F45 Training Basin Reserve is a functional group fitness studio on Adelaide Road in Mount Cook, Wellington. More than a conventional gym, it runs coach-led group classes built from a library of 5,000+ dynamic, energy-packed movements and more than 80 workouts, spanning cardio, resistance, hybrid and recovery formats, plus HYROX-inspired training. The idea behind it is simple: train as a team, with the guidance and attention of a certified personal trainer, and the results follow.
The studio's own words capture the vibe: it's not about mirrors, mood lights or followers — it's about what you did with your time, how you feel when you're finished, and who encouraged you along the way. Members describe a welcoming, non-judgemental community where beginners train alongside advanced athletes and coaches tailor movements to individual needs, including modifications for injuries.
F45 Basin Reserve is led by owner and trainer Mel Lourie and studio manager Aimee-Jo Large, alongside trainers Ashleigh Thompson, Josh Palmer, Kate Roberts and Sam Beatson-shaw. Newcomers can get started with the studio's advertised trial of one week for $30, booking straight into the class schedule online or through the F45 Challenge app.
F45 Training Basin Reserve operates from 102 Adelaide Road in Mount Cook, Wellington, with a pitch that fits in three words: team training, life changing. It is a functional group fitness studio rather than a conventional gym — every class is coached, every movement is guided, and the emphasis is on what you do with your time rather than mirrors, mood lights or followers.
The studio describes itself as more than just a gym and the total wellness solution for every body. In practice that means sessions drawn from a library of more than 5,000 dynamic, energy-packed movements and over 80 workouts, delivered with what F45 calls the effectiveness and attention of a certified personal trainer. You turn up, a coach runs the room, and the workout is already programmed — you just have to do it.
Training at F45 rotates across four strands. Cardio sessions are built to push heart rate, stamina and endurance. Resistance days focus on strength through functional movement patterns. Hybrid classes blend the two in a single workout, and recovery sessions give the body lower-intensity time to rebuild — the quiet work that keeps hard training sustainable.
For members with a competitive streak, the studio also offers F45's HYROX-inspired training, aimed at the hybrid racing format. Those who like a goal beyond the weekly grind can take on the F45 Challenge, the brand's structured challenge program, supported by articles, the F45 Challenge app and the studio's coaching team.
The variety is the point. With more than 80 workouts in the system, two weeks rarely look the same, which helps both body and motivation stay fresh.
The trainers at Basin Reserve are a named, visible part of the studio. The team includes owner and trainer Mel Lourie, studio manager and trainer Aimee-Jo Large, and trainers Ashleigh Thompson, Josh Palmer, Kate Roberts and Sam Beatson-shaw.
F45 describes its trainers as delivering the expert guidance and unconditional support of a one-on-one personal trainer in a group setting, and member feedback across the network backs that up. Reviews repeatedly call out coaches who correct technique, swap exercises around injuries and offer nutrition advice — the difference, many say, between a gym membership that quietly lapsed and a routine that stuck.
Look at the success stories the studio shares and a pattern emerges. There's the member whose mental and physical health drastically improved across three years and more than 500 classes. The 61-year-old building stamina and endurance to combat multiple sclerosis, and in the best shape of their life. The member who lost 187 lbs since their first workout in 2021 and calls F45 the most joyful place in their life. And the member who, three years after a cancer diagnosis, credits their F45 family and friendships with getting them through.
Testimonials also speak to the welcome: classes that mix complete beginners with advanced athletes, so newcomers don't feel out of their depth, and a culture members describe as supportive and non-judgemental. One reviewer put it plainly: if I can do it, so can you.
New to F45? The studio's trial is the obvious entry point: one week for $30, booked through the class schedule on the studio's site. Beyond the trial, membership options are laid out at the studio, and the F45 Challenge app — available on the App Store and Google Play — supports training and challenges once you're in.
F45 Basin Reserve is easy to follow online, with an active Instagram at @f45_basinreserve and a Facebook page. It sits within the FIT House of Brands, a global ecosystem of roughly 1,500 fitness and wellness franchises, and F45 has been rated the #1 gym by Men's Journal in the US and by Canstar Blue in Australia.
For anyone in Mount Cook or central Wellington after structure, coaching and a room full of people who notice when you're not there, the trial week is a low-stakes way to see whether the format fits.