I'm reviewing this F45 location not necessarily the entire F45 franchise. You can find a lot of reviews about the program on reddit or various blogs.
Thanks to the passport program, I've been able to visit F45s in Baltimore, NYC, Philly, LA, and the two other DC locations (Edgewood and U Street). As a result, I'm confident in saying this F45 is below par. IMO the best DC location is Edgewood, but Edgewood classes tend to book up quickly and the location is not as convenient for me.
Pros:
-Even though I tend to book last minute (eg within 15 minutes of class starting) I very rarely have trouble getting into a class
-Most convenient location to me and decently spacious for something in the city, esp compared to the U Street location
-the cancellation policy is more lenient than other f45 studios
-I never had any issues pausing my membership
Cons:
-This gym seems to have a zero-waste set up, you grab a microfiber cloth and there are spray bottles set up across the gym instead of antibacterial wipes. This sounds like a good idea but in practice, the transition times are often barely enough time to get to the next station and maybe 10% of people actually wipe down their station before moving on.
-Most expensive fitness studio I've belonged to, it's about $110 every two weeks.
-They let people workout barefooted here which is one of the most questionable things I've seen in a fitness class.
-Some of the newer trainers here are just not that great? Overall I feel like there's a consistent lack of professionalism that I haven't seen at any other boutique fitness studio much less F45.
1. Some trainers like to hold conversations in a noticeably loud manner (unrelated to instruction) in the middle of the workout or while the lead trainers are talking or instructing (whether they are teaching or attending a class as a student)
2. A lot of the trainers lack spatial awareness, eg walking right in front of you as you're doing a front lunge.
3. Sometimes they'll spend extended amounts of time staring at an iPhone. (More so than any other F45).
4. Something I've also never seen at any other gym, is trainers who literally do an entire work out during class so that they can get a workout in while they're on the clock? (This is distinct from when a trainer works out beside you as a form a motivation.)
5. One particular trainer just seems to lack maturity to be leading a fitness class that costs about $27, those classes feel like what should be a free fitness class you'd expect at a college gym.
6. There's a ton of five stars reviews on here but they sent out an email promising a free treat if you leave them a five star review (which I've seen a lot of Chinese restaurants do that as well so whatever). I'm on the email distro for a few other locations and no other one does this.
7. Lastly, when I quit this gym I left feedback to the likeness of "the trainers here are the least professional of any gym ive ever belonged to" and they never followed up to ask me why I felt that way or how they could improve. Just the worst, the management seems to be especially absent at this gym.
I've been to a few better gyms, and while there are sometimes small classes or redundant sets, here are some things that I've noticed great trainers doing:
- helping adjust weights in the sled or barbell
- tidying weights between sets
- offering adjustments to people who are either taking it to easy or struggling with the set
- being proactive about explaining the flow of the stations or the structure of the class
- helping with the countdown so you know how much time is left, particularly if there are exercises like mountain climbers or push ups where it's hard to check the screen
- helping wipe down equipment when it's clear that there is sweat residue
- scanning the classroom to check if anyone needs help or is prone to injuring themselves
- constantly looking around and being aware of their surroundings, to make sure you are not impeding other peoples' space
- offer positive feedback when someone has good form and is putting in the effort read more