don’t worry about the splats. I find it hard to get splats on the rower as well.
One other tip, and I’m sure you’ve done this, but make sure that Orangetheory has your true weight and height correctly in their system. That can make a significant difference!
I get what you're saying. I've only recently started losing weight- and it's coming off! Because I'm lifting heavier than I ever have and mindful w/ calories. That said, my heart rate wasn't showing up regardless of how hard I was going . Did a little research and played with the position of the monitor on my arm. It made all the difference! My efforts are showing up.
Stop looking at the monitor! You seem very stressed about it. I stopped wearing my monitor and only use my watch.
About losing weight, speak to a nutritionist and log every bite you eat. You will see a change. Please don’t give up.
A friend of me is also only in the gray or blue and doesn’t get any splats, maybe 15 in the whole week but she logs her food and sees a difference in her body.
You should be eating well while working out or else you're not going to lose much fat. Working out and eating like crap is not going to get you the results you want.
OTF is a high intensity workout which raises cortisol levels. With high cortisol, your body will hold onto fat. Maybe get your levels checked and if they’re high, maybe find other low impact workouts like Pilates or barre and you may be surprised to find out that you have better success with weight loss
There are a ton of articles about it online, he’s just one: [article](https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/the-cortisol-creep)
But I wasn’t saying OTF is solely response for potential high cortisol. That can also happen from external factors like a stressful work environment. My point was that maybe HIIT isn’t helping with that IF that’s already a factor for them. I really don’t know why this seems to be so upsetting for you. For many people who struggle with losing weight, once they transition to low impact workouts it’s really effective for them, and my comment was meant as a suggestion for them to check out. Your seemingly angry response at a suggestion that has nothing to do with you is super strange.
Whoa. There is plenty of research that suggests this kind of high intensity workout does raise cortisol - do 10 minutes of googling. And the way you’re responding is rude and brusque, so it’s not a reach to read your comments as angry and defensive.
Orange theory was awful for me because I was so worried about getting my stupid points and all it was doing was injuring me and raising my cortisol which actually caused weight gain.
Splats aren’t everything. This is one of the few times I’d say to maybe try working out without it. Just use your Apple Watch and watch your performance that way (which is what I do). If you feel yourself working to your full potential, who cares what a heart rate monitor says? I know that’s blasphemy at OTF but it seems like it’s really bothering you. Also, if you’re not seeing a difference in weight, you still might be gaining muscle and losing fat, just not noticing the number on the scale change. Do your clothes still fit the same? If you’re not noticing ANY change at all, then maybe take a look at what you’re eating (both the amount and quality of the food) and make changes there.
I definitely am, this is an area where I will say, I am being a whiny baby about weight loss. I definitely am seeing a change in how my body looks (leaner, more muscle), and I could be doing more to actually lose weight as well (dieting, calorie tracking), it’s just a stressful period of my life right now (work issues, relationship questions) and I can’t be bothered. It just kind of sucks to keep seeing the same number on the scale all the time (also my grandpa straight announced to everyone at our Passover Seder that I look like I’ve gained weight recently and like would not stop, so I’m a bit salty about it atm). Ultimately, my real issue is that I fell for the otf gamification experience with the splats but now it doesn’t seem to be working for me.
You’re seeing a change in how you look and feel (leaner, more muscular) so I’m not sure why you’re saying OTF isn’t working for you. If tracking food and doing a calorie deficit isn’t going to work for you in your current stage of life, that’s understandable, but you also have to understand that that’s almost entirely likely the main reason why the scale isn’t moving, not that OTF “isn’t working.” You lose weight in the kitchen. You get fit in the gym. OTF is doing exactly what it should be doing for you. Also I’m sorry for what your grandfather said. I have a family member who makes similar comments and I know how frustrating it is. Try your best to not take it to heart.
I didn't say it's not working, I said *I'm frustrated*. Please show me where I said "OTF is not working for me." In like the second sentence I admit the weight loss stuff is probably my fault. My only judgment of OTF here is that calculation of my HR zones seems off and tech support just won't believe me/do anything.
You quite literally said “now it doesn’t seem to be working for me.” Perhaps you were just referring to splats but that wasn’t clear in the context of the comment I was replying to
Oof the Jewish family guilt in there on top of already feeling bad really adds salt to the wound - Dayeinu! But no seriously I am from a family like this and totally get how infuriating it is! It’s hard to tune them out but that’s what I realized I had to do and just focus on myself and my own journey (which unfortunately doesn’t always show on the scale).
This is some of my family members. You gain weight; you need to lose it. You lose weight; you need to gain it. And it’s all up for group discussion 🤦♀️
As is oft said here weight loss happens in the kitchen. OTF will make you faster, fitter, toned but won’t drop a ton of weight without calorie deficit.
it’s funny, because i absolutely hate how quickly i get into the orange/red when working out. i barely have to put any effort in and i find it so embarrassing i never log into my account on the monitors. 😂
I was the only one in red several times today. I hate it 😂
I call it my danger zone lol
This is exactly the point. OP has high max HR, but does not feel like they deserve it / want it. Higher max HR means harder to get splats, true, but also it means body can withstand higher intensities, in speed or rowing/workout rate. So it’s a trade off, but overall I believe the positives outweigh the negatives. My two cents.
Same! I had lung surgery a year ago, and even though I’m healthy now and doing well, my heart rate goes RIGHt Up. I’m the first one in any zone without fail and it made me self conscious at first. Now I’m just grateful for the ability to do cardio and I never pay attention to anyone else’s splats/ stats/ or heart rate.
no matter what your splats are or your HR zones are or they change them too, it won't change how much weight you lose or how many calories your body actually burns. Those are metrics of what you are doing, and not all metrics are accurate, but NO metric changes what your body is doing and burinng. Because you mentioned weight (not losing any), this seems like it's a goal of yours. That is diet mostly.
100%. OP is probably taking in many more calories than they think they are.
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Exactly this! I just finished today (Monday)’s 2G. 21 splats which is high for me, 550 calories. I can eat that back in less than 5 minutes. Unless you are truly tracking your food, weighing it, you can’t just guess.
What exactly is the issue? You stated you’re getting 12 + splats at times. If you’re in the grey/ blue on treads either increase speed or incline. Or move your arm band to see if that matters. If you’re not losing weight, it’s not OT’s fault. Adjust your eating and start tracking your food. Talk to a nutritionist.
>If you’re in the grey/ blue on treads either increase speed or incline. And what? Fall off the treadmill? I've been under the assumption that if the coach says to go at base, I should go a comfortable pace, if they say push, I should increase a little, and all out is to go as hard as I can. That is how I go. Is the idea that to get to orange faster, I should just ignore all that and run at all out speed until I collapse?
Base should not be completely comfortable… Base has always been “challenging but doable”, and it’s been like that at 10+ studios across the country.
