If you’re a fitness enthusiast always on the hunt for new challenges, the Orangetheory Tread 50 class should be next on your radar.
This revolutionary workout from Orangetheory Fitness takes cardio training to an entirely new level by stripping away all distractions and focusing solely on an intense 50-minute endurance challenge.
What the Heck is Tread 50?
The Tread 50 class is exactly what it sounds like – a self-paced, coach-guided 50-minute cardio session where you’ll spend every second on the treadmill, bike, or strider. No equipment switching, no rowing, no weightlifting – just you against the clock, pushing your cardiovascular limits.
It’s tailored for all fitness levels, from power walkers to seasoned runners. And with the help of Orangetheory’s renowned real-time performance tracking, you’ll see your heart rate zones, Splat Points (Orangetheory’s proprietary measure of workout intensity), calories burned, distance, speed, and pace displayed right before your eyes.
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The Tread 50 Experience – A Firsthand Account
I recently attended a Tread 50 class, and let me tell you, it’s not for the faint of heart. After a brief warm-up, we dove into a series of timed blocks that alternated between push intervals and base paces .
One particularly grueling block had us running for a set distance, with the coaches egging us on to beat our distances from the previous block. By the final 4.5-minute block, I was drenched in sweat but also riding high on endorphins from conquering such an intense endurance challenge.
Here’s a snapshot of the class structure:
- 5 timed blocks (first 4 were 7 mins each, final block 4.5 mins)
- Blocks 1 & 3: 1-min push, 30-sec base, repeat
- Blocks 2 & 4: Run for distance, aim to beat previous
- Block 5: Your choice on how to complete, final 1-min all-out
- 90-sec walking recovery between blocks
While the format varies, one thing is constant – the Tread 50 takes Orangetheory’s endurance-focused “ESP” (Endurance, Strength, and Power) philosophy and dials it up to an entirely new level, complementing their traditional Orange 60 workout.
Benefits of Boosting Your Cardio Endurance
But why put yourself through such a grueling cardio gauntlet? Because the benefits of increasing your endurance are numerous:
💪 Improved VO2 Max: The main aim of Tread 50 is boosting your VO2 max – the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilize during intense exercise. A higher VO2 max is a key indicator of cardiovascular fitness.
🔥 Calorie Burn and Metabolism Boost: Intense endurance training like Tread 50 stimulates major calorie burn during the workout and keeps your metabolism revved up long after.
🫁 Stronger Heart and Lungs: By consistently pushing your cardio limits, you’re strengthening the most vital muscles in your body – your heart and lungs.
🏃♀️ Endurance for Days: Training your endurance means having more stamina for any physical activity. Tread 50 is perfect for prepping for an upcoming race.
💯 Overall Health and Longevity: At the end of the day, maintaining cardiovascular fitness quite literally helps you live a longer, healthier life.
Tread 50 vs Strength 50 – Which to Choose?
Can’t decide if you want to focus on endurance or resistance training? No worries – Orangetheory has you covered with two 50-minute class options that run concurrently:
Tread 50: The cardio-palooza we’ve been discussing, centered entirely around treadmill, bike or strider work.
Strength 50: A 50-minute resistance training class utilizing Orangetheory’s unique floor workout setup.
You can’t do both at the same time, so choose whichever training focus is more aligned with your current goals. If you’re prepping for a race, Tread 50 is the way to go. If building strength and power is the priority, hit up Strength 50.
Coach Tips for Conquering Tread 50
Since Tread 50 is such an endurance beast, I checked in with an Orangetheory coach for their top tips:
“The first thing is there will be a tread card on your machine guiding you, but you can absolutely go at your own pace. The awesome – and challenging – part is that you’ll be going for double the treadmill time of a normal class, so expect higher heart rates and paces that may be a bit slower than usual as you fatigue.”
“Proper footwear from a running store is crucial for injury prevention. And be sure to stay on top of stretching, hydration, nutrition and active recovery days, since the training load is so high.” – OTF Coach
In other words, don’t be afraid to modify the tread card to fit your abilities, especially for your first Tread 50 class. Nail down the fundamentals of footwear, stretching, and recovery, and you’ll be ready to take on this mental and physical gauntlet.
Find Your Endurance with Tread 50
The bottom line? Orangetheory’s Tread 50 class is nothing short of a revolution in endurance training. By stripping away all distractions and allowing you to hyperfocus on treadmill, bike or strider work for a full 50 minutes, it provides a unique, technology-driven cardio challenge tailored to your fitness level.
Whether you’re a seasoned marathoner or just starting your endurance journey, the focused coaching, real-time performance data, and motivating group dynamic of Tread 50 is designed to help you reach your full cardio potential.
So what are you waiting for? Lace up those running shoes, hydrate up, and get ready to meet your new endurance obsession at your local Orangetheory studio’s Tread 50 class. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you about the sweat!
FAQs
What is a Tread 50 Orangetheory class?
The Tread 50 is a 50-minute cardio class at Orangetheory Fitness focused entirely on treadmill, bike or strider work with no equipment changes. It’s self-paced with coaching guidance and real-time performance tracking.
What is the Orangetheory Strength 50 class?
Strength 50 is the other 50-minute class option at Orangetheory, featuring 50 minutes of strength and resistance training on their unique floor setup. It runs concurrently with Tread 50.
How long is Tread 50?
The Tread 50 class is 50 minutes long from start to finish, as the name implies.
What is the tread trail at Orangetheory?
The “tread trail” refers to the layout of treadmills, bikes, striders and video screens that Orangetheory members follow along during their cardio workouts like Tread 50.
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