A fitness franchise born Down Under is entering the Richmond market with two spots in the West End.

F45 – short for “functional 45 minutes” – has signed a lease to open a location at 3430 Pump Road in the Short Pump Crossing shopping center.

The chain, which offers 45-minute workouts combining elements of high-intensity interval, functional and circuit training, also plans to sign another lease in the Willow Lawn area.

The Australia-based brand was founded in 2012 and has over 1,000 locations in 36 countries, including more than 300 in the U.S. It has five in the D.C./Northern Virginia area.

Local franchisee Brian Wiley said F45’s gyms and workouts change frequently. It offers more than 30 different classes, each based around different types of exercise such as cardio, resistance training or bodyweight.

“It’s oriented toward functional movements, things you do in everyday life,” Wiley said. “Classes are a combo of what you’d get at a CrossFit or Pilates. F45 brings them into one class.”

He added that while weight training is a part of F45’s classes, it’s not a mainstay.

“None of it includes heavy weight equipment,” he said. “So we tend to spend more time focusing on lighter weights, making sure people are doing (the) right movements, then gradually increase weight,” Wiley said.

Class cost at the Richmond location were not disclosed, and each franchise has separate pricing options. Memberships at other Virginia locations start at about $80 per month for a four-class pack.

Wiley said F45’s classes typically cap out at 27 people, with about 45 classes per week.

The cost of opening a F45 franchise was not disclosed.

F45 is looking to open in December in the Publix-anchored Short Pump Crossing, where this year, Total Wine opened a new location in the former A.C. Moore space. Escape Massage formerly occupied F45’s new space

Divaris Real Estate’s Ali McCrickard and Laikyn Severson represented F45 in the lease. S.L. Nusbaum’s Bob Butcher and Andrew Thacker represented the landlord.

Wiley said he’s finalizing a lease for an additional F45 location at an undisclosed address.

F45 joins a competitive Short Pump fitness market. D.C.-based brand Solidcore is preparing to open its first Richmond location in the GreenGate development, where it will be joined by Pure Barre, which is opening its third area location in the development.

This year, Anytime Fitness opened in the Parc Place shopping center, while Cyclebar opened in GreenGate in 2017.