I second this comment. The important part is showing up and moving. Even a medium effort day at OTF is more fitness and better for your body than what 99% of people do. Listen to your body and your brain and do what you think makes sense. You’ll probably benefit more in the long term from this approach.
Also, even going 4 times/week is probably too much to expect to give it everything you have each time. Your body needs low intensity days to truly absorb the training and progress. So most fitness experts recommend no more than three intensity days per week. For many people two is better.
The key to staying healthy and injury-free in the long term is to back off and not kill it every time, even if you think you could.
Agreed. If I know I’m working hard I’m not stressing about not killing my self. With how high they set my HR it’s really tough to get orange for a long period.
OTF is my only gym as well, so sometimes I go with this intention. Unfortunately, once I step under the orange lights, music blaring and coach shouting, I can’t hold back 😂 so I’ve been trying to go only 3 times a week, and doing an outdoor walk or run on the other days
This is me, too. 😂 some days I go in intending to just take it easy and then I can’t help it and succumb to peer pressure.
My work around to not going all out as much has actually been to scale down my 2G days from 4x/week to 2x/week and doing Lift45 2x/week instead. It’s still 4x a week of total workouts but I’m finding this cadence is really helping me feel stronger overall.
I know- I was thinking -how do you get around the coach’s push and encouragement? Maybe I’m just a “rule follower” haha- kind of- 
Assuming you are regularly exercising for life or at least the long term, it really doesn't matter if you throw in a green day. You are moving consistently. Think of all of your workout times as points on a graph. It's the trend over time that affects you more than a day here and there.
Here's my own rule: I go and work out and go hard normally. If either my head or my body isn't feeling it, I'll still work out, just a bit lighter. If both head and body say "no" it's a rest/recovery day.
It’s totally ok to take green days! I had a sedentary life before Orange Theory and it’s amazing how much running and exercising we do. Before Orange Theory if you saw me running it meant the laxative was working!
I reluctantly made myself do a green day today as I am recovering from the Dri tri. It was very difficult to not push myself more, but was also kind of a fun game to make sure I stayed under 84%. I go 6x/week, so I’m trying to be kind to my body
As a girl, depending on where i am in my cycle - there’s days i literally just can’t go as hard as i want. My legs feel insanely heavy and my energy level is low so i just go and do what i can. Any movement is better than none
Yes, when I'm ovulating, I feel like super women, and when I'm actually menstruating, I feel like a sloth. I do think something is better than nothing especially because my job is ridiculously sedentary. I go for my mental health as much as my physical health. Do what you enjoy!
I totally get what you’re saying, but the “anything is better than nothing” mindset is often used as a crutch for many people. Harder day at work? Eh, I’ll just take it easy, anything is better than nothing! Imo if you don’t feel like you can give a workout a solid effort, I think you’re better off taking an off day completely. Save workouts for when you’re committed to giving a solid effort. In my experience, when I give myself and excuse to phone it in, I’ll usually find a way for that excuse to happen.
I see what you're saying but for me, if I took every day off when I didn't feel physically or mentally well, I'd rarely go. I have several chronic health issues and sometimes just need to take a low effort day over not going at all because it helps with those health issues and keeps me in the habit of going at all. There are plenty of days I need to late cancel, too, so I go when I can even if I'm just barely keeping my legs moving. I think your perspective tends to brush off the very real need to take care of your mental health if you feel you should.
I did exactly that today. I didn’t want to late cancel so I went anyways and got a whole 3 splats. I totally support recovery days and doing whatever makes you comfortable.
Definitely. I go about 6x/week and can't give 110% that frequently. Usually there are 2-3 really hardcore days and the rest are more moderate. I try to mix in a true green day but sometimes I get excited and go hard (if not ultra hard) anyway.
Even as someone who has had fitness in my life consistently since age 15 in so many forms including personal training, OTF can still have that “intense” vibe since people are generally in such good shape. It’s so refreshing to hear everyone is just happy that we all show up!
