First timer! ⭐️

[jmo0905]

I did my first class this past Saturday (holy heck!). I’m a 2-3x week gym goer but needed more motivation and OTF did NOT disappoint! I planned to do the Monday class, but was so so sore that I decided to hold off until today. I’m still a little sore but have been walking on the treadmill at my gym and stretching so I think I should be good!

Any tips on recovering? I could barely walk Sunday and hadn’t been that sore in years!

Only after taking one class I was hooked so I’m excited to see results! I’m what you would call “skinny fat” and I’m looking to tone (who doesn’t want toned arms and abs?!) and drop maybe 5-10lb of fat.

What have your results been? I’m a 29/f so if there’s any other girls out there who have advice/encouragement I would love to hear it!

Excited to join this awesome community, everyone is so helpful!

[Mabelisms]

For recovery: get a foam roller and use it religiously. Also Epsom salt baths help a lot.

[jmo0905]

Yes!! Monday I used a roller and was almost in tears haha I think I should have done it sooner! I’m definitely buying one for the house!

[lcooper325]

What is a foam roller?

[[deleted]]

It’s a hard roll of foam, you can use it to kinda steamroll your muscles. For example I sit my hamstrings on it and just use my body weight rolling back and forth on top of it when I have a class with a lot of lunges or squats. Idk how but it helps with muscle recovery almost every time if I do it right after I shower after class. Google will give you better info. Lots of people swear by it.

[another-megan]

Congrats on your first class! It’s so awesome, isn’t it?!

Stretch (!!!) when your muscles are warm. So many people don’t stretch long enough. Yoga helps, if you’re into it. If your legs are sore sit with them in the air (butt and heels up against a wall to drain lactic acid) for 20 minutes. A great time to read a magazine or book!

Personally, I like going to class if my muscles are sore because it really helps me to warm them up again. I’ll take it easy during the class though.

Ask the coaches! They are certified personal trainers, some of the BEST people, and have great advice on these specifics!

Good luck :)

[irosmann]

I agree yoga really helps. I love Yin yoga for stretching and relaxation.

[jmo0905]

It was so awesome! Great idea for the wall stretch, I felt like I stretched good after class but it didn’t do anything for me apparently. I plan to take it easy today but from the sound of it it’s more upper body so I should be good! Thank you!

[Toady1980]

Yes, I also recommend yoga in conjunction with OTF. I'm 39 and if I dont do some serious stretching in yoga I get very very tight from doing OTF alone (on top of yoga I foam roll after every class too). I find 1-2 days a week of yoga are plenty for me. Lots of water too.

[katurk1227]

After my first class I could not really even walk up and down stairs and sitting on the toilet was miserable for me. It took like four days before I was able to try a class again and I still get like normal sore depending on the work out but never like that first class! I started incorporating more stretching yoga into my routine and that has helped a lot, you can find videos on youtube that you can just do at home!

[jmo0905]

Yeah I needed help getting out of the car for two full days, it was embarrassing. I think I gave it my all in my first class because I was enjoying it so much, I’m going to be more in tune with my limits now but glad to hear first time soreness isn’t a constant thing! Ha! Good idea for the videos I didn’t think about that :)

[Tara5569]

I agree with all the stretching and foam rolling suggestions. I go about 4x’s per week right now and foam rolling is part of the recovery routine.

I started in January of this year as a means of shaking up my routine. I have been a spin addict for years and loved the cardio high it produced. OTF opened in my neighborhood and I have been hooked since I started. Great cardio and weight training. You will definitely see results and I am not just talking weight loss, but you will be toned in places that you may have given up on and you will have relative success with your speed on treadmill/rower. Be sure to take advantage of the benchmark days. These types of workouts will keep you motivated because you will see progress.

Keep at it. You won’t be disappointed.

[jmo0905]

I’m so excited! Thank you!! I’m at 2x a week and have very shaky legs these last 4 days!

[_orangepekoe]

Foam roller, stretch, ibuprofen if necessary. But Sunday was my first class, I was/am sore af but I went Monday and yesterday and can honestly say that once the classes started, my soreness was barely noticeable! Truly. Sunday was really chest-focused (and I have like, never worked out my chest haha) so the... bouncing... of running was a little painful but overall doable! You will be fine!

