More than 30 weeks have passed in the Freeletics Coach and almost a year has passed.

And I’m fitter than ever.

In this article, you can find out how I fared and what tips I have for aspiring and experienced free athletes.

How I heard about Freeletics

The article was about Freeletics. Through my fitness blog, I read carefully everything that comes into my hands on the subject of fitness. Also an article in the Austrian daily Kurier.

Shortly afterward I downloaded the app and followed the instructions in the Freeletics mails.

That means I did my first workout: 50 burpees.

A few days later my first full workout: Aphrodite in 27 minutes and 36 seconds (Aphrodite consists of 150 burpees, 150 squats and 150 situps).

I then tried all free workouts (Metis, Zeus, Aphrodite, Dione, Ares), but I was far from being able to do all of them in the standard version and sometimes not even in the lighter endurance version Give an asterisk for correct execution.

But even in this approx. 2-month phase with Freeletics without a coach I went much further and my times improved rapidly. Soon I was really curious about the other workouts and exercises (in the free version only 5 workouts and 5 exercises out of 19 or 14 are activated). December 2014 decided to get the Freeletics Coach for € 34.99 back then.

A good decision – read on if you want to know why.

If you decide to switch from the free version to the Freeletics Coach, your first task will be a placement test . I had to do three different exercises: pullups (pull-ups), lunges (lunges) and burpees (squat-stretch jumps).You have known that I like Freeletics since my Freeletics app rating at the latest. However, this is primarily about the paid version of the app, the so-called coach.

I did 12 pullups in 1:20 minutes, 61 burpees in 5 minutes and 141 lunges in 5 minutes. I have also heard from friends that there are other exercises as an entrance test, for example squats (squats) and pushups (pushups).

What you get for the classification probably depends on your gender and your stated fitness level.

How the Freeletics Coach is structured

As mentioned above, everything starts with a placement test. Once you have completed it and entered some data, it will start with week 1.

Regarding the weekly rhythm it should be said that you decide how long you need for a “coach week”. Normally you should see that you need 7 days for this. By the way, there is also a minimal number of days.

Before each new week you can also choose how many training days you want to do (2 to 5 are available) and which focus the coach should choose (cardio; cardio & strength; strength) . You can also give your Freeletics coach feedback on the last week’s trainings.

You can choose between “much too difficult”, “hard, but ok”, “much too easy” and the coach will adjust the next week accordingly. I myself always chose “hard, but ok” in my first 15 weeks, only not the last week (Hellweek, but more on that later), because I chose “far too difficult”.

The big advantage of the Freeletics Coach compared to the free version of the app is that you are given workouts that you have to fulfill (= higher motivation) and that you can do all workouts, runs and exercises during the free practice is available.

In addition, the coach can only give you parts of workouts to do. Most of the workouts consist of several rounds (for example Dione from three equal rounds) and the coach then gives you, depending on your fitness level, only 2/3 Dione Endurance instead of the entire standard version. It was very rare for the coach to give you exercises or runs, but it does happen.

By the way: Freeletics works with the HIIT Challenge method. This means that you are given a certain number of exercises and should complete them in the shortest possible time, but with good technique.

Only when you manage at least one repetition correctly can you tick off the exercise and your coach will also incorporate it into the training. A big goal for me is to master all 6 skills. At the moment, one-hand push-ups and muscle-ups are still causing me major problems – but I am convinced that it will be. Another plus of the Freeletics Coach is that it gives you 6 advanced skills, that you have to unlock first: Pullups, Strict Handstand Pushups, Pistols, One-hand Pushups, Muscleups and Toes to Bar.

Through hell and back

The Helldays were on my program in week 7, the Hellweek in week 15. At the Helldays, the coach gives you three training days (regardless of what you have previously set) and fills them with two training sessions each.A special highlight of my Freeletics experience were definitely the so-called Helldays and the so-called Hellweek .

That means on one day Aphrodite and Ares will be on the program together. You don’t have to do the workouts one after the other, but you do have to do them in one day. That was pretty tough. Compared to Hellweek in week 15, it was still a piece of cake.

There are 7 training days on the program, most of which also include two workouts (for me for example after day 1 – Helios – on day 2 Artemis and Aphrodite). So all in all really heavy.

And always a bit too much for me: In both Hellweeks I’ve had so far, I got sick and had to take a few days off in between.

Personal experiences and tips for you

All in all, I do believe that I was sick a little more often than normal this winter. I am of the opinion that this had something to do with the frequency and intensity of training that were still unfamiliar to me. In the meantime I’ve adjusted to it quite well and I’m sick less often than before.I have for my first 15 Freeletics Coach weeks required a total of 19 “real” weeks, a good month longer. This was mainly necessary due to illness.

When I was sick, however, I was able to regenerate immediately and I usually came back stronger and better from the illness because I was simply rested again.

Therefore also to my important tips for you, so that you save yourself the frequent illness and can use my further experiences:

Consciously include regeneration in your training plan!

Not always full throttle! Slow, regenerative runs make you fit again. Every now and then I grabbed my son and put him in our stroller – so we both had some fresh air and I also did a regeneration run.

In my opinion, one of the major flaws of the Freeletics Coach is that he does not deal with regeneration phases, but always wants you to go full throttle.

This is very motivating, but it also leads to the fact that you sometimes put too much on yourself and then get sick.

Therefore : In any case, choose only two training days every fourth week (otherwise I recommend 3-4 training days) and do not rush during the week, but do the exercises slowly and pay attention to the right one Technology.