I sometimes go when I want some movement to loosen up but it’s freezing or snowy and i don’t want to go out but I also don’t go “balls to the walls” on my efforts. If I didn’t I’d get like 2k steps working from my home office and walking to the kitchen and back 😂😂
I go 5-6 days per week and my primary goal is consistency with showing up versus giving it the best effort every time. The difference in calories between my best workout and most “blue/Green Day” workout is usually only 150-200 calories. Less than a Kit Kat (my fav 😜)
The mental benefits of me keeping a routine and keeping the momentum going far outweigh the physical benefits of me trying to give it 100% every day.
Often times I will go in planning on a light day, but surprise myself and push it hard. Other times I plan to push it, and realize I need a light day. Be gentle with yourself and do what feels best for your body and mind!
Sometimes, even if for no reason, the best you can do is just show up. I got with a friend and sometimes we both struggle with not “performing our best,” but the reality is that just going and doing what you can that day is still better than not going at all! Power walking on incline is a great workout, and sometimes makes my legs more sore than the pushes and sprints. I think one of the best things about OT is being able to cater the workout to you and however you’re feeling that day
Sometimes I just go for fun. There is one coach that is always super great about having green days so I often times plan on one of her classes for this.
I always modify if needed. Today I was gassed from the 3 minute pushes, so when we had to row later on, I did a very slow base row. And some days I’ll just go to move, and not push myself hard at all
I take green days when I need to (legs are sore from hitting higher speeds in the day or days before, arthritic knees acting up, etc). Sometimes it's a win for me to even just be there.
Other days I 100% should have stayed home and taken the rest.
I do think recovery is important, for sure.
I go 4 days a week, and one of those is always intentionally green.
And then sometimes when I feel the obsession to go for a 5th day, I will make that a solid green too, so I get the movement but not the overwhelm on my body.
Sometimes my body craves high intensity days and other days I just want to chill in the green. Just tune into your body and do what feels right! At the end of the day, moving your body for the consistent 60 minutes is still a great, heart healthy activity.
Yes!! Green days and even green weeks are a must for longevity. Prevents injury, de motivation and plateauing. Look up ‘deloading’ or deload weeks. It’s quite common in the fitness world.
My old studio called this having a "pineapple" day. There are definitely days I treat as an active recovery day on my own because those aren't necessarily programmed. This goes both ways though. Some days I get to the studio and feel way better than I thought and push harder than I thought!
Unfortunately, between the length I’ve been attending regularly, and some heart rate reducing meds I’m on, and the new algorithm, I don’t even get into the orange even when I feel I’m working hard. I just go with how I feel. I would lose the monitor but I do like the calorie and other stats they track with the monitor.
One of our coaches used to put notes on the treads for motivation. One day I got “Just by being here you have already won!” I think about that every work out especially when I am not feeling it!
I go green a ton. When your membership is unlimited you feel a bit more freedom than when it's just 1-2x a week. I get a lot more overuse injuries going 4-5x a week so I often go easy.
I did a solid blue/green day and no splat points on Friday before Dri Tri and so glad I did. First day back after half marathon recovery and just needed to move body and get myself ready for Saturday. I think it helped for next day which was complete opposite in the stats (orange and red mostly).
Sometimes body just needs a reset/recover day to push harder the next.
I go 5x a week. I PW 1-2x to work different muscles. I normally still a good burn doing that, but today I purposely went for zero splats. My calves are so sore but I wanted movement for recovery. It was already a planned PW day, so I lowered my inclines and kept my pace in check. Told my coach ahead of time too so she’d know not to try to push me to increase my incline/speed.
So all of that to say, yes! Take Green Days when your body/mind need it. Some movement is better than nothing.
I've said this before and I'll say it again. For me it's always better to go. I can't count the # of times I've showed up for class thinking it's just going to be a green day only to feel much better once I have warmed up. After I'm warmed up it's not a green day anymore. There have been times when half the class is a green day and the second half isn't. There are days that are 100% green days and there are days when I feel better during the warm up.
