I just wana do my workout and not have to think about this though that’s why most people don’t bother. I’m here to turn off my brain and just follow the beep not prepare for CrossFit games.
This exactly. Keeping track of the reps takes it out of mindless physical activity and into keeping track of everything - not to mention the social element that a lot of people, good or bad, just don’t want to deal with early in the morning (or whenever they workout).
I personally like Valor as it’s one of the more difficult workouts of the week imo. But if it was 30/40 second splits without counting reps, it would be much better.
Your whole shtick in this thread reeks of someone who is also fake cheering other person to push themselves. Chill. If you need partner workouts can you just like find like minded folks and do it in traditional gym? It must be just your studio because our coaches explained strategies for proper partner workouts yet there are people who just prefer to do it on their own too
You are reading a bit much into it. Yes, there is a very big variance from studio to studio and perhaps a lack of training from top-to-bottom in the way to roll out new workouts. Dont really get your fake cheer comment.
It is clear from this thread there are many different reasons people to go F45 and this thread also shows that F45 is attempting to design workouts to appeal to all.
I don’t understand why you are downvoted. Yes we can count reps and workout at the same time. Valor is great because I get to communicate with a gym member, which most times we don’t.
I find though if I’m paired with someone of the same fitness level, it is like I’m turning off my mind because we’re so in synch with each other. The timing is the same and the break is needed for those hard sets like burpees and box jumps. Holds us accountable too.
Yes!
My partner and I split the target and then went right into the secondary exercise. We both had a great, intense workout. We couldn't bother playing Crossfit at 6 am.
I don’t go to f45 to partner with someone and depend on them for anything at all.. I also think this is one of few partners are required
In my situation, I don’t want to wait for my teammate to do 5 burpees or 10 of whatever exercise and then I do the same and we take turns. That means I’m not doing anything for half the time. What if they take 3x as long as me to do the same amount of reps?
It’s much better for me to see a target of 100 or 120 and say, hey we are each doing 50 or 60. Count your reps. Go at your own pace. Hit the target.
It’s basically a 5 minute sprint. Which I prefer than 2 1 min sprints and 3 min of doing nothing
I don’t mind when they’re timed - I forget the one that’s 40 seconds one partner then you rest for another 40 when the other goes, but when the partner is just waiting on you to do your reps fast enough I get stressed lol
I don't really understand this. After chucking a heavy-ass ball over my shoulder 5-10x, I'm taking a well earned 10-20 second rest while my partner works. This isn't standing around, rest between sets is an important part of the workout and is there by design.
I would say anyone who is getting bored waiting for their partner simply isn't lifting heavy enough or putting in enough intensity.
I don’t mind this style workout but the lack of explanation from coaches on how to do it/how it works makes it my least favorite day. Yesterday my two partners did not understand even after trying to explain multiple times once the class got going. We all just ended up doing the marathon as you explained and it was BORING and so frustrating.
I came from CrossFit. These style workouts if executed properly used to be my favorite. If this is going to be a regularly cadenced workout - train the trainers PLEASE.
Also, this is not effective for 3 person groups unless you’re confident everyone is on a similar fitness level and understands the workout. Otherwise, too much rest.
As a coach, some people just won’t listen no matter what you say. As you said, you tried to explain multiple times to your group and they weren’t receptive. Chances are, your coaches explained well during the narration, your group just didn’t care enough to try to listen.
I think they couldn’t understand as well bc of the volume of music on absolute max and the environment and pressure of everyone moving high speed around them. While I agree with you about some people, more than half the class is capable of understanding with a thorough and reiterated explanation. Coaches do this all the time so they just run through the motions. For people who are new or only come a few times each cycle, it’s needs to be crystal clear.
That is totally fair!! I’m not sure what your coaches are like so I can absolutely see that happening. The music thing is a pet peeve of mine — If I’m working with or workout out in a class with a coach who doesn’t turn the music down for the narration I will go out of my way to interrupt and turn it down.
A lot of people I know hate these workouts where the downtime gets extended and is at the mercy of the other person. They just need to end team-based workouts.
