Freeletics - the results.

15 weeks has passed and I'm really glad to be sharing the results. I am kinda hoping that someone somewhere might read this and it be a catalyst for change in them, if so i'd love to hear about it!

It seems like only yesterday when I stood in the front room and took the first set of pictures. At the time I remember noting down how I felt, lethargic, and fat with little motivation to do many things. Just pretty blurghhh.

Fast forward to now and I finally feel great about myself. I didn't manage to do such an awesome montage as most so here are some pics of me before and after. I also did a quick video on you tube of my journey too.

You can see them all on my Google Plus album here: Click Here

It hasn't been an easy ride at all. At the start I felt so unfit that I tried to justify not carrying the sessions all the way through, time after time. Things started to get easier around week 8, it finally seemed to click and I found myself doing the previously unthinkable. When I was really bored I would drop down onto the floor and do some push up Max sets or I would finish a session off and then just run around the house and garden. I started to believe and push.

I made a video which I will attempt to upload to show how much of struggle it was at the start. I only managed 20 of the burpees before I was trying to catch my breath in my first session and it took me nearly an hour to do the first Aphrodite but as you will be able to see towards the end, things do get easier. Aphrodite used to fill me with dread, now I think of it as one of the easier ones.

If you want to read more about each day of the freeletics journey I have made a page with a list of all the posts here : Freeletics Journey

Thankyou....
To everyone out there, reading my blog.
To all the people who said my beard made me look older, unknowingly you pushed me harder.
To mum for my birthday money which I spent on the freeletics coach!
To Zoe for telling me I look 20 years older!! ( I trained harder than ever the next day )
To Paul for the nutrition advice (http://paulfightscancer.co.uk)
To Colin for the kind words of advice and support (http://freeleticscommunity.com)

Finally for the guys and gals at Freeletics (http://freeletics.com) for developing such a simple yet massively effective and enjoyable way of getting fit.

Here's to the next 15 weeks!

Freeletics Week 15 HELL WEEK!

This week proved to be another false start, in a way though I am quite glad. Hell week started on a Friday for me and the following day was the photo shoot. I had intentions to do the sessions while I was away but had such a good and relaxing time that I ended up having a few days off which then rolled into a week and so have started again today (Mon 14th)

Session 1

Venus 29:45 PB
Nice start to the week thankfully as I had to go get the axle fixed on the mower today so by the time I had got in it was already 7pm. Venus is one of my favourites, I love burpees because I feel like I have had a good all over workout and pressups because my arms really burn. 

Session 2

Poseidon 

Squat Max 220 * PB

Situp Max 116 * PB

Metis 5:51 * PB
Looks like a week off has done me good, PB's across the board and feeling great to be back at it.

Session 3

Metis 05:48 * PB

Hades 27:39

Artemis 28:47
I'm not sure why it's not marked me as a PB as that's the fastest I have done so far! 8:37am and quite a hot sunny day today (23C) Fortunately apart from the pullup bar everything else I did in the shade of the garage.

It took some willpower to get up this morning early enough to have breakfast at 6am so I could do the first set before work, I did Artemis first, plan being to use the one that my arms fail on first then packing in plenty of protein. Then a small session for lunch and another large one before tea. It's worked so far.

Just done Metis in my lunch break and another PB, I wasn't aiming for a time this time around, just going as steady as I could and it has paid off. Quick snack, shower and back to work!

Session 4

Hades 21:50 PB
Happy with this one at over a minute faster. I really had to push myself as the day was slipping by, busy at work and didn't get started until 6pm. I could murder a big tea but it's too late now. 

Session 5

Hades 22:23

Session 6 

Pushup Max 56 * PB

Pushup Max 45 *

Leg Lever Max 120 * PB

Jacknife 31 * PB

Pushup Max 46 *

I managed to split this down through the day by doing a set of pushups and the Leg lever in the morning, then some pushups at lunch and the Jacknifes and pushups at tea time.Maintaining a PB across the entire day was pretty hard, my arms never seemed to recover after the first set.

Session 7

Hyperion 16:28 PB

Aphrodite 23:16 * PB

Split Lunge Max 120 * PB

Last day, and so glad to have got this far. I did the split lunge first thing in the morning, the thought being that I could get the easy one out of the way before breakfast. Lunchtime was Aphrodite which I managed to be over a minute faster for my PB, It took me 5 minutes or so to recover as I sat outside int he pouring rain cooling off.
Finally Hyperion which I am happy to say I managed to do all the handstand pressups as they should be done and the first 24 pullups as they should be done too.

