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Answered in 7 episodes

Are classes like F45 or Orangetheory enough to build muscle?

Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated

The short answer

Not on their own. Nikkiey explains that F45, Orangetheory and CrossFit include strength work but don't prioritize muscle growth the way a progressive overload program does, because everyone in the room does the same workout. Keep the classes if you love them, but make them about 20% of your training and progressive lifting the other 80%.

Hear it from the show

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  1. Nikkiey on why group classes like F45 and Orangetheory don't prioritize muscle growth

    Plays from 31:40 · Ep. 141: CrossFit, F45 or Lifting: What Builds Muscle After 40?

  2. Why F45 or Orangetheory movement alone won't give you the toned look

    Plays from 4:30 · Ep. 281: Why Am I Lifting Weights But Not Seeing Muscle?

  3. Nikkiey's test for whether your training counts as progressive lifting after 40

    Plays from 14:03 · Ep. 406: Not Losing Fat After 40? It May Not Be Your Hormones

  4. Keeping classes at 20% of your routine and lifting at 80% for visible muscle

    Plays from 16:43 · Ep. 229: How Long Does It Take Women to Build Visible Muscle?

  5. How to fit CrossFit around bodybuilding-style training if muscle is your goal

    Plays from 4:56 · Ep. 16: How to Choose a Workout Plan and Use Progressive Overload

The full answer

On Ep. 141, Nikkiey explains that these classes are built for a group of people doing the same thing together, so they can't be customized to your goals. There are no planned training blocks that build on each other, and no way to target the glutes or shoulders you want to grow. On Ep. 281 she adds that muscles grow from resistance, not just movement. You need lifting challenging enough to create real tension and stress, then you build the muscle in the 24 to 48 hours afterward. On Ep. 229 she says classes done consistently for 15 to 20 years might develop some muscle, but strength training is the fast track.

After 40 this matters more. On Ep. 406, Nikkiey says estrogen used to help protect your muscle, and the replacement for that protection is a mechanical signal from strength training. Her test is simple: are you doing progressive strength training with external load, compound movements and genuinely challenging weights that increase over time? If the answer is no, the training signal is missing. On Ep. 141 she also flags that the fast, competitive pace of these classes means less controlled movement and more risk of injury.

You don't have to quit what you enjoy. Here is how the show suggests fitting it in:

  • Make three to four days a week of progressive strength training with dumbbells, barbells, cables or machines your non-negotiable foundation (Ep. 382).
  • Keep F45, Orangetheory or CrossFit once or twice a week, with about 80% of your training on progressive overload (Ep. 141).
  • If you love CrossFit, do it a couple of times a week and the bulk of your workouts bodybuilding-style (Ep. 16).
  • Back it with enough protein and food, because Nikkiey says you can't build muscle without proper nutrition (Ep. 229).

If you've been showing up to classes for years without seeing muscle, it isn't a lack of effort. The plan just wasn't designed for that goal.

From The WarriorBabe Show with Nikkiey Stott. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.

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    Progressive overload is gradually increasing the stress you place on your muscles over time so they keep having a reason to adapt and grow. Nikkiey explains you do it by adding small amounts of weight, reps, sets, or changing tempo and rest, while sticking with the same exercises long enough to measure progress.

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    How many days a week should I lift weights?

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    Will lifting weights make me bulky?

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