Cardio-Strength Program: week #1

After completing my 5 weeks of Freeletics free trial, I didn't sign-up for the program right away.

Monday to Wednesday were mandatory rest days, so I decided to only start on the following Monday. This was a really light week, with only one real training day:

Thursday: Boxing training + METIS: 06:20*


Week #1 out of 15

A few weeks back, Freeletics replaced its existing program schedules by a new concept called "Your Coach". Basically, you still choose a training goal (Cardio only, Strength only, or Cardio & Strength) and it will still cost you 40 euros.

The real change is that instead of selling the exact same training routine to everyone, now the company sells a training plan that (supposedly) adapts to your results. Some conspiracy theorists claim that the website just spits out random sessions. Other claim that there is really some kind of algorithm, and that recording dummy results (e.g. 2 minutes completion time for Aphrodite) actually leads to more difficult training workload in the following weeks.

I don't know who is right, and honestly I'm not going to spend 40 bucks and input crazy completion times just to see if the program adapts or not. In any case, it's a smart move by Freeletics. I couldn't see how they could make money on the long term from selling a fixed training routine. In the days & age of the Internet, there are too many people out there who are sharing their workout experience. Now that everyone trains slightly differently it makes it harder to just Google the program instead of buying it.

Anyway, I don't know if it's due to the previous 5 weeks being focused on Cardio, but for week #1 My Coach decided to re-balance my training: 4 Hades sessions!

Let me introduce you to Hades:

• 25 Burpees
• 15 Pullups
• 15 Pushups
• 25 Burpees
• 2x 40m run
• (3 rounds)

Before starting, I expected a challenging workout. Cardio exercises can be exhausting, but you can always keep on going. More slowly, breathing heavily, but the show goes on.

With a Strength workout, once your muscles say "Stop!", the training is over.

My main concern, with Hades was pullups. I knew that I couldn't do 45 repetitions. In a few weeks, I'm sure that it won't be an issue anymore. But for now, it is. So I had to make the following choice:

• either do 3x 15 pullups the proper way, and spend over an hour to complete training
• or, do as many proper pullups as possible and finish with the easier version.

I chose the second option. Freeletics is based on high-intensity training, I didn't want to just stand there, while waiting for my arms recovered from a few pullups. However, the key is that each time I really need to do as many proper pullups as possible. The easier version (using the feet to generate a slight impulse), can only be used as a last resort. This is the only way to get better at this exercise.


Before moving-on the my results, I need to clarify another point. I train indoor, therefore the 2x 40m run is an issue. In my training routine I replaced the run by a high knee run static. The body movement is similar to the original exercise, and the high knew adds a layer of difficulty which makes is a good cardio workout.
I do this for 15 seconds, which is a bit longer than a 80m run would take me.

Monday: HADES 25:17

Tuesday: HADES 25:08 (personal best) + Bonus: LEG LEVERS MAX (146* repetitions -personal best)

Wednesday: HADES 22:52 (personal best)

Thursday: Boxing training

Friday: HADES 21:59 (personal best) + Bonus: SITUPS MAX (102* repetitions)

Reminder: Throughout this blog, I'm following the Freeletics scoring convention. Each time that there is a star (*) next to a completion time it means that I completed all the session using the most difficult version of each exercise. A completion time with a star is always ranked above a completion time without a star (i.e. 30:00* is better than 20:00).
Since I didn't complete any Hades doing only the most difficult pullups, I cannot claim the star yet.

Hades is a challenging session for arms & shoulders (Burpees+pullups+pushups), but actually it doesn't take too long to complete. And because it doesn't require any effort from the rest of the body, it's very easy to combine with other exercises. As you can see, twice this week I added some abs training.

All in all, I actually enjoyed Hades. Of course, I won't be fully satisfied until I get these pullups under control, but it's just a matter of time. The more I train, the easier it will get.

Body stats: after 5 weeks

According to Freeletics, the most visible physical changes take place after 8 weeks.
But I don't take their word for granted. The entire point of this blog is to independently assess if the programs is as efficient as it claims.

