As a British expat who’s been living in Australia for nearly 6 months, I’ve come to love almost everything about life down under.
From the sunshine and glorious sandy beaches to the trendy rooftop bars and quick-witted humour, the land of the long weekend really does have it all.
The only slight drawback is the significant increase in wildlife that would happily take a chunk out of me given the chance. But I’m slowly learning to embrace all of my new furry-legged, venomous, and sharp-toothed friends, too.
As someone who has trained almost all of my adult life, one aspect that has particularly stood out to me since stepping foot in the country is the workout culture.
Pretty much everywhere you go you’ll find a fine selection of gyms offering all manner of training methods.
One of the most famed, however, is F45 Training. Despite hitting rocky financial waters in recent times, the Australian-born franchise still remains the heartbeat of many cities’ fitness scenes.
If you aren’t familiar with how it works, then allow me to bring you up to speed.
F45 – It’s In The Name
If you’re new to F45, the clue to how it all works is quite literally in the name. The ‘F’ stands for functional training, a mix of circuit and HIIT-style workouts geared towards everyday movement. While 45 is the total amount of time for sweat-dripping, heart-pumping fun.
But there’s a little more to it than that. The week is divided into different styles of workouts that benefit your body in different ways.
Mondays and Wednesdays are devoted to cardio, with various stations set up to push your lungs to the limit and send your metabolism into overdrive.
On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, it’s all about testing your resistance with workouts that introduce just enough weight to build lean muscle while giving a new meaning to the word fatigue.
That leaves Fridays and Saturdays for hybrid sessions. These incorporate a mix of cardio and resistance training that will put your strength and endurance to the test.
You may have noticed that I mentioned F45’s workouts feature several different stations, and that’s key to how it all knits together.
When you arrive at the gym the team will have already set up a range of exercises that have been selected from F45’s extensive database.
You’ll then have to complete a certain amount of time, or repetitions, at that station before moving on to the next one. It’s certainly not as linear as the classic ‘bro split’, and by that I mean devoting one session per day to a certain muscle group.
Instead, the idea of F45 is to unify all muscle groups and make you stronger, fitter, and healthier than ever before.
If you’re a beginner then this may all seem a bit intimidating, but there’s no need to be put off.
Before each workout, F45’s trainers will demo every exercise for those who need it, and keep a keen eye throughout the session to correct any form and provide a timely motivational boost.
F45 TVs are also situated on the walls to guide you, while F45 FM will soundtrack your workout.
The F45 Difference
I have to admit, F45 was completely different to anything else I’ve ever experienced – and I mean that in the best way possible.
Walking into the gym I was quite confident in my fitness level, but I was quickly humbled. I’m used to lifting heavy weights in short bursts with long rest periods, so switching to higher-intensity workouts was a tough change of pace but one that I found extremely beneficial.
I realised there were a lot of movements and muscle groups I had probably been ignoring through my own training, and over the course of my time at the gym, I did feel my fitness levels and core strength skyrocket, so that was a massive plus.
The group training atmosphere was also great in a motivational sense. It becomes like a little community, and you end up forging good friendships with the trainers and fellow members.
If you struggle with dragging yourself to the gym then this format could be ideal for you. Once you build those relationships you feel like you don’t want to let people down, so that alone forces you along to the next session.
There are, however, a couple of things to keep in mind if you’re thinking of joining F45. It’s a little more expensive than your standard gym membership, but in return for that fee, you get contact time with personal trainers on a daily basis.
Furthermore, the workouts are held at set times, so make sure they fit your schedule before signing on the dotted line.
To find your nearest F45, head to the website.
You can also check out our other gym-related content, like Fitness Passport: The Ultimate Gym Pass, and Beats Fit Pro: The Ultimate Gym Headphones