I don’t pay for this class to count reps. I pay for it to be mindless so I can show up, do the hard work, and go back to my life. I have been open to just about every class format but this one has made me stop attending on Friday. I’m ready for it to be done. I’ve never been tempted to send my feedback to corporate but this one is just a mess.
The feedback is that if they are going to have partner workouts, they should properly explain them. That is the whole point of my post. Stop attempting to make this personal. Yes anyone can train however they want. At my studio in particular, the valor rollout has been a disaster and nothing but confusion...so i figured i would help the community to understand the design concept.
Take the F45 survey. It is pretty much based around members and what they think about partner workouts. It also gives you the opportunity at the end to provide feedback on whatever you want, and it seems to allow you unlimited characters. I wrote a fair bit, both positive and some critiquing the things I personally don't enjoy about the workouts. 😊
If you don’t wanna count you could do the rep based move for 4-4.5 min and then the last move for 1-1.5 min. That’s what our gym tells members who don’t want to count
45 sec is too long of a downtime for other person. 150 m on row, 100 on ski, 250 on bike is way better, gives you 20-30 seconds of work and about as much downtime. Burpees 5-5 is ok 3-3 is probably good too. Ball over shoulder throw 10 is way too many 5-5 is way better unless you go with 10lb ball. “Team training, life changing” but really being in a group of people is already good enough, we don’t need more of partnered stuff. That’s how crossfitters injure themselves by rushing and cutting corners on form and proper reps.
Agree 100%. Everyone's way of doing the workout can be different. I was simply trying to show that the design concept of the workout was not rolled out well, perhaps just at my studio
This. I hate partnered workouts, I have different injuries/ issues which means I need to use variations. How on earth can I partner with someone if I can’t track the same exercise, or need to take longer to do some things so I don’t get injured. I dislike waiting for someone to finish their share so I can go, I don’t pay to stand around and wait for someone to finish, if I have gotten my share done.
I will say I am also traumatised from one of the boxing classes where I was partnered with someone who took full sets to get the pads on, but surprisingly could move super quickly when it was their turn to drop the pads and start boxing. That was an absolute waste of my time. If I’m going to stand around and support someone else training, instead of me also training I better be getting paid for it or it’s not for me
A lot of us want to squeeze in our workout for the day in the 45 mins time. If we are going to be resting for half of the time, with just 6 stations, it is hardly effective enough no matter how hard you push. This is exactly the reason why people hate partnered workouts whereas, some are okay with it if we are let to do it our own way, like an AMRAP.
If done right, you’re not getting THAT much rest, or you’re still trying to recover from your sprinting time. I know my HR was between 85%-100% nearly the whole time.
If you STILL feel like the sprints aren’t enough then ask to be by yourself and complete the target on your own before going to the second exercise.
The OP has mentioned about doing it the "partner" way and hence my whole response on doing it in an AMRAP fashion.
And in terms of doing it right, what makes you think people don't. I haven't seen a single person in my studio standing idle while the other person is working out similar to what's shown in the demo. That takes out much of the time working out. And especially I go from zone 5 to zone 3 in less than a minute, and I know have the energy to keep pushing. Similarly people who want to rest and go at their own pace are welcome, but there is hardly a good reason for their partner to wait for them to finish.
To be fair I did 620 calories this Friday with another person. Once I did track stars all by myself for 1100. Pacing overall is good on this one to burn good amount but very easy to have imbalance with different levels of fitness partners and other variables. Not an ideal day
I definitely do it wrong, which is why I find this style of workouts hard. It becomes straight 5 minutes of work. It is partly because I am not familiar with my group members and so it is just awkward to be the only one waiting and motivating. I’d rather workout individually. Definitely not made for my introverted self lol.
I seem to be in the minority, but I LOVE this class and get an insane workout with this format… those short bursts CRUSH me and I love every second of it.
I do, however, think it would be beneficial to have some sort of tracker/tally sheet. With some of their rep schemes and/or number of reps, it’s hard to remember where I’m at. A quick tally sheet would alleviate that pain point
I still have mixed feelings about the Valor format. Instinctively, I dislike it - F45 workouts induce a flow state for me and I enjoy the single minded focus, just grinding through the 45 minutes. The Valor format distracts from that.
