One member, whose testimonial appears on the F45 website, promises that the workouts will “kick your ass.”
When the franchise began in 2013, the 45-minute high-intensity interval functional classes, which alternate between cardio, endurance and hybrid, were based on the motto of “no mirrors, no microphones, no egos.”
Co-founder Rob Deutsch, who left the business in 2020, recalls the brand’s original vision: “The workouts were super innovative and revolutionary in that you didn’t need any other fitness boutique/gym memberships. ”
Its other founder, Luke Istomin, who left in 2016, says they wanted to give members “a great experience based primarily on HIIT cardio with no two workouts being the same.”
As the company rode the HIIT wave and an ever-expanding body of research supporting both high-intensity interval training and the efficacy of shorter workouts, F45 also gave its members something else.
Charging
When I asked what the appeal of the brand was, several members said a variation of the same thing: “I don’t have to think, I just have to show up.” And when they do show up, they like the people, as well as the variety, the structure of the workouts, and the music.
“Get in, get out and exercise,” one member said. “I love that it’s scheduled for me. Love the energy. The coaches and members are good value and foster a great community.”
But the former members also had other things to say. They said they were beating themselves up and it was not sustainable; the caliber of coaches was inconsistent; the accelerated model values gains over people, meaning those who are less fit or new to training are more likely to be injured; and there was little or no guidance on technique.
Since then, Istomin has created a fitness model, MEETINGwhich he says is based on the lessons he learned from F45.
The flip side of the high “fun factor” in F45 was a lack of focus on improving strength or skills, he says.
“The retention rate was quite low as constant high-intensity, high-impact work led to people burning out or injuring themselves because they were trying new exercises every day and not developing the skills to master the movement enough,” says Istomin. His new fitness model is all about “building you up, not burning you out.”
It may be too early to tell if F45 has peaked and the tumult they are in now spells the beginning of the end.
Istomin believes that the brand could be a great help in reinventing itself and fixing the problems that have plagued it: “It’s a new start for F45 now,” he says, “and that’s something that should have been done a long time ago.”
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