One of the members whose testimony is posted on the F45 website promises that training will “kick the butt.”
When the franchise was launched in 2013, the 45-minute functional high-intensity interval class, alternating between cardio, resistance and hybrid, was based on the motto “no mirror, no mic, no ego”.
Co-founder Rob Deutsch, who left the business in 2020, recalls the brand’s original vision: “
Another founder, Luke Istomin, who left in 2016, said he wants to provide members with “a great experience primarily based on HIIT cardio, without the two trainings being the same.”
As the business rides the wave of HIIT and research continues to expand to support both the effects of high-intensity interval training and short training, the F45 has provided members with something else.
Loading
When asked about the appeal of the brand, multiple members gave us variations of the same thing, “you don’t have to think about it, you just appear.” And when they appear, they like the variety, structure, and music of training, as well as people.
“I went in, I went out, and the exercise was over,” said one member. “I love it being programmed for me. I love energy. Trainers and members are valuable and foster a great community.”
However, there was something else I wanted to say to the former members. They said they had whiplashed, and it wasn’t sustainable. The caliber of the trainer was inconsistent. Fast-paced models focus more on profits than those who are less suitable for training or who are less accustomed to training are more likely to get injured. There was little or no guidance on the technique.
Since then, Istomin has created the fitness model REUNION. He says this is based on the lessons learned from F45.
Behind the high “fun element” of the F45 was the lack of focus on improving fitness and skill sets, he says.
“With constant high-intensity and influential work, people are trying new exercises every day, and because they did not have the skills to master the movements, they burned out and were injured, so the retention rate was very high. It was low, “says Istomin. His new fitness model is to “build you up, not burn you up.”
It may be premature to say if F45 has peaked and if they have now noticed that they are caught up in the spell of the beginning of the end.
Istomin believes that it may be the brand’s kick-up to reinvent the brand itself and solve the problems that have plagued it. βThis is a new beginning for the F45,β he says.
Get the most out of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with the Live Well newsletter. Put it in your inbox every Monday.
