Kettlebells and intermittent fasting

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.

Things to do before I’m 40

I feel like I’m mainly using this blog as a way of trying to motivate myself to train. Most of my posts these days are about me feeling like I’m not making the most of Freeletics, not training enough, not seeing results etc etc

And here I am again.

Here in the UK the clocks have gone forward, the nights will be getting lighter and the weather warmer. Out go the carbs and the red wine, in comes salads and gin and tonics.

And today, Sunday, I’m at the end of a week off, ready to go back to work and I noticed that my Freeletics coach has just renewed for another year.

So in the spirit of using this blog as some kind of accountability, here’s where I’m at:

1. Switching up the diet again and focusing on fewer carbs, less calorific booze and more vegetables
2. I’ve been consisent with my running so I’m going to keep up with that and continue trying to run further, faster. I’m also going to research getting a new training programme for running as that tends to keep me on track
3. I’ve been consistently doing Freeletics twice a week. Needs to be three times minimum. Fridays have slipped so I’m bringing them back
4. Need to build strength again so I’ve started this Men’s Health Pushup Programme which is tougher than it looks.
5. Lots of water
6. Less sugar
7. Good sleep

I’m 40 in July. My goal is to have lost the lockdown belly and feel healthy and full of energy by then.

Let’s go.

Running into 2021

Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash

Week 1 of 2021 done. To be honest with everything going on in the world, it’s felt longer than a week but hey. It’s over.

I ran twice this week and did Freeletics three times. I stuck to my nutrition goals – calorie deficits and making sure I wasn’t overloading carbs and fats. Feels good.

The first three coach sessions of Cardio Burn certainly got my heart rate up. Lots of sprawls, burpees and jumps.

My second workout of the week was a fast 1.5km run, which felt great. Usually when I run I absolutely love the first kilometer. It feels good to be out of the house, I’m invariably running downhill, I’m energised and usually run it a litte faster than I should. It’s once I’ve done 2km that I begin to slow down and regret my initial enthusiasm. So running 1.5km and knowing that’s all I needed to do was fun. I could do it fast and push myself knowing it’d be over soon.

The two other runs I did this week were both around 4km. I’m now running without a coach, so I’m setting my own distances and pace. Feels a little bit aimless. It’s easy to cut runs short because I don’t have to log it anywhere apart from with my friends on Strava.

I set myself a goal this year to run 10 miles, which is about 16km. The longest run I’ve done to date is 10km which felt tough, but not impossible. So maybe I just need to run 10km a few other times in the first few months of the year and then build it up in the second half of the year. See if I can do 10km faster. When I was running with Freeletics Running and Nike Run Club I was doing a long run at the weekends, so maybe I’ll do a long one today or tomorrow…

Onwards.

4 things I’ve noticed about Freeletics recently and some BIG NEWS

Gosh, how is my last post January? I promise I have been doing Freeletics, just not writing about it very regularly. I did have bit of a break as I was dealing with a recurring shoulder pain and had a few weeks of sports massages to sort it out.

But I’m back on it now and as the weather is improving, I’ve been training outside a few times. It’s been nice.

I’m really enjoying how the updated bodyweight app has options for only having 15 minutes, no space to run, no equipment etc so that you can tweak your coach week during the week rather than just at the beginning. Much better and really useful for me if I don’t leave enough time in the morning but still want to work out.

But the BIG NEWS is that I finally caved in to Freeletics’ constant promotion of the nutrition app on their emails and took advantage of a 50% off offer.

I think I’ve been feeling like I can only make real progress if I actually change the way I eat rather than just rely on exercise. And so far I’m impressed. I think I’ll write a proper review post in the coming week, but I’ve enjoyed some of the recipes, especially those using ingredients i don’t usually cook with, and as I’m a sucker for habit trackers/streaks, I enjoy trying to get my star/perfect day.

I’ve also largely replaced beer with wine / G&T when I’m drinking, and thanks to the app, massively reduced my bread and pasta consumption. I think those three things are definitely what stops me from being leaner.

Some things I’ve noticed:

1. I find pullups easier these days – those assisted pullups I’ve been doing have paid off, so if you’re struggling with pullups, don’t lose faith, keep going
2. Clapping pushups – never once managed to actually clap my hands. Feel like I need more power in my arms to be able to really push high enough
3. Do burpees ever get any easier? I know they’re good for me, but my god I hate doing them
4. When I don’t train I am much stiffer and less flexible. I find that when I’ve had a break I find touching my toes difficult, but when I’m training regularly it’s much easier.

Next time, I’ll write a full review of the Freeletics Nutrition app.

A bad week

I had such good intentions. But this week didn’t go so well. This is mainly due to having a friend/colleague visit from another country. I’ve been on tour-guide duty, making sure she met the right people, saw the sites and ate at the right places.