I’ve been averaging 6-8x week during the TC the past 7 weeks …. I started to PW @15% on days there are a lot of hills, like tomorrow’s? Ha!! To allow the body an active recovery blue/green day? PW @15% and 4-5mph is no slouch but the HR remains low as well as giving the calf/gastrocs/soleus and Achilles etc a bit of a break, as I usually PUSH and All Outs on regular run days? 🤔🤔
I was exhausted today- and didn’t want to go and push myself. Yes I 100% could have taken a rest day as I did dritri yesterday and I go 6 days a week. But I wanted to go, so I went and had a complete Green Day- not one second in the orange zone. I felt great after! I have weeks where I have many Green Day’s, either I’m just not feeling it or I’m pushing but probably not as hard as I could. It’s your workout, do what you want to do.
I always go as hard as I can but I have an 8x membership so some weeks I go 3x and some weeks I only go once. I always go by feel and some days that's harder and other days it's all I can do to get out of my head and show up.
Some days, you'll feel amazing and want to push your limits. Other days, just showing up is a win (whether it's because you're physically tired, mentally drained, or just had a busy day). Most of the time, I don't know what type of workout I'll have until I get in the room and warm up and that's ok! Sometimes I'll walk in and tell myself I don't have to push all out if I don't feel like it, but once I warm up, I want to. I think giving yourself grace is the right answer here.
Imo just do something else. Go for a hike, walk the dog, ride a bike, or do something else physical for an hour. I only commit to a workout when I know I’ll be up for the task.
The gal next to me in my last class did that, barely broke green all class (likely from all her obvious peeks at my screens haha). Definitely gave minimal effort at every station. Then in the lobby on the way out asked how I was able to get in such a good workout (I hit my usual 12-15 splats) when she could barely get into the green. Ummmm 🤷🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
I struggle yo take green days, even when I know I need them. But not today!!! My legs said, "absolutely not!" when I started on the treadmill. I listened (for once) and did a slow PW. I got ZERO splat points, making this my most successful green day ever. I feel great. 10/10 recommended
I’ve tried this to motivate me to get to the gym but I almost always end up pushing myself a little harder just because I’m there 😅 if it gets you there instead of staying home then I think it’s great! When I truly need a rest though I do just stay at home. I found for my body I did better when I went really hard fewer times a week but it’s all about what works well for you and your goals. Green Days instead of nothing might be a great idea!
I definitely have days where I dial back the paces or weights for whatever reason. Maybe I didn't sleep that well. Could be anything. Sometimes I'll take it easy for the first block and then step things up later. Do what you need to do.
I do make sure to get my "green day" in no matter how I feel. Today for example I felt great, but there was a last minute coach change to the one coach I purposefully avoid because their timing is off, I don't like their music and they explain every little thing in class like it is everyone's first class ever and they are always talking on the mic. So today I decided to switch to a green day, instead of letting what would have normally been a more intense workout ruined.
Define "needed." Sometimes you need an easier day for physical reasons, other times for mental reasons. You do you.
Love this comment. Sometimes I show up and it’s a medium effort day and that’s maybe mentally or physically what my body wanted
I second this comment. The important part is showing up and moving. Even a medium effort day at OTF is more fitness and better for your body than what 99% of people do. Listen to your body and your brain and do what you think makes sense. You’ll probably benefit more in the long term from this approach.
Great point!
Also, even going 4 times/week is probably too much to expect to give it everything you have each time. Your body needs low intensity days to truly absorb the training and progress. So most fitness experts recommend no more than three intensity days per week. For many people two is better. The key to staying healthy and injury-free in the long term is to back off and not kill it every time, even if you think you could.
Exactly!!
Agreed. If I know I’m working hard I’m not stressing about not killing my self. With how high they set my HR it’s really tough to get orange for a long period.
They set your heart rate?
OTF is my only gym as well, so sometimes I go with this intention. Unfortunately, once I step under the orange lights, music blaring and coach shouting, I can’t hold back 😂 so I’ve been trying to go only 3 times a week, and doing an outdoor walk or run on the other days
This is me too. I’ve yet to have a green day because every time I plan to, something else takes over 🤦🏻♀️
This is me, too. 😂 some days I go in intending to just take it easy and then I can’t help it and succumb to peer pressure. My work around to not going all out as much has actually been to scale down my 2G days from 4x/week to 2x/week and doing Lift45 2x/week instead. It’s still 4x a week of total workouts but I’m finding this cadence is really helping me feel stronger overall.