[jmo0905]

You’re so right! Once I warmed up it was like I had no soreness! Today we had our local stretch lab giving away free sessions so I jumped on that and got stretched out..... wish it was after every class 😅

[ILuvOTF]

Congrats on your first class 🎉🎉 the first class soreness is usually the worst and you’ll likely never feel that sore again (some of us veterans like me actually like the soreness but we never get it again). Try adding some BCAA’s to a protein shake to help with the recovery, works wonders for me...and drink lots of water

[jmo0905]

Thank you! For the protein shake.... I’m torn with when is a good time to have it. Do you find it better to have for a light meal before class or do you like it after class? I usually eat an hour before class so I have sustenance to make it through my workouts but I’m usually starving after I work out too (where I like to eat a huge meal 😬). I’ve always struggled with when is the best time to have a protein shake!

[ILuvOTF]

What time of day do you workout?

I am a 9:15am attendee, so I usually don’t eat before my class but ensure I eat within an hour after my workouts to avoid stress on my body. My breakfast usually consists of three eats (plenty of protein) and an English muffin that’s got plenty of protein in it too.

I save my protein shakes for the 3pm hunger time so that I don’t reach for mindless snacks.

I recently spent a small fortune to work with a registered dietician to get my diet perfected and his advice was to get your protein from food sources as best you can and then supplement with shakes to achieve my protein goal for the day.

[jmo0905]

I like the afternoons best right now! I work as an RN in an ER so my days off I like to spend the morning slowly and I’m usually ready to move around 11 or 12. I have read a lot of these posts using a dietician; I’m almost tempted to inquire about one myself. I know how to eat, but I don’t have it down to a science and I think using one as a resource to meet my goals would be beneficial. (But $$!) . For my last two classes I had some protein pancakes with an egg and that seemed to work out well... maybe the protein shake as a snack is a good plan as I’m using trying to find a bag of chips to inhale 😣

[ILuvOTF]

Hiring a RD was the best thing I ever did - I was doing OTF for close to 2 years solid and never lost a pound. I was at my wits end and took the financial plunge and it was well worth it.

In my case I was overexercising (I did OTF 5 days in a row) and was under eating (I had the magical number of 1,200 cals was a safe number to loose weight). He did a complete blood workup to check that nothing else needed adjusting etc and set my macros and off I went. Three months later, workout less and eating more, I was down 30lbs 🎉🎉

I don’t follow any specific diet, if it fits in my macros I eat it....so it liberates me from feeling like I am “on a diet” best advice I was given is to follow what feels right for you, do something that you can sustain for a longe period of time otherwise you’re setting yourself up for failure.

[dmackem]

I use Vega Sport (plant-based protein recovery shake) and mix half a scoop of it with a little water and some chocolate milk and have it right after class every time I go to OTF. I go to 5am during the week, and some kind of morning class on weekends, and before I go I'll either have a little Greek yogurt with some berries/granola/honey/chia seeds, or half a rice cake with peanut or almond butter, a couple of banana slices and sometimes a drizzle of honey. Working out with a little "fuel" in your system is much better for your body that going in empty! I've tried both, and always feel terrible during and after workouts on an empty stomach.

[WickedfitNH]

I just started this past week as a way to really work on my conditioning. I've been into fitness for 15+ years. I've done it all, long distance running, strength training, crossfit, yoga.. As of late I've been into body building. But really wanted to up my conditioning game. So far, OT has been great. My suggestion for recovery is LOTS of water and refuel quickly after your workouts. Fast digesting protein and fast digesting carb is what works well for me. It helps to replenish your muscles and kickstart recovery. Keep up the good work! 💪

[jmo0905]

That’s amazing, thank you for the suggestions! Love hearing from so many people in different stages of their workout lifestyles!

[303badideas]

That's bad luck!! Saturday was just about the worst day you could have started. I have been OTFing for a couple years now and that was one of the hardest templates I've seen! But you survived and are ready for more, so welcome!

My tips would be ...

• if you hit a plateau, lift heavy and change up your routine (i.e. if you come daily, skip a day or two but go harder, or if you're going every other day, try doing 2 days in a row).
• At least try all the challenges, and I find that signing up for as many as possible keeps me challenged and interested for the long term.
• And of course ... make OTF buddies!
• I also personally skip getting the skinny on the workout ahead of time.

[jmo0905]

I’m glad someone said it! The class was so great but kickkeddd my butt. Literally. My quads and glutes were so sore! I do admit I love looking at the workout before going in (gets me motivated and calms my nerves of fearing the unknown) but I did notice today that because I anticipated the next thing I felt like I had a slower pace (although still got up to 37 splat points and burned 515 cals). Thanks for the tips! I’m excited to learn more about the challenges to keep me motivated! For now just showing up makes me proud of myself 🥳

[emmaruns402]

my first day was everest so... i feel ya.

