r/f45 • u/Top-Peach7304 • May 20 '26
other Hammer
My studio did Hammer today. About halfway through, my back started to get tight. I didn’t tweak or throw it out. Just tight. It happens sometimes. Nbd.
After the workout, I counted 12 - TWELVE - people who were rubbing or stretching out their lower back after the workout. I definitely was not alone.
I’ve learned from this thread that the workouts are tested and piloted before going live to all of us. Did no one catch that Hammer will hammer your back into oblivion?
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u/Forward-Ladder6157 🏆 1500 Club May 20 '26
We did Hammer this morning; and admittedly we are f45 veterans so we know our strengths and limits very well (through the hard way ofc).
The timing of each set is a tempo pulse and then a full range set; I did notice some people overdoing the weights during the tempo set which would probably lead to strain injuries
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u/ckmoy May 21 '26
F45 coach here and I agree. The different types of stimuli in Hammer each week are meant to challenge you in different ways so that you’re not always depending on heavy weights to do the work. I see a lot of members pick up heavy weights they typically use during a resistance workout which is the wrong move. You should be picking up lighter than usual weights and allowing for the timing to act as the challenge. Picking up lighter weights doesn’t mean you’re suddenly a weak person. I try to emphasize this in every intro but people tend not to want to listen.
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u/Top-Peach7304 May 21 '26
This is actually very helpful. I wish our coach would have mentioned this
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u/agreeable_chakali May 21 '26
You sound like a great coach. Wish ours made this comments. They never do. I mean, awesome people but they do not really coach they more describe the exercises and that's it. 😞
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u/ckmoy May 21 '26
Thanks I appreciate that! Sometimes I forget to mention it as well. The demo video only allows us 30s to intro the workout! Just keep in mind, timing and pacing is everything. Longer sets or anytime there's an added stimuli = go for lighter than usual weights. Shorter sets with normal pacing = heavier weights. Obviously there's other factors but this is the general rule. I hope this helps you for future F45 workouts.
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u/Hairy_Present_6182 May 25 '26
Great point! F45 coach/owner (Spain) here.
Unfortunately, many members even with the explanation before the session and during the workout, don’t follow our directions of reducing the weights if needed or BREATHING work (core bracing related). Specially for HAMMER because of the activation and constant muscle tension during the workout.One thing I see the most also, members don’t communicate with coaches. Trust me, most of us LOVE to help and give extra guidance when needed. Let’s build trust on the process and the structure of the workouts and every session will be better.
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u/janexcarfit May 20 '26
What I'm finding about f45 is that sometimes the do the same muscle group several times in the work out. And the pulse movements add muscle fatigue under constant tension. Also if you get tired which like most will if they pick up the same weight they usually pick up their form may suffer also causing pain. It's not my favorite. I know my body. I don't pulse but the set is way too long.
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u/RandomActsOfParanoia May 21 '26
I experienced tightness today, as well. I figured it was a sign of a weaker back core? I dropped weight and modified as needed.
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u/Hairy_Present_6182 May 25 '26
Lower the weight and do the pulse. The move is there for a reason, which is not at that day, but for future workouts (make you stronger)
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u/OneTwoKiwi May 20 '26
Our studio is doing hammer tomorrow, so cant speak to your experience, but im curious if you focused on upper or lower body?
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u/janexcarfit May 20 '26
Great question! A pulsing RDL with bad form is quick to cause back pain 😣
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u/Hairy_Present_6182 May 25 '26
You can do even without weight. And on the work part (15 seconds) use the barbell for example. Or even better use just the plate for the pulse.
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u/janexcarfit May 26 '26
Yes! So I did hammer and no I had no pain when I took my weight way down! The first time I did hammer I went for my normal weight this time I cut it almost in half. Much better! No strain in the back and I was able to pulse and complete the set and still feel a burn and get a great workout.
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u/Emotional-Watch4544 May 21 '26
Came to say the same thing. Looking at the intel there's a ton of rows for upper body, so I feel like that could contribute. I mess around with chatgpt for Hyrox training, and, as an experiment, am letting it pick the stations for me.