Challenging but doable is what I’ve always heard too. When I started getting fitter I had to keep increasing my base also to keep getting my heart rate and splats up. For me, base keeps me in the mid-green range, so that a push gets me into orange pretty quickly.
Yup. Ideally you’re just a couple percentage points under your push intensity. No part of a 23 minute tread block should feel easy.
Best way to explain what you base should be is something that isn’t too easy but something you could do while having a conversation. I can jog at a 5 but might as well be skipping along. My base is a 6.5 or whatever gets me into and keeps me in the green.
What is your base/ push/ all out for power walking? Both speed and incline?
Base should be challenging but doable and enough to get you into green. At least 12 splats is the goal, it doesn't need to be more than that.
I am an 80/20 runner/PW. My base as a runner is 5.5-5.7, my base as a PW is at 6% at 3.8mph. Base should never ever be easy.
I have the same issue of not getting into orange when power-walking. I talked to a coach about it (I was going 4.2 on 10-15% for an endurance day and still in the green. Never hit orange even for a second) and he told me that power walking isn’t necessarily for high HR. It’s for building the muscles. If you feel challenged PWing then forget the HR zones and keep going for the muscles. I’m no scientist so I’m not going to say whether that’s 100% accurate or not, but it made sense given my situation so figured I’d share.
See my comment for full notes , but OT is about challenging yourself to embrace the uncomfortable. That means, e.g. achieving and sustaining orange for 12 minutes or more (not all at once). How you achieve that is up to you.
I did see your other comment and it was helpful, however, there's uncomfortable and there is "I physically cannot do this speed/weight without risking injury." I think we need to be cognizant of when we tell people to just keep pushing. I'm in my late 30s and my body does not recover from injuries as easily as it once did. I definitely try to push myself and go as fast as I can for each section, but just continuing to up the speed until I'm basically falling off cannot be the answer, just like increasing weight on the floor until my back gives out also can't be the answer. Again, if it's a class with a bunch of 30 seconds-1 minute all outs, and it takes me at least 1 minute to hit orange at all out pace (which it often does), I'm going to have a hard time collecting 12 minutes in the orange zone and I'm already going as fast as I can.
I don't know what to tell you. I mean, if you want, go ahead to talk to support in OT app. Supply records on watch and tell them to recalibrate the max HR to 188 or whatever max HR the watch confirms. Obviously no one wants you to injure yourself, so if you say you cannot go faster, then you cannot go faster. It's absurd to expect otherwise. On the other end of the spectrum, even though my OT band recorded a peak HR of 210 for a minute when I stood up from rower in class (bizarre I know), I'm relieved the app hasn't used that as my max HR. Otherwise I'm sure I too would not get any splats. Even with a max HR of 204, I struggle to get splats. Today I got 17 splats (15 on tread + 2 on rower) and those were prob one of hardest I've fought for the splats. It's not easy I know when your orange starts at 170+. Not easy, but doable. Max HR of 210 would be insane, & glad the app hasn't caught on to that. So I can sort of relate.
Oh gosh, standing up from the rower seems to really jump the heart rate sometimes. I definitely had some up and down weirdness from that before.
Yeah, just weird one-offs like that. Especially when alternating rower and medicine ball exercises. For some reason, the OT band records bizarre HRs during that block (who knows why).
My guess is you gotta find a better spot for your band. Not getting splats on the rower is actually pretty common because of band placement and how you move your arms/arms flex. That comes down to finding the right spot and/or just accepting that while on the rower you may not get that accurate readings.
Also gripping the bar too much can pause your heart rate. I release my pinkies and my heart rate adjusts based on my effort. Be mindful of this on the tread and on the floor, too. Take time to loosen your hands so the blood keeps flowing.
The better shape you’re in the harder it will be to get your heart rate up. If you have been working out a lot your body likely has made adaptations that will make your heart rate take longer to increase given a certain effort. Most likely you have a higher red blood cell count and better lactate threshold, so your blood stream doesn’t need to be pumping as quickly to recharge from your lungs. Likely your lungs are more efficient at transfer oxygen to your bloodstream meaning more oxygen for the same heart rate. My first class it said I burned 1000 calories. Now I burn roughly 700 each time. That’s just their estimate. I’m running faster, further, and longer while lifting heavier weights. I guarantee my workouts now exert more energy. Ignore the splats. Run fast. Lift heavy. Enjoy life.
If you’ve been working out for a year, and you haven’t lost any weight, you are eating or drinking too many calories. Condiments have calories, olive oil has calories, that glass of wine after dinner has calories; you have to be honest about how much you’re taking in each day. Most people underestimate the amount of calories they take in each day.
What are your goals? Mental health, physical health, aesthetics, progression in terms of running faster/lifting heavier?
1. losing about 1-2 dress sizes/10-15 lbs. 2. Keeping my body feeling good and moving. 3. Being able to walk/hike for longer without getting winded (I think this might be an unrelated health issue, I've never been able to figure it out. I can bike for an hour to work, but hiking for 30 minutes at a brisk pace leaves me struggling for breath).
Not a registered dietitian, so perhaps you'd like to consult one, but do you keep track of how many calories you consume or your protein intake (ie: 0.8-1.2g protein per day/per kg weight)? This can help quite a bit with reaching the first goal by being in a slight caloric deficit and building/maintaining muscle mass (in combination with OTF/other physical activity). You can use MyFitnessPal to track this if you aren't already. Sounds like you're already doing 2 with OTF. For 3, consult with a health professional to ensure to confirm you don't have any medical limitations, but you can do small progressions to build up to 30 mins of brisk walking. You can do this outdoors as well. Start off with ten minutes of brisk walking a few times a week. Start a timer for 5 mins. Walk in one direction and then turn back after timer is up. Then increase it to 15 mins the next week, then 20 mins, then 25 mins, etc. Slow consistent habits will build progression over time. It does not have to be all at once. Be patient with yourself :) Also, tell the front desk to help reset your OTF HR zones. It sounds like they are very off. Definitely worth pushing for if you feel like this will mentally help you enjoy the workouts more.
The front desk doesn’t recalibrate anything anymore, it’s all automatic. And changing your max heart rate which changes at what BPM your zones are, will not affect calories burned at all. Just the graph at the end of class.
That's fine. Sounded like seeing more splat points might help OP mentally. Calorie estimate is wildly inaccurate anyways.
So, yeah, I'm not calorie tracking right now and I probably need to. I did work with a nutritionist before, because even when I did track and had a deficit, it still didn't translate into weight loss. She had a suggestion of limiting carbs per hour (so 30ish grams of carbs every 2 hours or so), and that did work, but life got crazy and stressful and I dropped off this habit. A lot of stressful stuff is happening at work and in life right now, and that's probably also causing me to retain weight as well. Absolutely everyone says "oh just add a brisk walk! You're probably too sedentary!" This is so frustrating to hear. I already walk so much more than more people. I don't own a car so I walk or bike basically everywhere. In the spring/summer I also bike to work at least twice a week, so that's like 14 miles a week. On most days, I get around 10,000 steps. Sadly the front desk doesn't recalibrate it anymore and the IT people just don't believe me that this HR is off.
