Michael Lombard

Orangetheory Coach

From United States Marine Corps member to independent owner and operator of Lombard Trucking, Michael Lombard continues to inspire others while on his latest journey, coaching at Orangetheory Fitness. After an unexpected truck collision, Lombard was forced to pause trucking while he waited for all vehicle repairs to be complete. Lombard used every second off the road to prepare for his new path of group fitness coaching, which has quickly and unexpectedly transformed his entire life.

Lombard served as Captain of his varsity swim team in high school and Captain of his lacrosse team in College, where he ran team drills and practices. He served with the US Marine Corps right after high school for four years, then earned his Bachelor of Science in Sports Management. He was a Marine Corps instructor of water survival, where he was responsible for training fellow marines to prepare them both mentally and physically with the knowledge needed to navigate the waters and emergency aquatic environments. Instructing such a vital skill set required by marines made it crucial for Lombard to quickly learn the importance of reassuring others of their strengths and capabilities to complete life-risking duties such as rescue jumps, 25-meter swims while wearing a full set of gear, and treading water for extended periods.

“I realized that I let go of myself because nothing was holding me accountable."

- Michael Lombard

During his time on the management team at a plumbing and heating wholesaler, Lombard found himself turning away from his health and towards long hours that left little to no room for mental or physical recovery. After two years of prioritizing work over his well-being, Lombard used his discomfort with his current health condition to propel him toward evenings filled with CrossFit and nutritional meal prepping. In the year following this drastic lifestyle change, he lost 50 pounds and gained the confidence in himself to see where else this wake-up call would lead him.

Over-the-road truck driving is no simple task and typically requires 8-10 hours on the road per day, with only 1-2 breaks throughout. During his short breaks, Lombard was always sure to get in some form of exercise, despite it not always being the most convenient. When Lombard chose to make his health a non-negotiable, he saw that the lifestyle of truck drivers didn’t set the drivers up for success when it came to eating well and exercising. He soon began sharing his over-the-road workouts and meals with his fellow truck drivers and people in all fields that he connected with through social media and his podcast, The Lombard Trucking Show.

“You don’t have to be a pro-athlete or a doctor to share health. It’s all about learning the right information and passing it on the right way.”

- Lombard

Lombard built a community of encouragement and motivation with people he’d never met in person, but who trusted his advice because of his transparency about his journey. He was creating daily health and fitness content for multiple social media platforms while continuing his full-time job on the road. When his truck was backed into, he had no option but to take time off from trucking. This was just the opportunity he needed to turn his newfound love for health and fitness into a full-time career.

Orangetheory Fitness (OTF), a heart rate-based interval training workout, was introduced to Lombard in 2018 by his wife. OTF incorporates three stations during their 60-minute classes. Members switch between rowing, power-walking/jogging/ running, and strength training as a “certified coach will guide you through our 5 different heart rate zones: resting, easy, challenging, uncomfortable and All Out, telling you when to push harder and when to pull back for recovery” (Orangetheory Fitness).

Graphic via Orangetheory

Lombard was a CrossFit regular, but he still enjoyed the uniqueness of OTF workouts and tried to go every few weeks. 2020 offered great class pack deals at OTF that Lombard took advantage of, making him a more permanent member. Lombard soon fell in love with Orangetheory because of how interpersonal the brand is as it focuses on building relationships with people, not just convincing them to workout. He was inspired by all that OTF stands for -  its inclusion of everyone, and how it sticks by the concept of hard work leading to great rewards both physically and mentally. Lombard’s admiration of the workout and OTF community only grew until he decided that he wanted to be a voice of positive change for studio members through working directly with them as so many inspiring coaches had with him.

While waiting for his truck to be repaired, Lombard diligently studied for the American Council on Exercise (ACE) Group Fitness Instructor (GFI) exam, which would certify him to become a coach at OTF. The exam consists of 150 multiple-choice questions to be completed within a 3-hour time limit. The exam covers an array of topics designed to fully prepare group fitness trainers for every coaching environment. Topics include “exercise programming, motivation techniques, music selection, safety considerations and more” (ACE). After only four weeks, Lombard had mastered the textbook and was ready to test and begin his next step in the fitness realm. In June of 2023, Lombard earned his GFI certification and shortly began coaching at Orangetheory just 2 months later in August.

Before his formal mic audition, Lombard co-coached 10 Orangetheory classes and was interviewed by the head coach. His official coach's training began on a Monday and ended on the Friday of that week when he had his mic audition test. During the mic audition, coaches must recite the lobby intro that gives a sneak peek into the focus of the workout for that day. Once members know what to expect from the class ahead, the coach invites everyone into the studio with a fist bump, smile, and a word of encouragement or a welcoming “glad you’re here!” After members hop onto their assigned station number, the coach gives a quick breakdown of the 5 different heart rate zones and the other information reported by members’ heart rate monitors.