It started well. I did a good swim on Sunday and I did fit in a Freeletics workout on Wednesday morning. But the rest of the week has been pretty lazy. And I’ve been eating out and drinking alcohol.

I’m trying to save money at the moment, so both of those things aren’t supposed to be on the agenda.

But I guess I’m going to cut myself some slack. It was important to be there for my guest. And I’ve had a really nice week.

Today is Friday, and I’m working from home. I’m going to get a good few hours work under my belt and then do a workout later on. And I have to get up super early on Saturday to go to London for work so it’s no drinking and an early night tonight. Lots of water.

You can always reset and start again. And next week is all fresh and new.

Why I’m ditching MyFitnessPal and other news…

I haven’t written for a while, so here’s a big old update.

New Coach review update

I wrote about the new coach a while back (here, here and here) when it first came out. I was into it. I found the workouts shorter and more intense and felt like they were working my muscle groups harder.

Since then I’ve read people on Reddit saying that the new coach isn’t anywhere near as difficult or challenging, and that they’re frequently ending work-outs not as exhausted or drenched in sweat as before.

Now I’m no fitness expert, but here’s my take on this. What I love is that you’re made to focus on technique first – although I’m not sure what the point of doing 1 pike is, as I was asked to do the other week – and then you do conditioning, and then one or part of the existing Freeletics Gods work-outs. I find the workouts more varied, and I am increasingly as exhausted and satisfied after each session as before. This might be that I’m being really careful with my feedback to Coach, and therefore my work-outs are being tweaked accordingly.

It seems like Freeletics have realised that just working people until they drop doesn’t necessarily get the best long-term results; that exhaustion doesn’t always mean a work-out has been effective. They’re helping us get better at technique.

I also find that the benefit of not being made to do full Freeletics Gods work-outs means I’m not as daunted (or bored) by my coach weeks.

Warm-ups and cool-downs

I also really love the new warm-ups and cool-downs. My biggest complaint about the app as it was was that it was really difficult to time your stretching at the end, but now it times each stretch, and I feel like the stretches are working my whole body.

#CoachChallenge update

I’m into week 4 of #CoachChallenge and I have to say the promise of money off Freeletics stuff is really keeping me going. I managed to keep to my schedule despite being away from home twice in environments where drinking and staying up late is part of the work. On my first trip there was also a gym in the apartment block which had a great pull-up bar and assistance bands, which were brilliant. Going to buy one.

Diet update

I’ve stopped using MyFitnessPal. I’ve been using it for ages and it was beginning irritate me. Also, it wasn’t particularly helping me lose weight or eat better, it was just telling me every day that even though I regularly came in under my calorie goal, my macros were always off (too many carbs and too much fat and not enough protein).

So instead I’m just being really mindful of what I’m eating and actually I think it’s making me eat better. For some reason, not counting everything means I try harder to eat well. I also think it’s helping me make better permanent changes to the way I eat.

I also think MyFitnessPal was damaging my relationship to what I eat. I love food. I love cooking. I don’t want to become a clean eating freak or one of those gym bunnies that only eat grilled chicken and protein shakes. I want to eat a balanced, healthy diet that makes me feel good, that is fresh and not processed and that tastes really good. I don’t want to reduce what I eat to numbers and pie charts. It’s not good for the soul.

Over the past couple of years I’ve read enough about food to know what’s good for you, what to eat in moderation and what to avoid. So I’m ditching the app and just trying to eat well. And it feels great.

And suddenly that milestone is right in front of you…

 

Oh blimey, how has it been over a month since I posted. Sheesh.

So. What’s been happening? Well, last time I posted I was in the middle of a great week. I ran twice, swam every day and did my first Freeletics Gym session. More on that shortly. Since then, I’ve been a bit slack. I slipped out of the routine. And even worse, I could feel the belly that I’ve been working so hard to get rid of coming back again. I needed to take action.

Added to this, I realised that my mental milestone/goal is right in front of me. It’s my birthday this week, and it’s also Pride. On the same day. It wasn’t an official goal or anything, but I was kind of working towards being in peak shape for this day. And I’m not quite where I want to be. Maybe I was about a month ago when I was away. But since then, things have slipped.

Last week started off badly. I was at a wine tasting on Monday evening (no excuse, I know, I could have exercised in the morning). And on Tuesday we had some big work news first thing, and then I got drunk in the evening as a result of said work news. I’d almost written another week off, but on Wednesday I got back on track. I worked out every day for the rest of the week.

So, yeah. That Freeletics Gym session. I was in a hotel gym alone. I thought, why the hell not? So I did the first workout that Coach has set for me. It was: Upper Body I and Upper Body II.