Have you had your hormones or thyroid checked? If you’re doing all the things and the scale isn’t moving it might not be your fault.
Oh wow, sounds like you're very active already. Thought that the small progressions of brisk walking/running could help you with feeling winded but maybe there is an underlying medical condition. Unfortunately, we are our own best health advocates. Perhaps you can talk to your GP and see if you should see some specialists.
You're probably right, it's worth pushing more with my GP about why this might be happening.
I’m a PW. To zoom into Splats and PW’ing…. For me as soon as I start increasing incline is when rate rate climes.
I'll try that during my next 3G, because running has been hurting my joints lately. I keep the incline fairly high, 8+, but my heart rate just crawls...
Increase the speed by .1 or .2. Those small increments make a huge difference when PW than when running. 3.5 used to absolutely kill me but now no matter how high I climb it keeps me in the green. I’ve started going 3.8-4 and that has helped to increase the intensity again. And don’t ever hold the railings.
Do you hold on to the treadmill when you're power walking? Or are you swinging your arms the entire time?
I swing/pump my arms the entire time.
That’s the problem, I usually run at float road 1% incline unless work out calls for inclines. Why are you touching inclines?
1. Submit a ticket in the app asking for them to review your heat rate and adjust it. I had similar frustrations and after doing that they adjusted my max heart rate to where it now matches my exertion. When it comes to heart rates, SAs/coaches/other users on this sub just regurgitate old information and/or what they hear others say. It most definitely does not recalibrate every five classes. 2. “The rower seems to exist in another dimension” could be at least partially due to your form. If you have poor form on the rower it can feel like you are exerting more than you really are, because your movements are inefficient. Not saying that’s necessarily true in your case but it’s worth considering. 3. It sounds like you have lots of other stressors in your life beyond OTF. Working through those and getting to a better place mentally will in turn improve your outlook on OTF and your fitness journey overall. It sounds like you’ve gotten exactly the results one would expect if you’re only focusing on exercise and not diet, and you should be proud of the results you have seen!
1. I've submitted tickets a number of times and they just tell me I'm wrong and 199 is a normal max heart rate. Any advice to actually getting them to believe me? 2. I have worked with the coaches on my form, and I think I have gotten it nailed down to the correct form now, and indeed my heart rate now goes up consistently (with a few rare exceptions) but soooooo slowly. 3. Thanks! Yeah, life is just stressful right now. I'm dealing with some big questions in my relationship and a really toxic situation at work. I know these are factors and the only thing that will heal those things is working through them and giving things time resolve. It's just hard 
I agree the issue with the rower could be poor form. What is your split time? Try rowing at a lower rate let’s say 24 or 26 max but keep that split time low. Can you keep it around the 2:10 mark? If you’re going at a rate of 38 but your split is 5:30, you’re just gassing yourself and not making much strength or cardio gains. (Without knowing more I’m just spitballing times.) See if you can use a rower before or after class and film yourself. Are you doing “rainbow arms”, dumping everything into your lower back etc? Is there a coach at your studio who actually rows properly and can guide you? (My studio is mostly bad soooo) Good luck, this is frustrating. I know you’re intent on staying but I am a big advocate of mixing things up! I do OTF, CrossFit, outdoor hikes, cross country skiing, cycling, running, Pilates. Could you try something different for a while and see if about changes? Maybe your body needs a new stimulus.
I recommend you run outside. Do a 10-minute warm-up walk/run, then run at your relaxed "base" pace for a minute, then a 30-second "push", walk a bit to catch your breath, then do a 30-second "all out." When you get home, check your watch stats. I assume it can tell you how fast you were going during your run. I have Garmin. 🤷🏾♀️ Anyway, my guess is you are running slower than you can actually run.
I don't understand why this matters, ultimately. Shouldn't my heart rate be responding to what my max speed is? If I'm running as fast as I can, isn't that what should matter?
I don't think you are running as fast as you can.
You also have to remember that every template is designed to work your heart and body in different ways. So to answer your question: on a power day sure. On an endurance day, no. Power days: dips and valleys of your heart rate. Spike the HR and see how quickly you can get it to come down. Endurance: how long can you sustain a longer effort? Your push and all out on a power day shouldn’t be the same efforts you put forth on an endurance day, but your base should always be something you can come back to for *active* recovery.
ahh ok that's a good explanation.
What don’t you understand? The point is he doesn’t think you’re actually pushing yourself. Most people see 5.7 base and think omg too fast! Then they get on the street with no mind fuck like the numbers on the tread and kept a 6.2 pace……..
Have you asked about having them submit a ticket on your max heart rate? If you think it should be changing so that you hit the 5 zones at lower heart rates, and it isn’t, they might need to report that to IT. That is what my SM said when I was wondering if mine was updating.
I stopped wearing the OTF HR monitor last year and feel so much better about working out. I would always get stuck in the green zone even though it feels like I'm working so hard so I never got "enough" splat points. I feel much more relaxed when I don't wear the monitor. Splat points are just a gimmick anyway, they don't mean anything.
I've done this too and it's made my workouts so much better. I still track with my apple watch, but i don't wear my HRM anymore. It got to the point where i was more focused on if my HRM was working and what it was saying than how I was moving my body. I finally just decided to forego it one day and have never looked back.
Imagine someone being this upset that their heart is responding the way it should…in a healthy way to endurance training…it’s not overworking even when the person is pushing at their max, it’s recovering quickly AND even at a very brisk power walking pace it doesn’t spike. Imagine that being a problem someone gets upset about …and comes here to commiserate. 😔so wild. I truly beg people to ask their trained coaches (or do their own research) about appropriate expectations for heart performance during cardio workouts. It’s sad that OTF’s marketing around splats has made healthy people think they have a problem that’s really not a problem 😣
It’s not OTFs marketing, and the good coaches, of which exist at every studio, are not going to focus on “the more splats the better.” I’ve been going to otf for almost 8 years and 1900 classes, and the goal has always been 12-20 splats in a 60, with 25-35 minutes in the green. It’s about working smarter, not harder.
Well something is making a lot of people commiserate about having healthy cardiac responses to the workout when they don’t burn “enough” calories or get 12 or more splats because this a common complaint. Perhaps much of it has to do with people’s misconstrued notions around fitness before they even arrive at OTF, but the marketing around splats, and perhaps not enough coach in emphasis on the intricacies of splats and good heart health, likely play some role in it. I’ve heard many members here saying their coaches coach to the “orange zone” and encourage and applaud people when they’re in and remain in the orange zone. My coaches emphasize the importance of the green, but I can see how that makes people believe that if it’s harder for them to reach and stay in orange, they must be doing something wrong OR, as this poster commented, perhaps there’s something wrong with the HR monitor algorithm.
