![]() PS: the cool down guided stretches are only for a few minutes, so I'd suggest stretching more outside the studio or when you get home. And you’re typically only doing an exercise for less than a minute, so if you hate it or just can’t do it, you’ll be on to the next in a flash. Training is always different – they mix and match a staggering 5,000 different exercises into 45 classes, so you will never be bored. It might feel like a lot to take in, but don’t worry – handy screens at the front of the room play videos demonstrating each move, so you don’t have to remember it all. The instructors circle the room the whole time too, answering questions and giving form correction tips. At every class, all exercises are explained and demonstrated before a brief warmup. *Gulps.* But you don’t have to be an expert. They’re all super friendly, and they’ll happily provide a modification if you need one, or just let you get on with it.Įvery day I walk into the gym, the floor is laid out with entirely different equipment: battle ropes, stationary bikes, sled pushes, kettlebells, step boxes, balance balls. (Something I dread in bootcamp style classes). I’ve got to give a shoutout to the trainers – I was never once yelled at, humiliated, or pushed beyond my capabilities. Lots of us are there muddling through, taking breaks, doing our sweaty best. Not everyone can quite do all the moves, myself included. There are plenty of people who go to lose weight or improve their fitness. My studio seems to attract a 50/50 ratio of men and women, and while maybe 60% of folks seem to be keen fitness buffs, the other 40% are just there to get some exercise. But that’s not the case at all classes are full of different body types and fitness levels. In my head, I imagined everyone who goes to look like a ripped G.I. But hard in a satisfying way, and not impossible. So, what are F45 classes *actually* like? I’m going to be honest: F45 is hard, especially if you’re new. I decide my approach will be somewhere in the middle: I commit to doing four gym classes per week, and to pay closer attention to what I’m eating and drinking during the Challenge rather than any purposeful calorie restriction. Both approaches are welcome, and besides, it can be dangerous to try to do too much, too fast. But on the gentler end of the spectrum, some folks are just looking to gradually reintroduce healthy habits in an uplifting community space, and get moving again. You can tailor your approach: on the hard-core, more intimidating end, my trainer says that someone in great health and peak fitness might cut booze entirely, train five days a week, follow the meal plan, and calorie-count for the most dramatic results. Sessions involve uber-fast-paced HIIT and circuits, alternating between cardio and strength days. ![]() And the “45” is for 45 minutes, the length of the weekday classes. The “F” in F45 stands for “ functional fitness,” meaning movements that support you in your daily life. Sled pushes: there's a first time for everything. You also get the added benefit of community encouragement – F45 gyms around the world are on the same schedule, so you’re all in this together. The Challenge is book-ended by getting two InBody scans, which measure your progress in several body composition markers such as BMI, skeletal muscle mass, and hydration levels. Signing up for the Challenge gets you unlimited classes at the gym and access to the Challenge app, which has free home workouts and thousands of healthy recipes. What is the F45 challenge?į45 Challenges are either two, six, or eight week long comprehensive training and nutrition programs that you can approach as ferociously or casually as you wish. This is my honest account of what it was like to do the F45 Challenge as both a HIIT newbie and someone starting their fitness journey over from scratch. If, like me, you’re curious to try it out, but wondering if you can do it, then read on. My body was craving movement and some healthier routines again, so I decided to go wildly off piste and (nervously) give the F45 Challenge a go. But it was more than that: I felt tired, stagnant, and stuck with brain fog. When our offices finally re-opened, I realised that not a single pair of my jeans fit. It became all comfort food, comfort Netflix binges, and astonishingly low daily step counts. As COVID restrictions wore on, and I plodded through my 400th day working from a crowded house share kitchen, I had lost the will. Things that felt.less intimidating.īut by the spring of 2022, my activity levels had practically ground to a halt. I spent most of my twenties dipping in and out of yoga, barre, running, and Pilates. So when, years ago at my first-ever HIIT class, a mean instructor barked at me to look "less confused", I left and never looked back. Like most perfectionists, I can’t stand to be bad at anything new. I never pictured myself doing anything *remotely* like the F45 Challenge.
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