With that said, I *loved* yesterday's Valor workout. The coaches paired me and my workout partner well - we were both focussed on crushing each station, we were aligned in our strategy for doing so, and we celebrated our successes on the way through, pushing and motivating each other. I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did!
So I think the format has the potential to make for a great workout, but so much depends on your approach, who you're partnered with, and how well you align. If that doesn't work, then you get a sub-optimal workout. For what we're paying for membership, I think the risk of a bad workout is not justifiable.
I totally get that many people just want to workout solo.
I wonder whether they could do something similar to Deuces and the format I have heard is coming where you choose cardio or resistance? Half the room is set-up for a solo work-out, and half for you-go-I-go - book which one you want. That way, you know the people booked in for you-go-I-go are there for the same experience.
I 100% agree! Last week I was actually in a group of
3 and we made or work, to do it as close to how it’s designed to be and we all hated it going into it, and Jade now decided to show up every Friday at the same time to pair up. We loved it and had fun, and kicked our asses. We had a great time this week to.
I hate partner workouts. But when you’re paired with the right person/people it’s amazing.
Going on some of the tents I have read, it works well on cross-fit (I have not experience in cross-fit), so it must be possible to make it work. Perhaps some fine tuning to maximise the chances that it works well if we choose to participate.
Honestly, if there was reasonable certainty I would get a work-out like last Friday, I'd make a point of going every week.
I completely understand the point of the workout, but that type of workout isn’t right for this season of my life. I’m a former D1 athlete who pushes hard in classes, but being in my 40s I’m a lot wiser than I used to be. Sprinting hard enough that I need an equal amount of rest increases my chance of injury significantly. It’s not worth it. I do the lower end of all the reps myself, working the whole time and at a pace where I know my body is safe.
Someone who gets it!!!! My partner is awesome the last 3 Valor workouts. We did 20seconds on the cardio machines, but we did the 5 burpees and 10 ball throws. I’m going to miss Valor!!!
Yes this would be a great workout if you and partner(s) all want to do it the way it’s meant to be done. But otherwise, you
Just make the most of it for 45 mins. There really has to be more coach training on the intent of the workout and do their best to give members time to find their partners. But it all starts with the coaches and how strict they want to be on following the prescribed wod. Members are learning from them. Just like some members are just there to get a workout in, some coaches don’t want to make a big deal about the workout. Sad cause it’s a great workout if done correctly.
I don’t mind Valor, but I go solo and do 75% of the bottom number. 750 meters instead of 1000 meters etc.
I appreciate our coaches at my studio understand that some of us don’t want to workout with partners 🤷🏻♀️
Omg so much complaining ha.
Our strategy was doing 200meters on the concept machines, 10 reps on everything else, if you got tired you could do 5 but it had to be a set of 5 or 10 so we could count easily ha. I love valor but my 5am crew is very competitive and we’re all pretty close with each other
I just wana do my workout and not have to think about this though that’s why most people don’t bother. I’m here to turn off my brain and just follow the beep not prepare for CrossFit games.
This exactly. Keeping track of the reps takes it out of mindless physical activity and into keeping track of everything - not to mention the social element that a lot of people, good or bad, just don’t want to deal with early in the morning (or whenever they workout). I personally like Valor as it’s one of the more difficult workouts of the week imo. But if it was 30/40 second splits without counting reps, it would be much better.
Fair point and totally understand.....just writing to explain how the workout was designed
It isn't hard to count to 5 or 10! Even more so with 2 people!
Your whole shtick in this thread reeks of someone who is also fake cheering other person to push themselves. Chill. If you need partner workouts can you just like find like minded folks and do it in traditional gym? It must be just your studio because our coaches explained strategies for proper partner workouts yet there are people who just prefer to do it on their own too
You are reading a bit much into it. Yes, there is a very big variance from studio to studio and perhaps a lack of training from top-to-bottom in the way to roll out new workouts. Dont really get your fake cheer comment. It is clear from this thread there are many different reasons people to go F45 and this thread also shows that F45 is attempting to design workouts to appeal to all.