Looking back at the first few sessions and the video I made of my first day I am so glad that I took the decision to start, it's not been easy and there are so many times when I have felt like giving up. 

Freeletics week 14

One week rolls straight into the next at the moment. Due to being ill I have to do the following two weeks back to back to ensure I finish within the subscription. Fortunately the weather is good and I have the time available to do it all with, so time to push on!

This weekend I had been out collecting more logs for the fires and had needed to split some down. I figured it would be a good idea to try to do it after Hyperion but after only two wheelbarrows of logs I had to call it a day. However with help at hand I manged to get a snap of where I currently am and I have dug out where I was when I started. Bit of a difference so far!

BTW the strap around my ankle is a magnetic one for the pain, not a tag that you get instead of jail haha.

Session 1:
Hyperion 22:07 PB
Not a bad start to the week, I was quite a bit faster this time around simply because I didn't take the entire 60 second rest breaks between each set. Some of them I had ten seconds or so and started the next set as I was itching for more!

Session 2:
Ares 07:56 PB
Split Lunge 127*PB
I'm not so sure looking at the numbers here that I was counting right last time but the difference is massive on the Split Lunge. Really enjoyed this session, quick and love the pullups these days. I can remember at the start struggling to get even one pullup, today I managed the first set in Ares, seven pullups and then had to resort to the modified ones after the 11th pullup. A huge improvement from the start.

Session 3:
Hyperion 21:19
Love this one too, I still can't do HS Pushups and the strict pullups are mainly modified ones but the entire session is great. My legs really burn after this one.

Session 4:
Ares 09:43
Split Lunge 132*PB
The Ares set does look like a huge drop, nearly two minutes slower, however in session 2 I didn't rest for the full 60 seconds each time and this time I took time to rest and felt better for it at the end.

Onto the final week, which I have gotta do straight away as I only have 7 days left on my subscription and it is hell week this next week which means a full 7 days training.

I did manage to take some progress pictures which I will upload during this week and share some awesome sites I found in regards of Freeletics.

Freeletics Week 13

Feeeeeling Great! I can't wait to start back this week. It feels like forever since I last did a session.

Session 1
Hades 25:58
The failed week 13 I remember that my time was nearly 10 minutes more than my PB. My stamina had been kicked so hard that I remember feeling so defeated and thought that it would be a long climb back to the 23 minutes of my PB.

Needless to say I feel pretty awesome that I managed to do 25 minutes, only 2 minutes off my PB. Considering my lack of carbs in my diet now as I only have two weeks until the photo shoot I think that's not a bad time.

Although I have re-done session 1 the coach has not overwrote my time so anyone looking at the coach will see it's a bit out of whack as this shows on session 4.

Session 2
Kentauros 41:02 *
Not a PB but still not bad considering it was in the rain on slippery grass. Not the most enjoyable session this week!

Session 3
Metis 06:32*PB
Metis 06:29*PB
Metis 06:28*PB
That is a surprise! I did one set just before lunch and set off like a whippet, by the time I had done ten burpees in a matter of seconds I was out of breath and having to take a breather later on in the set. Certainly the 25 Burpees in the middle I had to break down into 10/10/5 and have a few seconds rest inbetween. Still managed to get a PB out of it though which was impressive.

This afternoon (5pm) I did my second set, this time more structured, every repetition of every exercise was the same. No rushing at the start and then dying half way through. I guess the old story of the turtle and the hare really shows here as I managed to get yet another PB.

Third set I did at 5:40 as I was curious as to how my stamina would be after only a short rest period.

Freeletics Week 13... False start

Last week was pretty much a false start. I Completed the first session Hades in 31:05, nearly ten minutes slower than previously. The majority of my week consisted of falling asleep at work and spending most nights being ill. Being a big believer in the fact that I still have to arms and legs, I thought I should push through. Even during sessions in week 12 and the session named here, Hades, I had moments when I was literally sick.

For me, my stubborn side got in the way and I never gave myself chance to recover, resulting later in the week in a very touch-and-go night where I was running a high temperature, vomiting and waking up drenched in sweat. At that point I had enough, not only was it affecting my progress with Freeletics but my home life and work too. Time to look after myself I thought and I decided to take a week off, drink plenty of water and get some good rest.

