Gyms have officially reopened in NY, including this DUMBO location of F45, but I'm still not comfortable working out with groups of people gasping for breath and expelling what could be virus particles into an enclosed space. I've clearly watched one too many videos about air circulation indoors but there is another way! Enter outdoor training with F45, which includes workout equipment, heart thumping tunes blaring from some speakers, and even a makeshift countdown ticker in the form of an iPad. They've done away with the bells and whistles they're known for by necessity, but what I really came for was the motivation, and motivate me they did.
I've been in touch with Kim at this location, who got me set up for a weeknight class. They also post their class schedule on Mindbody but I'm glad I got to talk with Kim to set the right expectations for class. All I needed to bring was a mat and a towel and show up to Brooklyn Bridge Park. Once we arrived to the park we were walked over to the gym about a block away and chose 1 kettlebell, 1 barbell, and a couple of resistance bands. Once we were set up at our spaced out spots, we began our 45 minute workout.
To prevent us from having to move around and pass each other we stayed put at our respective spots, but the benefit of this is that we were able to work out unmasked. I realized pretty early on that the weight I chose for the kettlebell was too heavy for some of the moves and the barbell I picked was much too light for most of the moves, and of course I couldn't just reach for a different weight without missing a chunk of class. Fortunately Heather the instructor was a pro and provided adjustments, like using the resistance band on the barbell to make that move more challenging, or turning a one legged move into a two legged one so I had more center of gravity to carry my kettlebell that was otherwise too heavy.
Of course outdoor workouts are weather dependent and there are a number of limitations, including the type of workout they can replicate outdoors and working out on the uneven surface of the earth. For these reasons I can't see making this a regular part of my routine, but I think they did a wonderful job with what they had. read more