Celebrity Total Body Conditioning Comes to Hong Kong
When I heard that F45 was coming to Hong Kong I knew I was going to have to try it out. Why? Apparently it’s the killer total body conditioning formula that whipped Hugh Jackman into shape for his Wolverine role. Now, being a 36 year old mom, it’s fair to say I don’t have any Hugh Jackman aspirations, but I DO love a 45 minute workout.
I also know the importance of HIIT in burning fat faster than a speeding bullet and that resistance training helps stoke your metabolism, build lean muscles and keeps you lean and trim.
So with all of those elements in place at F45, I set off to give the classes a go.
What is F45?
The F stands for ‘functional’ which basically means movement patterns that we use in everyday life. 45, well, that’s the class length, although there are longer 1 hour sessions on weekends too.
The studio is jam-packed with all the equipment you’d ever need to get Hugh Jackman’d. But here’s where it gets interesting.
Each workout is designed by Oz celebrity trainer Luke Istomin, and then piped to giant screens in the studios around the world. So if you’re doing burpees and squats in your session, so are the peeps across the Atlantic.
He’s made these workouts for those who want to get lean, strong and athletic rather than totally stacked so weights are challenging but not too heavy and there’s a huge cardio burn.
It’s pretty cool having the visuals up on screen to remind you what’s what, especially when you might have up to 27 exercise stations in a session.
And for newbies, the trainers at the class will breakdown each move at the beginning and offer modifications or progressions depending on your fitness level.
Don’t be afraid to pipe up and ask for help if something doesn’t feel right or you’re lost in exercise confusion, asking for assistance makes your workout better, and a lot of the people in my session were new to exercise so you won’t feel out of place.
How many calories are you going to burn?
Want to know exactly how hard you’re working? Full members get a heart rate monitor that’s linked up to the F45 system. During your workout big screens will show you exactly how hard you’re working and how many calories you’re shifting.
I’ll be honest, I did find myself ramping up the intensity more than I might have otherwise and because there’s no leaderboard it’s non-competitive but inspiring. Nice.
I tried out two classes, Romans Resistance which is a weights based class with heavy weight options, and the weekend Hollywood class with a live DJ that consists of 27 stations and mixes up cardio and resistance training.
For cardio lovers there’s F45 Athletica which promises to leave you gasping for air.
Who goes?
The crowd was mixed, from weekend warriors to women who wanted to lose weight and the fitness levels were totally mixed too. This isn’t a place where you’ll ever feel like the odd one out.
Want to try it out yourself?
F45 have a sweet opening deal with the first week of classes totally FREE. That means you can try them all out before you commit. To book a session download their app and then simply book away, your trial week starts when you hit your first class.
After that they’ve got membership deals galore, with some special opening packs for founding members. Boom. Give it a whirl and see what you think. Better watch out Crossfit, F45 is coming to getcha!
Contact F45 on 6990 2403 or visit them at Level 1, 135 Bonham Strand Trade Centre, Sheung Wan
Elle Kealy is an international business coach for fitness health and wellness professionals looking to launch their businesses with a bang and women’s fitness expert, personal trainer and nutrition coach helping women around the world eat better and feel fantastic in just 90 days or less. For more information on working with Elle visit