During the 5-minute warm-up, members on the treadmill hold a walking warm-up or “base pace” warm-up while those on the rowers warm up for about 2.5 minutes before transitioning to the floor for their strength training. Throughout these short five minutes, the coach must also share how many blocks will be at each station, explain how members will achieve the goals for that day (endurance, strength, power, or a combination of all three), and demonstrate the first block’s exercises to those beginning their workout on the weight room floor. The coach proceeds to instruct the class until about the halfway point (30 minutes), at which point the 2 groups switch sides of the room and the mic audition is complete.

“The coaches always made sure to talk to me personally, even with

an entire class to coach

at the same time.”

- Lombard

Lombard’s experience as an OT member set the tone for who he strives to be as a coach. He has found this possible through cultivating an upbeat and motivating class atmosphere full of Latin dance music and continuous celebration of member’s successes throughout every class. Despite needing to coach an entire class of 15-20 people at once, Lombard aims to ensure that each member is seen as he addresses their form and technique while being sure to answer questions about the workout along the way.

His proudest coaching moments are when members achieve a new milestone or find the strength they didn’t know they had until the right  coach encouraged them to start believing in themselves. Personal records and benchmark challenges are some of Lombard’s favorite classes to coach. The 500-meter rowing benchmark and Dri-Tri are OT’s most recent studio challenges that Lombard has loved getting to be a part of as not only a member, but also a coach.

"My buddy from college ran cross country and told me to ditch the music, so I did."

- Lombard

When he’s not coaching one of his 16 weekly classes, Lombard goes to CrossFit, trains conventional strength movements, rides his stationary bike, runs outdoors, and of course, goes to Orangetheory. His daily workout routines vary depending on his schedule and energy levels. Lombard’s runs are never less than 3 miles, typically averaging 4 or more per run, all while wearing a 20-pound vest. Lombard has trained himself to thrive in almost any weather condition while running, including anywhere from 25 °F to 100 °F temperatures. He has completed two half marathons and five full marathons all while trucking, and he plans to complete the upcoming 2024 Austin Full Marathon. Lombard’s ultimate goal in his fitness journey is to complete a full IRONMAN Triathlon.

This race has a time limit of 17 hours total to complete a  2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run, with each of the three races having its own cutoff time. Lombard’s past achievements have proven that he is physically able to succeed in an IRONMAN, so he is currently working on strengthening his endurance even more as he also trains the mental aspect and intense determination needed to persevere through such a strenuous race.

The majority of Lombard’s health resources and inspiration is found on the 1st Phorm app, which allows him to create balanced meal plans, find a range of new exercise routines, measure his fitness progress, and watch education videos from certified fitness and healthcare professionals. He especially enjoys fitness content created by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, founder of the Institute for Muscle-Centric Medicine and author of Forever Strong, a book discussing the importance of muscle in the context of health and overall longevity.

“There's lot of nuances in the fitness industry. They say 'you can do hard stuff,' but what's that 'hard stuff' for you?"

- Lombard

Lombard is currently working toward earning his Personal Trainer certification, which will expand his  scope of practice by exceling his future goal of growing his own brand that includes a program especially designed with lifestyle recommendations for drivers and professionals in the transportation industry. While he becomes more experienced through coaching at Orangetheory, Lombard is continuously expanding his connections with those who work in the transportation industry or have sedentary jobs, both groups of which could benefit greatly from a program designed to combat the negative health effects of a time-intensive job that does not provide much free time for health and exercise maintenance.

While the process of becoming a fitness influencer can feel slow and unpredictable, Lombard’s genuine love for establishing and building interpersonal relationships within the transportation field fuels his efforts to create a reliable and supportive platform where individuals with limited time or access to fitness resources and equipment can still find a routine that works for them and excites them.

To anyone wondering what Lombard’s ultimate “why” is, he suggests to “take a look at who’s around you, who you care about.” He explains that striving to be your best self is not just a win for you, but also for your family and friends. While it is important to prioritize work and chores, prioritizing these responsibilities over all else will inevitably lead to sacrificing your own well-being. To anyone with the fear of starting a seemingly overwhelming health journey, Lombard shares the truth that you do not need to begin with a marathon, you don’t even need to work towards running one.

Go for a 45-minute walk, drink water, or switch your current food choices to healthier alternatives. If you love walking, don’t feel the need to run - keep enjoying walking. If you enjoy coffee or tea, don’t completely cut those out, but instead add water or fresh juice. If some of your favorite meals or snacks are not considered the stereotypical “health foods,” see how you can boost your protein, healthy fat, or fiber intake.

Lombard views health as something to bring out the best and strongest version of yourself. Living a healthy life is not about changing all of your current habits or cutting out entire aspects of your daily routine that you’ve lived by for so long. It is about making gradual improvements that lead to a more fulfilling and joyous life. One of Orangetheory’s most popular sayings is “more life,” a reminder of one of the many things their members gain from each OT workout. Lombard keeps this short, but powerful phrase at the forefront of his approach to lead his classes and encourage his class attendees. He coaches in a way that moves members towards “more life,” which he believes is something every single person deserves both in the fitness studio and out in the world.