I know- I was thinking -how do you get around the coach’s push and encouragement? Maybe I’m just a “rule follower” haha- kind of- 
Almost asked a coach for a link to the Spotify playlist for the first time in 2 years last week 😂
They have a Spotify playlist…..?
It looked like Spotify but maybe the music is proprietary! I’m unsure.
Ah. Because I’d like to suggest more music that samples rock songs….
[удалено]
Me too! Just follow your own body/mindset and value a medium or less all out day, too! My doctor is a fan of this approach, for sure.
Assuming you are regularly exercising for life or at least the long term, it really doesn't matter if you throw in a green day. You are moving consistently. Think of all of your workout times as points on a graph. It's the trend over time that affects you more than a day here and there. Here's my own rule: I go and work out and go hard normally. If either my head or my body isn't feeling it, I'll still work out, just a bit lighter. If both head and body say "no" it's a rest/recovery day.
It’s totally ok to take green days! I had a sedentary life before Orange Theory and it’s amazing how much running and exercising we do. Before Orange Theory if you saw me running it meant the laxative was working!
😂
😂😂😂
I reluctantly made myself do a green day today as I am recovering from the Dri tri. It was very difficult to not push myself more, but was also kind of a fun game to make sure I stayed under 84%. I go 6x/week, so I’m trying to be kind to my body
Sometimes it's harder to stay in the green than it is to get in the orange.
As a girl, depending on where i am in my cycle - there’s days i literally just can’t go as hard as i want. My legs feel insanely heavy and my energy level is low so i just go and do what i can. Any movement is better than none
Yes, when I'm ovulating, I feel like super women, and when I'm actually menstruating, I feel like a sloth. I do think something is better than nothing especially because my job is ridiculously sedentary. I go for my mental health as much as my physical health. Do what you enjoy!
I totally get what you’re saying, but the “anything is better than nothing” mindset is often used as a crutch for many people. Harder day at work? Eh, I’ll just take it easy, anything is better than nothing! Imo if you don’t feel like you can give a workout a solid effort, I think you’re better off taking an off day completely. Save workouts for when you’re committed to giving a solid effort. In my experience, when I give myself and excuse to phone it in, I’ll usually find a way for that excuse to happen.
I see what you're saying but for me, if I took every day off when I didn't feel physically or mentally well, I'd rarely go. I have several chronic health issues and sometimes just need to take a low effort day over not going at all because it helps with those health issues and keeps me in the habit of going at all. There are plenty of days I need to late cancel, too, so I go when I can even if I'm just barely keeping my legs moving. I think your perspective tends to brush off the very real need to take care of your mental health if you feel you should.
If you are power walking correctly, there is nothing easy or green about it. 🙄
100%. I PW some days and burn just as many cals and get just as many splats as a run/jog day.
Came here to say this 😉
if you are power walking and in green, doesn't mean you are doing it incorrectly.
I did exactly that today. I didn’t want to late cancel so I went anyways and got a whole 3 splats. I totally support recovery days and doing whatever makes you comfortable.
Definitely. I go about 6x/week and can't give 110% that frequently. Usually there are 2-3 really hardcore days and the rest are more moderate. I try to mix in a true green day but sometimes I get excited and go hard (if not ultra hard) anyway.
All the time. I don’t need to kill myself every time I work out.
I tell myself I'm going to take a green day, but once I get under the orange lights, I just can't hold back. 🤷♀️
1600 classes in, I learned the hard way (many times) that even if you “feel fine” or “feel good,” going too often will catch up to you!
I definitely do this! Especially if I have a pretty strenuous day planned like a hike. I just go slow on the tower and power walk or jog
Thanks for sharing this. I needed to hear it.
Even as someone who has had fitness in my life consistently since age 15 in so many forms including personal training, OTF can still have that “intense” vibe since people are generally in such good shape. It’s so refreshing to hear everyone is just happy that we all show up!
