I originally created this post in german last year in December 2014 and got so much amazing and friendly feedback. Thank you very much! Many people asked me to translate it into english and share it with the world. And I thought yes, sure, so here it is! This is a 1:1 Translation and many of the links lead to my german blog posts and pages. Anyway, enjoy! I hope you get inspired by my story as many others before! Clap, Clap! NOTE: Transformation picture is at the end of this article.
Long, long time ago. Over a year ago I started Freeletics.
At that time, hardly anyone knew about it and now it has become a huge hype internationally. On my way removing 80 kg (170 lbs) of body fat, I have of course regularly looked left and right in order to optimize my nutrition and my training.
True to the Coué method:
„Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.“
In this article I would like to introduce you to Freeletics, my success story and my Freeletics experience in combination with the Paleo diet or paleolithic diet. (Read more about the Paleo-Diet for Athletes in this book)
Inhaltsverzeichnis
The History
In following my path is described which lead to Freeletics and a weight loss of 170 lbs.
How did I come to Freeletics?
I was in 2012 still severely obese (160 kg (350 lbs) at 1.86 m (6 feet 115⁄64 inch) height) and have lost about 80 kg (170 lbs) of body weight within 2 years with Paleo and HIIT and later with Freeletics!
So I know how it is to be severely obese. On my way to effective weight loss, I was searching a simple and effective exercise for losing weight for very obese people.
I have started with simple basic exercises and bodyweight exercises like squats, they are very well suited for severely obese people.
My 15 months young daughter could not even walk properly, but squatting right! So this exercise must be ideal for us.
I know that, because I then also started squats even with 160 kg (350 lbs) body weight and had very good experiences with it and generally with bodyweight exercises. These exercises are still my favorites and fully integrated into my daily training routine.
So what was I doing until I started with Freeletics?
Mainly HIIT and interval training protocols More information can be found here on my Fitness page or in my article series losing weight with Paleo and Pawel – Power tips or here . There I regularly write about my former experiences with weight loss and publish my personal Power Tips to german speaking folks.
HIIT
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) promotes a maximum effort in the body to reach the muscle fatigue and maximum oxygen use in a short time. The harder your muscles work, the more oxygen they need.
Secondly, it alternates periods of intense intensity with periods of moderate to low intensity and low expenses. Interval training demands the metabolism significantly longer than a cardio training of the same or even longer duration.
By combining the above two principles you can maximize fat burning and muscle growth by significantly shorter workouts.
HIIT maximizes an increased metabolic rate, optimizes muscle growth and muscle retention while boosting the fat loss and burned calories during and after the exercise.
Interval training protocols
Interval training protocols differ in the length of high and low intensity, the ratio of high to low intensity and intensity during exercise. Three leading protocols are the Tabata method, the Little Method and Turbulence Training.
Freeletics
Then came Freeletics …
Freeletics
Whether it is High Intensity Interval Training (Hiit) or CrossFit, at the moment intense workouts are a big hype.
Freeletics is a sport that allows you to train anytime and anywhere. To do this you need only your own body weight, no additional equipment or fitness studio membership is needed.
I am doing Freeletics for over a year.
I like it when things are time-saving and at the same time effectively, can be performed anytime, anywhere and this claims were fulfilled with Freeletics.
I had to give it a go!
I think it’s great that the training program is very flexible. You are not tied to one location. Even on vacation or on a business trip you can perform the Freeletics program.
No Excuses!
A training session usually lasts between 15 and 45 minutes depending on the fitness level of the athlete.
The exercises looked very hard, I wanted to try them.
I wanted to find out whether I can really comply to:
„Never Give up“
by Winston Churchill.
Freeletics brings you to your personal limit when you only allow it. For me it has been the case.
You’re not alone
You can train alone or together with other like-minded people in so-called Freeletics groups that have now formed in every major city all around the world.
Search at Facebook for „Freeletics.Cityname“.
