Functional Fitness is all the rage these days and F45 (Functional 45), a brand that hailed from Australia, was quick to jump in and bring their fun, innovative workouts to Manila. The newly-opened facility at the BGC Stopover, Taguig is now fully operational and offering their high intensity workouts to all you beasts out there!
F45 is NOT your typical gym so don’t go wandering aimlessly to just any machine you’d like to use. I joined a workout over the weekend and found that they only offer one type of class per day. While classes are the same for the whole day, they guarantee that workouts aren’t. In fact, Elias, co-owner of F45 BGC, promises that you’ll never get the same combination of exercises twice.
Not a huge fan of bulky exercise machines, I enjoyed how clean and spacious the place looked even while all their equipment laid there, set up in their own stations. The place may not be as big as the more established gyms we know of but it works. I think it can comfortably hold about 30-35 people (excluding the coaches) working out at the same time. Any higher than that, things may look somewhat chaotic. Each station, however, provides ample space for you to move. They had functional fitness staples such as kettlebells, dumbells, suspension trainers, a Bosu ball and a few others. Also part of the circuit are a couple of rowing machines (wee!) and a few stationary bikes.
On Saturdays, we take on Hollywood. It’s a circuit class moving to the hottest club music. Book for a Hollywood Super Session and have a live DJ playing while you sweat it out. Talk about partying while you work.
Group Fitness Training is the core of F45. I don’t know with you, but group exercises get me going even when I feel like giving up. In the class, each person is assigned to one of the 27 stations (stations range from 27-52). We did 2 rounds of the circuit throughout the hour, moving from one station to another every minute and following the last exercise the person ahead of us did. The environment was fun and motivational and the coaches were young and eager to help. And because I was moving with a group, I just kept going without realizing that the workout was done.
If you’re familiar with these types of workouts and have learned to properly use these equipment, then you’ll be just fine. However, I strongly encourage you to inform any or all of the coaches if you are very new to this sort of training and not sure how to use the equipment properly.
The downside to a setup such as this one is that the coaches, even when there are several of them, can’t keep an eye on you the entire time. I spotted a girl who held a kettlebell the wrong way while doing swings. Not that it posed immediate danger, just that she wasn’t maximizing the grip and therefore not getting the full benefits of the exercise. This all happened while the coaches were busy helping others who were also in the class. See, if you inform your coaches beforehand, they make a mental note to check on you more often than those who have been coming in for a while. It works for any group exercise class. Remember that telling your coach or teacher that you’re a noob is not equal to you sucking at it. It only means that you’re smart enough to get them to pay attention to you. That’s for your own safety and to make sure you don’t work hard for nothing.
Overall, I felt re-energized, not tired, after class which is a good sign. Although I didn’t push myself as much as I did during my regular workouts, I did feel soreness around my legs. Hamstrings and bumbum to be specific (the sledding worked!). Friends also said the same thing– they weren’t drained but felt that the session worked. I also love how accommodating everyone there was. It did feel like a friendly team was there to support and work with you.
I have yet to attend the Athletica (Cardio based) and Romans (Resistance) classes so, stay tuned for any update I may have on this article about those two. They will also be launching Brooklyn, a new program, in the next few months. That’s to make sure you don’t hit a plateau. 😉
For now, if you are interested to try out F45 at the BGC Stopover, head on over to their website at www.f45training.ph
Book your first class and avail of their FREE FIRST WEEK TRIAL.
Been to F45? Let me know which workouts you’ve tried and what you thought of it through the comment box below!
F45 is located at the 3rd Floor of the BGC Stopover, 31st Street Corner 2nd Ave, Rizal Drive, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila. Get updated through their Facebook page here.