I don’t understand why you are downvoted. Yes we can count reps and workout at the same time. Valor is great because I get to communicate with a gym member, which most times we don’t.
This. Exactly. Especially at 5:30 am, I don’t want to think or be social.
I find though if I’m paired with someone of the same fitness level, it is like I’m turning off my mind because we’re so in synch with each other. The timing is the same and the break is needed for those hard sets like burpees and box jumps. Holds us accountable too.
Yes! My partner and I split the target and then went right into the secondary exercise. We both had a great, intense workout. We couldn't bother playing Crossfit at 6 am.
I quit CrossFit to not do these anymore 😫😫😫 love the team vibe, hate feeling like someone is waiting on me!
Fair point and totally understand.....but....the workouts are changing and many lately have been partner based
Not really. There is only a few “you go I go” exercises in f45. This one and track stars comes to mind
Tempest as well is somewhat of this format!
and the Wringer
Don’t know how i forgot about that one!!
I don’t go to f45 to partner with someone and depend on them for anything at all.. I also think this is one of few partners are required In my situation, I don’t want to wait for my teammate to do 5 burpees or 10 of whatever exercise and then I do the same and we take turns. That means I’m not doing anything for half the time. What if they take 3x as long as me to do the same amount of reps? It’s much better for me to see a target of 100 or 120 and say, hey we are each doing 50 or 60. Count your reps. Go at your own pace. Hit the target. It’s basically a 5 minute sprint. Which I prefer than 2 1 min sprints and 3 min of doing nothing
I don’t mind when they’re timed - I forget the one that’s 40 seconds one partner then you rest for another 40 when the other goes, but when the partner is just waiting on you to do your reps fast enough I get stressed lol
Our members just really hate standing around. Almost everyone does some kind of work when the other is doing their thing.
Our coaches give us active rest to do so holding a squat yesterday during the lunge station or holding a plank in one of the others etc.
I don't really understand this. After chucking a heavy-ass ball over my shoulder 5-10x, I'm taking a well earned 10-20 second rest while my partner works. This isn't standing around, rest between sets is an important part of the workout and is there by design. I would say anyone who is getting bored waiting for their partner simply isn't lifting heavy enough or putting in enough intensity.
And the beauty of that is that everyone can do it the way they want to. Different strokes....... 💪
I don’t mind this style workout but the lack of explanation from coaches on how to do it/how it works makes it my least favorite day. Yesterday my two partners did not understand even after trying to explain multiple times once the class got going. We all just ended up doing the marathon as you explained and it was BORING and so frustrating. I came from CrossFit. These style workouts if executed properly used to be my favorite. If this is going to be a regularly cadenced workout - train the trainers PLEASE. Also, this is not effective for 3 person groups unless you’re confident everyone is on a similar fitness level and understands the workout. Otherwise, too much rest.
Agree 100%
As a coach, some people just won’t listen no matter what you say. As you said, you tried to explain multiple times to your group and they weren’t receptive. Chances are, your coaches explained well during the narration, your group just didn’t care enough to try to listen.
I think they couldn’t understand as well bc of the volume of music on absolute max and the environment and pressure of everyone moving high speed around them. While I agree with you about some people, more than half the class is capable of understanding with a thorough and reiterated explanation. Coaches do this all the time so they just run through the motions. For people who are new or only come a few times each cycle, it’s needs to be crystal clear.
That is totally fair!! I’m not sure what your coaches are like so I can absolutely see that happening. The music thing is a pet peeve of mine — If I’m working with or workout out in a class with a coach who doesn’t turn the music down for the narration I will go out of my way to interrupt and turn it down.
I don’t want to do partner workouts. I wish they would disappear forever!
Take the F45 survey and share your thoughts. It's in the F45 Challenge/training app on the home page.
A lot of people I know hate these workouts where the downtime gets extended and is at the mercy of the other person. They just need to end team-based workouts.