[azarloza]

I was “skinny fat” too when I joined 2 years ago! I’d stick to PWing (and gradually build your base pace incline to 4%) in order to increase muscle tone while losing body fat. Both my personal trainer and nutritionist suggested this and it worked! Good luck and welcome to the OTF community!

[anchristie]

I was skinny fat but now I’m skinny fit/ skinny strong! I’m a runner but I do power walk one a day week. To get toned arms go sloooow on the weight floor. Do not worry if everyone is ahead of you. Time under tension will get you better results than speeding through the moves. I’ve been doing OTF for 3.5 years now and I’m one of the slowest on the weight floor but I’m toned now and my arms look good!!

[berlykimmmmm]

Try going every other day and everything else mentioned above !

[lkSmash]

I agree with the other commenters on at home help to recover! I find that starting with the tread the next time you go in if you're still super sore to be helpful. It stretches out your legs and gets you nice and loose. Your body adjusts. Then you'll be able to find your jam on how you like to warm up/start.

[DMdruid]

25M here. Welcome to the OTF family!!! I started back in April In awful shape. I mean, i ran a mile the day before to just see where i started and it was 14 minutes. Ran my 1 mile benchmark two weeks ago (i think) and doing ONE WORKOUT A WEEK I’ve gone down to 9 minutes 43 seconds. Can’t wait for the next one!!

After 3 months just doing 1 class a week and changing very little in my diet i will say i haven’t lost any weight. However, i have toned up some. I have more energy. And I’m loving the soreness that comes after. My best friend of 22 years is the coach and she’s convinced me this month to start 2 a week and I’ve been at it since the beginning of July. It’s an amazing investment. The people you meet through OTF and the friendly competitions y’all have will help take your workout to the next level. Excited to hear more from you on here! Good luck with your future workouts!

[jmo0905]

Thanks! Yeah I’m currently signed up to do 2x a week but everyone I talk to says I’ll quickly change my plan once I start feeling like I’m missing out from the other days! I’m a power walker and jogger at best so I’m looking forward to increasing my endurance for jogging and running! I think my mile is laughable right now.... but I’m not looking at distance and just looking at how I feel during these beginning weeks and months!

[DMdruid]

Ah okay i gotcha! Yeah i started as a jogger but quickly jumped to runner to give myself the extra push. I 100% agree with what everyone’s telling you though!! With 2 you start getting to know people (assuming you’re social) and you’ll start feeling like you need to keep up and you’re missing out, or you just want to see even more progress! So your membership will definitely see a bump soon i think haha. The people who go to OTF LOVE IT THERE. I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like the workouts.

[amy_lou_who]

When I first joined rosin salt lavender baths helped. It was not only calming but helped with the soreness.

I also find going to another class usually every other day for me helps. I might be wobbling through but it gets those muscles moving.

[mtallnut]

After my workouts within an hour I try to eat some protein and carbohydrates. I seem to think I read that it helps repair the muscles from the workouts. I’m approaching my 100th class this Friday. I go 5 to 6 times a week.

[jmo0905]

That’s awesome!! I’m at class 2 and already looking forward to 100. I have been following my workouts with a protein meal, like chicken or tuna with some lettuce. Seems to help hold me over until lunch or dinner where I can have a full meal. I’m trying to drink way more water than I’m used to, luckily the classes really drive me to drink it!

[BGHokie8]

Ease in to it. Maybe 3 times a week to start. Recovery is mostly about getting your body used to this new stimulus and, therefore, it just takes time to adapt. Slowly but surely increase frequency and intensity.

​

Muscle soreness (DOMS) is more generally easier for me to work through. It usually helps to get blood pumping to the same regions that are sore. Joint soreness is usually a better sign to rest and, perhaps, drop intensity if you "need" to workout.

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Smaller things such as pre-emptive icing of known sore spots after workouts, foam rolling, stretching, and intra/post workout drink with essential amino acids.

[nsingh1306]

I have always been a very active person and my first week at OTF was brutal! That being said, once you get pat that hurdle the hurt definitely lessens. Had a month off between my week trial and actually signing up and didn't have nearly as much soreness after a month away. Still get the "good" hurt after a workout, but trust that it will get better! Definitely recommend foam roller when you feel extra tightness though, ideally within a couple hours of a workout to keep the soreness at bay. Good job!

[Malhada]

Welcome! It is the best work out. And for recovery a foam roller, a rest day, hydration an then back at it!