URBAN HEALTH METHOD

Stephanie: Hello and welcome to the Urban Health Podcast, keeping busy city executives and entrepreneurs over 40 healthy fit and fabulous. I'm Stephanie Webster. I'm a nutritional therapist on Harley Street London, specialising in gut health hormone optimisation therapy and fat loss, specifically.

Today I am very, very happy to have Mr. Michael Dean from the wonderful organisation F45 on the show. F45 is the world's fastest growing fitness franchise. They have 45-minute-high intensity fitness classes and I have tried one myself and I was sweating. Well ladies don't sweat; they perspire or glow. I’m not a lady so I did sweat! So, let's just say that.

Now operating in over 40 countries, the program delivers high intensity interval training sessions with a mix of circuit and high intensity style workouts. Each 45-minute group session features over 4,000 exercises and an extensive range of 35 workout programs, meaning you will never do the same workout twice. Michael, thank you so much for coming onto the show. 

Mike: Not a problem. Thank you very much for having me. First and foremost, I’m glad you enjoyed your workout as well. 

Mike: You prefer being called Mike, don't you?

Mike: Either or, but we'll go with Mike. That's probably the easiest!

Stephanie: Okay. So, let's mention that James Haskell is a massive fan of the F45 Brand. James Haskell, for those of you who don't follow English rugby, he's a world class rugby union player who opened a studio in Bath earlier this year.

Mike: Correct. He was a bit of a success story for us in many respects. James came on as an ambassador first and foremost. He loved the style of training. I think after playing professional rugby all his life, he liked the team element as well, so he came on as an ambassador. He was preaching about the brand and then actually decided to invest as a franchisee as well. You're correct in saying he opened in Bath and its till doing well. I think he's in the jungle at the moment but he’s still definitely getting into our F45 sessions. 

Stephanie: So, let's explain a little bit about F45 and then I'll put air 45 into context for people. So how does air 45 differ from a typical gym? 

Mike: Good question. I guess, what is a typical gym these days? I mean there's so many different concepts out there. The industry is growing so quickly. One of the things off the back of that is that we've got concepts coming up left, right and centre. From your traditional standards, you have access to the weights and materials. We are a fully class-based based workout so there's no open gym in that respect. You go in and you pay a monthly membership generally from and you have access to as many classes as you'd like.

How we differ is that our studios throughout the world on the same class, on the same day. So, if you're doing our Brixton workout in London on a Tuesday, you'll be doing that same class on a Tuesday in Sydney or in Hong Kong or wherever you might be. So, we're building that global brand and that global network as well. 

Stephanie: So, a lot of my clients who live an hour away from London, so maybe in Surrey or maybe in Watford that travel into London to work. When they're at home at the weekend or the evenings, a lot of them like BMF, British military fitness, where you go for an hour, you sweat, you do your press ups. But then when they come into London, they don't have that same thing. And for someone who is on this fat loss journey with me for a year, to go from say 120 kilos to something like 80 or 70, depending on your height and your body composition, you're going to need something in central London that you can fit in, in your lunch break or before work/after work. Something short, sharp and intensive. What I love about F45 is firstly, you've got a lot of locations spread out over London and it's 45 minutes. So, you could technically do it in your lunch break, get a quick shower and get back at your desk. So that's another thing that I really like. But it's the intensity that brings the change in your body, not the duration. So, high intensity for 45 minutes is cool, and you incorporate lifting weights as well as cardio. That's the other reason why I like F45 a lot.

I'll go on a little bit about other classes that you might be considering guys. Obviously, some of you like Barry's bootcamp. Some of you find that intimidating or you find you just don't like the treadmill aspect. Maybe it’s too loud, too noisy. Some of you like BXR and the boxing there, but some of you don't want that high impact. So, it's about understanding what's available, trying a few things out and doing what's best for you. 

But I really want to bring to the foray that F45 does exist and it is awesome and it's for these reasons. The other reason I like a 45 is because it has a friendly community vibe. One of my maxims is no processed food, no process thoughts, which is negative self-talk and no process people. By that I mean, surround yourself with a loving tribe and the community that's going to support you on your journey. Honestly, I found that F45 has a very friendly community spirit and it's nice to shift your friends from people that go to the pub to people who go to F45. It's a cool vibe. I'm a huge fan. That's my big rant there! What are your views on all of that? Where do you begin? 

Mike: I mean, I'll just pack up and go! You've hit a lot of very good points there. I think that the starting point in terms of the group exercise is really where our fundamentals lie. Our mantra or tagline if you will, is team training, life changing.

