This is absolutely not me, by the way, it’s a photo by samer daboul on Pexels.com
Today I reached the end of my most recent Freeletics journey, HIIT and Run Weight Loss. I was kind of surprised that there was no Hell Week on this journey, so I ended with an interval run on Monday (5km total (although I ended up doing around 6.5km because I during the rests), and Morpheus yesterday.
I’ve enjoyed this journey. The mix of HIIT and running really suits me and I like not getting stuck in too many god workouts.
It’s time for a change though, so I’ve decided to go for Explosive Strength. I’ve been feeling like I’ve lost a bit of muscle mass recently. It was always the plan to focus on cardio in the first part of the year and then switch to strength, but I’m a bit daunted about this next journey. I remember the last time I did a strength-based journey finding it really difficult and a bit frustrating.
But I started today with some interval workouts – lots of assisted pullups and pushups and some kettlebell exercises. It was tough and I’m definitely out of practice. I also have a new resistance band which is too light, so the pullups weren’t really ‘assisted’, and I basically wimped out of them halfway through the workout.
I decided to take it slow and focus on technique. I want to persevere with this journey, and I think if I’m going to do it right I need to not rush.
I’m aching now, but pleased to have got stuck in. And I’ve ordered a stronger resistance band from Decathlon so I can actually properly build my strength rather than giving up halfway through.
Spring is beginning to make itself known, and this week was my first full week after Covid. Three workouts – Metis, a bodyweight interval session and a 4km run. I’m just back from the run and it felt good, despite choosing a route that included quite a lot of uphill running and having to cross a main road. Side note – it would be good to be able to pause Freeletics runs, in the same way you can do on Strava, so that when you’re waiting for traffic your clock isn’t still ticking.
Other highlights this week included being able to do perfect form assisted pistol squats, which I haven’t done for ages and thought I’d be rubbish at, and finding Metis way more difficult than I remember. I did it much slower than I’ve been used to, but I’m not beating myself up about that.
I find that Covid has meant that I have a bit less lung capacity than I before. Trying not to let that worry me, but I do notice I am more out of breath more quickly, so I’m building back up more slowly.
Next week I have a 4.5km run and some interval stuff, including some sprints which I’m looking forward to and will be a good test of recovery.
I still felt a bit wiped out on Monday this week after spending the previous week laying low from Covid-19. I was hoping to pick up my routine and head out for a run, but my body had other ideas so I didn’t exercise.
On Wednesday I felt up to it, so I ran. I was going to adapt the coach session to an easier run, but in the end I thought I’d just go for it, so I did a 4km run and it was absolutely fine. I even quite enjoyed it.
So then on Friday I continued with a 1km run followed by an interval run, and that was fine too. So I guess I’m back on it again.
Next week I have some progression exercises, including progression to handstand walk. I think I can fairly confidentally say that I won’t ever be able to do that, but hey, let’s give it a go. The first step is plank shoulder taps.
I also have Metis next week, which means the dreaded burpees.
Anyway, it feels good to be back in the saddle. Just a shame I lost that seven week streak 😦
The next badge you can get on Freeletics after a seven week streak is for ten weeks. There I was, sweating yesterday after completing my seventh consecutive week of coach workouts, committing to getting that 10-week badge, and then…
I tested positive for Covid-19. I’d been feeling a bit foggy-headed, and had some cold symptoms, but I’d been to the pub the night before and thought maybe I was just a bit hungover. I pushed myself to do my Friday workout and carried on with my day. It was only this morning (Saturday) when I still felt like shit and tested before travelling to see family that those two lines appeared on the lateral flow.
Don’t feel too bad though – just a bit low energy and groggy. Hoping it’s not going to drag on too long. I’m already plotting to see if I could still maintain my streak by exercising later in the week.
But for now the priority is to rest and get better. More important to look after my health. Sigh.
I got the badge! My first 5-week streak of perfect weeks on Freeletics. Achieved. I’ve been doing Freeletics for over six years now and I have periods of consistency, but they tend to be sporadic. There’s something this time about how I’ve structured my routine that means I’m consistently training. And it’s got to the point now where I really don’t want to break the streak.
I trained again on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and did a run, an interval run, and a HIIT workout again. I’m marking my runs as not being difficult enough, and this week (week 6), the distance and intensity have increased a little.
I’m also noticing that I’m feeling like I have more energy, that I am a bit more flexible and I’ve lost a couple of kilos too. I’m still doing intermittent fasting for most of the week and that’s proving really helpful. I’m sleeping better because I’m not going to bed trying to digest food and alcohol.
So all, in all, it’s going great. Feeling proud of myself.
Will hopefully be writing again next week having done another perfect week…
My previous streak on Freeletics is 4 perfect weeks. I like that they now have similar badges that Apple Watch offers. Here I am at the end of my third perfect week on Freeletics. I’m now determined to get my next badge – six perfect weeks.
Meanwhile, this week was another two runs and a HIIT session. Wednesday’s run was a 4km interval run. I kept walking in between runs and so my total distance was 5.6km which felt good. I also cycled to work and back twice which is a 30min round trip. The HIIT was Persephone – burpees, leg raises and lunges. I don’t think I’ll ever love burpees, but they do work. I was a sweaty mess at the end, even with adding 3mins onto my PB.
I’ve lost 3kg in three weeks, which feels good. I’ve been combining a consistent Freeletics schedule with 16:8 (or just about) intermittent fasting, and so I’m mostly exercising when I’m in a fat-burning state and I think that is making a difference.
So on I go to week 4. Hoping for more sunny, frosty winter mornings
I’m writing this while I wait outside the pool for my session to start. It’s a Sunday and I’m back for another swim, second week in a row. And I had another perfect Freeletics week. So I’m feeling pretty smug right now.
