What is F45? Modesto restaurant owner and physical therapist opens specialty gym
If owning a chain of physical therapy offices and a restaurant wasn’t accomplishment enough, a Modesto entrepreneur added “gym owner” to his resume to seal the deal.
Bobby Ismail, co-owner of Golden Bear Physical Therapy and Wildfire Public House, ventured into a more active side of the health and wellness business when he opened F45 Training on Oakdale Road at Briggsmore Avenue — in the same center as his other two businesses.
The specialty training center will celebrate its first birthday Saturday, which Ismail said is both a member-appreciation event and a way to create public awareness.
“When we first started, I didn’t want to tell the whole world that we’re here,” Ismail said. “I wanted to make sure that we get it right, that we iron out the wrinkles, cross the t’s and dot the i’s. We were not looking at coming in here and just being overnight successful.”
As Golden Bear expanded with 22 locations in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties and as Ismail became less active in the company, he wanted to pursue something more.
“Every time I discharge a patient, I always say, ‘Please, you have to exercise,’” Ismail said. “One of the keys to health and well-being physically and mentally is exercise. So I started thinking, ‘What can I do to promote exercise in our communities?’”
What is F45?
It stands for functional 45-minute workout, Ismail said. The exercises focus on mobility and are designed for all fitness levels.
“The more I look at it from a different lens as a physical therapist, I’m analyzing people working out,” Ismail said. “As we age, mobility, movement, joint movement, it’s not as good. Every single exercise in here, there’s a mobility component of it.”
F45 Training - Modesto East studio manager and coach Christian Kiryakous said the gym offers cardio classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, strength classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and hybrid classes on Fridays and Saturdays.
“F45, in its essence, is like a boutique fitness studio,” Kiryakous said. “It offers group training classes but it does an amazing job coupling personal training with group training. It’s like a one-stop shop for all your health and wellness.”
Parented by FIT, or Functional Inspired Training, F45 is a franchise company with 1,760 locations in more than 45 countries. The Modesto location is the only one in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties.
F45 is a membership-based program. There is a month-to-month option, a six-month commitment and a 12-month commitment.
Memberships include nutrition information, at-home workouts, quarterly body scans and coaching from personal trainers that guide members through the sessions.
Nonmembers can pay a $30 drop-in fee to any class. The studio is running a promotion for the next few months that gives first-time visitors access to three classes for $30.
“We make it super-personal and intimate, and we work closely with the clientele,” Kiryakous said. “We’ll check form, technique, posture. We’ll ask how things are feeling, if there’s any concerns that they have or if they need an explanation on exercise.”
F45 Celebrating one-year anniversary with public event
F45’s anniversary event will take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m at 1533 Oakdale Road, Suite C1.
There will be “major” discounts on memberships, Ismail said, as well as a bike giveaway and other prizes.
A live DJ will be on-site and vendors such as mobile cryotherapy, GNC and Vitality Bowls will join the action.
This story was originally published June 11, 2025 at 3:15 PM.
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