The idea is that somewhere down the line in probably between school or university and starting employment, what used to be a fun team sport like playing rugby or netball, turned in to just going to the gym and that fun and enjoyment element of exercising turned in to a hassle or something that had to be done as opposed to people looking forward to it. So, we really tried to flip that on its head. That's really one of the founding pillars of our business and our model, that we're trying to get people to enjoy team training again and getting people down as a group.

I think you hit a couple of the other examples that are out there, which are all very much based and how we work. Something that you went over as well in terms of offering a multitude of things. We are not just a cardio based system. We have about 40 different workout types or workout names, which are then categorised into three different groups.

We've got cardio and the idea of that; is you get your heart rate up as high as possible for that 45 minutes and keep it there to burn as many calories as you can. Then we've got resistance and the whole class dynamic changes, even to the point that the music is different, it's not so high beat, a little bit lower and more relaxed. The idea around that is focusing on movement and the weights themselves as well. So, focusing on building muscle and that resistance class is what we have.

Then we've hybrid which is a bit of a mix of both. This is what makes us stand out and be a little bit more fun. We looked at movements or even in some cases sports that we thought were enjoyable that we liked and then created workouts off the back of them. A good example of that would be pipeline, which is all the movements derived from surfing. There’s a lot of balancing in there, a lot of core stability. We create an entire workout around that. The idea is again, not only are we changing it up in terms of the workout system, but also that we know what you're doing.

So again, if you compare us to many other kinds of drop in systems where you're just going in and doing the workout and getting lost. We centralise all the programming, so we know on a Monday that you're going to do a cardio class and that's why on a Tuesday, you can let the muscles rest and we can do a resistance class. Then when it comes to Thursday and we know the muscle groups that you worked on Tuesdays that we can program accordingly. So, we programme 30 days in advance. 

Again, it makes us stand out compared to some of our competitors which are quite often reliant on the trainer to do a lot of the programming. That’s great but it does often mean that that trainer doesn't know what the trainer did yesterday or what the trainer tomorrow is planning on doing.

So, our system is a full system in many respects. Another thing to stand out as well is that even if you're doing, again, I'll go back to pipeline for example. Even if you did pipeline twice in a week or twice in a month, the movements within the workouts would be completely different. So, you're always going in not really knowing what you're going to do. And the idea of that is I'll keep it exciting and keep it fun.

Stephanie: Also, it's a question of time versus money. So, a lot of my clients are in a great position financially that they can afford a personal trainer, but also sometimes that personal trainer doesn't always have the flexibility to accommodate them at any time during the day. So, if they have to cancel that trainer, then they've lost one of their workouts for the week.

The great thing about having lots of classes throughout the day, if you miss the class that you intended because maybe you've had an important business meeting come in, you can say to yourself, okay, well I'll do the one at six o'clock then. There's that flexibility. That's something that I really like and from a cost perspective is quite a lot of value for the investment. What is a typical membership cost if you're doing a monthly subscription? 

Mike: Yes, something that's come up a couple of times in this conversation is time and that's pivotal for us. admittedly we could have caught our business F60 and done hour our classes, but we did F45 and cut away that 15 minutes. That's quite important for us because of the reasons that you've just highlighted.

If you are a busy worker in the city or you've only got that short lunch break or time in between meetings, by the time you've done an hour class and shower on either side of it, you're eating into an hour and a half if not two hours. So that 15 minutes that we shaved off, was done very much intentionally for city-based workers, the people who are cash rich but time poor and just want to get in and get out.

In terms of cost, the UK average or I'd say the London average is about 200 pounds a month and that gives you unlimited training. So you can go in a couple of classes a day or you can just do one a day. Generally, what we see within our user base, especially in the UK here, the adoption's really high. People are training between five and six times a week in some cases, seven. But most of them do have the ability to have a rest day. 

Stephanie: That's really cost effective. To put that into perspective, if you're getting your own personal trainer, that could be anything between 60 pounds or 100 pounds per session if you're going with what would be considered elite training in London. But again, if you're just using that one trainer, you’re bound to his or her availability and your availability. So that might be one of the drawbacks there.

Mike: Very key point there and to be honest, a large proportion, especially in London of our membership base are people that either previously had PTs and they were just using that PT and they're paying a gym membership and then doing one class of PT a week maybe in some cases. That's still cost-effectively pretty much the same as that F45 if it's 50 pounds an hour. So, you're right, that crossover is very much there and sometimes used in conjunction. 