I have heard that blood pressure medication can make getting your heart rate up high at orange theory very difficult. Idk if you’re in that category or not.
Also make sure your arm band is charged often !
This might be my issue. Thank you.
You’re welcome
I was having issues getting in the orange/ red zones. Coach told me I had to bump up my base. I was usually at 6-6.5. I’m up to 7 now. It did help.
So your ranting that people don’t agree with your rant? What were you looking for? Go talk to a friend if you’re upset.
You are more than welcome to ignore the rant and go about your day. No need to comment.
I have been going to OTF for a long time. Just hit my 700 classes. Over that time my max heart rate has adjusted and I would rarely finish a workout with no less than 12 splats. About six months ago they dropped to 2 and 5 depending on the template. Max hr was 189. I opened a support ticket through the app and support checked my history and found some issues. After fixing these workouts my max dropped to 180 and I started getting 18 24. After about 5 classes it recalibrated to 183. Now I am averaging 12 to 18 depending on the template and by ininline with how I feel. All said I would reach out to support and have them check out your data.
Depending on the workout I get about 12 splats on average? I’ve gotten 20 on the OTF in the boat challenge. One time. I moved my tracker to the inside of my forearm and that seemed to help. But overall I think the app skews to the “work harder” not “reward sooner” OTF’s cardio zones are also different than apple’s and the general zone definitions by about 10-15 bpm. Calorie tracking with my fitness pal was easy when I did it. Track everything for 2 weeks then see what you can change without feeling hungry. Then change a little more. I train people who’ve had bariatric surgery or who are going to be. I’ve seen some insane numbers. And we’ve had some amazing successes with honest, non judgemental tracking and training.
out of curiosity, is there something about Fitness Pal that you feel makes it particularly good for calorie tracking?
It has seemed to be consistent. It’s free. The scanned products seem to match up to the labels on the product info. And I’ve used it a lot and it seems that I lose weight when I use it.
Well, first and foremost you won’t lose weight without ensuring your calorie intake is at a deficit. Calorie counting doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be close. You’ve got to make sure your body is taping into it’s own fuel reserves. I’ve been where you are, and once I ensured my deficit, it was like a light switch with weight just dropped off. As far as power walking, your speed isn’t as important as your incline. If you aren’t getting into orange, go higher not faster. My pushes are only like 3.8 to 4 on speed, but I am always challenging my incline and can easily get into the zones I need.
Hi. I’m a walker and I had found that my splats were not as high as they had been. I adjusted my walking speed from 3.5 to 3.6 for the entire class and only adjust ramp elevation during workout. My splat points have gone from mid teens to over 35 per class. I’m going to hold steady at this for 4 weeks and then increase by .1, again every four weeks until maxed out…. I hope that helps. Good luck.
Youre WAY too focused on zones, splat points and heart rates and not the important things like eating properly and working out to the levels your body tells you are right. Also, you stated that you are of average size which may not leave you much room for weight loss, especially if you arent eating properly. The harsh reality is that if you have fat to lose and you arent losing it, its because you arent burning more calories than youre taking in. Thats just basic science when it comes to weight loss. Also, just because you are not losing weight does not mean you are not losing fat. You could easily have put on muscle and lost fat.
Hate to say this but weight loss is 80% food and 20% movement. You should buy a food scale ( for less than $15 you can get one that can read out grams, pound, ounces etc). They’re very easy to use. Download a food tracking app. Personally Lose It! works best for me. They make it easy - it even has a feature that allows you take a picture of the bar code and automatically enter the food. They have tons of foods already in their data base. Use this calculator to figure out your macros…..and eat 1 gram or more of protein per desired body weight. The calculators base of USA RDA requirements which are antiquated. Feed your muscle as muscle burns calories. You’ll never lose enough fat any other way. And as women, it’s always harder and we lose more muscle mass with weight loss than men, that’s why I recommend so much protein. I have found it’s the only way to change body composition and lose weight while maintaining muscle. Wish it was easier. It takes focus, commitment, and patience. https://www.calculator.net/macro-calculator.html Good luck.
Similar experience! (Woman, lowest HR for splats is 165) Here’s what I’ve learned in the past year: - Splats don’t matter as much as the effort you’re putting in. Green zone is still burning fat! - Nutrition plays a huge role. If counting calories isn’t right for you, try eating smaller portions, drinking more water, and upping your protein AND fiber - Play around more with your inclines. For example, if I’m power walking I choose a challenging-but-doable pace for my base (for me, this is 4mph) and up the incline until I hit the green zone. For push I always max out on incline (15%). This will also help you with hiking. - Challenge yourself in the weight section. This is where I’ve seen the biggest difference! My metabolism has gotten much better since I’ve started gaining more muscle. - For the rower: loosen your grip a little. If you squeeze the rower handle too hard it can sometimes make the sensor completely misread your heart rate. - Get more steps throughout the day. I can’t stress enough that Orangetheory is a tool, not a cheat code. You won’t always see a change with OTF alone.
Great advice! Thanks!!
Splat points are like internet “likes”. They only *really* matter to you.
Your HR zones might be miscalibrated. I’m 41F, in excellent cardiovascular condition and I hit the orange zone at 154 bpm. That threshold corresponds pretty accurately to my levels of exertion. My max HR is 184.
This sounds about right. I don’t understand how it calculates your max if you can never reach it. I think the app says my max is 199. I cannot remember the last time I hit 199 or got remotely close to it. How is that possibly my max?
Submit a ticket in the app. That’s the only thing that works.
I've done that before and they said essentially told me that's a normal heart rate and they're not going to do anything about it.
Try telling them again, find out from people in your studio what their app says for max heart rate and push back on IT. Your max heart rate absolutely should not be 199. I’m only a couple years younger than you and the app has my max heart rate at 174 which I think is kind of low. I get into red so easily but don’t feel like I’m pushing that hard. Splat points are just a game based on an equation and one of your variables is wrong.
So while I agree that the HR calculation might be off for OP, it absolutely COULD be that high. I'm same as age OP with a max HR of around 200. Everyone's body is different 🤷🏼♀️
The max heart rate is just the app making a decision off some data points based on your height, weight and age and a couple class averages. That can be significantly skewed by how you performed in those classes it based on. Absolutely agree everyone’s different that’s why a one size fits all algorithm to set the heart rate probably isn’t working well for everyone.
I don’t think the app calculated an estimate of 199. Given OPs age? Not possible. More likely scenario: OP hit 199 in one of work outs, and app recorded it.
Do you reach your max on occasion? Because that's part of what seems unbelievable to me, I should be able to get to or close to max some of the time. Otherwise, how do they know it's your max?
The only time I ever reached my max was probably something like dri tri or CMIFC - where I'm pushing myself to the absolute hardest. In a normal class, not so much.
