Because I always like reading other people’s workout shenanigans and I have been a F45-fan and member since early 2018 – I figured I’d share a little bit about it on my blog.
DISCOVERY
I found F45 through OneFit early 2018. It was nearby, it looked fun, so I booked a class. For a while I did it through OneFit, but when I realised how fun it was and how much my fitness improved through F45 training once a week, I gave myself a trial month. When I not only noticed even more improvement but also started liking the studio and the trainers even more, I first got a 6-month membership.
When I still wasn’t sick of it in April this year, I committed to a full year membership, cursing my expensive taste for a brief moment until succumbing to the core conviction I have: money spent on things you love, and your health, is always a worthy investment.
Why do I love it so much?
First of all, this gym is superconvenient for me.
F45 offers 45-minute classes (one at 07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 12:15, 18:00 and 19:00 during the week, 09:30 and 10:30 on Saturday, 09:15 and 10:15 on the Sundays) and it is ridiculously, hilariously close to where I live.
Really.
I once was on the waitlist and got a notification I got a spot for their coveted Saturday workout (Hollywood) only 4 minutes before the class started. I managed to wash off my facemask, put on my workout clothes, sprinted to the studio and I STILL wasn’t even the last one on the floor.
(When I did this is I knew I really loved F45. Not only did I do everything in power to make it to class, I also gave up a leisurely Sunday morning with a facemask and RuPaul’s Drag Race so I could go work out)
During my usual schedule I try to do the 07:00 classes before work on Mondays and Fridays, and in between I sort of see what I feel like and mix and match. Sometimes I jump in an evening class, and on free days I take the lunch class.
Because hey, the class is only 45 minutes and trust me, I get my workout’s worth in those 45 minutes. I’m F45’s Resident Tomato; I always walk out satisfied…and sweaty, my face the absolute reddest it can possibly be.
With my busy schedule of the last few months I haven’t gone as much I prefer to do, but I’ve been there every week ever since I started. It’s easy as hell for me to decide “hey, it’s only 45 minutes and I’m in and out in a jiffy” which makes the mental process of going very easy.
The vibe is right
Sure, for some people it feels a bit…American. We ALL high five and compliment each other at the end, sometimes take group pictures, the trainers yell out motivational things at us while we move from station to station. Sometimes, if we’re (un)lucky, we don’t get any more breaks at the end of the workout and have to go til the buzzer.
Well, guess what? I fucking LOVE Americans and American culture, and I feel the Dutch could stand to be a little bit more open to fun, outgoingness and trying to achieve excellence.
I vibe pretty hard with it.
Whenever I come in I get happy, I get excited to train, I get to hang out with people that I may not know that well but that I still really like to be around; The people at F45 created an atmosphere where no matter how you look or how fit you are, you’re part of the group. The trainers text you when they haven’t seen you in a while, they like to share news and new workouts with you, and they motivate you.
The head trainer Akil is tough but intuitive, and he knows exactly when he needs to push me a little more and when he needs to let me be. Bani and Marina and Dora always help me with technique, and Arianne always keeps an eye out for me when I start half-assing.
I like them a lot and I think it’s nice to have these fun and qualified people as your trainers.
I’m there to have fun
The main reason I go? I have so much fun in their workouts!
Sure, the workouts are tough. They don’t play around at F45. Often, in the first set I often CANNOT believe I dragged my ass to them again, VOLUNTARILY. But, man.
I like it when a good song comes on the playlist, I like it when the head trainer tells me I need to do 3 more when I honestly don’t even think I can do A HALF ONE, and it is always fun to partner up with someone I know or someone new when it’s a workout fit for more people per workout station. I like the pre- and post-workout chat with the trainers and other members, and I am just happy to be there.
And holy hell, is it effective
Weight or how much fat is on my body is pretty low on my priority list. I did do an 8-week challenge where I dropped 3,5% body fat and gained 1.1 kilograms of muscle mass, but that’s almost a year ago and I haven’t been watching my nutrition. Mainly because I don’t like to watch my nutrition.
(I know I could stand to do it, especially considering my sweet tooth, but I just get bored with it. I eat pretty healthy, but I also eat whatever I want. )
I do, however, care about my fitness level because I LIKE being able to do all sorts of stuff, like run up the stairs, sprint towards a train that’s about to leave and honestly, I like feeling fit and strong and energetic.
The F45 workouts make that happen for me because it is exactly what functional training is about: Training you in a way that makes your daily life easier, training that translates into daily routines like pushing something heavy, jumping over something, squatting.
I first realised how much it benefited me when a woman approximately my height and weight was struggling to get her bike out of the upper bike ride at the train station because it was stuck, and as she was saying “I think it’s really stuck” and two big guys came rushing to us, I pulled that thing free immediately with only a little bit of effort.
Plus, I love the mental clarity and energy it gives me. That effect does a lot for me during the day and I’m hooked on that.
I’m just having an awesome time at their gym and am happy with the results. There’s only one studio in The Hague and one in Amsterdam, but if you have Onefit and you have the opportunity, you should check it out.
Make sure to highfive me when you do!