Now that I have completed my first 5 weeks of training, let's have another look at my stats: 

Height: 178 cm (5.84ft) 

Weight: 79.5 kg (175.3 lbs)

Waist size: 89 cm (35 in)


If we look at solely at figures, it looks like that I have lost 3 kilos and 1 cm of waist size over the past 5 weeks. Not bad, but before jumping to conclusions, we need to take into account my metabolism.

I'm not obsessed with my weight. It's useless for me to step on the scale every day: from one day to the next I can gain or lose 1 to 2 kilos.
However, over the past decade my weight has always been within 79kg to 83kg. Even when I started boxing twice a week after a period of inactivity, my weight didn't change. I just traded a couple kilos of fat for a couple kilos of muscle.

My point is: take the results above with a grain of salt. The drop in weight is encouraging but I'm still within my normal range. When I weighted myself 5 weeks ago, 82.5 kg was on the high side. Now I'm on the low side. 
If in a few weeks I start to drop below 79kg, this will be a strong signal that the training is impacting my weight.


A last thing. When weighting myself for this experiment, I always wait a day or two after training. I usually lose 0.5kg-1kg of water during workout. I need to let my body to re-hydrate to avoid distorting the weighting results.


And now the pic:

 

Pre-Program (Free trial): week #5 (Hell week)

Week #5 out of 5

I'm glad to report that I came out alive of "Hell Week"! 
The name comes from Freeletics, not me. From time to time in the program, there is a week when the training workload is more intense. Instead of the usual 3 or 4 sessions, week #5 required training every day, for 7 days in a row, some days including several workouts. Afterward there is a 3 days mandatory resting period, so next week will be light.

[UPDATE Jan 2014 - Start]
Please note that this week some of the training content is elective.
In the training schedule below, on Day1, Day5 &  Day7, I chose to do the Dione workout. However, don't be surprised if you see on the Internet that other people have done Zeus instead. They simply chose to focus on Strength instead of Cardio.
[UPDATE Jan 2014 - End]


Monday: DIONE 34:38* (personal best)

I had not train with Dione last week. As my physical shape is improving every day (at least in theory), I was hoping to improve my completion time.
The theory was right this time, I improved my personal best by 36s.
Good omens for the week?


Tuesday: 

• SQUAT MAX: 168* repetitions (personal best)
• PUSHUP MAX: 33* repetitions
• METIS: 07:10*

It started well, Squats had not been part of my training since week #2. I found them much harder than last time. This session was tough, but I scored a new PB in Squat Max. 168 repetitions, versus 165 previously. Not a stellar improvement, but I was pleased that I didn't suffer in vain!

My cheerfulness was short-lived.
The next session, I only completed 33 Push-ups Max, close to my lowest score of 30 reps. Despite fresh arms, I couldn't do better.
And finally, I completed Metis in 7:10. My all-time worse performance. I struggled to finish.

The frustrating thing is that I don't understand why this disappointing performance happened:
I had a good night of sleep.

I felt good. No sore muscle.

I had a nice warm-up.

I was motivated to take-on these 3 sessions.

Yet, I completely ran out of juice.

Let's forget this bad day...

Wednesday: DIONE 33:51* (personal best)

After Tuesday's fiasco, I was a bit pessimistic before training. But no bad surprise today. Training was fine, I even scored a new Dione PB.


Thursday: APHRODITE 27:51* (personal best) + Boxing training

My main concern this week was to integrate the heavy training load with my boxing day. Fortunately, day#4 only included 1 session of Aphrodite. I scheduled an early morning training (this time leaving myself enough time to awake properly before the training!)
Aphrodite was a bit tougher than expected (I had forgotten the "pleasure" of a 50 burpees round), but I got a PB, improving overall time by over a minute.

The boxing training was more difficult than usual. I still had sore tights from Tuesday's Squat Max and lower energy levels after the morning session. 


