Review of the new Coach - after completing the program (2014-2015 version of the Coach)

As promised, here is a post summarizing my impressions on these past 15 weeks. 



Since I have already been through the program once, there was not much surprise about the Freeletics method itself, or the workouts. Instead I realized that pretty much all my take-aways from this second program were related to the new version of the app that was released in late 2014. As a result my post turns out to be a nice counterpart to my previous Overview of the updated program.
The original post was written right after the Freeletics app "re-launched" and mostly focused on explaining the new features and the main differences versus the old version. The discussion below will mostly about how useful these features turned out in real life.

I already wrote that starting a program all over again turned out to be a really good experience. So don't be surprised if I'll be mostly saying positive things. But that doesn't mean that I found everything equally good. So before this post turns into a love fest, let's get out of my chest the things that could still be improved.

The things that I liked the least:

• Too many short & partial workouts in the first 2 weeks. I know the Coach algorithm is supposed to adapt difficulty based on actual performance in workouts. And with the upgrade, most of the old workout PBs were not recognized by new app (e.g. "original" Venus PB didn't convert into a "Standard" Venus PB). Which is probably why in the first weeks difficulty was the same whether you were an "experienced" Freeathletes or not. Don't get me wrong, a gentle start is good for beginners as it means less chance to be scared off and quit. But for people looking for more challenge I would have preferred a steeper start. I will sound pompous and arrogant, but being asked to complete 1 round of Endurance Metis after 44 weeks of Freeletics: seriously what's the point? Difficulty improved later on, but I didn't like the underwhelming start of this journey.

• The 15K run assignment without a real preparation. This run was a milestone for me. An eye opener that really changed my perspective on me & running. Since then I have started running much more frequently. I completed another 15K during my free training, and will most likely do a half-marathon or two before year-end. But, I am still convinced that assigning 15K to someone who had never recorded anything greater than 2K in the app is inappropriate. It could even lead to injuries. The coach should have started by assigning at least a couple 5K and a 10K, before moving-on to greater distances (unless the athletes already recorded long distance during its free training, but that wasn't my case anyway). I hope this will get fixed.

• The in-app Running feature. I realize this is only a beta version. But since running has became such an integral part of the program, it's not too much to ask to have a decent running feature. The big GPS inaccuracies (mentioned in my overview) seemed to have been fixed after a few weeks. But the overall user experience (available stats, split times, elevation, music, etc.) remains largely inferior to dedicated running apps available for free. To this day for any running beyond 2K I still use Mapmyrun, and only manually log the final results in my Freeletics app.

The little things that were nice improvements:

• Statistics on the week's total training time. The weekly totals don't include points/time from extra workouts on top of the program, but at least it's nice to get a quick summary of active training time assigned by the Coach.

• The freedom to manually choose which training day/assignment is being completed. This one is kinda hard to explain to newcomers, but in the old days the coach always automatically matched the workout you just performed with the first workout of that kind in your training plan. That led to weird records when one swapped training days or added a few extra workouts. Anyway, no need to spend hours on this one, this issue has been fixed and it's a good thing.

• Possibility to change training focus at the end of every week. Technically this had already been possible before, but one had to play with some obscure setup parameters. Now it's much easier for people who want to change training focus to do so. But let's face it, how often is this feature used? Switching focus every week, for example from Strength to Cardio, is useless (you might as well leave focus on Cardio-Strength). This is a nice to have, not a game changer.

• Restrictions. I like the idea a lot, but I have never had to use it (fingers crossed that I never will). I remember that once one of my contacts said his training plan didn't really offer relief for the muscle group he restricted. With no first hand experience I can't confirm whether this feature is sucks, or is the best thing since sliced bread. Anyway it's a step in the right direction so I put it in the improvements list.

• Running autocomplete. This feature is particularly useful for short distance runs. When sprinting over 100m, one needs to stay focused and not to worry about watching the phone to know when to stop. I hope this feature will someday be extended to workouts with 400m runs (Hera, etc.)

What I really, really, really, liked:

• In-app training plan. (remember I started in the Stone age, when the program was only on the website!). This is really handy to always have the schedule at your fingertip. But be aware that it requires an internet connection, which can be a problem if you're abroad or in the middle of nowhere with no network coverage.

• Flexible number of training days. This is a huge improvement. It's good for people with irregular schedules, who can then increase/decrease their training load based on real life commitments. But even for me who stuck to my 4 training days routine it was great not to have to worry anymore about getting a 5th session (during the first program it was always a pain to make it fit into my schedule).  Just keep in mind that Hell Days & Hell Weeks, will always be respectively 3 and 7 days long, regardless of the number of training days that you chose.

