Starting something new is always a little intimidating—especially when everyone around you seems to be speaking a different language. At Orangetheory, the gym isn’t just full of heart rate monitors and rowers—it’s full of its own lingo. From “base pace” to “Splat Points,” it can sound like a secret code. But don’t worry—we’ve got you covered.

Here’s your official crash course in Orangetheory speak, so you can walk in confidently and know exactly what everyone’s talking about.

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🏃‍♂️ Base Pace, Push Pace, All Out

These treadmill terms are all about effort—your own effort.

• Base Pace: This is your comfortable, “I could do this for 30 minutes” pace. You can hold a conversation here.
• Push Pace: It’s challenging, but you can hang in there. Think of it as “I can do this for a few minutes, but don’t ask me to talk.”
• All Out: Give it everything you’ve got for a short burst. This is your sprint, your big finish, your final kick. It’s intense—and short.

And yes, walkers, joggers, and runners all have their own versions of these paces. You don’t have to run to push yourself.

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💥 Splat Points

These are Orangetheory’s signature metric. For every minute you spend in the orange or red heart rate zone, you earn one Splat Point. The magic number? 12 or more. That’s the threshold to activate the “afterburn” effect (EPOC), meaning you’ll keep burning calories after you leave the gym.

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🔴 Heart Rate Zones

Orangetheory training is built around five heart rate zones, color-coded on the studio screens:

1. Gray (Zone 1): Very light activity, like warming up
2. Blue (Zone 2): Light cardio or active recovery
3. Green (Zone 3): Base pace—moderate effort
4. Orange (Zone 4): Push zone—challenging effort
5. Red (Zone 5): All out—maximum effort

You’ll spend most of your time in green and orange. The goal is to spike into orange and red during pushes and recoveries, maximizing calorie burn.

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📊 Benchmark & Signature Workouts

A few times each month, Orangetheory drops a Benchmark Workout or a Signature Challenge. These include things like:

• The 12-Minute Benchmark Run (How far can you go?)
• Catch Me If You Can (a treadmill game of pace and distance)
• Inferno, Everest, and Tornado (creative, sweaty challenges)

They’re great for tracking progress and seeing how your fitness improves over time.

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💪 The Floor & The Treads

Classes rotate between treadmills, rowers, and the floor. On the floor, you’ll do strength and resistance work—dumbbells, benches, TRX straps, BOSU balls, and bodyweight movements. Your coach demos everything before class, and they’ll give you modifications if needed.

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🎧 Coach Cues

You’ll hear coaches use cues like:

• “Check in with your form”
• “Power through the drive on the rower”
• “Reset to base pace”
• “Let’s earn those Splat Points!”

Translation? They’re there to motivate you and help you get the most from your gym session.

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🧡 Final Word: Everyone Was New Once

Orangetheory lingo might sound like a foreign language at first, but within a class or two, it’ll roll off your tongue like a gym native. And the best part? Nobody expects you to know it all right away. Just show up, ask questions, and let the coaches and community support you.

You’ll go from “What’s a Splat Point?” to “I got 16 today!” before you know it.

https://www.orangetheory.com/en-us/locations/tennessee/maryville/1012-alcoa-mkt-st