The Freeletics training plan

In the recent past, more and more alternative training programs are becoming increasingly popular. This includes Freeletics training, which is performed using only your own body weight and yet is so demanding that visible results can be achieved after just a few weeks. But how exactly does the system work and what different Freeletics training plans are there?

What is Freeletics anyway?

As already mentioned, Freeletics training is a special form of self-weight training that can be performed both at home and in a hotel room or park. In addition to the user's own body weight, some of the 29 standard workouts require additional circumstances such as the presence of a pull-up bar for chin-ups or sufficient space for short but intense sprints. The exercises are always given in a fixed order as far as the number of repetitions and pauses are concerned. These individual excercises must be completed as quickly and technically cleanly as possible. For each exercise, Freeletics provides a video with all movement sequences in slow motion.

Freeletics differentiates between the beginner-friendly Endurance, the challenging Standard and the tough Strength version of the workouts. While the Endurance level still requires a knee pushup, the Standard variant already requires a standard pushup, while Strength requires nothing less than a one-arm pushup (aptly named "OH Pushup"). So, in principle, Freeletics training is a form of training very similar to High Intensitiy Interval Training (HIIT). Because it sounds more epic, they are named after figures from Greek and Roman mythology, such as Aphrodite, Venus, Hermes or Zeus.

What is special about Freeletics training?

The recipe for success of this form of training is that, in contrast to classic training variants, it has a clear competitive character. This makes the training itself not only very effective for endurance, fat burning as well as for strength endurance, but also promotes training motivation to a considerable extent and enables a muscle build-up that is not to be despised, although no one should expect a heavyweight bodybuilder figure. This is primarily due to the numerous Freeletics communities, which make it possible, for example, for users to be connected via special apps and thus compete against each other. So it's all about improving your personal performance, which in the case of the app is measured in points, and setting records. It's this competitive nature that keeps athletes of all abilities on their toes, as well as an exciting online game with experience points and awards. Thus, an important prerequisite for long-term success is created.

What are the advantages of Freeletics training?

In addition, as with conventional High Intensity Interval Training, there is the extremely high energy consumption in a short time, since a large part of the skeletal muscles are involved in the respective exercises. This in turn, in conjunction with the changing training intensity, leads to the so-called afterburn effect, which significantly increases the energy metabolism of the organism for up to 24 hours after training. So if you train according to a Freeletics Workout Plan, you burn extra fat even at rest and empty the carbohydrate stores of the muscles, so that newly eaten carbohydrates are not converted to fat and can be stored there. Another benefit of the programs is that it promotes functional strength.

This is done by improving intermuscular coordination, especially as the various muscle groups involved in an exercise learn to work together more and more efficiently over time. Ultimately, this increase in functional strength has an extremely beneficial effect not only in everyday life, but also in bodybuilding or other sports. Since pure bodybuilding cannot produce this effect, Freeletics training is a useful complement to hypertrophy training - a "better" cardio workout, so to speak, since a holistic load is applied.

How is a typical Freeletics workout plan structured?

Freeletics workouts are characterized by a clear structure, which means that both the exercises and the number of sets as well as the rests and the corresponding number of repetitions are exactly fixed. This makes it possible to compare the performance at any time with one's own performance in the past and with the performance of other athletes. There are different types of workouts. While some focus on the element of strength and others focus on endurance, a mixture of endurance and strength focus is also possible. What the focus is, is always stored in the workout description. If you're a bit confused, below you'll find informative sample training plans for some selected workouts.

Who is Freeletics training best for?

Since Freeletics is a training principle that can be performed exclusively with your own body weight, it is in principle suitable for both beginners and advanced users. This is especially true since the different workouts consist of exercises with various degrees of difficulty, so that every athlete can improve and be challenged according to their performance level. However, absolute fitness beginners who have never trained before should first try a simple bodyweight workout at home to build up a certain basic strength.

The training is particularly suitable for athletes who want to get fit in general or who want to reduce fat very effectively. In addition, this form of training is suitable for athletes such as climbers, soccer players, soccer players, handball players and track and field athletes who benefit greatly from functional strength in their discipline. Freeletics workouts, on the other hand, are not suitable for bodybuilders and strength athletes who are only interested in building maximum strength and muscle mass. These athletes are much better off using conventional training methods. However, those who would rather achieve the ideal of fitness models will find Freeletics a motivating addition to their workouts if they are willing to push themselves to their limits in training.