• The introduction of Running, Endurance/Standard/Strength and Volume. At first this could look like a gimmick but it really added depth to the training. Playing with all these variables can transform a classic workout into something new (try triple strength Metis and you'll see what I mean!) With this additional variety, there is less chances that I'll become bored with the training method. Last but not least, with the extended choice in stand-alone exercises, from time to time you can choose to ignore the gods/goddesses and assemble you own customized session based on your needs.

• The Coach became more progressive. Yes, just above I have been complaining that the program started too slowly. That was annoying but I have to recognize that in most cases gradual difficulty ramp-up worked pretty well. This was largely possible thanks to the new volume feature. For example starting with only 6 rounds of Gaia Strength before moving to 8 rounds and finally the entire 10 rounds is a good way to learn how to tame a challenging workout. It also allows the Coach give challenging workouts even for Freeletics veterans. Hades is probably the workout that I performed the most frequently, yet the day I completed a Double Hades really felt like an achievement. The ability to provide difficulty feedback also helps to make the whole thing more progressive (just be aware that saying training is "Far too easy" has consequences).

• 500/1000 reps. When I first saw that one could choose to do 1'000 reps of whatever exercise, I thought this was aimed at a handful of sport-mutants and never considered it as an option for mere mortals. After finishing my second program, and based on a number of people in my network who attempted 500/1000 reps, my views have changed. Even top athletes don't do 1'000 reps as a standard workout, but more as a punctual challenge. Like for a marathon, the clock matters a bit but the foremost goal is to pass the finish line. For those of you looking to sets ambitious goals or prove their worth to themselves, large reps make a good challenge. 

Final thoughts

For this second iteration, the Coach ramped-up the intensity (as illustrated by the number of Kronos iterations I was assigned or by the Hell Week). I pushed my limits even further and I liked it. A lot. One of my take-aways was that during the months when I trained alone I had probably been a bit too soft with myself. So when I return to free training I will pay attention to not to make this same mistake. Partly due to scheduling constraints I had been doing only 3 sessions per week (+1 boxing evening). This time, I have decided to keep the 4 days routine used during the program, one of which will be a running session over lunch (hence freeing and evening and ensuring I still work on my stamina). But I will have to be careful not to only assign myself short/easy workouts.


If there was added difficulty for repeat athletes, in the contrary beginners may have it easier.
A number of readers of this blog have started training in the past few months and joined my in-app network. Looking at their schedule in the first weeks, I have noticed that many of them began their journey with partial workouts.
In my view, lowering the difficulty at the very beginning (before gradually increasing it) is a deliberate effort to make Freeletics more accessible to a wider audience. A number of real-life friends around me had tried the method before and just gave-up, scared-off by Aphrodite. The guys at Freeletics must also have noticed this and tried to come-up with a solution to retain these people.
There the ones who find that the method is not what they need, or who don't have the discipline/will to stick to the program. But actually it's not a bad thing, if it helps more unfit people gain self-confidence and gradually start enjoying sport.
The only downside I could see is if someone abuses the feedback mechanisms to keep intensity low (3 days per week only, feedback always "too hard"), then this person will likely be disappointed when their is no noticeable physical improvements after a few months.


Aside from the new features, the new program is clearly a paradigm change. Freeletics is recasting itself from a 15 weeks transformational method to a "digital personal trainer".
This new orientation first appeared when they launched "My Coach", but honestly when I went through my first program the make-over wasn't complete. The program was still 15 weeks long, one had to choose 1 training focus (strength, etc.), the program's content was very similar to the old PDF. 
Now Freeletics is trying to lock users in a long term relationship. The 15 weeks concept is becoming outdated, as illustrated by the new pricing schemes which offer sign-up for as long as 1 year. Which is also why Hell Days & Hell Weeks are not assigned in weeks 7 and 15 anymore. When everyone signed-up for 15 weeks it made sense to do them in the middle and at the end of the program. Now that the program length varies, they are assigned based on a different frequency.
This change is perfectly understandable on a number of levels. First of all, physical transformation goes 2 ways. One can lose weight and gain muscles by training hard, but will need to stay active to remain fit. Hence a coach going beyond 15 weeks makes sense. But there is also clearly a financial incentive: these people are running a business. It's better for them to have long-term subscribers rather than one-time customers. This doesn't shock me, but I can't help but wonder to which extend free training will remain possible in the future. The Pro App (i.e. 5 EUR one-time purchase to unlock all trainings but with no Coach) is no longer offered for sale. Existing Pro App customers (like myself), can still enjoy access to the entire workouts catalog even with no active subscription. But apparently, for newcomers as soon as the subscription ends the access to workouts catalog becomes restricted. I find this a bit harsh. I'm sure there are many people out there who, like me, prefer to only subscribe once in a while and the remaining time want to freely set-up their schedule. Hopefully, some kind of option similar to the Pro App will again become possible in the future.