I’ve always been rather stingy with my money, paying for a gym membership was a huge no for me.
After constant persuasion by my friend, I finally splurged on a 2-week discounted deal which was issued by Circles Life.
If you’re wondering if F45 is worth your time and money, here’s my experience within those 2 weeks.
Contents
What is F45?
F45 is a group of gyms in Singapore that applies functional training in all of their workouts (the ‘F’ in F45). Each session is between 45 – 60 minutes, and it utilises a mixture of circuit and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to burn as many calories per session.
There are usually a few trainers (1 – 2 in my case) per session, which will lead the workout and ensure that you are using the correct form when performing the workouts.
Depending on the type of workout (weight training or cardio), the ratio of trainers to students can range from 1:10 to 1:20. However, this may differ for each studio.
As such, you will receive more attention and guidance from each trainer, especially if you are new to weight training.
You will be provided with a positive and encouraging environment to push on with your training!
This is slightly different from other gyms where you will need to do self-directed training, while in F45, the program has already been planned for you.
Here’s a further breakdown of what F45 can offer you:
Locations
F45 can be found in numerous locations in Singapore, including:
- Jurong West
- Sembawang
- Holland Village
- Upper Thomson
I went to the gym in Ang Mo Kio, which was just next to AMK Hub.
This was quite convenient as it was just a 5 minutes walk from the MRT!
These outlets are franchises
One thing you may want to note is that the different F45 gyms in Singapore are franchised outlets.
This means that each outlet has the F45 brand, but they may run it slightly differently.
For example, there are different websites for the Shenton Way and Novena studios.
Since each studio operates based on the studio manager, there could be inconsistencies in the pricing and charges that you incur.
There have been complaints over how some F45 gyms are run, resulting in customers demanding refunds from the Yio Chu Kang and Geylang Bahru studios. This was because the studio manager continued charging students even though they paused or cancelled their memberships.
As such, it may be good to source for reviews from people who go to that particular studio, as you may have different experiences depending on the studio that you go to!
Booking a slot
Before going down for an F45 session, you would need to book it a few days before.
On the booking app, you will be able to view a brief description of what the workout will be on a particular day.
This will be different each day, so it gives you quite a bit of variety in your workouts.
For AMK, the slots were limited to 20 people per session. You should not have much trouble booking a weekday slot, but it can get pretty competitive for weekends!
The booking period for AMK will usually start at 10am each day, so it will be best to go in during that time to book all of your slots.
This may differ for each franchised outlet, so your experience may be different!
I did not have many issues regarding booking my slots for F45 (apart from the weekend sessions).
Facilities
The facilities in the gym were rather well maintained, despite the gym being about 1-2 years old. You can find most of the equipment that is required for the different workouts.
What’s more, all of the equipment is branded too!
You may find yourself using new equipment as well (such as ski erg machines or sandbags), which will help to spice up your workouts.
The studio is generally clean and well-ventilated, so you won’t feel the stuffiness that you may experience when using a gym in your condo.
F45 gyms has a special kind of flooring to do your workouts on, and it’s quite hard for you to find them at home.
While it looks hard, it is not as hard as cemented floor, which makes it easier on your knees.
The only main ‘drawback’ is that the room looks slightly bland and bare, due to the white walls (personal opinion). This is slightly different from other gyms, which may have brighter and more appealing colours.
Workouts
When you arrive at the gym for a workout session, here’s the main sequence of events that you can expect:
- Briefing by the trainers
- Warmup
- Exercise
- Cool down
The workouts are usually done in a circuit format, where there will be a few stations.
#1 Briefing by trainers
The first part will consist of a short briefing by the trainers. This is particularly important if you’re new, as the trainers will demonstrate each exercise.
Some stations may be a combination of 2 or more exercises, such as 10 Mountain Climbers + 2 Burpees.
The trainers will include some of these in the briefing, including:
- Amount of time spent on each station
- Number of hydration breaks
- Number of laps around the room
- Format of the workout (pod-based or race track)
If you are unsure of what to do, there are LCD screens that will show the workout that you are required to do at each station.
There will be a different theme for each workout (e.g. one may focus on strength training, while another may focus on cardio).
#2 Warmup
There will be a short warm-up before you start the workout, which will be based on what you see on the LCD screens.
During this time, the trainers will assign you to a specific station to start the workout. You can let them know if you have any injuries so that they can show you the injury-friendly versions of the workouts.
#3 Exercise
Now it’s time for the hard part: the exercise itself!
You will go through each station based on the allocated time, before you will move on to the next one.
The flow can be really confusing at first if you’re new.
For example, if there are 20 stations and you’re at the 20th station, you will need to go back to station 1.
I would suggest starting off at one of the first few stations during your initial workouts, so that you will be able to get a better hang of the flow.
Moreover, there are different types of workouts such as the ‘pod-based’ format. You will need to finish all exercises within one pod, before moving on to the next.
While you are doing the workouts, the trainers may come to you and correct your form. If you are a regular there, they may even push you to put on more weights!
The workouts are extremely tough, and it will be best to pace yourself and not overexert at the start.
However, at the end of each workout, I’m sure that you’ll feel really great!
I managed to burn off a significant amount of calories within a short period of time!
The sessions on Saturday were the most physically demanding, as they are 1 hour long sessions which are primarily focused on cardio!
In terms of the effectiveness of the workouts, they are programmed so that it will change every month.
It is recommended to vary your workouts to avoid adaptation and prevent you from experiencing a plateau.
Pricing
Now here comes the fun part, how much does a F45 pass cost?
This may vary depending on the studio that you go to, but here was the offer that I received after my free trial:
Based on this offer, it will range between $20 – $30 per session that you go down for.
In comparison with other gyms like Crossfit and Ritual, it is roughly around the same price.
The F45 app should show you the regular rates, depending on which package you go for.
However, this may differ, depending on which studio you go to.
Is F45 worth it in Singapore?
While the price of F45 can be high, it is a good option if you want to have very time-efficient workouts. You are able to burn a huge amount of calories in a short amount of time, and you will be able to receive tailored advice from the trainers as well!
In my opinion, F45 would be suitable if you fit any of these certain criteria:
- You lack the discipline to go to a gym consistently
- You enjoy the community aspect of working out with your training group
- You want to burn as many calories in the shortest time possible
- You would like to have a personal trainer to motivate you to test your limits
- You want more variety in your workouts, instead of doing the same things repeatedly
F45 is definitely rather pricey, but you could think of it as an investment into your health!
My friend told me that what motivates her is that she has already paid the money each month, so it forces her to go for as many F45 sessions as possible to make it worth it.
If you are looking for a discounted rate, you can contact me here!
Otherwise, you can read our review on ClassPass, to see if that is more suitable for you.
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