Example of Munich: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Freeletics.Muenchen/
The Munich group has nearly 9,000 members (as of 12/2014) and is growing rapidly.
In addition, many free athletes meet at various locations in Munich to train together.
Start with free exercises
The exercises have names like „Aphrodite“ or „Zeus“, which are Greek gods who are known for their athletic body.
For the first 5 weeks I started with the free exercises to build up a base.
Example:
- Aphrodite
- Max exercises (maximum repetitions)
- Dione
- Metis
I have finished the so-called „Hell Week“ in Week 5 with the following workouts:
- Day 1: Dione or Zeus
- Day 2: Squat MAX & MAX Pushup & Metis
- Day 3: Dione
- Day 4: Aphrodite
- Day 5: Dione or Zeus
- Day 6: Aphrodite
- Day 7: Dione or Zeus & Metis & Squat MAX Day 8, 9 and 10: rest.
„Hell Week“ means a lot of training. 7 days and 7 times Freeletics. You should always be trying to break your own PBs (Personal Best).
Are you a beginner?
For beginners, it may be better, easier to enter to get used to the exercise.
Especially as a beginner you should slowly increase. Otherwise, it can lead to overload your muscles and that would be counterproductive. More is not always better!
You should not perform more than one training session per day, because even through one training session per day very good results can be achieved.
It makes sense, for example, to perform a workout every other day. So the body has enough time to rest.
For example first basic exercises like squats, perform push ups, etc., combined with Tabata intervals.
The 15 weeks Coach
After the 5 weeks I’ve then bought the Coach and trained for 15 weeks. There is now Freeletics by subscription and even a running app for runners.
It was great, it was hard, perfect! As it should be!
Private training schedule and plan
Meanwhile, I have my own training schedule. Every Saturday in the morning I start planning my training schedule for the entire week.
Freeletics is a part of my traning plan.
My plan is an individually developed Split Training, combining Freeletics, Jumping Rope (after the Tabata protocol) and Weight Training
Perhaps I will start another coach for 15 weeks again. Because it is great!
What do you need for Freeletics?
Your body, that’s all …
Don’t tell me that you have no body. This is an excuse that no one will believe!
What equipment is needed?
Freeletics is a highly intense training program, in which no equipment is needed.
The exercise resistance, which will decide on the dosage of the training stimulus is regulated solely by your body weight. Similar to CrossFit, but without equipment. The significant difference is that CrossFit often uses equipment like barbells or kettlebells.
As no special equipment is needed, Freeletics can be performed anywhere in the world.
The concept of Freeletics is holistic. Apart from the pure training you should also change your diet, otherwise the training evaporates easily.
„Abs are made in the kitchen!“
Recommendations for equipment
Actually, you need only yourself …
In most cases, the workout consists of a mix of pull-ups, stretching, sit-ups and jumps.
… But …
To make pull-ups, you should have something to which you can pull yourself up. Nature offers you plenty of opportunities. For outside you may still need a mat or large towel and necessary footwear.
You normally don’t need anymore than these three items to start exercising. So it’s a cost-effective alternative to the gym and also offers to train outdoors.
Otherwise, I can recommend you the following equipment:
- Floor mat: These must be suitable for Burpees such as Gorilla Sports Yoga Mat In Different Colors .
I have this power tower here Profipower Tower chin-up bar and dips Ingot freestanding white BCA 32 and am very satisfied.
- Chin Up Bar: For example, pull-up bar for mounting without screws
- Training shoes: The best is no shoes at all! Barefoot! Otherwise Vibram barefoot shoes for men or women or Nike Free 5.0 for men or women . (Pay attention to the right size)
I have Vibram Five Fingers consisting of kangaroo leather.
- Jump Rope: For example Bay® „GRIP ALL 280“ PRO STEEL skipping rope, including 2x extra weights.
- Korona Diagnostic scale Dolores , I use since the beginning of my 80 kg (170 lbs) „Weight Loss Journey“.