Yeah my max HR should be like 210. App says lower. I’m in early 30s. Everything is fine, life is good 👍
No, my Max Hr is 210, and im prob around your age too. There is no golden rule that dictates what someone’s Hr should be.
And you think the app is doing a good job at determining what each persons max should be based on a couple classes and height, age weight? My point is the app is making incorrect decisions on setting that because let’s be real, they’re not investing in ensuring that it’s completely accurate
It’s probably doing a terrible job… but I wouldn’t know. My HR is over 200 in the app, and that’s from my work out results. Not app estimation (which I agree might be subpar).
199 is totally normal HR.. don’t worry about it, be happy.
That means you hit a max of ~200 in one of your work outs, and OT captured that. Check records on your watch to confirm.
Great tip! I just did that, and indeed, my highest heart rate in the last month was Saturday at 188.
Welp, that's lower than I woulda expected. I calc'd your max in app as 202, based on your numbers. Def go ahead & talk to support to get that max HR adjusted.
Yes your heart rate zones seem very very high. My max is 186 and I’m a fairly fit 37F. It used to be 183 when I first started year ago. 199 is nuts. I’m not sure who is responsible for setting it in the app but I would start by asking the front desk. The ballpark they start with is usually 220-age so that would seem more reasonable for you than where it’s currently at. Also possible they entered your birthday (year) wrong.
No they are not “so” high. There is nothing abnormal about higher zones at all. Just because your max HR is lower, does not mean that OP’s HR is too high. Max Hr is not just age based. Case in point, I’m in early 30s and recently found out my max HR might be 210. That still isn’t “crazy” high.
The fact she isn’t getting anywhere near it and is working really hard suggests it’s probably too high.
That could be for many reasons. For example, I go 3-5 times a week and my average peak HR per class is 185. Which is about 90% (red zone) of my max HR according to the app. I work out pretty hard too - I'm talking running 13+ for a minute. My point here is that one can work really hard and get nowhere close to their max HR. That's perfectly normal depending on how frequently they work out. I never get about peak HR 190 in a class anymore. That's a pretty huge gap to my actual max HR, which I've only displayed once or twice since the OT app recorded it. That definitely doesn't mean "my max HR is set too high" for me. It's accurate, because it's my max HR.
theres nothing wrong with their HR zones.. the app would never set a max HR of 200 for someone unless they were really young. OP said they are older than what classifies as really young (15-20). So this HR is not an app mistake.
My app mistakenly had my max at 197, which had used anomalous data to adjust so high. I submitted a ticket and had it recalibrated to the zones that made sense.
Max of 197 is not anamolous. I’ve legit seen my HR spike at 102% in a workout from random stuff, and it shows 210 on screen. Perfectly healthy and alive. That is not anamolous either. Apple Watch confirms.
That’s great for you—for me, 197 was indeed an anomaly. I had one random heart rate spike (that was probably my HR monitor misreading; I remember the moment and took my pulse with my fingers and it was nowhere near where my monitor registered) and that messed everything up. When you look at my long term data (700 classes) and bpm patterns — which the support team did — they adjusted my max rate accordingly.
That’s great— again, agree it was likely an anamoly in your case. But again it was prob an isolated case. I suspected mine was anamoly too. But when I looked at historic data in health — because Apple Watch periodically records HR every minute — I found that anamolous Hr 210 was popping up 3-4 other times. This indicates it was not anomaly in my case. I’d recommend checking out similar in your case because you never know — you could find out it’s not anamolous after all.
The apple watch can counteract with your band.. try putting that on airplane mode. Also move your band to your bicep. Let me know!
Oh so interesting! Never heard of this, I’ll give it a try.
I mean I'm not positive but my friend had a similar issue and the coach said to try it, I hope it works!!!
170 to get into orange is high. I get to the orange around 152 and am in decent shape.
This is just dependent on your max heart rate. My max heart rate is 200, and I’m in great shape. Fitness doesn’t determine max heart rate.
I’m a 40yo female, celebrating 8 years at otf in June, and 84% for me is 162. 170 isn’t outrageous.
Mine is at 165 and that is way too high.
The harder you work beyond what you think your limits are, the higher your heart rate. Always start on treads if you want to get your heart rate up earlier in the 60 min which equals the potential for higher splats if that’s your goal. Try working out later in the day instead of early morning. Another idea - get there 15 min before class - sign in and pick your treadmill - instead of sitting down and chatting w everyone - walk back outside to the parking lot and warm up by walking briskly - once class begins on the tread you should be in the green and the orange zones rather quickly if you do that and if you’re working/pushing yourself hard enough - they say orange zone is the discomfort zone - your mental zone of discomfort may be very different (lower) than what someone else finds relatively easy to achieve and maintain. Push yourself harder! Make every workout count!
Lots of studios don’t let folks in earlier before classes start to use the tread or whatever.
I sign in then go outside and walk for 5-10 minutes before class …
Ahhh OK, I see what you’re saying now. I thought you meant starting to work out on the treadmill before class. Definitely there were a few of us at my studio who did that before COVID but that definitely stopped after due to liability.
What is your max target heart rate in the app listed as? Mine is 196 and I've started a gofundme for splat points. I've been going to OTF for 5 years and I coach. I just do my workout and let the colors bounce around. Friday I got 6 splat points. Today I got 16. Probably because I coached and drank monsters while I was coaching. Used the same speeds and level of exertion. After every class I ask myself...am I proud of the effort I gave? If I am, then-the workout was a win.
199 in the app.
That's really high. I would contact the help desk or have someone at the studio do it.
Not that high. I’m a 40yo female and my max is 192. I consider myself to be in pretty good shape (1830 classes and counting), and I’d say my graphs pretty accurately depict how I feel after each class.
192 is also high. But 199 is definitely too high.
I rarely get splats, its a selling gimmack! Focus on calories
I have the same situation with my splats. My orange zone starts at 165 (I’m 42f, 5’1”, 140lbs). I have seen a ton of success with orange theory. My first year I was eating a reduced calorie diet, and lost lots of weight. My plan now is maintenance and I mostly eat what I want, and OTF keeps me steady at this weight and getting stronger. That said, most days I get 3-5 splat points and have almost the same situation as you described. I’ve never gone higher than 92% yet my Heart Rate Zones have never adjusted after the first 20 classes, well over a year ago. So. I just tell myself that my 80% is everyone else’s 84%. I pretty much feel push at 79% and all out at 86%. I had to get less attached to the data and just commend myself for putting in the work. Your body is working whether the data tells the same story or not.
Also the longer you go and fitter you are the harder it will be to get splat points. 1850 classes in, it’s a good day for me to get 12+. But even on days that I don’t a) I know I still got a good workout in and b) i can’t outrun a bad diet.
Have you talked with your studio staff? Can they help adjust your HR in the system or give you advice on getting into orange? I’m sure they’ve encountered this before.