In addition, you should incorporate relaxed runs into your training during these regeneration weeks and possibly enjoy the benefits of a sauna visit or a massage .

Use stretching and fascia training as power up

Stretching is a good idea, especially in the regeneration weeks, but it should actually always be on your training plan (e.g. Static Stretching from Freeletics).The Blackroll helpers in an emergency

I’ve seen for myself how quickly I can improve my performance just by stretching regularly.

The back of your thighs in particular will cause you problems with all kinds of exercises (e.g. straight leg lever, pistols, toes to bar, climbers, etc.) if it is shortened.

I’ve also got myself a Blackroll, with which I can massage myself, so to speak, and loosen up stuck fascia.

Get enough sleep

Good sleep is also an important regeneration measure.

Make sure that you get 7 to 8 hours of night sleep after hard training sessions to ensure optimal regeneration and a strong immune system.

I had a hard time at the time because my two little sons – 1 and 4 years old – wake up every now and then at night and as a commuter I have to get up very early. With more sleep now and then, I would probably have saved myself from being sick a few times.

Diet as part of the training plan

It is therefore essential for you to also deal with your menu . My main advice in this regard:Even Freeletics can do little to counteract an extremely bad and high-calorie diet .

Eat as much unprocessed food as possible (clean eating), use these to prepare your food, and drink plenty of water. Check out my article on a balanced diet for some additional advice.

By the way, Freeletics also has a nutrition guide, but you have to pay extra for it. I trained without him and got good results with my approach to nutrition.

Don’t think that you are invincible just because you train a lot now

A mistake that many free athletes make is that they overestimate their abilities and then do things where the risk of injury is very high (e.g. somersaults, jumps over any abyss, etc.).

I noticed that in myself and can only say: Stay on the ground!

Just because you do Freeletics doesn’t mean you are Superman.

You will become stronger than you could ever imagine

When I started Freeletics, I soon set myself a clear goal: I want to have completed all standard workouts with a star by December 2015 and have unlocked all 6 advanced skills.

The hardest part was the muscle ups and the one-handed push-ups.

And with the Kronos workout. This workout is really tough: 100 push ups, 200 sit ups, 300 squats, 200 straight leg levers, 100 pull ups.

You have to try the impossible to achieve the possible. Hermann Hesse

Especially the 100 pull-ups were an impossibility for me at the beginning of my journey. I might have got them together in an hour, if at all.

Many innovations in the “Summer of new Beginnings”Ultimately, in October 2015, I was able to tick off this workout in just 45 minutes.

After the new 2 × 2 home workouts feature was introduced at the beginning of summer 2015, things got even better.

The app got 10 new workouts:

• Athena
• Morpheus
• Nyx
• Hermes
• Persephone
• Krios
• Thanatos
• Nemesis
• Triton
• Prometheus

Many of them are now better suited for beginners than the previous hardcore Freeletics workouts.

However, there were no new exercises.

What was also added is that you no longer give your Freeletics coach weekly feedback, but announce after each training session how strenuous the workout was and whether you can do more, it fits, or whether it was too much .

All in all a successful update .

Major update and expansion: As of August 2017

You can now not only do Freeletics bodyweight training, but also have other options with the apps Running, Nutrition and Gym.

In addition, one of the last updates for the Bodyweight Training App brought numerous new exercises and a further improved coach.

In addition, the main menu has been expanded to include training spots. This makes it easier for you to find a place to train and to surround yourself with like-minded people.

All in all, the app has been cleverly developed and, in my opinion, will continue to be successful.

 

Freeletics Coach – my conclusion (after more than a year)

I am currently in the shape of my life, not only on the outside, but also “under the hood”.For me personally, the purchase of the Freeletics Coach a great decision .

For example, at the Vienna City Relay Marathon 2015, I was able to improve my 16km best time from 2013 by more than a minute to 1h14min.

Even though I ran more than 100km a month for six months in 2013 and “only” did the Freeletics Coach in 2015 and hardly ran.

My personal best time for the standard workout Aphrodite increased by more than 10 minutes or 40% from October 30, 2014 (27 minutes and 36 seconds) to May 7, 2015 (17 minutes and 34 seconds) improved!

It was similar with other workouts and exercises.

The best proof that something has happened is surely the before and after photo (I took the before photo on December 18, 2014, the after photo in early May 2015).

I have already recommended the coach several times (not to “bloody beginners”) and would do it again, but including my tips from above.

I didn’t notice any signs of wear, because I pay close attention to the technology

The only problem is my upper back, which I attribute not only to training but also to one-sided lifting loads (2 little kids) and my desk job. But I have to do a lot more here, so one of the next challenges will be one for back health.

Here is my summary of the Freeletics Coach. By the way: I have canceled the Freeletics Coach, I am using the free version again and am currently training according to Mark Lauren’s training program (Fit without equipment: training with your own bodyweight 5 *). During Lent, however, I’ll allow myself another 15 weeks of Freeletics Coach, which I now plan to do once a year.

I think it’s good:

• Nice, fresh design
• Casual gamification (points for completed trainings, leaderboards, level-ups, etc.) elements
• Extremely motivating and challenging
• Large community
• No devices required
• Individually suitable for everyone – keyword: placement test
• Very extensive in terms of exercises and workouts

I’m not that enthusiastic about it:

• Training almost exclusively in the high-intensity area – no planned regeneration phases
• Subscription model, therefore running costs.
• No possibility to filter the feed