I tried London's newest trending Pilates class for a month — and am shocked at how much it challenged my body

The tunes are pumping, my whole lower body is shaking and I can see my sportswear working on overdrive to wick away the many beads of perspiration. As you might have already guessed from the title of this article, I’m at an FS8 Pilates workout class. But 10 minutes in, I quickly realise it’s a sweat sesh like no other.

In my ever-ongoing journey of chasing exercise-induced endorphins, I’ve given a fair few workout classes a shot to see what sticks in my routine and what I'd swerve. From 50-minute long Pilates classes (stick) and functional fitness flows (another stick) to intensive HIIT training workouts and sweat-driven EMOM sessions (both personal swerves). So when the high-in-energy but low-in-impact functional fitness, workout, FS8, hit the UK fitness scene in 2022 and onto my radar, I just knew I had to try it.

The circuit-based session is all the best bits of Pilates, yoga and strength workouts combined. So, if that sounds like you’re kinda movement, stick right here. In the interests of journalism, I tried out FS8 Pilates for a month and have loads to say. So, to find out what is FS8 training, the benefits of the workouts and what I discovered, keep reading.

While you’re here, you might also be interested in discovering the best Pilates moves for beginners, the best advanced Pilates moves that are worth working your way up to or find out what happened when one writer did 15 minutes of Pilates every day.

Your complete guide to FS8 Pilates 

But first, what is FS8 training?

“FS8 is a 3-in-1 workout where Pilates, Tone, and Yoga are redefined,” Emily Rutherwood from FS8 explains. “It's for every body and everybody, offering a high-energy, low-impact sweat session across five different core workouts.”

This includes:

• FS8 Original
• FS8 Blast
• FS8 Remix
• FS8 Flex
• FS8 Restore

Each of the classes is a mix of dynamic movements (i.e active movements where joints and muscles go through a full range of motion) with the principles of Reformer Pilates and Mat Pilates, strength training and it incorporates yoga-inspired warm-ups and cool-downs. “We are not just another Pilates workout,” Rutherwood says. “FS8 will put your strength to the test.” And that, my friends, it does!

What are the benefits of FS8 workouts?

Due to the fact FS8 workouts take inspo from Pilates, yoga flows and strength sessions, you’re essentially reaping many of the rewards these types of bring.

But when talking about FS8 classes in particular, Rutherwood says the benefits just keep on coming. First up: “You feel stronger after every session,” she says. “Combining Pilates, Tone and Yoga for a unique and energising full body workout, you can feel stronger every time you complete a class,” Rutherwood adds.

She also notes that your muscles will burn without the boredom. “Classes are constantly remixed and matched with pumping playlists to make every experience one to remember.”

Is FS8 owned by F45?

It sure is. You’ve probably already heard of F45 — you know, the functional group fitness classes that launched in 2011. And you may well be pleased to know that FS8 is from the same people. “FS8 is owned by F45 Training,” Rutherwood says. “This was an exciting next step for F45 Training as they expand their offering with their franchise community.”

What does FS8 stand for?

Very good question. “The 'F' stands for functional (because every element has been designed to work together), the 'S' is for style (remixing Pilates, yoga and tone in a new way) and the '8' represents the eight key modalities that form the core of FS8 (Resistance, Posture, Cardio, Coordination, Flexibility, Mobility, Balance and Mental Health)," Rutherwood adds.

I tried FS8 Pilates for a month - and, wow

Week one

My first session is an FS8 Flex class so it’s a strength-based workout with lots of core-centric moves. One of the first things you’ll spot in the studios is the fact there are screens showing you how to do the moves at the front and back. They also show you the exercise that’s coming next and have a 50-second countdown, showing you the seconds you have left on the exercise.

The friendly instructor makes her way over, introducing herself, and checking for any injuries. And, after giving me a quick refresher about what the class entails, including how to use the Reformer, the music gets louder and the workout is a go.

We warm up on the mat with some yoga-based stretches, before moving on to the Reformer and completing loads of unilateral exercises (like lunges, short box series and one-armed pulls) that really put your core strength, balance and coordination to the test. But before your body (or brain) gets too tired or runs out of juice, you’re in your 10-second rest period and getting ready for what’s coming next.

When you're in the sessions, you don't get a chance to think about much else other than your form, balance or coordination. Before I knew it, the class had flown by and I left feeling energized, with my mind clear and my body a little achy.

Week two

The FS8 Flex class is fully packed this week. So much so, my friend and I had to wait to see if there were any "no-shows." Thankfully, there were so we made our way into the class and prepared to get sweaty.

From press ups and the Pilates Hundreds to weighted dumbbell squats and deadlifts. This class was split between free weights and the Reformer, with moves like arm extensions, pikes and the Pilates frog move thrown in for fun.

While you’re still performing each exercise for 50 seconds, followed by ten seconds of rest, the idea was the complete most of the moves in a slow and steady manner to really focus on your form and find that mind-muscle connection. But who knew low-intensity could look so sweaty?

Week three

Just when I think I’ve found my flow with things, I join an FS8 Original class to mix things up. We used a Pilates ball in this class but like never before.

After a short warm-up, we begin using the Reformer in true FS8-style. Placing the ball underneath the heel of the standing foot, the class was challenged to balance while ‘kicking back’ the Reformer carriage with the other foot in a dynamic yet controlled manner. And if that wasn’t hard enough on your core, glutes or whole lower body, the next 50 seconds took things up a notch with leg extension pulses. The burn is real!

Week four

Come the last week, I’m pretty sad that my time at FS8 is coming to an end. My last session is another FS8 Flex class, this time including resistance training in the form of dumbbell moves, mat exercises like banded pulse squats, and balanced-based moves on the Reformer.

It’s pretty wild how much can change in a month. Since many of the moves are unilateral, there’s no room to hide any strength imbalances or unevenness in balance. In fact, in the nicest possible way, FS8 shines a spotlight on them, which other forms of fitness hadn’t so evidently highlighted until now.

Yes, it’s not unusual for anyone to be more dominant on one side of their body than the other. But a month of workouts has shown me just how much stronger, coordinated, and better at balancing I am on my right instead of my left.

The verdict

New workout classes help inject some fresh motivation into things and FS8 has done just that. You’ll come away from the functional fitness sessions feeling stronger, sweatier and so much more satisfied than the 50 minutes that came before.

Do the classes get easier? Yes and no. I've found that your body adapts and your flexibility, balance and strength increases. But because every class is different and packed with a shedload of functional moves each class with test you in some way or how. But that's part of the fun.

All in all, the post-class highs, friendly instructors and full-body strength gains keep you wanting to come back for more. So FS8? It’s a ‘stick’ from me.

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