Friday: DIONE 32:47* (personal best)

I love boxing.
This is the second time since starting Freeletics, that the day after boxing I woke-up feeling regenerated. The long warm-up and stretching completely wiped-out sore muscles. I was halfway through Hell Week, yet I felt like a Monday.
Training went well, I improved Dione by another minute.


Saturday: APHRODITE 25:50* (personal best)

Another good training. Aphrodite improved by 2 minutes since Thursday!
It's very motivating to see progress day after day.


Sunday: 

• DIONE 31:27* (personal best)
• [5 minutes rest]
  
• METIS: 06:33*
• [2 minutes rest]
• SQUAT MAX: 168* repetitions (personal best)

The last day of Hell Week. 3 sessions. I was hoping to score 3 PB. I only got two.

I started Metis on a good pace, completing the first round in 1 minute. However, I lost too much time during the second round. The Dione session & its burpees had taken their toll.

Despite my efforts I couldn't improve my Squats Max, but finished with 168 like my Tuesday PB. According to the app, it still counts as a Personal Best.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this Hell Week. I had expected declining performances over the week as tiredness settled-in. Instead I have gotten a new personal best every day. However such a training-heavy week requires a lot of discipline, and I was lucky not to get any scheduling conflicts. For people who do a lot of business travel or just have a busy life, training every day could be difficult. Thankfully, it's not Hell Week every week!

About the App

A fI would like to share some thoughts on the Freeletics App, and how my vision of the tool evolved. I am using the Apple version, but I imagine the Android one is identical.

2 apps are available in the store, the Free version and the Pro version (5 euros). Whichever version you chose, you sign-in into the app (same login as on the Freeletics website). It offers the following features:

1. Content of each session (e.g. Metis is made of X rounds of exercises A, B & C), including videos tutorials showing how to correctly perform each exercise.
2. A timer to record your performance each session.
3. Results sharing (on social networks or within your Freeletics Network)
4. The app calculates "points" based on activity. The more you train, the higher your level.

The main difference between both versions, is that the Free app only include a few basic exercises (Aphrodite, Metis, etc.). While the Pro includes every available exercises, some of which you may never ever use (e.g. Strength exercises for someone only interested in Cardio). If you are just planning to try Freeletics to see if the program can work for you, then the Free version is more than enough. You won't get any benefits from the Pro app until you add a wider diversity of exercises to your training routine.

I decided to use the app, mainly because of feature #1 & #2. I liked the possibility of checking the correct movements before training (even without internet connection). And I was too lazy to use a regular timer and write down performances after training.
Basically, I just thought the app was just a convenient tool to keep track of things.


After 5th week of training, I realize that I underrated another benefit: MOTIVATION!


After a while you get used to the exercises, so tutorial videos are only useful the first few times that you perform a new workout. This feature gets less important. Timing & recording performances, however remains valuable as tracking your progress is a continuous process.

At the beginning feature #4, motivated me to complete a few extra exercises to get the points I needed to get to the next level. But it didn't last very long. In my opinion, levels don't mean much: someone who completes Aphrodite 10 times in 1 hour will have a higher level than someone who completes it twice in 15 minutes. For me, the really motivating features are:

• The timer: usefulness goes beyond indicating final performance. Keeping an eye on the clock while performing the exercise is the best way to ensure that you beat your personal best. When I notice that my pace is getting too slow, I increase the intensity of my training. Sometimes PB seems too far away, so I'm  just trying to avoid a bad completion time. And very often, this spike in intensity leads to a completely unexpected new PB.

• The network: I first thought that comparing my performance to others was just a gimmick, actually it is very useful.
• It helps understand the difficulty of a given exercise and set realistic personal goals. If you are trying to get back in shape and the fittest person in your network completes Dione in 20mn, you're not going to complete it in 19mn on your first attempt. 
• It motivates to get better performances. On the Wednesday of week #4, I completed Metis in 6'27. I could have ended at 6'37 and still score a PB and feel happy. However I knew that the PB of a guy in my network was 6'30. When I was nearly done with my exercise and saw the timer hitting 6'00, I gave everything that I had left to finish these damn High Jumps. However, that only works if you have people of comparable fitness level in your network. If you only follow people who are top performers, completing exercises three times faster than you, you'll be demotivated. On the contrary, following only people with worse performances might boost your ego, but you risk staying in your comfort zone instead of pushing yourself.