I sometimes go when I want some movement to loosen up but it’s freezing or snowy and i don’t want to go out but I also don’t go “balls to the walls” on my efforts. If I didn’t I’d get like 2k steps working from my home office and walking to the kitchen and back 😂😂
I work from home and this is my life story
I go 5-6 days per week and my primary goal is consistency with showing up versus giving it the best effort every time. The difference in calories between my best workout and most “blue/Green Day” workout is usually only 150-200 calories. Less than a Kit Kat (my fav 😜) The mental benefits of me keeping a routine and keeping the momentum going far outweigh the physical benefits of me trying to give it 100% every day. Often times I will go in planning on a light day, but surprise myself and push it hard. Other times I plan to push it, and realize I need a light day. Be gentle with yourself and do what feels best for your body and mind!
Sometimes, even if for no reason, the best you can do is just show up. I got with a friend and sometimes we both struggle with not “performing our best,” but the reality is that just going and doing what you can that day is still better than not going at all! Power walking on incline is a great workout, and sometimes makes my legs more sore than the pushes and sprints. I think one of the best things about OT is being able to cater the workout to you and however you’re feeling that day
Today ! I figured it was better to go green than to cancel today
Sometimes I just go for fun. There is one coach that is always super great about having green days so I often times plan on one of her classes for this.
I always modify if needed. Today I was gassed from the 3 minute pushes, so when we had to row later on, I did a very slow base row. And some days I’ll just go to move, and not push myself hard at all
If I want a lower intensity day I do LISS: low intensity steady state cardio such as going for a jog outside or a bike ride.
I take green days when I need to (legs are sore from hitting higher speeds in the day or days before, arthritic knees acting up, etc). Sometimes it's a win for me to even just be there. Other days I 100% should have stayed home and taken the rest. I do think recovery is important, for sure.
I go 4 days a week, and one of those is always intentionally green. And then sometimes when I feel the obsession to go for a 5th day, I will make that a solid green too, so I get the movement but not the overwhelm on my body.
Sometimes my body craves high intensity days and other days I just want to chill in the green. Just tune into your body and do what feels right! At the end of the day, moving your body for the consistent 60 minutes is still a great, heart healthy activity.
Yes!! Green days and even green weeks are a must for longevity. Prevents injury, de motivation and plateauing. Look up ‘deloading’ or deload weeks. It’s quite common in the fitness world.
My old studio called this having a "pineapple" day. There are definitely days I treat as an active recovery day on my own because those aren't necessarily programmed. This goes both ways though. Some days I get to the studio and feel way better than I thought and push harder than I thought!
Yeah all the time. And often those workouts feel just as satisfying as the harder ones.
Showing up is most of the battle
Unfortunately, between the length I’ve been attending regularly, and some heart rate reducing meds I’m on, and the new algorithm, I don’t even get into the orange even when I feel I’m working hard. I just go with how I feel. I would lose the monitor but I do like the calorie and other stats they track with the monitor.
Especially when I’m hungover but want some exercise
I am about as uncoordinated and unbalanced as they come. No one cares trust me. I am falling over and flopping like a dead fish half of the time..
I’ve gone days where I had 1 splat point on a 2G I don’t feel bad about it! I’m still proud I showed up :)
One of our coaches used to put notes on the treads for motivation. One day I got “Just by being here you have already won!” I think about that every work out especially when I am not feeling it!
I go green a ton. When your membership is unlimited you feel a bit more freedom than when it's just 1-2x a week. I get a lot more overuse injuries going 4-5x a week so I often go easy.
Green means go ….just go and enjoy the class . Being in the green has so many Health benefits.
I did a solid blue/green day and no splat points on Friday before Dri Tri and so glad I did. First day back after half marathon recovery and just needed to move body and get myself ready for Saturday. I think it helped for next day which was complete opposite in the stats (orange and red mostly). Sometimes body just needs a reset/recover day to push harder the next.
I go 5x a week. I PW 1-2x to work different muscles. I normally still a good burn doing that, but today I purposely went for zero splats. My calves are so sore but I wanted movement for recovery. It was already a planned PW day, so I lowered my inclines and kept my pace in check. Told my coach ahead of time too so she’d know not to try to push me to increase my incline/speed. So all of that to say, yes! Take Green Days when your body/mind need it. Some movement is better than nothing.
