By Piper Rutherford | Staff Writer
Laszlo Vandracsek, former Baylor track and field athlete, returned to Bear country to open Waco’s first F45 gym and create a community for athletes.
While the gym is still being finalized with equipment and signage delays, Vandracsek said he and his team plan to open their doors for the grand opening of F45 Waco late this September at 1201 Hewitt Drive, suite 210.
“Right now, we are doing a promotion for individuals signing up called a ‘Founding Membership,’” Vandracsek said. “It is currently a $45 deposit before memberships are activated after the opening.”
Vandracsek said a typical F45 class is 45 minutes of high-intensity interval training in a group setting with the instruction of two certified personal trainers.
“The workouts on Mondays and Wednesdays are cardio-based, while Tuesdays and Thursdays are focused on resistance training,” Vandracsek said. “The rest of the week—with the exception of Sundays when we are closed—combine the two forms of training.”
Other than the combination of strength and cardio, the former D1 athlete said what he missed most about competing is the feeling of being coached on a team. After competing for Baylor track and field, being on the US bobsled team and fighting in the WWE, Vandracsek said what he wanted was to have the sense of community he had previously felt with his teammates and coaches.
“I found myself as a 31-year-old, who was struggling to find themselves,” Vandracsek said. “Only after going to an F45 class with my wife, following years of moping around in the gym and slowly losing motivation to workout, did I start to feel like an athlete again, which I credit to the group environment of F45.”
This community aspect is what F45 Waco’s first official personal trainer, Patrick Chappell, said attracted him to the business after being stationed in the military in Seattle.
According to Chappell, F45 is a place where people work out in a class environment, seeing the same faces every day. Members are able to motivate and work alongside each other, rather than going to a regular gym where they wait in line for equipment without meeting any of the people around them.
“I was offered to be a part of a program called ‘Skill Bridge’ which helps service members adjust back into civilian life, so I chose to do my Skill Bridge with F45,” Chappell said. “After seeing people working out together in a class environment… I decided I was exclusive to F45 for my workouts going forward.”
Before the studio opens, Chappell said anyone can join F45 Waco on Saturdays for their bootcamps to experience the community and see if F45 is a good fit for them. Further details about the bootcamps, as well as other updates on the studio, can be found on their website, Instagram or Facebook.
