Is F45 Worth It?

The gym franchise F45 makes a strong statement with its slogan: "Team Training. Life Changing." But what makes this type of training "life-changing" and different from other types of workouts? According to the company's website, F stands for functional training, while 45 is the number of minutes this workout takes. Celebrities like Mark Wahlberg swear by this training program as the best way to get fit. "F45 is great for everybody," Wahlberg told Muscle and Fitness. "I'm trying to educate people on that fact. It's a tough job. But there's no slowdown in sight with F45 or Performance Inspired. Health, wellness, and fitness are not going away."

Functional training aims to prepare you for performing specific athletic activities, which could include anything from daily walking to sports competitions, per Self. The goal is that after continuously doing functional training, people will feel better about the way they move and perform daily activities. Here we will explain the ins and out of F45 training for you to determine if it is the right choice for you.

According to Healthline, functional training is different from bodybuilding strength training because it targets multiple muscles and joints at the same time. Functional training relies on your own body weight and free weights to exercise, which means you can perform the exercises at a training facility like F45 or at home. "Absolutely everyone should be doing some form of functional training, and it's suited for all ages and abilities, which is part of its beauty. Any movement can be altered for ability level via tempo, reps, or added resistance," Emily Outterside, Senior Coach at F45 Oxford Circus, told Women's Health Magazine.

At F45, they have a weekly schedule of workouts that will help you train different parts of your body each day (via F45). Monday and Wednesday are for cardiovascular exercises, which focus on boosting your metabolism. Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday are for resistance, and the sessions are all about developing strong and lean muscles. Friday and Saturday are hybrid sessions, which combine both types of exercises along with agility and core movements. Throughout the week, there are also recovery sessions that target flexibility and muscle recovery.

While F45's training program seems really promising, it might not all be good news. F45 utilizes high-intensity interval training, also known as HIIT, which is a really demanding workout regime with short rest intervals and high-intensity exercises. Therefore, in order to partake in HIIT, you should already have at least a basic level of fitness, agility, and strength. According to Sycamore Health, HIIT can also increase your chances of injury, especially if you aren't performing the exercises properly. 

A study published by the journal Cell Metabolism also found that those who perform HIIT for long periods of time may actually have reduced health results. A consequence of performing long HIIT sessions was decreased glucose tolerance, which means your body reduces its capacity to process sugars properly. HIIT is beneficial for the body as long as it is performed for short periods of time and with the appropriate guidance to make sure you aren't hurting your body (via Insider).