What Athletes Know That Adults in Trendy Workout Classes Don’t

Why F45 and OrangeTheory Won’t Help You Build Muscle, Bone Density, or Boost Heart Health efficiently—Here’s What Will

If you're an adult looking to gain muscle, increase bone density, and improve your VO2 max (heart health), F45 and OrangeTheory may not be the best choice for your goals. These popular workout styles, while effective for general fitness and fat loss, focus too heavily on the lactate system, pushing you into a sympathetic state—the body’s "fight or flight" mode. This continuous stress response increases cortisol, making it harder for you to build muscle, enhance recovery, and improve overall strength.

The Problem with F45 and OrangeTheory:

Both F45 and OrangeTheory combine high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and aerobic conditioning, which primarily work the lactate system. While this can be great for burning calories, it doesn't stimulate the kinds of changes you need for building lean muscle or increasing bone density. Here’s why:

1. Lactate System Dominance: These programs emphasize short bursts of high-intensity work, which primarily targets the lactate system (the system that produces energy during intense, short-duration efforts). While this system is effective for calorie burning, it doesn’t activate the muscle-building pathways needed for long-term growth. Having more muscle burns more fat.

2. Cortisol Overload: Constantly pushing your body into a high-stress state increases cortisol levels. Elevated cortisol for extended periods can hinder your ability to recover, gain muscle, and keep your body in an anabolic (muscle-building) state.

3. Insufficient Load for Bone Density: These workouts rarely include heavy resistance training, meaning they won’t do much to increase bone density or improve your strength in the way that heavy lifting does.

   
   

The STRIDE Approach: Building Strength, Muscle, and Heart Health Without Compromise

At STRIDE, we do things differently. We separate strength training and VO2 max training into distinct days to make sure you get the best of both worlds. Here’s how:

1. Heavy Weights for Muscle and Bone Density: On strength days, we focus on heavy lifting to stimulate mTOR (the muscle-building pathway). This type of training is crucial for increasing muscle mass, bone density, and overall strength. Unlike F45 and OrangeTheory, we don’t waste time on circuits that don’t get heavy enough to make a difference in strength.

2. Aerobic High-Intensity for VO2 Max: On separate days, we focus on aerobic high-intensity training, targeting the PPMK pathway (which is essential for improving VO2 max and heart health). By isolating these systems, we avoid interfering with muscle growth and recovery while still improving cardiovascular performance.

   
   

This separation between strength and cardio not only maximizes your muscle-building potential, but it also allows you to maintain optimal recovery while working on heart health. The result? More muscle, less fat, better bones, and a stronger, healthier heart.

What Athletes Have Known for Years: Separate Strength and Conditioning

This approach isn’t new. Athletes have been doing this for years because they understand the value of focusing on strength on one day and conditioning on another. The reason athletes break up strength training and conditioning is simple: it allows them to put maximum effort into both without interference. Keeping mTOR active throughout the day promotes continuous muscle growth, whereas combining cardio and PPMK deactivates mTOR, hindering muscle development.

By splitting up the days dedicated to heavy lifting and high-intensity cardio, athletes ensure they’re not compromising one for the other. This approach maximizes performance gains in both areas without risking overtraining, fatigue, or cortisol overload. And now, you can implement this same approach to achieve better results in your training.

Why settle for a generic workout when you can have a program specifically designed for your goals? Join STRIDE today and get the right balance of strength and heart health training to transform your body inside and out. No more cortisol overload, no more wasted effort—just real results.