With all of the different boutique style gyms, the options can feel very overwhelming. Hopefully these upcoming reviews will help you get an idea of what you’ll be getting into before you go, and help decide what’s worth your time to try. The first workout I decided to try and review is F45!
Before:
F45 stands for Functional 45, and is an Australian based program set at 45 minutes long. There is a short warm up at the beginning, and no programmed cool down or stretch at the end. F45 is one of the only workout studios I’ve found that offers a full week for a free trial, though most CrossFit gyms will also offer a full week free, and I was able to visit for 4 sequential days. F45 splits their workouts throughout the week, alternating cardio and weight training every other day. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday are cardio days while Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday are weight training days. Saturday classes are a hybrid day that is more of a full body mix. Right now with COVID restrictions, the gyms have to be set up differently for social distancing, and I would say that impacts your experience if you’re just now trying this program out. Here’s my experience with F45!
Day 1: Cardio (Monday)
My first class was on a Monday morning at 5:15 am. The coach greeted me as I walked into the studio, and did a great job explaining how class would be set up. With COVID restrictions still in place, there were taped off areas for you to stand in and you would be using whatever equipment was around that square. This particular class was called “Redline” and was described to be very cardio intensive. The timing was set that you would do 1 movement for 20, 30, 40, 50, & 60 seconds sequentially before moving on to the next movement. We did a very quick warm up that was probably around 3 minutes, and then immediately jumped into the workout. You would watch the tv in front of your row of squares, and perform that movement for the rep scheme until it was time to move on to the next. The equipment I used included a jump rope, my body weight, a bosu ball, a rower, and dumbbells. At the end of class, there was no designed cool down and it was really up to you as to what, if any, stretches you did.
After Class Thoughts:
Personally, I did not feel like this first class was extremely challenging. It was certainly centered around cardio movements, but I never felt like my heart rate really got pushed. Overall I got a decent calorie burn, and never felt lost or confused during class with how straightforward it’s designed. I do wish there was a cool down designed for the class similar to the warm up, because I know how important it is to stretch to keep your body safe.
Day 2: Strength/Weight Training (Tuesday)
Tuesday morning I showed up again at 5:15 am, and even though I didn’t feel very challenged the day before I was feeling sore throughout my calves from Monday’s class. This was designed to be a strength day, focusing on weight training. Again, I picked a square, did the quick warm up, and jumped into the workout. The movements for the weight training were what I would describe as boot camp style movements. I was in the same square as I was on Monday, so I used dumbbells, the bosu ball, and triangle shaped kettle bells. We rotated through a handful of movements for a rep scheme of 40 seconds on, 20 seconds off and continued that pattern through the end of class.
After Class Thoughts:
Again, I did not feel very challenged. I am used to training with CrossFit and trying push myself to the limits, so training in this type of environment felt a little bit boring. I had a lower than average calorie burn, but did feel sore the day after!
Day 3: Cardio (Wednesday)
Wednesday morning I went to the 6:15 am instead of 5:15 am class, and met another group of people including running into another Neighborhood Barre instructor! This class was designed to be another cardio intensive class, and had an opposite pattern from Monday. We performed 4 movements sequentially for a timeframe of 60, 40, 30, and finally 20 seconds each. We would rotate through those 4 movements for those timeframes, and then move on to the next set of 4 movements. I stood in a different square this day, so I used equipment like a slam ball (a ball filled with sand), bosu ball, dumbbells, a resistance band, and my body weight.
After Class Thoughts:
HOLY MOLY this was the class where things took a turn for me. I was seriously challenged and finally felt like I was really being pushed in this cardio class. There was a good amount of high intensity movements like you might see in a HIIT class, along with some lower weight movements to keep the heart rate up. I got a great calorie burn and did a lot more sweating in this class than any other!
Day 4: Strength/Weight Training (Thursday)
Thursday was the last morning that I got to visit, and it was another strength day. Although Wednesday’s class pushed me like I was used to in a CrossFit class, Thursday’s class was my favorite. I was back to my original square with the dumbbells, triangle shaped kettle bells, and bosu ball for equipment. There were also some body weight movements worked into this strength class that you could add weight to or make more challenging by utilizing the bosu ball. Class was designed to complete a circuit of the same exercise 3 times for 30 seconds, with a short rest in between.
After Class Thoughts:
This workout felt the most like one you might do in a “regular” gym like Gold’s Gym or Planet Fitness, and I really enjoyed it. I did a good amount of sweating, had a strong calorie burn, and walked out feeling like I had accomplished something. This class reminded me the most of how I would train before getting into CrossFit and barre, and I remembered how much I enjoyed that type of workout.
Pricing & Final Thoughts:
First, the workouts themselves vary in difficulty and exertion mostly depending on the individual, what type of training you’re used to doing, and what comes easily to you. For example, Monday’s cardio day seemed fairly easy for me while Wednesday’s felt extremely difficult. The movements you’ll see in class will feel familiar if you’ve ever taken a boot camp or HIIT style workout class (thinks burpees, using dumbbells and small weight lifting bars, etc.). I will say there was a lot of different equipment spread around the room that I did not get to use even half of. If you’re going to try F45 while we’re still under COVID restrictions be mindful of which square you pick, and try to pick a different square each time to get different equipment!
Finally, let’s review pricing. At the gym visited for this review, the unlimited membership is $82.50 biweekly, totaling $165 for the month, or $2,145 total for the year. This is priced higher compared to the CrossFit gyms in the area, which include classes lead by a coach with one on one training. It might make more sense (bang for your buck wise) when the F45 gym is able to operate normally outside of COVID restrictions, but it is on the average end of the boutique fitness pricing. One of the biggest highlights is that you do have the option to try this program out for a full week before feeling like you need to make a decision on committing to a monthly package or not. The environment is very positive and encouraging, but I would not say that you get much individualized training if that’s something you are hoping to have.
Overall I had a very positive experience with F45, would recommend trying it to anyone, but the style of training did not seem to fit me personally. If you are someone who is new to working out, just getting back into a workout routine, or maybe coming from working out alone in a gym who is looking for a competitive, driven atmosphere with programming already in place this is an excellent option! Look for your closest F45 studio to book your free week trial here: https://f45training.com/
Thanks for reading! Be sure to leave your thoughts, comments, or questions down below!