Week 2 of my Freeletics Journey was pretty similar to week 1. Two short-ish runs (an interval and a 2.5km run), and a HIIT Bodyweight workout. For both of the runs I gave Coach feedback that it could be working me harder. The runs are fine, but I reckon I could be running for longer.
My HIIT was Metis. I’ve done it many times before, but am seriously out of practice so I added nearly 3mins onto my PB. I’m not used to doing burpees (forgotten how much I hate them). I took it slowly — I wanted to focus on technique rather than speed. Even though it’s only 8mins or so I still felt exhausted and sweaty at the end.
This consistent approach seems to be working for me too. Not trying to do too many workouts a week. Just Monday, Wednesday and Friday and a bonus weekend freestyle, hence today’s swim.
I’ve also stuck with the intermittent fasting this week, which is getting easier.
So far, so good then for 2022. Going to do my best to keep going.
I’m one week into a new Freeletics Journey. It’s the start of the year and I have a renewed motivation to stick to my fitness plan this year.
And the first week went well. I’ve decided to do Freeletics on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with a bonus weekend workout that could be a swim, a run or a Freeletics workout. Last week I had two runs – a 3km interval run and a 2.5km run. Both pretty straightforward. It was good to be out in the morning before work and to get them out of the way.
Friday’s workout was 2x Athena, which is lots of climbers, sit-ups and squats. My PB is 14mins, but last week it took me almost 20 minutes. I felt pretty out of practice. And I had sore quads for a couple of days.
I’m liking the mix of bodyweight and running. My weekend workout was a swim – first time doing lane-swimming since well before the pandemic. It was more tiring than I remember, but I liked the feeling of stretching my arms and chest.
And then this morning was another interval run which took longer than I thought it would (was a bit laete for work – oops).
My training kind of went out of the window in the latter part of last year. We moved to a new office and I had a longer commute – by bike – that meant I was usually a bit tired after work. I falsely decided that my cycling could partly take the place of training. And so I wasn’t running as much, I wasn’t swimming at all, and as my Freeletics journey was running only, I’d stopped bodyweight exercises altogether.
This blog has become a series of false starts for a while. I seem to return to it when I want to be accountable but then quickly slip out of the routine again. So 2022 is another attempt at consistency.
Do New Year’s resolutions work?
I’ve put on weight. I’m 6ft 0in, and I now weigh 88kg – which according to the NHS website is overweight. When I’ve put on weight in the past, It’s mostly been muscle mass. I used to be skinny and starting Freeletics meant that I quickly gained muscle. But this time it’s just excess fat. My body is less toned, my muscles have waned and I’m feeling achey and ungainly.
Some people don’t like New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve always found them really useful. I like to have that moment of reset – a chance to start again and build better habits and 1 January feels like as good a time as any, especially as I’ve often over-indulged over Christmas.
So I abandoned my previous journey on Freeletics and I’m starting a new one HIIT & Run Weight Loss.
How Freeletics Coach works
If you’re new to this blog, or have stumbled across this post because you’re thinking of starting Freeletics, here’s a quick run down of how it works.
I pay an annual subscription to Freeletics, which means I get access to tailored programmes that coach me through a series of workouts over around 12 weeks. You can set the number of days you want to train per week, and as you move through the journey you can give feedback on how difficult or easy you’re finding the work-outs.
I’ve always liked the ‘impersonal accountability’ of Freeletics. I’ve never fancied the idea of an actual personal trainer (or being willing to spend the money), but I’m not disciplined enough to lead my own workouts regularly, so I like that there is structure and that the app gently encourages you to be consistent and complete every workout.
My new journey – HIIT and Run Weight Loss
HIIT and Run Weight Loss feels like the right journey for me at the moment. It combines bodyweight exercises and runs/sprints, so I mix it up through the week and combine it with other exercises like swimming and cycling to work.
I’ve also decided to structure my week so I train in the morning (I think I’m more likely to train if I can get it out of the way first thing), and that I’m doing Freeletics three times a week. This leaves me with a fourth day at the weekend that I can use for swimming or a free run or something else. I think I was putting too much pressure on myself to exercise five times a week and that’s unsustainable.
So I’m starting tomorrow with a pretty easy 3km run, split into two 1.5kg runs.
Here’s a funny story. My workout mat has basically been disintegrating and my Freeletics resistance band snapped, so I decided to order a new one. I noticed that Freeletics have bundles – mat, jumping rope, resistance band and kettlebell. I thought, why not? The ‘advanced’ bundle had the same resistance band as I’d had before so I ordered that, not really paying attention.
It arrived with a 20kg kettlebell! So heavy. The mat and everything else were great, but I could hardly lift the kettlebell, let alone do most of the exercises on the app.
So back it’s gone to Freeletics – I need to order the, ahem, beginners bundle now.
I was into the idea of the kettlebell because my running journey doesn’t have any strength training in it and I’d been wanting to keep the muscle I’ve built recently.
So while I’m waiting for the new Freeletics order, I’m bringing in some bodyweight exercises alongside my running (and in some cases instead of – I have a longer cycle commute to work now so often feel less like running before or after the work day). I’m enjoying the flexibility actually of choosing my workouts and doing them whenever alongside a coaching journey.
In other news I’ve been experimenting with intermittent fasting. A couple of friends of mine have been doing it and getting great results so I thought I’d give it a go. I’ve signed up to an app (Simple), which is brilliant – a great interface and loads of features and content – and I’m bascially doing 16:8 – usually stopping eating around 7pm and not starting again until mid-morning the following day. I actually quite like it – I feel lighter and more focussed and I’m learning how to work through hunger rather than just give in.
A Freeletics Journey 