Tried and Tested: IMAGE tries F45 gym’s 45-day challenge

Let me start by emphasising that I’m not in a monogamous relationship with the gym. In fact, we’ve had an on-and-off-again fling for the past few years. You know how things go, you start working out consistently, but then life gets in the way – holidays, plans with friends, your period, exhaustion from a busy week, etc.

That being said, like a true procrastinator, I can push myself to train when there is a set deadline. For example, before my wedding last August, I worked out consistently for four to five days per week for three months. I saw great results but once that deadline had passed, my motivation plummeted. So, when F45 reached out to see if I’d try their 45-day challenge, I jumped at the chance to have some accountability in this area of my life. 

So, I gave it a go – working out consistently for 45 days and following healthier meal choices (well, most of the time!) and here’s how I got on.

What is F45?

If you haven’t heard of them, F45 is a gym with locations across Dublin and is somewhat akin to Crossfit. It’s a tight-knit community of gym goers who participate in high-intensity, circuit-based training (think HIIT). They offer group workout classes where you move through set stations with different exercise focuses. 

Each class falls into three categories – cardio, resistance, or hybrid (a mix of both). This way, you can tailor your workout to what goal you are working towards, be it losing weight, building muscle or improving your cardiovascular health.

Personally, I preferred the resistance classes to cardio, as I found the latter quite difficult (cardio is not my forte). So if you’re like me, or just a beginner, I’d recommend sticking with the strength training classes. F45 also has an app you can download, which gives you workouts to do at home, both with and without weights.

So if you’re on the fence, you could always try a class from the comfort of your home and go from there. Or, if you prefer the full gym experience, you can use the app to view the class weekly schedule and book your spot.

My first class

I have a brother who’s into CrossFit, and to be honest, he can be insufferable when talking about fitness. So, I was wary when I turned up to my first F45 class, I was worried it was going to be a similar ‘cult-like’ gym experience. I didn’t want to be judged about my toothpick arms or my low stamina, and I certainly didn’t want to be bullied into pushing myself past my limit.

Thankfully, F45 is nothing like that. A quick glance around the room showed regular people in oversized t-shirts and worn gym gear and friendly trainers who introduced themselves. They quickly explained the ensuing 45-day challenge, and unlike other challengers (like TikTok’s 75-day hard), I was relieved to find it’s not an unattainable ‘all or nothing’ regimen. A trainer works with you to build a realistic exercise schedule that best fits your lifestyle and goals. 

At the start of the class, two trainers took us through the various circuit exercises set up that day, and what each group would be doing at each station. I was a few minutes late, which I don’t recommend, as the initial instruction can be overwhelming to newcomers. What’s great about this gym though, is that there are screens displaying how to do each exercise. So, even though my goldfish memory forgot the instructions, I could simply follow the screen above me. 

Then the trainers circled the room and gently guided us on the best positions for each exercise and motivated us to make it to the end of that set. The whole class lasted about 45 minutes with water breaks in between. And while it was challenging, it was definitely doable.

The 45-day challenge 

What to expect

Once you’ve set your goals, the 45-day challenge is built around them. So for me, I wanted to lose some extra body fat and build muscle. As someone who typically loses inches rather than pounds on the scale, I opted to measure myself once a week to monitor my progress.

When you begin the challenge, you also weigh in on the gym’s fancy scale, which not only measures weight but body fat and muscle mass so you can see real results. I was a big fan of this – I can’t tell you how many times I lost motivation to workout when my weight stayed the same. It took me ages to learn that weight doesn’t matter, but monitoring muscle mass does.

So, for the next 45 days, I aimed to exercise three times a week, walk 10,000 steps a day and cut calories. I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app and added the meals I ate for the first week. Now, let me be clear, I did not follow this strictly but I found it helpful as a general guide on which foods to stick with or stay away from. If you need meal ideas, the F45 app provides useful shopping lists and recipes to guide you.

My trainer put me into a WhatsApp group with a few others, where we would send motivational messages, photos of meals we made and occasionally a few jokes to get us through. Initially, I was wary about this, but it ended up being a brilliant tool. Not only did I have accountability but I was a part of a community of ‘real people’.

Sometimes, I easily fall into this ‘all or nothing’ mindset, and if I’ve had one unhealthy meal or missed one workout, I write off the whole week, instead of just getting back on the horse. So, when the group chat admitted they had takeaways or holidays where they strayed from meal plans – these were great reminders that life happens and it’s okay to have a few cheat days – normal even. 

The results

Overall, I stuck to the challenge about 80% of the time. There were a few cheat meals and times when I opted for a long walk instead of a class, as I didn’t have time to make it to the gym that day – and I was delighted with the results. I lost almost two inches around my stomach and saw an increase in muscle mass and a decrease in fat percentage. Most importantly to me though, I had made it a habit to get moving on a regular basis. 

Overall, I would highly recommend the 45-day challenge to anyone looking to get back into fitness, who enjoys gym classes and being part of a community, or who wants to start going to the gym, but isn’t sure what exercises to do. F45 offers an excellent framework, providing customised workouts and the motivation necessary to reach your fitness goals.