Stephanie: I think using both in conjunction is very useful if we have injuries, rehabilitation or you've got a specific health concern that you need a personal trainer to look after your shoulder, your hip, whatever it is you're going through, that cannot be a substitute. A class cannot substitute personal training in that sense. So, it's nice to understand what you get from each thing.

The other question some of you might have is, why should I go to F45 if I’m already a member of Fitness First or Pure Gym or any of these other commercial gyms. They already have classes, but as Mike pointed out earlier, the classes are random and there's no flow, so you must have a bit of knowledge about physiology as to, okay, so today I'll do weights, tomorrow I'll do cardio. You need to think, whereas with F45 all that thinking has been done for you. The programs have been designed based on that.

I’d like to talk about stage and gate because you've really taken a lot of time to formulate the workouts, so they work as a system. Tell us a little bit about the thinking that goes behind the designing of the workouts. 

Mike: Great question. It's something that we do spend a lot of time. One important point to make here, is that our two founders, Rob and Adam, are still very much involved with the business and their involvement means that we haven't moved away from what our fundamentals were. They set up this business and said they wanted to create the best, engaging workout but also to have a lot of fun and that is still running throughout our business.

In terms of how that transitions us creating workouts, we have a team now currently based in LA which is where a lot of our business goes on. They are constantly looking for new fitness trends, new workout systems, new ability to use the equipment and creating those workouts. They're all qualified personal trainers and all have various backgrounds that they can draw from. They then sit down, and they create the workout systems themselves, which is then fed to our tech team which then feed it through the screens throughout the world.

Something that's important and one of the things that has enabled us to remain quite nimble in the market is that we didn't from the get-go, align ourselves to a methodology or way of thinking. Take spinning, for example. If you've got a spinning studio which is full of bikes but spinning stops or slightly decreases in the area in terms of the demand, you're essentially left with a studio full of bikes. We as a brand have very much got a blank canvas so if anyone hasn't been into an F45 studio, I'd advise you to go and look. 

Probably the first thing that'll strike you is how minimalistic it is when you walk in. It's rubber floors, it's white walls and it's a lot of very simple equipment. That's done for a deliberate reason because it enables us to roll things in and move them out. So, if Conor McGregor has got a fight around the corner and fighting becomes more and more prevalent or more interesting, we can roll more boxing stations into our workouts. It enables us to change and alter our systems, give them not only relevant but also exciting for the users as well. 

Stephanie: The other thing I love is the functional movements and the body weight exercises that you do. Any of my clients who have injuries, or they want to take it at their own pace, they can make those adjustments and that's very important, particularly for somebody who's just starting out.

I'm going to go back to the friendliness point. In other gyms, there could be this idea of competition. You do have healthy competition threaded through your program, but it isn't a dog eat dog. There's a far more collaborative vibe which for somebody who's just starting out on their journey, that's a very safe place that you've created a nice non-judgmental, supportive place and if you watch James Haskell on YouTube where he’s showing his classes, it's a very friendly and supportive environment.

So, for anyone who's intimidated going to the gym, not knowing how to use machines or not wanting the involvement of a personal trainer because it feels too fronting right now it feels to one on one, whereas hiding in the back of a class feels more comfortable for you, F45 really offers a nice balance there.

You saying here that you want to bridge the gap between personal training and commercial gyms and I think you do that beautifully because the other examples that you mentioned, for example, ones that involved the treadmill or boxing are high impact and that doesn't necessarily apply for a lot of people just starting out. So, using your body and going at your own pace is something that F45 is cool for.

Mike: It's something that we value, the fact that we are purely time-based and not rep or weight based as well. So, for anyone that can come in, whether it's the first time they're set into an F45 studio or they've been a member for six months, you're pushing yourself as hard as you can within that timeframe. So, you should get the same workout whether you've never stepped in the gym before or whether you're a seasoned gym goer.

Stephanie: Absolutely. I have a question here. Please explain what interval training is for those that don't know and why is 45 minutes and optimum worked out? We've covered the latter a bit already, but for those who don't know what high intensity interval training is, let's talk a bit about that. 

Mike: Good question. It’s kind of leads on from what I was just saying. I think the official definition of interval training is its physical training consisting of alternating periods of high and low intensity of activity.

As I just mentioned, what we focus on, we are very much timeframe based. So, if you go into one of our classes and you're doing a movement like a box step up or bench press, but you're given a timeframe to do that in. So, you push yourself as hard as you can within that timeframe, and you can also choose your weights. Which again enables you to push yourself as hard as you can and its enables someone who's fitter or less fit, to be pushed at the same kind of time.