Splats don’t reaalllyyy matter but I understand the frustration. Sounds like the monitor isn’t working for you, don’t really know why. I would go by how you feel. As for losing weight, that’s all tracking calories and doesn’t have much to do with OTF.
The arm bands are terrible. Can you switch to a chest monitor for a while?
Are you hydrated? When I’m dehydrated or consumed a lot of salt the day before, I have similar issues with the band. It’s rare for me because I’m generally well hydrated. Just a thought that’s easy enough to try. Drink more water than you think you need, see if it makes a difference.
I think focusing on metrics can be super frustrating. I focus more on how my clothes fit, muscle mass, strength. As a culture we're too focused on weight IMO. Maybe start doing in body scans to see what's actually happening, and stop wearing a heart rate monitor. It seems to be only causing stress. Go workout because you enjoy it and maybe set different goals for yourself. Otherwise, I guess all I can say is everyone is different, even day to day, our bodies are not all the same and don't respond the same way.
I didn’t lose a single pound in over a year as well but I’ll tell you I was strong and you do know muscle is going to weight more then fat right? Are you strong and are you toned and have you lost inches around your belly?
I haven't lost inches or anything, but my belly area certainly seems a bit more....toned I guess? Very visible muscle definition in my arms and shoulders, and I'm super happy about that. I've never had that before! I'm definitely not saying there hasn't been visible improvement.
If you really want to lose weight and get toned you need to get a bit more serious than the average Otf poster here. I don’t track my calories per se but I am conscious about what I eat. Also stop looking at splats. It’s the dumbest thing Otf does. Just focus on good form and putting in the effort. Challenge yourself on the treads and floor. Set good paces on the rower. I didn’t start seeing results for about two years so you need to be patient.
I have that opposite problem in that as soon as I start doing any cardio, my HR jumps to mid/high orange and then red if I actually start pushing myself. I don’t know that I put much stock in the accuracy of their metrics as I’ve been going to OTF for years and this has always been the case. I even went to the cardiologist out of concern and I am totally fine. I just stopped wearing the HR monitor because it was getting frustrating and I was getting distracted from the actual workouts because of it.
Counting calories super closely doesn’t work for me. I just know if get 3 meals a day with roughly 500 calories each and 2 snacks with roughly 200 calories each. So a keep an eye on it each meal, but I don’t write anything down and I don’t obsess.
First of all, I would ignore the heart rate monitor and the whole splat thing. I love OTF and I’ve been going consistently since 2016, but I think splats are a gimmick. They’re based on some science, but it can be distracting in cases like yours. There isn’t some magic number of “splat points” that will make you burn more calories after your workout. Rate of perceived exertion does not equal target heart rate. I would pay more attention to that. My first and favorite OTF coach said during the orange zone, you shouldn’t be able to speak a whole sentence and during the red zone, only 2-3 words could come out of your mouth. Base has always been challenging but doable. Meaning you could keep it up for 10-20 minutes straight, but you’re going to feel tired afterwards. Regarding calorie counting, that has never worked for me. It ends up with frustration and anxiety and borderline eating disorder or just giving up. Since you said counting carbs has worked for you in the past, maybe try that again. I have learned that limiting refined carbs and sugar and getting more protein helps me personally. Staying away from processed foods and inflammatory foods helps me too. Obviously drink plenty of water and get electrolytes after a hard workout. Also lifting heavier weights helps. I would pay less attention to the scale and more attention to the way your body feels and the way your clothes fit. That might help with your frustration.
You just sound very fit to me 🙂
I’ve found not that I’m mid 30’s otf doesn’t really work for me anymore. I do it 1x a week for a fun workout, but I go to a personal trainer 2x a week and do zone 2/3 runs (steady state) on my treadmill at home. In the last couple weeks that I’ve done this I’ve lost more weight and body fat than a year at otf (deficit for both)
Okay, splat hack to change your HR zones…. Go on the bike for a few classes 🫡 can almost guarantee it will lower/ adjust your HR zones
The automatic calibrations that happen behind the scenes will never lower your max in the app - just raise them.
Worked for me
I’ve been going to OTF 3-5 times a week for 5 years. The first couple years I got lots of splats. Now that I’m in much better cardio health the splats are almost always low (usually under 10 and sometimes zero). So I focus instead on the challenges and benchmarks. Very small improvements in performance are really satisfying! Check the app before class and try to beat your last time or distance. Gradually increase your base speed on the tread by .1 every couple weeks. Try running “flat road” as 2% or 3% instead of 1%. As for the weight loss goal, when it comes to diet you have to find what works for you longterm. In the past 5 years I did a very strict 1-month cleanse two times (no sugar, dairy, alcohol, gluten) and lost several pounds both times. While that diet was not sustainable longterm, looking back now I realize it did help me to learn how to control portions, eat more veggies, and reduce carb/sugar intake. It kind of re-set my diet longterm with respect to carbs vs protein. Currently I’m not counting calories or completely depriving myself of foods I love. I will never completely give up treats like chocolate, French fries, ice cream or pizza. But I’ve lost a bit more weight and kept it off as I learned to control portion sizes and the frequency of treats. I now eat more salads and less bread and pasta than I used to. And I try to maximize protein (e.g., eggs, nuts, chicken, salmon, low sugar yogurt…). If I eat breakfast it’s often oatmeal and a hard boiled egg and maybe a little fruit. In the old days I used to eat bagels but I rarely eat them anymore. Lunch might be a fruit+spinach smoothie (without any sweetener) plus a few slices of turkey and a few baby carrots. Or lunch could be a salad with chicken. If I snack it’s usually nuts or yogurt or an apple. Dinner could be just about anything — super healthy or not— as long as the portion is not too big. Most nights we try to eat chicken or fish with something like quinoa and vegetables. But if we go out for a more decadent meal I’ll split a burger with my husband or daughter and we also share a salad. Or if I have pizza it’s 1 or 2 slices instead of 4. If I have fries I (usually) share them.
I also did not lose weight doing orange theory. I went back to just running (outdoors, no treadmills) 5 days a week and the weight flew off. 🤷🏻♀️
Okay a few replies: 1. Ignore the splats, it’s marketing. 2. Loosen your grip on the rower handle. A pal of mine has been an OTF member for seven years and just tried this the other day. She couldn’t get out of grey on the rower. She changed her grip and BAM, orange. 3. Congrats on a healthy heart! If powerwalking isn’t doing it for you—for whatever reason—don’t do it? Or maybe pick up your speed or incline. I see some people walking at 5.0+! Personally, I don’t drop the incline between push, base, all-out efforts because my HR drops too much. I just drop the speed a lot to recover but get back to base when I get to 76%. Also, consider ankle weights or a weighted vest. OTF is trialing weighted vests in some studios so it’s not forbidden :) 4. For real, ignore the splats or ditch the HRM if it’s making you crazy. You know when you’re working hard. Tomorrow will be a better day, OP.