10 Bench Press and 10 Bent Rows and then 10 Push Press and 10 Upright Rows. 3 sets of each. I had a max weight of 20kg, but to be honest I got quite confused about how to work out the weight. Don’t ask me why. I found it quite easy. It was pretty basic. I did enjoy the stretches at the end though.

BUT, I’m not about to join a gym again. I can’t stand working out around people, especially not in the weights area. It’s too posey. So I’m not likely to do any more Freeletics Gym workouts soon. I get enough exercise through bodyweight and running.

I won’t go through last week’s exercises in detail. That would be boring, but I am finding the new Coach great. I enjoy the shorter workouts and I feel easily as tired and satisfied as I did when they were longer.

Also I notice that they’ve introduced a whole bunch of new exercises. Which is great. Because sometimes it gets a little boring doing the same thing over and over again.

Yesterday I did my second Freeletics Running session. It was Maat. 200m then 30 seconds for 10 reps. I ran around the park near my boyfriend’s house. And made the mistake of running up a very steep hill halfway through the session. Nearly vomitted when I got to the top and it kind of knackered me out for the rest of the run. But I enjoyed it. 2k in 10 minutes. I can get on board with that.

I’m trying to up my frequency of working out again, so for a bit I’m going to try 5 Freeletics and 1 running per week. Could do a Bodyweight and a run on the same day to get 2 rest days, or could just have one rest day.

I’m also trying to get back on track with the nutrition. Cutting out beer pretty much completely and trying to reduce my reliance on carbs. Yeah yeah, I can hear you saying, you’ve said all this before. But if I write it down it gives me extra motivation.

It’s Sunday night right now. We’re going out for drinks on Friday night and Saturday is Pride. So I need to get all my exercise and good eating in before then. I’ve ordered a new vest to wear on Saturday, so it’s a bit of added motivation to work hard this week.

Have a great week. And sorry I’ve been a bit quiet. Would love to hear from you guys how your Freeletics journey is going. Tell me what you find challenging or difficult or share any tips you have in the comments below.

Have a great week!

Freeletics Bodyweight 4.0 Review #2

I’ve now done two more days of the new Coach. And I have to say I’m really enjoying it. The workouts are shorter and more intense, and I’m finding that they’re really working my muscles a lot harder (I’m have more of that satisfying soreness – is it satisfying?).

Yesterday I did:

10 Jumps
Poseidon

The jumps, pan, no problem. I did Poseidon in 04:09, but no star because I still can’t do perfect form pullups.

And then today, the final day of my three-day Coach week, was

Conditioning
Interval: Core, Upper Body.
3 rounds of:
Commando Pullups Left x10
Side Plank Twists Left x15
Side Plank Twists Right x15
Commando Pullups Right x10
Plank Switches x10

Taking each in turn:

Commando Pullups
I found these relatively straightforward although I’m not doing them correct form. I could just about do 3 the other day and it was the same this time. Then I started having to give myself a little jump start.

Side Plank Twists
I liked these. I could feel that they will be good for core strength, but they were also nice stretches. They got more testing later on in the workout.

Plank Switches
I also enjoyed these. They were fairly tough later on, but they were a nice change from pushups.

I’m really liking how the workouts are quite quick, but work your muscle groups really hard. I am finding it much easier to do before work. And not racing against the clock means that I’m much more likely to concentrate on whether I’m doing things right, rather than trying to beat a PB.

I’ve set the next Coach week to 2 workouts which I’ll do later this week, as I’ve now done four days in a row (including two swimming sessions and an hour’s bike ride).

While I’m here, a quick update on nutrition…

I’ve been making some really conscious changes to my diet. These include:

• Cutting out bread as much as possible
• Low carb lunches (usually a chicken salad or similar)
• Porridge or overnight protein oats for breakfast
• As much fruit and veg as possible, certainly more than five pieces a day
• Shit-loads of water
• Cutting down on beer and wine in favour of spirits, and cutting down my drinking alcohol at all to one or two nights a week.
• Higher protein content in most meals (last night’s steak was delicious!)

Quick Sunday update

A quick swim today. Usually try and do 20 lengths on a Sunday – there’s a 45-minute lane-swimming window at my local pool. Did 22 today – and didn’t really stop for a break throughout. Felt good. I’ve noticed that my legs are looking and feeling a lot stronger from doing Freeletics. More definition, bigger muscles in my thighs and calves.

I’ve noticed that my belly has come back a bit, which isn’t great. The result of over-indulgence at Christmas, drinking and not looking after my diet. Challenge over the next few weeks is to make sure I’m eating well – lots of fruit and veg.

Also, I’m booking a holiday soon – something to work towards…

Tomorrow is 2xMetis, which I’ve never done before. Let’s see how that goes.

How was your weekend training?

