F45 Fitness arrives in New York City
Now that the kids are back to school and the cold weather is creeping in, it is time for us mums and dads to think about ourselves and get our health and wellbeing back on track! I find every year that September is my "reset month". For me, the start of the new school year is the start of "mummy gets back into shape". With that in mind, I decided to take an in-depth look at F45 Fitness - the Aussie fitness phenomenon that has made its way to NYC.
I met with the owner of F45 in NYC, Luke Catenacci to understand a bit more about the business and of course to try it out!
Luke, you are an American guy, living in the city, working a corporate job. How did you hear about F45 and ultimately get involved?
I was working in finance in Tokyo and Hong Kong for about 6 years when I decided a career change was necessary. My girlfriend (now wife) and I decided to take some time off to travel around before moving to New York, which is home for me. Along our travels, we spent time in Australia, where we visited an Aussie friend/ former colleague in Perth. We stopped in to take a class at his new gym called F45 and we were hooked. Upon moving back to the states, I recruited my brother, Jeff, to join forces and we got to work on bringing F45 to NYC.
What do you like about the F45 program in comparison to other group fitness classes?
As a consumer, I like how effective it is at achieving results in such an efficient way. As an owner, I like how the technology that F45 incorporates makes it so easy to run such varied and interesting classes. And as both a consumer and owner, I absolutely love the community that it builds and how much it brings people together and builds accountability and friendships.
How many locations do you have? Any plans to open more?
We have 2 open at Flatiron and Lower East Side, with our 3rd in DUMBO set to open in December. We are also actively looking for new locations in Manhattan, as well as in neighboring towns.
I have now taken several F45 classes, and I love the variety of exercises in every session, as you never do the same routine twice.
The 45 min or 60 min HIIT (high-intensity interval training) style really works you hard, but as a beginner on my fitness journey, the trainers are super nice and really help you with the exercises and most importantly make sure your form is correct. They rotate classes during the week between cardio and strength/weights and both sessions are rewarding. Oh yes, you will feel it the next day, I guarantee.
The feel of the class is very friendly with high fives to your workout buddies after every session, and it really has a non-competitive 'mate-ship' that I feel most other New York fitness institutions don’t have.
A few weeks into my new fitness regime and I am really enjoying my F45 experience and find myself wanting to get to the next class to work off my summer indulgences (nachos and pina colada anyone!). More importantly, I want to push myself and accomplish new fitness goals!
New Jersey Friends.... you no longer have to cross the Hudson River to workout! Since speaking with Luke, I've learned that Aussie, Nick Perchey is opening an F45 studio in Jersey City, due to open November 2018 and they are offering a limited number of pre-open Foundation Memberships. You can contact Nick and the New Jersey F45 team at
T: 201 241 2025.
So, what are you waiting for, Come and Sweat with me.