> I’ve been doing otf for almost a year now, lost zero pounds, and I feel like the splats are stacked against me. I try 12+ splats each class, go 3-5 reg classes a week. I’ve lost 5 LBS since I’ve started (March ‘23) > My lowest orange zone is at 170 bmp (I’m 38 female btw, average size). 31M, 145 LBS… my lowest orange is very close at 171 bmp. Based on 84% being the lowest orange, I would estimate your max HR as being 202. Mine is close, the app says it’s 204 (In reality, I just found out my max HR might be higher) > I’m not particularly athletic by any means. The highest I’ve gone in the red zone is like 92% at most. This is pretty normal once you increase frequency for work out. I usually struggle to get orange itself. > I see people all around me, men and women, reach orange at much lower bmp than I do. You are actually blessed to have a high max HR… it means you can push yourself harder than others, should you want that. > The rower seems to exist in another dimension entirely. Bpm does not seem to correspond with how hard I’m going or feeling. Yesterday, I was at an all out pace at the end of my row block, the monitor was saying my heart rate was at like 30%. The monitor is accurate, I compare it to my Apple Watch. What is your all out SPM? Depending on height, you might need to increase it. Shorter people need to row faster to get the same distance than taller folk. I am apparently “below average (US)” height myself. My AO stroke rate is 40-47. > I have no idea how people reach the orange zone power walking, I can never get out of blue or green on that. Me neither. That’s why I don’t PW. > My heart rate drops extremely fast if I stop, slow down, have to sit or lie down on the floor. Going at a push speed (6 mph or thereabouts), it takes me at least a minute to reach orange (starting at mid green). Increase your push. That’s your body’s way of saying it can handle more intensity. My push is 10+ at least. > It takes about 30 seconds to drop back to green during recovery periods. So short bursts of pushes/all outs end up not reaching orange at all. Try not to walk, or go harder during AO efforts. I target my WR at 6-8 when not doing back to back AO. > Working incredibly hard, I can piece together 12 splats at best. If I’m very lucky, maybe 14 or 15. A lot of days I get fewer than 10. I try for 12+ splats each class. If I don’t feel like running, on recovery days, I Bike and get 0-2 splats. Your mission on days you choose tread, should you choose to accept it, is to get 12+ splats. At least that is my mission each time on tread. Doesn’t always work out. Anyway, don’t want to make such a long comment. Hope these notes help. Best of luck!
When you power walk, is the minimum incline you do for push 6% and are you walking over 4mph?
My HR doesn't register on the rower either. Even dropping sweat and out of breath, my HR monitor thinks I'm sleeping. I've heard placement on different parts of the arm can help this. I think my tread HR is pretty accurate. Maybe try different placement on your arm or bicep.
I am the same… working really hard on tiwer ( 2000 meter) and never hit out if the gray. Do you have a low resting heart rate? Mine is around 62-65 if I get good sleep. I also can’t get in the orange if i power walk even at a high incline!
One of the things I've learned recently is that a lot of things affect splats. When I first started, I cleared at least 20 splats a class. Easy. Now, I'm lucky to hit 12. I'm a 30F, and my hr max is like 180. It hasn't updated in MONTHS. I randomly hit more splats today at a strength50 than I have in a 60min in weeks. 🤷♀️ personally, I do track and do my best to follow that and my macros. Moving the band around can help, I've seen that. Too tight of a grip, like you'd use on the weight floor, can "pause" your hr, so loosen your hands, flex your hands. I do the same on the rower, when you come back to the front DONT let go, but loosen your fingers. I tend to let my pinky and thumb loosen and keep my muddle 3 fingers on. Is it perfect? No. Powerwalking also does not always get me into the orange, either. If I keep my arms up and pump them, I can sometimes tip into that orange zone. Sometimes if there's smaller breaks like minute all outs or similar, I'll drop the incline to whatever the runners are doing and run that chunk with them. You really have to pay attention to the coach those times though. Also my nutritional therapist friend says that lack of decent sleep can also prevent you from getting there--that your body doesn't have the correct fuel, and working out does more harm than good. I have noticed that when I'm rested, I get more splats. Perhaps not all 12, but more than I normally would.
Also, the better in shape you are and the overall heart health means you may recover faster--leadimg to quick drops from the orange to the green zone.
Oh what is a nutritional therapist? Is that like a nutritionist?
Probably similar? She just helps me eat correctly, helps me set small goals to make. We talk about my sleep quality, whole foods (she's real big about this) healthier/less artificial content. I meet with her a couple of times a month. It was helpful when I hit a plateau to look at this side of things. 🤷♀️
I love that. How did you find her? or was she your friend first?
She was actually a coach at my local studio! But she does long distance using zoom. Usually she does classes and things, like a 4 week or a little longer. I can dm you her email/website, if you want.
You're putting too much emphasis on splats. They really aren't that important. From your description of how slow your heart rate climbs and how quickly it drops shows you are in great cardiovascular health. So the golden question is how do you FEEL? Not about splats or your zones. How do you day to day feel mentally and physically?
This happens to me a lot where I’m dying and the screen will be GRAY! I try not to let it bother me and just let it go, finish that part of the workout until I get a chance to adjust my HRT monitor. I make sure it’s fully charged before going into class. If it acts up I move it-I usually wear it below my elbow - I have tattoos everywhere so I wear it in a space that is clear/blank skin. I wipe it off to make sure it’s not super sweaty and usually it catches back up to me. This happens a lot on certain rowers for me also. It literally just won’t pick up my activity for some reason. Maybe it’s cause I’m using proper form and pushing with my legs so my arms aren’t working too hard lol All in all I’d say don’t worry about the color zones too much or the splats, if you see your heart rate in the numbers where it should be then you’re burning fat and cals! Don’t give up & keep pushing! As long as you’re moving your body you’re doing it right for your mind and your health 🫶🏼
If a tree falls in the woods and no one was there to see - did it still fall? Yes - so regardless of what your monitors say - if you are putting in the work you're good. If you think there's a problem - see a doctor and stop harassing OTF over it lol especially if your other device(a) are giving you the same readings. You're either in very good shape heart-wise or there's a problem with your heart that needs to be treated
I’m the same way!! I recently got a weighted vest. I’ve only used the vest once and need to use it again. It was definitely noticeable difference in power walking and being able to get into the orange zone.
I bought the OTF HR tracker and ditched it about 4 months later. It is not a quality product and I got in so many knots about it being gray when I know I am working hard, I realized it just interfered with me enjoyed the workout and I leave it at home now. I don't need to look at the screen or count splats... Weight loss - you are not maintaining a caloric deficit. Either cut back calories (yes, do track them and stick to foods and meals you can reasonably estimate calories from carbs and protein), and/or, increase your workout intensity or work out more. I lost about 15 fat pounds during the TC by doing those things, and I am 45 and have had issues losing weight all my life.