Some exemplary Freeletics Workouts

The numerous Freeletics workout plans, the number of which is, incidentally, constantly growing, bear the names of well-known figures from Greek and Roman mythology and are thus given an individual image. While the "Aphrodite" beginner's program, which is popular with many women, consists of three exercises and focuses on the abdomen and legs, for example, the "Zeus" workout is much more intensive with no less than five exercises that depict a complete full-body workout. However, the difficulty level that each Freeletics workout plan has is represented not only by the type and amount of exercises, but also by the number of points that an athlete is credited for completing. Below are some of the most popular workouts.

Aphrodite

The standard "Aphrodite" workout focuses on the legs and abdominals and consists of burpees, squats and situps, with the number of repetitions of each exercise decreasing with each set.

Exercises	Round 1/5	Round 2/5	Round 3/5	Round 4/5	Round 5/5
Burpees	50	40	30	20	10
Squats	50	40	30	20	10
Situps	50	40	30	20	10

Ares

The "Ares" workout requires not only your own body weight, but also a pull-up bar (or something similar) and enough space to complete 40-meter sprints. While the "Aphrodite" workout is an endurance workout, the focus of the three exercises (pull-ups, sit-ups, 40-meter sprints) is on combining strength and power endurance.

Exercises	Round 1/5	Round 2/5	Round 3/5	Round 4/5	Round 5/5
Pullups	7	7	7	7	7
Situps	7	7	7	7	7
40m sprint	2x	2x	2x	2x	2x
Pause	60 sec	60 sec	60 sec	60 sec	-

Gaia

Named after Mother Earth, the "Gaia" workout is actually the mother of all endurance workouts in Freeletics, as it consists of ten runs. However, no equipment is needed. The workout is made more difficult by the fact that there is no rest between the individual runs, which keeps the heart rate constantly up.

Exercises	Round 1/10	Round 2/10	Round 3/10	Round 4/10	Round 5/10	Round 6/10	Round 7/10	Round 8/10	Round 9/10	Round 10/10
Jumping Jacks	40	40	40	40	40	40	40	40	40	40
Jumps	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30	30
Climbers	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20	20
Standups	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10

Kentauros

The "Kentauros" workout takes its name from the mythical hybrid creatures from Greek mythology, which represent a combination of man and horse. The name is apt, as the workout's constellation of exercises is aimed at training the legs and jumping power, respectively. The Kentauros exercises may look quite harmless, but they challenge even advanced athletes. Rarely will a Freeletics user name the Kentauros as their favorite workout.

Exercises	Round 1/6	Round 2/6	Round 3/6	Round 4/6	Round 5/6	Round 6/6
Lunge Walk	2x 20m	2x 20m	2x 20m	2x 20m	2x 20m	2x 20m
Jumps	10	10	10	10	10	10
Burpee Frogs	2x 20m	2x 20m	2x 20m	2x 20m	2x 20m	2x 20m
Jumps	10	10	10	10	10	10

Zeus

If there's a king among Freeletics workouts, it's certainly the "Zeus" workout, aptly named after the father of the gods. Consisting of five high-intensity strength and power endurance exercises, this program is a full-body workout for advanced athletes that requires a pull-up bar as well as a wall.

Exercises	Round 1/4	Round 2/4	Round 3/4	Round 4/4
Kipping HS Pushups	10	10	10	10
Pullups	20	20	20	20
Pushups	30	30	30	30
Situps	40	40	40	40
Squats	50	50	50	50
Pause	120 sec	120 sec	120 sec	-

More Freeletics workouts

• Apollo
• Athena
• Atlas
• Dione
• Hades
• Helios
• Hera
• Hermes
• Hyperion
• Iris
• Krios
• Kronos
• Metis
• Morpheus
• Nemesis
• Nyx
• Persephone
• Poseidon
• Prometheus
• Thanatos
• Triton
• Uranos
• Venus

What is the best way to implement a Freeletics workout plan?

Of course, the rules of classical training theory also apply to Freeletics training. Since the workouts are particularly intense, three to four units per week are completely sufficient. Which "workouts" are performed depends on the personal preferences of each individual trainee, although it is of course recommended that each muscle group receives the same attention in a training week. To ensure optimal recovery of the muscles and central nervous system after training, there should be at least 48 hours of recovery between two sessions that stress the same muscle groups. As long as these few rules are followed, nothing stands in the way of success with a Freeletics workout plan, not least due to the motivating participation in a Freeletics community. It should be noted that all exercises in the app are available for free, and the download is also free. Money is only charged when you book the automated coach, which works according to an algorithm and organizes the workout planning.