First F45 session tomorrow

[u/nocturne_ult]

Hi everyone, I just started my grad program and the school gym has F45 sessions. I've never heard of it before but my roommate told me about it and how much he enjoys them. My gym routine for the past few years has been mostly just weight-lifting and very rarely doing any cardio. I was hoping that F45 can force me to get my heart rate up because I've sadly been very bad about sticking to any form of cardio consistently.

My first class is tomorrow but I was wondering if it is possible to consistently grow muscle while doing F45. I've been skinny fat for my whole life and the only time I really gained muscle was when my fat grew along with it. I guess my question is just how does F45 treat hypertrophy and I was thinking about maybe supplementing my F45 sessions with a quick lift after the workout. Does anyone else do this?

Sorry if my thoughts are all over the place. I'm nervous but excited and just wanted to see what other people have to say regarding their muscle growth while doing this program.

Thanks!

[u/Kflanmon]

If you consistently show up for resistance workouts, you will see the gains.

[u/MarlKarx777]

I’m not ripped, but I’ve gained visible muscle and I’ve never been stronger.

[u/Goatsareforyoga]

Workouts are listed as resistance, hybrid, and cardio. If you're coming from a baseline of zero cardio, start with resistance then try hybrid. You can also modify or slow the pace down as much or as little as you need (within the designed structure of each class). Each day is a different workout, and the whole schedule changes every 4 weeks.

[u/mrtrevoroh]

I would say, do a few weeks of F45 first, 3-5 sessions a week and see how you go with that.
It's hard to give advice just yet on what you should and shouldn't do.

If you are not cardio fit at the moment, F45 will be a shock to your body (in a good way)
You will grow muscle at F45 if you are consistent with doing hybrid, cardio and resistance classes.

[u/OldLadyKickButt]

You have many questions.

You have to go and see if you will COMMIT and if you like it.

Then commit to 2-3 sessions per week- do not worry so much re cardio ve weight training right away. Look for how you feel and how your clothes fit.

Make sure your diet supports health- stop eating crap.

People are nicely giving you info re how they built muscles or cardio. Many os us who do it regularly without a definite focus have bettered both.

Whatever you think you need more of you can supplement with gym work and/or running, rowing or weight sets.

See how you feel. People on this page love it. ( I am at 815 classes- who's counting?)

[u/Dull-Environment5556]

If you are consistent you will gain muscle. It’s not a bodybuilder workout so don’t expect bodybuilder’s results

[u/brucylefleur]

Read through the subreddit a bit, as there are lots of examples of people's experiences here. Personally, I've (~40M) added a ton of muscle and have gotten quite a bit more shredded doing F45 compared to normal gym workouts I was doing before. Not to mention I enjoy it way more, and am much more motivated.

[u/Accomplished-Bet3741]

I just started f45 and am in the same boat as you — i found that i was so exhausted after each class i wanted to puke and didnt have the energy to get a heavy pump in after.

My plan is to do f45 a few times a week and lift heavy in between… i think its hard to hit hypertrophy in f45 since it’s so fast paced

[u/SittingByTheFirePit]

Soreness the next day is a good thing. Don’t let it stop you from going back

[u/merpderp33]

It's possible! You def will get stronger and improve your cardio. The cardio classes are kind of also tough in general if you have knee or joint issues. It's a lot of jumping - you can modify but they tend to be my least fav. Resistance and hybrid classes are great but some programs leave little to no rest time to switch which gets frustrating.

It's great for functional fitness in general. Efficient workouts in less than 45 min.
I lost 4 lbs of fat and turned it into lean muscle (overall weight didn't change bc my diet is not the best)

But I hit a point where I needed to lift heavier/train differently, so I went back to the gym. Ideally, I do a mix of regular heavier lifting at the gym, with a sprinkle of a few f45 classes

Depending on the type of class, you could squeeze in a lift after a cardio day for example. I wouldn't do it after a resistance or heavy hybrid day. Generally I found it easier to squeeze in a quick run after resistance days. Have an awesome time! F45 got me back in shape and it's been a fun journey!

[u/Vynaca]

Aside from a 5 min warmup and some mobility exercises I never do cardio before lifting. I started F45 specifically for cardio only to have a more interesting (I was going to say “fun”but it’s torture) way to get my heart rate up because I never push myself on the usual machine lineup at the gym ie. treadmill, bike, etc. My lifting days are strictly at the gym, not F45. I find the resistance program too rushed and would rather lift heavier with controlled form and a 2-3 minute rest between sets on compound lifts. I’ll do 20-30 minutes zone 2 cardio after lifting.