It's over a week now and I have felt great these past couple of days, my appetite is back and I have been itching to get back to Freeletics. Time to start again this afternoon and push through to week 15, which I am really looking forward to now.

Freeletics Week 12

This week has been a major struggle. After a week of being sick and eating hardly anything (approx 500 cals or less a day) I finally gave in and spoke to the Doctor. Turns out I have had food poisoning and I still have something, of which I forget the name of it which I need to take some medicine for to settle my stomache and stop the nausea.

I started the week on Thursday because I only finished last week on Tuesday evening and I was back to feeling like death warmed up on Wednesday which is when I spoke to the Doc.

I figured that I would go weigh myself, only to find that I weigh more now than when I started! I guess it's the amount of muscle mass because I am visually different, bigger muscles, dropped three inches from my waist and a drastic reduction in the ol' love handles. I even got out of the bath the other day and was surprised to see my abs poking through when I bent forward to sit up.

So the week went like this.....

Session 1 (Thursday)
Artemis ... Fail
This session started well, 50 burpees were not a problem and then onto 50 pullups which although hard work I did manage to push through. 100 pushups were hard but splitting them down to sets of ten and having a small break meant I could get through them in good time. Then onto 150 squats, at which point I was really struggling for energy. Finally the last 50 burpees were too much, I managed 15 by doing 5 at a time, at which point I felt sick, really sick, cold and clammy and dizzy. I had some water and laid on the floor for a few minutes and tried again but my body wasn't having it. So I called it a day and hoped that it was the lack of fuel in my body and not the sickness that was stopping me going the distance.

The following morning (Friday) I made myself eat a proper breakfast, eggs, beans, mushrooms and then for lunch a mackerel salad along with 5 litres of water. One of the litres exactly 90 mins before my exercise.

Session 2 (Friday)
Venus 37:07
Started to feel better in waves so gave it my all today, although my heart feels like it's about to burst through my chest.

Session 3 (Sunday)
Situp MAX 115*PB
Leg Lever MAX 48
Lesson learnt today, always best to split these up, I had only left ten minutes between exercises so there was no way I could have gotten a decent number of Leg Levers done. That and still feeling mighty sorry for myself.

Session 4 (Tuesday)
Artemis 32:33
I feel much better now all the pills have kicked in, no more sickness and my appetite is back. Fingers crossed I haven't lost too much strength for the last few weeks. Apart from the pullups I do like this one and with the sun shining and a breeze in the air it was a great workout and a fantastic feeling being back to my usual self even if my stamina is down. Two minutes more than last time.

Freeletics Week 11 (sickness strikes)

I can't believe how quick it has gone! 11th week and a pretty easy one at that. Which can't be said for the weather, it's now session 2 and it's absolutely pounding it down with rain outside. Unfortunately my pullup bar is out side and it's the 2 x 40m runs today!

Not much to report other than the usual getting better with times each session, although I have found my enthusiasm has grown now to the point where I look forward to the sessions somewhat and have started slotting in some other exercises from time to time. Not a lot but just something to quench my thirst for that feelgood factor.

Session 1 (Monday)
Hades 24:27 PB
Not a bad time and very sweaty though. Managed to do 25 burpees without a break each time which is a huge improvement! The only exercise in this set that i had to modify was the pullups.

Session 2 (Tuesday)
Hades 23:17 PB
Really looking forward to this one, so much so that it's pouring down outside so it will be a wet session!

Unfortunately the following day (Wednesday) I was struck down with some strange sickness bug which drained the life out of me so I never managed to do any more exercises this week and completed the two following sessions on Monday evening and Tuesday morning. The whole time willing hell week not to be the following week!

Session 3 (Monday)
Aphrodite 29:10 *
That was hell! I started off with all the gusto in the world, smashing out 50 burpees and only starting to flag on the last 5. After that it was an uphill struggle. I feel like I had the strength but the stamina had completely gone. I really had to will myself through the last couple of sets. I shall definitely do the next session tomorrow rather than later this evening.

Session 4 (Tuesday)
Situp MAX 114 * PB
Metis 07:44 * PB
Really didn't feel like starting this session. My stomach is so sore from the sickness, not that I have been vomiting the past few days but just so tender. Still managed to do 114 situps though in the first exercise and managed to get a PB in Metis which was a surprise!

Just clicked through to this week's sessions and I have never been so happy to see 4 sessions! Artemis, Venus, SitupMAX LegLeverMAX and finally another Artemis.

I think powering through these I shall have Saturday off, which will set me back on track!