I've been walking by this studio for years, but I didn't take my first class until a few months ago. I always assumed it was a weird cult.
Well, I think I was right. I think it is a cult, and the patron saint is Mark Wahlberg.* For Pete's (that's me) sake, these are people that like doing burpees between sets. But after 15+ sessions, I guess I'm drinking the koolaid.
What I love about it is it's always a full body, crushing workout in only 45 minutes. I can get in and out during the workday, feeling like I actually did something. There's no wasted time. You arrive, warm up, and go. There are screens showing you exactly what you should be doing at all times, and the coaches are roaming around with minor corrections and encouragement.
There will be machine work (rowing, skiing, biking, etc.), kettlebells, weights, bodyweight exercises, weighted balls, resistance bands, jumps, agility work...all kinds of movement to challenge yourself. There will be so many different types of squats, and RDLs, and presses. The workouts are thoughtfully designed to hit your whole body.
If you ever played sports, you might find that this is a much better motivator to push your body than most other workouts. You get out what you put in (like everything in life), and the other folks around you help you push yourself in a low-pressure way. And with this type of circuit training, I find that I don't have time to get bored, which makes it more fun than just about anything else I do, workout-wise.
And in my experience, the coaches are awesome. The first person I met was Grace, who seems like she runs shit around here. She's also a badass who I've seen push triple the weight I can on a sled with a full grown man on top of it besides.
I'm more of a morning workout guy, and while I've had a bunch of different coaches, Rashell (who's leaving sadly) and Luther are often there in the AM, and always cool. They are just good people who help with my form (which is terrible), and are obviously in amazing shape. Shout out to Sisi and Cascio and Jade and all the other awesome folks as well. I like that many of them will just jump in on a class that they aren't running to get a workout in too.
To be clear, F45 is not easy (if you actually go for it), especially at first. I wanted to complain that I'm too old for this shit, but I've seen multiple men and women with grey hair lapping me in some of the circuits. Personally I find that if it's a cardio session, chances are I'll feel like I'm dying afterward. If it's weights/resistance, chances are I'll feel like I'm dying the day after. But after a couple months of going semi-regularly, I feel good, and I almost enjoy the classes. Almost.
Well, I think I'm in a cult. And I like it.
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*My first class was during "Wahlberg Week" and his voice would get on the loudspeaker and encourage us. read more