And a natural and healthy Energy Drink to boost your workouts
The Workout
The individual workouts have different names. They sound harmless, but behind „Venus“ or „Aphrodite“ are hard exercises that require the entire body.
How long does a training session lasts depends on the fitness level and training goals.
Freeletics distinguishes between 3 different focuses and coaches:
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-
- Strength (muscle building)
- Cardio (endurance building)
- Strength and Cardio (hybrid)
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Freeletics is growing and constantly evolving, currently it consists of 3 training disciplines:
-
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- Workouts – perform exercises in a particular order and number.
- Exercises – A maximum number of repetitions of a particular exercise to perform on time.
- Runs – a fixed distance (sprints, middle distance, marathon) run.
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Workouts and Exercises are divided into Endurance, Standard and Strength. This will vary the exercises from easy to difficult.
The technology and design of individual exercises is very clearly explained in excellent videos.
These exercises are part of many different workouts:
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- Sit-Ups
- Push-Ups
- Pull-Ups
- Squats
- Deep squats
- Sprints
- Burpees
- Climbers
- Jackknives
- High Jumps
- Handstand Push-Ups
- and much more.
-
Women or men?
Ideal for both sexes. You can train together with your partner. I have done that with my wife, it was excellent. Also my 20 months old daughter tries to imitate the exercises. Very funny!
How can you start with Freeletics?
You can register and login via the official website or you use the Freeletics app for iOS or Android and start with the first workout. Whether at home or outdoors.
The program contains various workouts to execute in the front of your PC or Smartphone . The workouts are tailored to you individually and observe your performance level.
Whether you start the coach and / or the nutrition guide need you decide individually for you.
3 nutrition guides exist:
Depending on your goal (e.g. gain strength, weight reduction and strength building) you get your 15 weeks eating plan. You get weekly new recipes for delicious and goal-oriented dishes. Proper nutrition is a must for any athlete. I was following the Paleo diet and haven’t used the nutrition guide. A Quick-Start Guide Paleo from me in german is free here .
How much weight can you lose with Freeletics?
Freeletics is a very intense sport program and trains both the strength and the stamina, making it ideal for losing weight.
A general answer to this question does not exist.
While sport is an important element in losing weight , but not the most important one. Beside sport you need to adjust your diet in the long term, the Paleo-Diet is very suitable. (Read more about the Paleo-Diet for Athletes in this book)
Then the success comes almost by itself!
Conclusion
It is an inexpensive alternative to CrossFit and is designed for exercises with your own body weight.
The comparison with other free athletes is pure motivation and proof is shown in many transformation videos.
You can do Freeletics alone or in a group, the communities are large and easy to find.
Freeletics is excellent for weight loss if at the same time the diet is adjusted. The diet must be suitable for athletes, containing many nutrients, healthy fats, valuable protein and healthy carb sources as the Paleo diet does.
The coach is highly recommended, the Freeletics nutrition guide also but I din’t try it, because it is not tailored to the Paleo diet.
I would love to help the Freeletics team to create a guide according to the Paleo Diet.
Freeletics is very well suited for advanced athletes. If you aren’t sportsmanlike, a beginner or very overweight, you should begin after you have lost the first pounds and after you started basic bodyweight exercises. So did I.
I love Freeletics and executing it for more than 1 year now. I was very well supported with my weight loss journey of 80kg (170 lbs) in 2 years.
A large training discipline and a permanent lifestyle change is required and you can achieve great success with Freeletics in a short time and reduce body fat.
My transformation picture: ( Read more about me )
Training begins in the mind, you have to overcome your limits and boost yourself successively with Freeletics. Regularity leads to the goal!
I say: „Thank you Freeletics !!!“ Clap, Clap!
IMPORTANT: Please, share my story!
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Note: Freeletics has nothing to do with this article and had no possibility of influence it.
Sources: screenshot of my profile in freeletics.com/en/
* Einige der im Artikel verlinkten Schlagworte können auf einen Partner Affil-Link führen.