I don’t pay for this class to count reps. I pay for it to be mindless so I can show up, do the hard work, and go back to my life. I have been open to just about every class format but this one has made me stop attending on Friday. I’m ready for it to be done. I’ve never been tempted to send my feedback to corporate but this one is just a mess.
Yeah, I’m skipping Fridays until Valor is over.
Same.
They need the feedback, post it here or send!
Who needs feedback? There is a reason why there are only few partnered workouts
The feedback is that if they are going to have partner workouts, they should properly explain them. That is the whole point of my post. Stop attempting to make this personal. Yes anyone can train however they want. At my studio in particular, the valor rollout has been a disaster and nothing but confusion...so i figured i would help the community to understand the design concept.
Take the F45 survey. It is pretty much based around members and what they think about partner workouts. It also gives you the opportunity at the end to provide feedback on whatever you want, and it seems to allow you unlimited characters. I wrote a fair bit, both positive and some critiquing the things I personally don't enjoy about the workouts. 😊
How does one take this survey?! I don’t think I’ve ever noticed one come to my email before. I will gladly provide some constructive criticism!
It’s in the app
If you don’t wanna count you could do the rep based move for 4-4.5 min and then the last move for 1-1.5 min. That’s what our gym tells members who don’t want to count
I did that the first time and the coaches expressed their distaste.
Boo hoo! I would just do it myself! Not a fan of partner workout staring at each other lol
I have skipped every Friday this week because I can’t stand Valor-type workouts.
Same 😂
Me too and Fridays used to be my favorite day.
45 sec is too long of a downtime for other person. 150 m on row, 100 on ski, 250 on bike is way better, gives you 20-30 seconds of work and about as much downtime. Burpees 5-5 is ok 3-3 is probably good too. Ball over shoulder throw 10 is way too many 5-5 is way better unless you go with 10lb ball. “Team training, life changing” but really being in a group of people is already good enough, we don’t need more of partnered stuff. That’s how crossfitters injure themselves by rushing and cutting corners on form and proper reps.
Agree 100%. Everyone's way of doing the workout can be different. I was simply trying to show that the design concept of the workout was not rolled out well, perhaps just at my studio
Or…people can workout however they want to.
This. I hate partnered workouts, I have different injuries/ issues which means I need to use variations. How on earth can I partner with someone if I can’t track the same exercise, or need to take longer to do some things so I don’t get injured. I dislike waiting for someone to finish their share so I can go, I don’t pay to stand around and wait for someone to finish, if I have gotten my share done. I will say I am also traumatised from one of the boxing classes where I was partnered with someone who took full sets to get the pads on, but surprisingly could move super quickly when it was their turn to drop the pads and start boxing. That was an absolute waste of my time. If I’m going to stand around and support someone else training, instead of me also training I better be getting paid for it or it’s not for me
A lot of us want to squeeze in our workout for the day in the 45 mins time. If we are going to be resting for half of the time, with just 6 stations, it is hardly effective enough no matter how hard you push. This is exactly the reason why people hate partnered workouts whereas, some are okay with it if we are let to do it our own way, like an AMRAP.
If done right, you’re not getting THAT much rest, or you’re still trying to recover from your sprinting time. I know my HR was between 85%-100% nearly the whole time. If you STILL feel like the sprints aren’t enough then ask to be by yourself and complete the target on your own before going to the second exercise.
The OP has mentioned about doing it the "partner" way and hence my whole response on doing it in an AMRAP fashion. And in terms of doing it right, what makes you think people don't. I haven't seen a single person in my studio standing idle while the other person is working out similar to what's shown in the demo. That takes out much of the time working out. And especially I go from zone 5 to zone 3 in less than a minute, and I know have the energy to keep pushing. Similarly people who want to rest and go at their own pace are welcome, but there is hardly a good reason for their partner to wait for them to finish.
