A popular Australian gym is taking on F45 with its group fitness classes designed to shed fat, build muscle and sculpt the body of your dreams in record time.
Melbourne’s FoxFit, a women’s-only gym, has officially opened its first studio in Sydney, offering HIIT, strength training and Pilates.
The new Redfern studio encompasses a New York-style loft with high ceilings and abundant natural light streaming into the two training rooms.
To see what it’s all about, I was one of the first in Sydney to visit the new gym for a one-on-one physiotherapy session with owner Tom Hose.
While I was confident in my fitness level, I was a little nervous about the cardiovascular component of the 45-minute session. I hate running.
FoxFix is a women’s only gym offering group HIIT fitness, strength training and Pilates classes.
As some women often feel discouraged when entering the weights section of the gym, FoxFit offers a safe haven for women to train together and achieve their goals.
The Melbourne brand opened its first Sydney studio in Redfern on Saturday
The workout began with a quick warm-up by walking on the treadmill, followed by two sets of crab walks and upward lunges.
I told Tom that I mostly enjoy strength training with a three-day split and would like to improve my running.
Next, we move on to the strength area which has exercise benches, squat racks, pull-up bars, and a treadmill in the corner.
The 45-minute workout consisted of several series focusing on legs, glutes and abs with light weight and a high number of repetitions. Each set was also followed by a two-minute 300 m run.
When running Tom gave me some useful advice. “It is important to have your feet flat on the ground to avoid injuries, since many times many run with their heels touching the ground first,” he said.
I performed two sets of squats, pulse squats and jump squats, then a treadmill sprint followed by crab lateral band walks, diagonal band walks, abductor pulses and another sprint.
At this point about 15 minutes had passed and the blood was rushing to my face and my heart was racing. But I was ready for more.
The new Sydney studio encompasses a New York-style loft with high ceilings and plenty of natural light streaming into the two training rooms. It is also just a five minute walk from the train station.
To see what it’s all about, I was one of the first in Sydney to visit the new gym for a one-on-one physiotherapy session with owner Tom Hose. We start with a short warm-up and then move on to doing squats.
Then we move on to banded leg exercises: two sets of crab walks, diagonal band walks, and abductor pulses for the ultimate burn.
Rapidly repeated movements can not only help improve cardiovascular health, but also help you lose fat and build muscle over time.
To complete the workout, the last two sets on the cable machine were lateral glute kicks, donkey kicks, then standing cable oblique twists and crunches, and a 300m run.
Tom told me that I had run a total of 1200m throughout the training, a significant improvement on my usual training.
By the end I was red-faced, trying to catch my breath, and I had to sit down because my legs were shaking.
Fifteen minutes into the workout and my heart was already racing.
The training consisted of four rounds, each of which ended with a 300 m sprint on the treadmill (the third round with cable machine is shown in the photo).
The final set consisted of two rounds of sit-ups, and it hurt.
Tom told me that you don’t need to count calories or exercise six times a week for two hours to build the “body of your dreams.”
Instead, three 45-minute sessions are all that is required.
“Work hard and you’ll see results, but you don’t want to spend all your free time in the gym either,” he said.
Before each workout, it is also recommended to eat a small portion of food at least an hour before to get the most out of the workout and avoid feeling faint afterwards.
“If you don’t have a lot of energy, you won’t push yourself, so you won’t reach your goals quickly,” he said.
“You want to try to get your GI levels back up, especially if you exercise first thing in the morning because you’ve been fasting while you sleep, so have some nuts, protein, berries, yogurt, or even a smoothie.”
As for what it takes to get ripped abs, Tom said consistency and repetition are key in addition to diet.
You don’t have to work your abs at the end of each session, but during each exercise it’s important to help stabilize your core for stability and strength.
Tom also scolded those who take off their shoes in the gym when lifting weights, saying “it’s not necessary.”
Over the past ten years, FoxFit has made a name for itself and has been endorsed by some Melbourne influencers and socialites, including beauty personality Rozalia Russian, TV presenter Abbey Gemli and model Tess Shanahan .
At the Redfern location there are eight classes available during the week and up to three will run at weekends.
$65 per week membership includes unlimited access to all classes with no minimum contract length.