A few weeks ago, I signed up for a FREE trial at the world famous F45 gym where celebrity fitness classes were conducted. A little bit of background of myself: I have been building my stamina/cardio/fitness level for the past 6 months and I can confidently say that I can run for 5-10mins straight on the treadmill now -- WHICH IS A BIG STEP FOR ME TO BE HONEST.
Thinking that I'm such a #fitspo now, I confidently went for the class with a close friend and ... lets just say things didn't turn out the way I wanted it to.
CLASS STRUCTURE
The trainers guide you through the warm ups and students are more than welcome to stay to join warm down (stretching) at the end of each session. Classes consists of cardio, resistance or a combination of both. Typically, there will be ≥ 18 stations and depending on the routine for that day, each station will be repeated 2-4 times. Each station will be about 30-40 seconds each with a 10 second rest time in between. Stations are also usually grouped up, about 4-5 in a group and you rotate within a section and then move on to other groups.
You can find the details to their workout programs here.
Took this photo from their Instagram page just to illustrate better on what I was going to talk about next. One screen on the wall will show you (continuously) exactly what workout to do and for which station and the other screen will show you the countdown time, when to rest and when to head to the next station or the next group of stations.
CLASS SCHEDULE
Monday - Fridays:
Saturdays:
Sundays: Not open.
WHAT I LIKED
☑ Perfect for fat burning
☑ Very clean and does not reek of sweat - but this could differ from outlets?
☑ Workout routine always changes (great because I get bored easily)
☑ Slightly idiot proof because of the screens running constantly to guide you. (I only say slightly
because I got confused hahaha)
☑ The community - Everyone is so welcoming, friendly and helpful!
☑ Easy to book classes
☑ Joining a franchise outlet that is opened by a particular person/group/team will allow you to attend
classes at all the other outlets under them (e.g., F45 Chinatown is under the same contractor as
F45 Fitzroy if I'm not wrong!)
☑ Trainers (at F45 Chinatown)
☑ A great variety of equipment
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE
☒ Cost: $60/week
☒ Number of shower rooms - this could differ from each outlet!
☒ Gym time slots. F45 mainly accommodates to the working class group, not so much to busy
science students like myself that also works on a shift-to-shift basis.
☒ Too intense & overwhelming for an intermediate-beginner.
☒ Easy to cheat during workouts
☒ Only 2 trainers per session = lack of focus on training due to class sizes
☒ Not a typical gym so I don't think you can just rock up to use their weights/TRX etc.
☒ Warm up was only 2 minutes max (or felt like it).
CONCLUSION
Whilst there were more pros than cons that I experienced during the 1 week, I think F45 is not suitable for me at my current stage. As someone who is still trying to work to improve her fitness level instead of only maintaining it, I think gyms that run smaller classes will be suitable for me. Currently, I need a trainer that pushes me hard and notices when I am slacking (which I tend to do unfortunately). However, F45 will definitely be something I consider when my fitness level has improved further! I definitely recommend anyone who heard about the F45 hype to give it a try and don't be afraid to take it slow during the workouts. The trainers at F45 are absolutely amazing and will guide you through your workout if they notice you are struggling.
I would love to hear some of your experiences at F45 (wherever you are) and any recommendations you think will be best suited for me!
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