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Freeletic is an application to train anytime, anywhere and without the need for gym equipment such as weights, machines, balls or ropes. You only need your own body, hence the name Free ("free") and lectic (for "athlete"). Founded in 2013, it has been so successful that today it has 46 million users in 160 countries and is translated into 10 languages. I have known it for a long time, but had never used it intensively until March 2020, big mistake.
Last February I was in the Daisetsuzan National Park in Hokkaido (Japan) , with the purpose of skiing in one of the most special places in the world for winter sports. At that time I had a knee injury, which I thought I could control. I was wrong, on trodden slopes you can reduce the stress on one of your joints, but on virgin snow more than a meter deep it is much more difficult. I returned home with a worse knee, albeit with unforgettable skiing experiences. Hokkaido is an inescapable destination for any skier . Write it down for when it's possible to travel again. Back home, starting March, the plan was to train in the gym and visit the physio, and, well, we all know how the story goes.
I downloaded the Freeletic app and selected a 12 week training program. My goal was to lose weight and strengthen my legs. To date, he had only used the application sporadically, when he could not go to the gym or was traveling. If I'm honest, I didn't have a lot of faith that Freeletic's artificial intelligence could help me.
The plan is based on high intensity interval training (HIIT) in order to execute effective workouts, of no more than 25 minutes, most of between 15 and 20. Thanks to the Freeletics coach with artificial intelligence (AI), The training plan is totally personalized and is progressively adapted, with each of its routines, to the level of physical fitness, performance and information of the user. Most of the exercises are basically the ones we all know from our school days, with a few innovations.
Stephen Thompson's Favorite Workout
Each training routine includes a preliminary warm-up, which in the case of Stephen Thompson's program is very dynamic, an exercise to improve technique, sometimes, depending on the user's level, an interval routine, and then the main course, the core of the session. A routine that will break the limits of resistance and intensity to be effective. In Freletic each of these "intense bombs" have a name that refers to a mythological being. In the case of Thompson's favorite workout this is Metis (Zeus's powerful oceanic woman) whose design is as simple as "deadly" (see the video in the news):
Round 1 : 10 burpees (exercise that involves bending over, do a push-up, stand up and jump), 10 climbers, and 10 jumps (raising the knees)
2nd Round : 25 burpees, 25 climbers, 25 jumps.
3rd Round : 10 burpees, 25 climbers, 25 jumps
If you have survived the encounter with the goddess Metis, you have 5 minutes of stretching left to recover. But don't worry, you can regulate your training to your physical level.
I started my program with 84 kilos and without the ability to finish a series of 10 burpees (see video) and the knee pain not only did not diminish, but it became more pronounced. The thing started badly. However, I did not quit. Overall, being confined, what else could he do? I continued to train more carefully, adapting the sessions to my rhythm, four days a week.
After the third week the progression became palpable. The knee did not bother me, the series became shorter and shorter and the technique of the exercises improved. At the end of the program, my weight had dropped to 77.9 kilos (6 kilos less), my knee did not bother me and I had more powerful muscles (not to shoot rockets either), which I still have today.
I had met my two goals, lose weight and strengthen the muscles of the legs that protect the knee. However, I did come across other benefits that I did not have that have been a great surprise. By working only with my body, I increased my body coordination, which had a little rusty, the elasticity of the muscles, the flexibility of the joints and a dynamism that I envied at the beginning of the year. Increased procioception has allowed me to regain agility and safety in outdoor activities that I did not have many years ago.
Of course, to reach the goal I observed certain rules that he left you as advice if you want to try this application. I did the whole routine with the three principles of karate (the kyokushinkai karate that I practiced in my youth): posture, balance and speed.
For the exercises to be effective, it is essential to execute them correctly and consciously in each repetition. The training programs come with video tutorials to learn how to perform an exercise and the key points of its correct performance. Watch the videos carefully. Don't underestimate them because you know the exercise, and try to reproduce every detail.
I'm going to give you an example: push-ups are probably the best known exercise in the world, there is no one who has not done them before. Well, in the Freeletic application they have a small variation, resting your chest on the ground and raising your palms one centimeter before performing the arm extension. Do you think that this detail is not important? Try it, you will see how the physical demand of the exercise increases almost by two. It is important that you stay in shape at all times.
When doing a series, keep the balance of each repetition in addition to the form. Don't try to shorten the series by "cheating." Be aware at all times of how you exercise and that you are doing it well. If it runs out, rest a few seconds and try to finish the series. If you still can't, nothing happens. Three repetitions well done at the right speed are worth more than ten times badly done quickly. Go at your own pace.
Freeletic has training programs according to the needs and objectives of the user. Most are generic, but some are designed by great athletes like the one launched in December 2019 by Marc-André Ter Stegen, Barcelona FC goalkeeper (which is unfortunately no longer available) or the fighter Stephen Wonderboy Thompson , MMA champion (Mixed Martial Arts). A training journey that tests muscular and aerobic endurance for 12 weeks. This is going to be my next training trip, not that I am going to get into the cage with Wonderboy , far from it, but knowing that these programs work beyond what is expected, I would like to touch, even slightly, the explosiveness, the determination and the strength of such a formidable athlete. I'll tell you.
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