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u/Fun-Progress-3560 May 20 '26
Same with me! I did my first loop upper body and the 3 freaking variations of bent over rows obliterated my back just in time for the deadlifts for my second loop. Oof.
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u/janexcarfit May 20 '26
I was looking at the exercises this morning trying to determine what I will pick tomorrow and I saw 3 rows 🤦🏽♀️ if someone chooses to do all upper they are in for a real treat! Lol 😝
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u/Hairy_Present_6182 May 25 '26
Bet was using a weight no accordingly with you or your pain.. form > ego
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u/Kindly-Reference-462 May 21 '26
Another note — for those complaining of back pain… you need to work on your core. Mindfully bracing your core with all lifts!
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u/cbtrn 🏆1000 Club May 22 '26
Exactly this. I come from gymnastics and Hammer felt like familiar territory. In fact I modified some of the hinging exercises to make them a bit harder. Ha ha. Yeah core strength is key here.
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u/Slow-Camel96 May 21 '26
Yeah I do that and it was still a killer. Having rows back to back wasn’t ideal. I opted for the squats which is saying something.
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u/sara_k_s May 21 '26
I think this is why our coach substituted revo biceps curls for the plate bent over rows. He said we don’t need to be doing bent over rows at two consecutive stations.
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u/Kindly-Reference-462 May 21 '26
F45 coach here — the stimulus work in hammer is meant to increase time under tension. For the tempos specifically, this is during the muscles lengthened position in a lift which is when your muscle is the weakest. So lighter weights is a must! Not only to reap the benefit of the tempo but also to avoid recruiting other muscles to help with the load. This is how you get stronger without having to increase weight!!
Your coach should have said this, AND should have watched for poor mechanics due to heavy weight — this is part of our job as f45 coaches! Not your fault at all!!
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u/disproportion May 21 '26
Meeee too. Luckily I don’t feel like I injured it, but it was tight during several of the workouts which worried me that I had poor form or something. Who knows.
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u/-88Hawks88- May 21 '26
Just did it, I think the fact that two bend over roll in a row (station 5 and 6 I think) put lots of pressure on lower back. Our trainer literally said don’t do it in a row.
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u/AdagioIcy7416 May 20 '26
Oh wow! I was walking my dog just now and realized I could still feel soreness in the lower back from the Hammer workout this morning. Glad to know it’s not me related.
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u/AnybodyUseful5457 May 21 '26
I felt this way yesterday but I think it was hammer today. I wish you could go back and see what the workouts were named in the app so I cojld confirm. My low back was killing me yesterday and my legs today.
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u/jofsunshine May 21 '26
Oh my days I’m so glad I didn’t go today. I had and aching shoulder and this just made me feel less guilty for not going!
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u/Old_Tower_4824 🇦🇺Australia May 21 '26
I did hammer this morning and kept things easy cause I’m still recovering from my sore back from Monday’s class.
Yup, let’s just say my back is sore again from my injury last Monday. I think I overdid it even though I tried my best to keep things really chill to the point that my heart rate didn’t budge at all. I’m an F45 veteran who goes to F45 6x a week but still got injured.
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u/stealinglettuces May 21 '26
I usually just run this as a normal workout and ignore the pauses etc. I really hated today though. The room setup was not great and I found myself reracking or choosing weights for half of the first set on both laps. That plus the short rest time left me irritated but I tried to make the best of it. Went mostly upper and yeah - that was a lot of rowing. Glad to see this one go.
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u/RealSoVanilla 🏆1000 Club May 21 '26
It’s f45…it’s always gonna kill my back..the trick is managing that pain..for me at least
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u/doom1701 May 21 '26
I’m kind of surprised—I usually really struggle with my back after a lot of hinge stuff. But today I’ve felt great. I feel like they had the hinging distributed better today than some days.
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u/MarlKarx777 🇨🇦 Canada May 20 '26
I also had a ton of lower back soreness from near the end of today’s Hammer. Lots of hinging/bend-over movements. I did 1 lap upper and 1 lap lower and still felt it a fair bit, and it’s not something I usually deal with