A popular Australian gym is taking on F45 with its group fitness classes designed to shred fat, build muscle and sculpt you your dream body in record time.
Melbourne’s FoxFit – a women’s-only gym – has officially opened its first Sydney studio, offering HIIT, strength training and pilates.
The new Redfern studio encompasses a New York-style loft with high ceilings and an abundance of 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 PT session with owner Tom Hose.
While I was quietly confident about my fitness level, I was slightly nervous about the cardio component of the 45-minute session. I hate running.
FoxFix is a women’s only studio gym offering HIIT, strength training and pilates group fitness classes
As some women often feel discouraged walking into the weights section of the gym, FoxFit provides a safe haven for women to workout together and reach their goals
The Melbourne brand opened its first Sydney studio in Redfern on Saturday
The workout began with a quick warm up walking on the treadmill followed by two sets of crab walks and upward lunges.
I told Tom I mostly enjoy strength training with a three-day split and would like to improve my running.
Next, we moved into the strength area which features workout benches, squat racks, pull up bars and a treadmill in the corner.
The 45-minute workout consisted of several sets focusing on the legs, glutes and abs with low weights and a high number of repetitions. Each set was also followed by a 300m two-minute run.
When running Tom gave me some handy advice. ‘It’s important to have your feet hit flat on the ground to avoid injuries, as too often many run with their heels touching the ground first,’ he said.
I performed two sets of squats, squat pulses and squat jumps then a treadmill sprint followed by banded side crab walks, diagonal band walks, abductor pulses and another sprint.
By this point it was about 15 minutes in and 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 an abundance of natural light streaming into the two training rooms. It’s also only 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 PT session with owner Tom Hose. We started with a short warm up then went into squats
Then we moved onto banded leg exercises: two sets of crab walks, diagonal band walks, and abductor pulses for the ultimate burn.
Movements repeated quickly can not only help improve cardiovascular health but also assist with losing fat and building muscle over time.
To round out the workout, the final two sets on the cable machine were glute side swipes, donkey kicks then standing cable oblique twists and ab crunches – and a 300m run.
Tom told me I had run a total of 1200m throughout the workout – a significant improvement from my regular workouts.
By the end I was red faced, trying to catch my breath and had to sit down as my legs were trembling.
Fifteen minutes into the workout and my heart was already racing
The workout consisted of four rounds each ending in a 300m sprint on the treadmill (round three cable machine pictured)
The final set consisted of two rounds of an ab crunch – and it hurt
Tom told me you don’t need to count calories or workout six times a week for two hours to build your ‘dream body’.
Instead, three 45-minute sessions is all that’s required.
‘Put in the hard work and you’ll see results, but you also don’t want to be spending all your free time in the gym,’ he said.
Before every workout it’s also recommended eating a small portion of food at least an hour beforehand to get the most out of your workout, and prevent feeling faint after.
‘If you don’t have a high amount of energy you won’t put in the work so you won’t reach your goals quickly,’ he said.
‘You want to try bring your GI levels back up especially if you workout first thing in the morning because you’ve been fasting as you sleep – so have some nuts, protein, berries, yoghurt or even a smoothie.’
As for what it takes to get shredded abs, Tom said consistency and repetition is key in addition to diet.
You don’t need to workout your abs at the end of every session but during each exercise it’s important to help stabilise your core for both stability and strength.
Tom also scolded those who take their shoes off in the gym when lifting weights and said it’s ‘not needed’.
Over the last ten years FoxFit has built a name for itself and has been endorsed by some of Melbourne’s elite influencers and socialites, including beauty personality Rozalia Russian, TV presenter Abbey Gemli, and model Tess Shanahan.
At the Redfern location eight classes are available during the week and up to three will run on weekends.
The $65per week membership includes unlimited access to all classes with no minimum term contract.
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