Fitness: F45 Freaks - The Next Regime
The F45 Freaks have just wrapped up our first 8 Week F45 Challenge as a group of mates eager to live out a better-balanced lifestyle where fitness is right at the heart of it. We've crossed the 8 week finish line feeling pretty shattered, yet energised and even better have come away with some fantastic results that we're collectively extremely proud of.
I'm blown away that as a group we managed to carve off an impressive 15.77% body fat together and a drop of a total of 19kgs, that's equivalent to 38 blocks of butter. It's no easy feat and the boys put a lot of sweat and early rises to achieve these results. Remember too that weight dropped has to factor in any weight gained by muscle building.
But the challenge should never really stop - well at least not for long. That's key to success - to continue. You've got to consistently front up, put in the work, adapt if things don't quite work as you'd hoped and stay focused and committed. With the lads buzzing from their 8 week challenge results, we began to design our next program that would now change focus towards building core strength, gaining muscle and getting in shape. The initial 8 Week Challenge gifted us drops in body fat and weight and facilitated in shedding a large percentage of our puppy fat, but it was now time to up the game and up the weights.
We are primed & prepared for the next phase of training. We're calling it Heavy & Hard, the 8 Week Challange.
It's going to be an intense program where we're going to introduce a variety of fitness and lifestyle centric activities to keep us engaged and motivated. F45 Training is still going to play a fundamental role in our training regime, but we're not stopping there. We'll be doing heavy weights sessions, running to train for a 12km marathon over the bridge, doing Yoga with our friends at Rise as a recovery method, and working to personalised training plans, complete with meal plans and supplements to make sure we're feeding the body what it needs. Often this is the downfall, where people don't get enough protein, nutrients and vitamins to help the body repair and recover. It's just as important as the work done in the gym or studio.
To kick off our new multidisciplinary 8 week challenge, we completed The F45 Playoffs. The playoffs are an intense 10-minute fitness test set against a circuit made up of 10 workstations with the premise you've got to do as many reps within 45 seconds which you follow through the playoffs app. You've got to give it your all. I can tell you, you really start off with a bang but by the third or fourth station your energy and power just disappears into thin air and you realise why the test is only for 10 minutes. I mean you've been doing 45 minute sessions so surely it's not too bad. We'll hate to break the news, but it's next level. And it was a struggle. But the 10 minutes of pain is really worth it for the baseline results that'll be our benchmark which we'll check in on at half way and then right at the end of our journey.
With the dynamic nature of F45 functional training, no two workouts are ever the same, and each daily program is tailored to keep the body in a state of havoc by always keeping it fresh. The body can never get too complacent. That's often the downfall of exercising on your own, you follow a fairly rigid plan and you may end up hitting a wall and plateau because it starts to be too same-same. The F45 program is constantly evolving which makes it interesting, fun and ultimately bloody challenging.
Meet Amanda who will be kicking our butts into shape. Amanda is the F45 Newmarket Studio Manager, fellow trainer and also body builder who has muscles bigger than mine. Amanda is going to be a key driving force behind our new regime with her coaching and guiding us through tailored nutrition plans and training sessions to help us maximise our 8 weeks.
10 Questions with Baby Hulk, Amanda
1. How did you and fitness meet and how & when did you decide you wanted to make it a career?
I found my passion for fitness when I moved to the Gold Coast & Sydney which then lead me to bodybuilding & competing. I spent many years working in Marketing but was always drawn towards health & fitness and loved educating and helping those around me. So I quickly decided it was time to get qualified and open F45 Newmarket.
2. What’s the biggest draw card for F45 Training?
It's 45 minutes. Fast & effective functional training. Ideal for the busy individual, all fitness levels, all ages groups and you get results. Everyone seems to be continuously getting busier, F45 Training is ideal because is all you have to do is show up, the trainers will get you to the finish line.
3. What surprised you about F45 when you first were introduced to it?
It was hard & addictive, you can never get enough and 3 years later it’s still just as challenging as week one. The body is continuously guessing.
4. How do you keep motivated? Any tips & tricks?
I love fitness & working out so I am generally always pretty motivated. I love to google & research training techniques & nutrition and put it into practice. That is one way I keep motivated. However I also have my own coaches & mentors that keep me on track. Working long hours can be exhausting & even Personal Trainers need a support network.
5. What exercise do you find the most challenging and why?
Lateral Shoot through, because I am so uncoordinated!
6. What does a typical day look like for you?
I wake up every morning at 4.30am, check emails, take my vitamins and head into F45 for the first morning 5.15am session. Once I have finished the morning class I do a couple of hours work, generally around lunch, I will do a workout to break up the day then back at the computer working until 5pm when I head back into the studio.
7. What’s equally important as doing the work in the studio to achieving success?
Nutrition is key in achieving success along with plenty of rest and recovery. It’s taken me 5 years of training to realise the importance of rest and recovery after going through a stage of burn out from overtraining.
8. What’s your go to fitness apparel?
9. What is your post workout recovery method or process?
1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein, BCAAs, Glutamine, 50g Carbs generally Oats as they are my favourite or Chicken salad and Kumara.
10. What else do you do to keep fit outside of F45?
When I can I like to do my 45 minute F45 Session first thing in the morning, this gives me a burst of energy for the day then I will back this up with a 1 hour strength session in the afternoon around midday. In the evenings if it’s not raining I will do a 45-60 minute walk with my dog. Looking to start Yoga, it’s on the to do list!
If you're interested in trying F45 for yourself, sign up online for a Free 7-Day Trial or get in touch with me, it'd be awesome to have you there training with us. Unlike many typical gyms, where you're left to your own devices, F45 has a community vibe. It's team training, full of like-minded people from all walks of life and varying degrees of fitness capabilities. You've just to make that first move, and come along. You will not regret it.
Sign up to my newsletter to keep a tab on what we're up to across the next 8 week and be sure to be following my social channels on Facebook & Instagram too.
See you there!
jb
Thanks to our awesome team of sponsors who are helping us through the challenge. New Balance NZ for keeping us looking fresh during our training, Whey House for the much-needed post workout protein (use code F45FREAKS for 15% off your purchase) and Serious Smoothies for the delicious and easy refuelling healthy pre-packed smoothies.