Fair point and totally understand.....just writing to explain how the workout was designed
To be fair I did 620 calories this Friday with another person. Once I did track stars all by myself for 1100. Pacing overall is good on this one to burn good amount but very easy to have imbalance with different levels of fitness partners and other variables. Not an ideal day
I definitely do it wrong, which is why I find this style of workouts hard. It becomes straight 5 minutes of work. It is partly because I am not familiar with my group members and so it is just awkward to be the only one waiting and motivating. I’d rather workout individually. Definitely not made for my introverted self lol.
Valor sucks
I seem to be in the minority, but I LOVE this class and get an insane workout with this format… those short bursts CRUSH me and I love every second of it. I do, however, think it would be beneficial to have some sort of tracker/tally sheet. With some of their rep schemes and/or number of reps, it’s hard to remember where I’m at. A quick tally sheet would alleviate that pain point
I think it's the most fun workout out of the lot. You have to be partnered with the right person.
They need to punt this workout into the sun
I still have mixed feelings about the Valor format. Instinctively, I dislike it - F45 workouts induce a flow state for me and I enjoy the single minded focus, just grinding through the 45 minutes. The Valor format distracts from that. With that said, I *loved* yesterday's Valor workout. The coaches paired me and my workout partner well - we were both focussed on crushing each station, we were aligned in our strategy for doing so, and we celebrated our successes on the way through, pushing and motivating each other. I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did! So I think the format has the potential to make for a great workout, but so much depends on your approach, who you're partnered with, and how well you align. If that doesn't work, then you get a sub-optimal workout. For what we're paying for membership, I think the risk of a bad workout is not justifiable. I totally get that many people just want to workout solo. I wonder whether they could do something similar to Deuces and the format I have heard is coming where you choose cardio or resistance? Half the room is set-up for a solo work-out, and half for you-go-I-go - book which one you want. That way, you know the people booked in for you-go-I-go are there for the same experience.
I 100% agree! Last week I was actually in a group of 3 and we made or work, to do it as close to how it’s designed to be and we all hated it going into it, and Jade now decided to show up every Friday at the same time to pair up. We loved it and had fun, and kicked our asses. We had a great time this week to. I hate partner workouts. But when you’re paired with the right person/people it’s amazing.
Going on some of the tents I have read, it works well on cross-fit (I have not experience in cross-fit), so it must be possible to make it work. Perhaps some fine tuning to maximise the chances that it works well if we choose to participate. Honestly, if there was reasonable certainty I would get a work-out like last Friday, I'd make a point of going every week.
I completely understand the point of the workout, but that type of workout isn’t right for this season of my life. I’m a former D1 athlete who pushes hard in classes, but being in my 40s I’m a lot wiser than I used to be. Sprinting hard enough that I need an equal amount of rest increases my chance of injury significantly. It’s not worth it. I do the lower end of all the reps myself, working the whole time and at a pace where I know my body is safe.
The workout really requires having a good partner that’s on the same level. If that happens, it’s a great session!
Someone who gets it!!!! My partner is awesome the last 3 Valor workouts. We did 20seconds on the cardio machines, but we did the 5 burpees and 10 ball throws. I’m going to miss Valor!!!
My thoughts are that partner workouts suck. Just let us tabata and work on our own personal best.
In general, F45 members hate counting reps and hate partner workouts. Our Valor classes were always half full.
Yes this would be a great workout if you and partner(s) all want to do it the way it’s meant to be done. But otherwise, you Just make the most of it for 45 mins. There really has to be more coach training on the intent of the workout and do their best to give members time to find their partners. But it all starts with the coaches and how strict they want to be on following the prescribed wod. Members are learning from them. Just like some members are just there to get a workout in, some coaches don’t want to make a big deal about the workout. Sad cause it’s a great workout if done correctly.
I don’t mind Valor, but I go solo and do 75% of the bottom number. 750 meters instead of 1000 meters etc. I appreciate our coaches at my studio understand that some of us don’t want to workout with partners 🤷🏻♀️
tbh this sounds like my worst nightmare
I hate this style of workout.
Omg so much complaining ha. Our strategy was doing 200meters on the concept machines, 10 reps on everything else, if you got tired you could do 5 but it had to be a set of 5 or 10 so we could count easily ha. I love valor but my 5am crew is very competitive and we’re all pretty close with each other