Cleveland State University Rec Center endorses functional fitness with new F45 Training program: Stretching Out

CLEVELAND - The functional fitness game at Cleveland State University is getting serious. Very serious.

Soon, in addition to an already impressive roster of equipment and classes, the school's recreation center will be one of the few facilities in the state to offer F45 Training, an Australian method of group circuit exercise founded on beliefs in variety, high intensity and functionality.

Think CrossFit, but without the barbells or gymnastics. It's a system of exercise with 27 named workout types, all of them 45 minutes long and drawn from a catalog of some 3,000 movements.

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On the day I visited, the workout hailed from a cardio category called "Athletica." The other option would have been a strength-training workout from the "Romans" lineup.

Eventually, the program will expand and CSU will offer the full array of F45 body-weight, partner, plyometric, core stability, and sport-specific routines.

What was once a large open area of the CSU rec center is now given over to F45 (f45training.com). There's a short turf track, equipment storage area, music station, and wall of TVs.

Those screens are the masterminds of the whole operation. During the workout, they keep time and participants on track with reminders of what's next and looping video demonstrations of the exercises. When the instructor presses play, the TVs take over.

Timing is of the essence, too. My workout followed a form of Tabata protocol. Each minute for 36 minutes, we exercised hard for 40 seconds and rested 20. There were also two longer water breaks of 90 seconds each and a brief warm-up and cool-down.

The circuit had three units, and each unit consisted of three exercises. We completed four cycles of each unit, rotating exercises each minute. In CrossFit, we'd call this an "EMOM," or "Every Minute on the Minute," workout. As formats go, it's one of the toughest.

The exercises themselves varied enormously. Even with repetition and within such a strict framework, there was no chance of boredom.

One unit featured battling ropes, a stationary bike, and burpees on a medicine ball. Another, mountain-climbers, box jumps, and ring rows. The third, meanwhile, elevated our heart-rates with tuck jumps, jump squats on a Bosu ball, and a fast-feet drill.

Here's the thing about CSU's rec center. This new F45 program is just the latest development in a long-running push toward functional exercise.

There's still a huge array of cardio machines and weight equipment, and an Olympic-size swimming pool, but just outside the F45 zone is also a giant rig with climbing components and gymnastics rings, and an area for flipping tires, pushing sleds, and lifting Atlas stones. I can't say I've ever seen so much gear like that outside a CrossFit, StrongMan, or martial arts gym.

Someone at CSU is clearly getting the message that varied, high-intensity exercise is a sure path to results.

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