EDIT: By the way, for the readers who are also training using the app, you can find me under the name "decimus iunius iuvenalis"

Pre-Program (Free trial): week #4

Week #4 out of 5

For the newcomers who didn't read my last post, due to scheduling constraints the training of week#3 overlapped on the Monday of week #4. This means that not only did week #5 start on a Tuesday, but  I didn't get any rest day between these two weeks. I do not advise skipping the recovery period in program. Not giving enough rest time to your body is the surest way to injure yourself, and leads to mediocre completion times.

So why didn't I follow my own advice?

• First of all, you have to know that next week (#5) is kindly known as "Hell Week". It will require training everyday, so I will need a few rest days at the end of week #4.
• Secondly, this week is focused on a very short exercise called Metis (my targeted completion time: 5 to 8 minutes). Because it is such a light training, I was able to reduce rest time to catch-up with the overall training schedule. 

The Metis training routine is the following:

• 10 Burpees
• 10 Climbers (each time that you bring one leg up, it counts as a repetition)
• 10 High Jumps (from standing position, jump vertically. Try to touch shoulders with knees)

• 25 Burpees
• 25 Climbers
• 25 High Jumps

• 10 Burpees
• 10 Climbers
• 10 High Jumps

Tuesday: METIS 06:41*

My first completion of Metis reminded me very much of my first encounter with Aphrodite.
Because the training is so short, I went after it headfirst, without any pacing. Within 2 minutes, I was out of breath and it felt like I completed the rest of the exercise under apnea. A good reminder that with Freeletics, just like with boxing, your physical condition doesn't amount to much if you can't get your breathing under control.

Let's have a look at the Metis workload:

Burpees: by now they have become the bread & butter of my training. I'm still not very fond of them, but I know what to expect. In this particular session, the difficulty is low: only a max of 25 reps; for a total of 45 reps.

Climbers: not very difficult physically. Like Jumping Jacks, they are treacherous because fast completion gets your heart racing and it's easy to lose breath if you are not careful.

High Jumps: the real difficulty of Metis lies in this simple exercise. I haven't fully understood why (intensity of the effort?), but from a breathing stands-point, these high jumps are the most demanding exercise that I have encountered so far. The challenge with Burpees was learn when to breath-in/breath-out. With high-jumps this is all very plain & easy: empty your lungs while you bring knees to your shoulders. Despite this simplicity, when I finish the second high jump I'm already short-winded. Completing 25 of them in a row basically required my mind to tell my body to ignore the lack of oxygen. This wasn't a pretty scene...


Wednesday: METIS 06:27* (personal best)

This time, I was careful not too start too fast. It paid-off as I improved my overall time. However high jumps still leave me gasping for air.


Thursday: Boxing training + METIS 06:05* (personal best)

Due to the tight schedule this week  (and because Metis is so short), I decided to do this session just after my boxing training. I took a couple minutes of rest, just enough time to drink some water. With the tired muscles and diminished stamina, going through this session was a tedious process. At the end I was shocked to learn that I had improved my time by 22 seconds, scoring a new personal best. Lesson of the day: don't underestimate training capabilities when your metabolism is already running high.

Saturday: METIS 06:09*

For the last training of the week, I trained early morning, just before breakfast. Usually due to time constraints I have to train after dinner (which is far from optimal). The overall time was close to my personal best. An encouraging performance, but I wasn't fully awake. Next week I'm expecting at least one morning session. I will try to improve my morning routine. I guess I should be awake for at least half-an-hour before training. 

We will see. Anyway, I'm sure that HELL WEEK will be full of lessons!