If he’s not blowing up social media with six-pack selfies, Wahlberg is motivating gymgoers of all ages and skills—from weekend warriors to NBA All-Stars—with his contagiously well-documented morning workout schedule.
“I saw [Mark] working out at 4 a.m. when I was once in Paris with him, and [my morning routine] took off for me from there,” Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler says. “A lot of things in my training regimen are because of that guy.”
Wahlberg’s latest fitness quest: spreading the word of Australian- based F45 stateside and extolling the virtues of his Performance Inspired supplement line.
The benefits that F45’s high-intensity workouts had on Wahlberg’s frame were on full social media display last winter while he was filming the Peter Berg– directed Netflix movieSpenser Confidential. “I promised Pete that I’d get in the best shape of my life for him,” Wahlberg says.
The Daddy’s Home co-star made eyes pop last winter with his pec-popping Instagram pic with the caption: “Six months of Performance Inspired Nutrition, Aquahydrate, and F45 training!! Clean eating. Inspired to be better, team training / life changing.”
Short for Functional 45, F45 is a 45-minute, circuit-style strength training and HIIT workout session. No workouts are repeated, you’ll incorporate anything from dumbbells, kettlebells, and sleds, and you get to go at your own pace. It’s why Wahlberg became an investor and a member.
“F45 is great for everybody,” Wahlberg says. “I’m trying to educate people on that fact. It’s a tough job. But there’s no slowdown in sight with F45 or Performance Inspired. Health, wellness, and fitness are not going away.”
Along the way, Wahlberg has lured his celebrity friends to give F45 a try. Actors Mario Lopez and Michael Pena along with Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, former NFL star Calvin Johnson, NBA great Dwyane Wade, and Butler have all taken a class with Wahlberg. Each has come away breathless, literally.
“They all think, ‘Oh yeah, this is easy,’ ” Wahlberg says. “Jimmy [Butler] would be the first one to tell you that he took three giant breaks. Every single athlete that we’ve brought has gassed themselves in one way or another. They just start blasting right away.”
Preaching the group-fitness gospel was not part of Wahlberg’s original plan. “My entire dream was to build a gym, a theater, and a wine cellar, and all the things that I loved in my home, so I could do it on my own.” Now he’s created a global fitness empire with F45 and Performance Inspired that looks unstoppable.
“The great thing about Performance Inspired, F45, and most of the stuff I’m involved with is that they’re all directly connected to health and wellness and entertainment,” he says.
Try any of these three F45 workouts focused on cardio, resistance training, and a hybrid of both.
One of F45’s latest, an Empire’s team-training-style, combo-set cardio workout will have you moving through six combo stations, working for 45 seconds, then resting for 15 seconds.
By Lap 3 your heart rate will be elevated and the sweat will be pouring.
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Courtesy of F45
The Noho (Hybrid)
TIMING:
2 Sets: Lap 1 Work 20 sec. Rest 10 sec.
1 Set: Lap 2 Work 60 sec. Rest 20 sec.
1 Set: Lap 3 Work 20 sec. Rest 10 sec.
NoHo is an 18-station hybrid workout consisting of a mix of resistance, body-weight, functional, agility, and plyometric movements. You move in numerical order through all 18 stations. Once you reach Station 18, you continue to Station 1. You should complete 2 sets at each station on Lap 1, and 1 set at each station on Laps 2 and 3.
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Courtesy of F45
The Piston (Resistance)
TIMING:
Lap 1: Work 35 sec. Rest 15 sec.
Lap 2: Work 35 sec. Rest 25 sec.
Lap 3: Work 40 sec. Rest 20 sec.
This 12-station resistance workout moves with alternating up and down movements—just like a piston. It follows a racetrack-style movement system, alternating resistance exercises between upper and lower body. You move in numerical order through all 12 stations. Once you reach Station 12, you continue to Station 1. You should complete 1 set at each station and 3 laps through the room.