10 Things I’ve Learned From a Year of Freeletics

It’s almost exactly a year to the day since I joined Freeletics. You can read my first post here.

I’m currently on Week 24, so give or take I’ve taken about twice the time I should have done to get this far. I stopped for a month, and some weeks I just can’t fit in the workouts (or can’t be bothered!).

But this week, something switched. I’ve hit PBs on every single workout so far. Today I had three sets of 50 burpees and I found them pretty straightforward – did them almost continuously without stopping and beat my PB on each set. And then I did 2x Morpheus, which was fun. Yes, FUN.

I’m noticing I’m much more flexible, have more energy, my body shape is changing significantly (particularly noticeable on my thighs, shoulders, biceps and chest), and I find myself looking forward to workouts. And as I get quicker and my form gets cleaner, I find that I want to work outside more. Freeletics clears my head.

At the beginning of this journey, I read the evangelical blogs and transformation videos with a degree of scepticism. I doubted that working out could feel so good. But now I get it. I totally get it.

So what have I learnt this year?

1. Pull-ups are really hard

   
   If you haven’t worked out regularly before doing Freeletics, and you’re slim, you’ll probably find doing correct-form pull-ups really hard. Impossible even. I’ve been trying all year and still can only do Jumping Pull-ups. But I’m doing at least 10 every day and recently I’ve noticed that I’m almost doing proper pull-ups now. Keep at it. As for the other skills you need to unlock on the Bodyweight app, sheesh. I’m nowhere near those yet.

2. Burpees are hard, but effective and are over quite quickly

   
   I found burpees really hard and very exhausting at the beginning, but I think they’re by far the most effective exercise, as they target lots of muscles at once. It’s really satisfying when you get faster, and they never last that long.

3. Exercising outside is by far the best way to do Freeletics

   
   It took me a while to pluck up the courage to work out in my local park despite it being less than a minute from my front door. I was worried about people giving me funny looks, or that my sweaty, red face would scare children. I was also anxious that people who also used the park to work out would be critical of my form (which was also a reason why it took me a while to work out at the gym). But actually, no one gives a shit. I certainly don’t look at other people when they’re working out. And the fresh air makes you feel really good. Can’t recommend it enough. Here are 7 tips from Freeletics about training outdoors in winter.

4. You won’t see a big transformation if you don’t make a radical shift with your nutrition

   
   I started Freeletics because I noticed I was getting a slight beer belly. And while it has certainly reduced it, I haven’t seen the huge transformation that the YouTube videos promise. And that’s because I really enjoy red wine and beer. My diet has changed. I eat more protein, less carbs, more vegetables. I drink less, I’ve cut out sugar in coffee and I eat almost zero junk food. But I haven’t radically shifted my diet. I haven’t bought the nutrition coach. I still drink alcohol. But I’m okay with that. I’m fitter, more healthy and my body has changed.  
   

5. I find it really hard to get up first thing in the morning to exercise

   
   I’ve tried everything: setting a timer on the TV to come on, going to bed earlier and so on, but I still find it really hard to get out of bed and exercise before work. But when I do, blimey it feels good. You feel like you’re ahead of everyone in the day, it gives you energy, a sense of achievement and forces you to have a good post-workout breakfast. Basically it sets you up for the day. But for some reason all of that still doesn’t make me jump out of bed.

6. Don’t sit down on the sofa!

   
   And if you didn’t work out before work, then avoid sitting down on the sofa when you get home at all costs. I make myself strip out of my work clothes and change into my workout gear straight away otherwise it’s so much harder to get going.

7. You won’t stick with it if you don’t buy the coach

   
   I tried doing Freeletics without Coach and I think unless you have superhuman discipline and motivation, it’s really hard to stick at it unless you stump up. Coach pushes you to do harder work-outs, it makes sure you work out your entire body, and it you get the satisfaction of ticking off days and weeks as you go (and no, I don’t get paid by Freeletics to say this!).

8. Form trumps speed

   
   The app foregrounds beating your PB with each work-out, but often taking your time and making sure that all your exercises are correct form is far more important. I seem to get better results doing that and in the long run it helps you get quicker too. 

9. Stretching works

   
   And finally, stretching works. It might be boring, but it really works. And it makes you feel much more flexible and strong. And reduces muscle pain when you push yourself. Why would you not?

10. The community works

    
    I don’t feel like I’ve properly tapped into the Freeletics community yet. I followed some people by reading the sub-Reddit, and by looking at other people’s followers. Hardly any of my Facebook friends are on Freeletics and those that are are all at Level 1. And there isn’t a Freeletics group in Bristol, so I don’t have a crew of people who I train with (although I am considering starting one). But when people who follow me give me a #clapclap or comment on and like this blog, it’s a real boost. Thanks guys!