Something else that's probably worth mentioning as well is that none of our time frame brackets within the workouts are over a minute long. So, the idea is that you're working very hard for up to 60 seconds and then you can step back and let your body is slowing down slightly as well. 

Stephanie: Also, I'm going to ask you a little bit about your nutrition program in the next question but as we've been talking, I've looked up commercial gyms and some of the prices are between 70 and 170 pounds per month. So really if you think about it, why pay for a gym membership where you go in, you don't really know what you're doing, you're sort of walking around machines hoping you're doing the right thing for your body. When you can pay 200 pounds for unlimited classes and you want to go.

You'll get the endorphin rush; you get the positive reinforcement. So psychologically you look to your sessions as opposed to being slightly apprehensive and having to peel yourself off the sofa to get to the gym. You want to go to F45 because you like the vibe that they’ve created there. So that's just one thing there. So, F45 give all their members access to their own free personal nutrition program. I'm a big fan of nutrition of course. So, tell us about this and what other support is given outside of the training sessions? 

Mike: Yes, I think this revolves around our eight-week challenge which is something we run four times a year. The eight-week challenge combines the training that you're getting within the studio and a nutritional program you've just mentioned. The eight-week challenge essentially is a body transformation challenge but it's also a good measuring stick. You can come in and see how you've improved over those eight weeks.

In terms of the nutritional side of things, we have two options currently here in the UK. We have the app which enables you to download and meal plan, going as far as attending your shopping list and the amount you need to purchase. It also gives you tips in terms of nutritional advice. So, there's a standard intonation and that also enables you to track your progress and track calories. 

Something that we've just launched just off the back of the last eight-week challenge. We’ve partnered up with a white label company and we've got our actual own meal plans as well. So those are the meals that we would suggest and the physical food that's been created off the back of the App. You can again purchase that through us again for those people who are a little bit time poor, you simply get your food, take it with you and put it through. Have you had a look at our App Steph?  

Stephanie: No, I haven't. I'm ashamed. How did I miss that piece of research? I’m the appalled! I thought I was doing well in this but now I’m completely slammed dunked! I'm very happy that you involve nutrition as part of your offering because nutrition is so fundamental in bringing about body transformation and optimising somebody's health. I have to say that from the class market, I don't know any other company in London that is offering nutrition as part of their ongoing monitoring. 

Mike: Yes, it's something that we've just launched and something that's been well received and an area of the business that we want to move forward with. It's all very well offering people a great workout and getting that 40 minutes or 45 minutes of their day to be the best part of their day. But it's keeping people engaged outside of the studio and the old saying goes, bodies are made in the kitchen, you've got to make sure what you're putting in is going to be fuelling you when you're in those sessions. It's something that we're spending a lot more time on when it came to these various sorts of nutritional protein brands and all these kinds of things. The idea is that we're creating a whole health package, not just your 45 minutes workout, but what you're doing exterior to that as well. 

Stephanie: That's amazing. You've really thought it through and that's a complete solution that enhances the transformation of each of the students and gym goes is that go to your classes. Mike, thank you so much. Do you have anything else to add before we go off to our class? 

Mike: Yes, when are you next coming in for a class?

Stephanie: You know what I should be held accountable! Tell me, what are your top three favourite gyms in London? I know you're spread out all over. So, what's your top three favourites? 

Mike: That's going to be a tricky one for any of the franchisees that are listening. 

Stephanie: That's true. I can't put you in an awkward position. That is so true. But you've got franchises all over London so what is your website? 

Mike: You can just simply Google F45 and you'll be able to find one of our studios. You can reach out directly to the studios by our main website or you can go on Instagram. Instagram's a big one for us. We do a lot of social media marketing. Social media is our shop front in many respects. So, you can go onto a local F45 Insta page and get a good idea of the community, what's going on, who’s going to be there and what faces you should see when you walk in the door. 

Stephanie: Well my nearest one is Warren street. So how about I go there next week? 

Mike: Yes, just down the road from me so I can meet you there. 

Stephanie: Fabulous. Okay, well listen, Mike, thank you so much for coming onto the show. The website is F45training.com. Mr. Michael Dean from F45 you've been spectacular. Thank you very much. 

Mike: Thank you very much and hope to see again.

Stephanie: For those of you listing, this is the Urban Health Podcast, Keeping busy people healthy.