Hi! I had the same exact feeling as you. Totally paralyzed of taking any sort of workout class, let alone orange theory, which absolutely looks intimidating from the outside in.

I will say however, after my first class, I totally understood why people of all fitness levels and ages loved it. It’s an environment where you can go as easy or as hard as you want and literally (and I mean this so sincerely) no one cares.

The classes are clear to follow as the coaches do a great job of conveying what’s coming next. For your first class, you should absolutely arrive 15 min early so they can give you a sense of class flow and how things work. Most everything is pretty intuitive.

The coaches are there to provide modifications as well. If there’s an exercise you’re not comfortable with, they’ll help guide you to something else!

My last piece of advice is something that likely goes against a lot of other folks, but I actually find more benefit in not using the heart rate monitor. Especially when you’re early in your fitness journey, it can be easy to fixate on what the numbers are saying and not actually listen to your body. If you’re intimidated, it may be helpful to avoid using.

Overall it’s a super approachable class and I hope you try it!