I've said this before and I'll say it again. For me it's always better to go. I can't count the # of times I've showed up for class thinking it's just going to be a green day only to feel much better once I have warmed up. After I'm warmed up it's not a green day anymore. There have been times when half the class is a green day and the second half isn't. There are days that are 100% green days and there are days when I feel better during the warm up.
Listening to your body includes your brain. If you’re not feelin’ it, at least you’re moving your body.
I’ve been averaging 6-8x week during the TC the past 7 weeks …. I started to PW @15% on days there are a lot of hills, like tomorrow’s? Ha!! To allow the body an active recovery blue/green day? PW @15% and 4-5mph is no slouch but the HR remains low as well as giving the calf/gastrocs/soleus and Achilles etc a bit of a break, as I usually PUSH and All Outs on regular run days? 🤔🤔
If I need a rest day, I take a rest day.
I was exhausted today- and didn’t want to go and push myself. Yes I 100% could have taken a rest day as I did dritri yesterday and I go 6 days a week. But I wanted to go, so I went and had a complete Green Day- not one second in the orange zone. I felt great after! I have weeks where I have many Green Day’s, either I’m just not feeling it or I’m pushing but probably not as hard as I could. It’s your workout, do what you want to do.
Yep. Listen to your body.
I always go as hard as I can but I have an 8x membership so some weeks I go 3x and some weeks I only go once. I always go by feel and some days that's harder and other days it's all I can do to get out of my head and show up.
Some days, you'll feel amazing and want to push your limits. Other days, just showing up is a win (whether it's because you're physically tired, mentally drained, or just had a busy day). Most of the time, I don't know what type of workout I'll have until I get in the room and warm up and that's ok! Sometimes I'll walk in and tell myself I don't have to push all out if I don't feel like it, but once I warm up, I want to. I think giving yourself grace is the right answer here.
Imo just do something else. Go for a hike, walk the dog, ride a bike, or do something else physical for an hour. I only commit to a workout when I know I’ll be up for the task.
Nope. Had one of those work outs this morning. Walked on an incline instead of ran. Didn't get into the orange zone once
Power walking isn’t easier or a Green Day activity if done properly, though :) just different.
The gal next to me in my last class did that, barely broke green all class (likely from all her obvious peeks at my screens haha). Definitely gave minimal effort at every station. Then in the lobby on the way out asked how I was able to get in such a good workout (I hit my usual 12-15 splats) when she could barely get into the green. Ummmm 🤷🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
I struggle yo take green days, even when I know I need them. But not today!!! My legs said, "absolutely not!" when I started on the treadmill. I listened (for once) and did a slow PW. I got ZERO splat points, making this my most successful green day ever. I feel great. 10/10 recommended
I’ve tried this to motivate me to get to the gym but I almost always end up pushing myself a little harder just because I’m there 😅 if it gets you there instead of staying home then I think it’s great! When I truly need a rest though I do just stay at home. I found for my body I did better when I went really hard fewer times a week but it’s all about what works well for you and your goals. Green Days instead of nothing might be a great idea!
don't chase splat points. listen to your body.
A body in motion stays in motion. Even if it’s not your best effort, you can still feel good that you showed up and did something!
I definitely have days where I dial back the paces or weights for whatever reason. Maybe I didn't sleep that well. Could be anything. Sometimes I'll take it easy for the first block and then step things up later. Do what you need to do.
I would recommend a “green” day every once in a while . I do this 2x/ month . It’s still a great workout without stressing my knees and heart Lol…..
54F. I have a few old injuries that sometime need some babying. So I give myself some green days too.
You pay for your membership, do what you feel. Sometimes I zone out and do an easy approach to give my body some recovery!
I do make sure to get my "green day" in no matter how I feel. Today for example I felt great, but there was a last minute coach change to the one coach I purposefully avoid because their timing is off, I don't like their music and they explain every little thing in class like it is everyone's first class ever and they are always talking on the mic. So today I decided to switch to a green day, instead of letting what would have normally been a more intense workout ruined.
Absolutely!! And when I do those I may run base during walking recoveries just to feel it. I’m OK w low splat days — esp on incline day hehe