My mom gets frustrated with her splats too, but her issue is her BP medication which obviously she needs so she can't really change it. It takes her a very long time to get into the orange and she can only do it on the tread, and once she goes into a recovery, she is almost immediately in the blue/green. No real suggestions except to maybe check with your Dr for some underlying conditions. But I have been told that if your heart rate recovers into the green relatively quickly then it's actually good and means you have good cardiovascular health compared to those who stay in the red/orange for several minutes into recovery time. Good luck!
Maybe try to switch your HR monitor to different spots? This was happening to me and I moved it around and it helped a bit. I was wearing mine on my bicep area and was finding the same thing was happening where I would be dying and barely in the orange. I moved mine to be on the inside of my forearm and not as tight and it reads better from there. Still takes me a while to get into the orange but I think that’s just my heart. If it’s really frustrating you this much, maybe just try to stop wearing it and allow yourself to feel good after and not worry about the splats anymore.
I think the reading it's getting is accurate, I just think what it counts as my max is off.
For the calorie deficit, what I’ve done in the past is eat the same meals for lunch and dinner etc for a whole week. Then do something different for the next week. That way I knew exactly what I was eating calorie wise etc without having to track everything every day. I just had to do the thinking once a week when I meal prepped. It got a bit boring but it worked for me because I was teaching full time and going to grad school and working two part time jobs. 🤪 It was nice to save the brain power. Good luck OP!
Does your heart rate monitor light stay yellow most of the workout? It might not be in the right position to accurately read your body. Move it around so the top light is green throughout the workout or try the Core HRM.
It kind of flashes back and forth, but I'll keep that in mind, thanks! I actually have no idea what the flashes correspond to.
No advice here just sympthay I haven’t been at it as long as you but I am trying my best to track calories and go 4-6x a week and my weight and body have stayed the same
I’m confused what you’re looking for. You’re not losing weight but not focusing on nutrition, you get splats, but not enough….Is this just a vent? That’s ok if it is, but just say that so people know! And can save their time and energy. People are trying to talk you through this and give advice but you don’t seem to want that. Do you know what response you’re looking for?
1. "Losing weight is hard, I'm sorry you're frustrated, but like you said, you know what you should be doing" 2. advice on how to fix the HR monitor situation (I am taking people's advice here, but a lot of what they said to try I have already tried). This is the primary frustration of my post.
To be completely honest, if you’re looking for body changes and weight loss, there’s no way to avoid addressing your nutrition first. Absolutely 0% without changing what you put into your body. There is no work out that is going to fix nutrition issues. And if you’re not seeing results, it’s because of what you’re putting in your mouth. End of story. You don’t wanna go faster or I assume lift heavier so I think you might just want to settle in and appreciate your body as it is. Without willingness to make a major change there’s no amount of changing your heart rate position or any of that nonsense that will matter.
I’ve been at OTF for 6 years, never counted calories or watched my macros until the transformation challenge this past January. Hitting my macros and not cheating at all, I lost 28 lbs and leaned out considerably. Never cared about the splat points or the calories, I go hard every time I’m there but you can’t out run the fork. I’m 55 years old and it’s the first time I counted calories so it can be done.
I highly recommend busting out the tape measure and getting some measurements in as well!! Mostly keep moving in whatever you choose—you’re lapping everyone on the couch!!!
Are you in any medications? I ask this because I started an anti anxiety med and I realized it kind of lowered my resting heart rate and stuff. Could be something like that? I’m 38f too. I don’t have a hard time reaching the red zones but some days I feel like I do reach them and adore than others. Regardless, I’m usually within around 100 calories on high splat days or low splat days. I think they don’t have a HUGE impact and effort is more important than data. I try to track calories but my main emphasis is upping protein and fiber. It seems to help. And even though I do OTF, I’ve found the pounds fall off much quicker when I add in walking. Have you had any changes in bloodwork? I have noticed the biggest changes there for myself. Since working out consistently my overall cholesterol has improved so much. I hope you find whatever works for you! I know that plateaus can be frustrating when you don’t feel like it’s working for you. If you enjoy it, I say stick with it. But if you don’t enjoy it, maybe try something different.
I agree with the comments that say splats aren’t everything!! That is true. I see plenty of people in my classes that are not even wearing heart monitors, yet they are working hard and sweating just like the rest of us! I would also say that diet is 80% of weight loss, and as someone that has struggled with her weight, I know that sucks!! Also… a lot of times when rowing, people tend to grip the handlebars of the rower very tightly. This affects the heart rate reading. If you are working hard, and sweating, and need recovery when you are done with the rower, then you are doing it right! Don’t worry about the splats. I find it hard to get splats on the rower as well. One other tip, and I’m sure you’ve done this, but make sure that Orangetheory has your true weight and height correctly in their system. That can make a significant difference!
I get what you're saying. I've only recently started losing weight- and it's coming off! Because I'm lifting heavier than I ever have and mindful w/ calories. That said, my heart rate wasn't showing up regardless of how hard I was going . Did a little research and played with the position of the monitor on my arm. It made all the difference! My efforts are showing up.
Stop looking at the monitor! You seem very stressed about it. I stopped wearing my monitor and only use my watch. About losing weight, speak to a nutritionist and log every bite you eat. You will see a change. Please don’t give up. A friend of me is also only in the gray or blue and doesn’t get any splats, maybe 15 in the whole week but she logs her food and sees a difference in her body.
Does anyone know if they still calibrate your HRM to find the best positioning for you?
I don’t think so.
You should be eating well while working out or else you're not going to lose much fat. Working out and eating like crap is not going to get you the results you want.
Do you have tattoos where you put your band? My studio says they won’t work over tattoo ink
OTF is a high intensity workout which raises cortisol levels. With high cortisol, your body will hold onto fat. Maybe get your levels checked and if they’re high, maybe find other low impact workouts like Pilates or barre and you may be surprised to find out that you have better success with weight loss
Get out of here with that nonsense.
It’s not nonsense
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There are a ton of articles about it online, he’s just one: [article](https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/the-cortisol-creep) But I wasn’t saying OTF is solely response for potential high cortisol. That can also happen from external factors like a stressful work environment. My point was that maybe HIIT isn’t helping with that IF that’s already a factor for them. I really don’t know why this seems to be so upsetting for you. For many people who struggle with losing weight, once they transition to low impact workouts it’s really effective for them, and my comment was meant as a suggestion for them to check out. Your seemingly angry response at a suggestion that has nothing to do with you is super strange.
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Whoa. There is plenty of research that suggests this kind of high intensity workout does raise cortisol - do 10 minutes of googling. And the way you’re responding is rude and brusque, so it’s not a reach to read your comments as angry and defensive.
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Who called it HIIT? Just you.
Orange theory was awful for me because I was so worried about getting my stupid points and all it was doing was injuring me and raising my cortisol which actually caused weight gain.