Starting a new week means getting a new email with the workout instructions, which is always fun and exciting. Week #2 is called "MAX". MAX means doing as many repetitions of a certain excercise in a fixed amount of time without taking breaks. This week there's a Push-Up MAX (100 sec) and a Squat Max (300 sec); in total 400 sec, or 6 mins and 40 seconds of exercise. This is what I'd call a super high intensity workout!
The email says: "we recommend you to train Freeletics at least four times per week. Use both of the MAX as well as Aphrodite." (I've put the links for both workouts instructions). I found this sentence to be ambiguous; do I have to do the Aphrodite HIWOD and the Push-Up and Squat MAXs everyday I train this week or do I alternate a day of Aphrodite and a day of MAXs?
At first I thought it made more sense to alternate because it sounds redundant to do the burpees (sort-of push-ups) and squats series of the Aphrodite and to follow them by the MAXs (or vice versa). But if you really think about it, doing just the MAXs sounds like a very "light" workout, (ONLY 7 minutes?!) and since it's week #2 it makes a lot of sense to be increasing the dificulty of the workouts... So in the end I'm leaning more towards doing them both. I asked the guys at Freeletics, we'll see what they have to say about it.
For today, I'll only do the MAX and we'll see where do I stand at my starting point. The squats I can do with a * but I'll go on the safe side with the push-ups and do the modified version (with my knees on the ground).
Push-Up MAX: 37 (in 100 sec / 1 min 40 sec)
The number seems so low when I look at it but man did it cost me to do those girly knee-on push-ups!
Squat MAX: *103 (in 300 sec / 5 min)
The bending below your knees gets awful when the exercise is so long! But I'm proud of myself; my goal was to get to the three digits, which I did (barely) PLUS I didn't stop during the repetitions (I only slowed down). I felt like throwing up afterwards :S...
Ok, now after I "only" did the MAXs I'm having doubts again about the whole "Aphrodite + MAX" thing. I really can't see me doing squats for 5 minutes after an Aphrodite nor the other way around... I think it might just be too much!
Hi! I found this post exactly for the same reason, I didn't get the whole MAX + Aphrodite thing and started looking on line to see what other people did on week 2. Doing both the same day seems like TOO much and redundant. Did you get a response from the freeletics team?
ReplyDeleteHello! As you can read on my next two posts from week #2 (Day 2 and Day 3, you can find them on the blog archieve) I actually got TWO answers and they basically said that it depends on you and your goals if you want to do both workouts on one session or just one workout all week or alternate between the two.
DeleteFrom my experience, when you are just begining week #2 doing both workouts really seems like a lot, but the more weeks go by, the harder the workouts become and doing two workouts in one session becomes a regular thing. Also, it is more a mental wall than a physical one; you will be amazed to see that you really can do the Max after finishing Aphrodite. I would recomend to you to do only one of the workouts maybe a couple of days, but try to do both in one session at least once during this week. I did it on the last day of week #2, and it felt great to achieve what at the begining of that week seemed impossible :-). Also t is a great preparation for what comes next.
Good luck, and remember that we NEVER quit!
Thanks! It really was a bit confusing when I first read it. I just saw your blog, you have everything in detail, and your PB for Aphrodite is under 30 min! you are a machine! 0_0
ReplyDeleteThis blog is amazing, and has been bookmarked! Thank you. I have just begun week 2 and man, I am nowhere NEAR your times.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea what to do so yesterday WK2D1 I just did Aphrodite again and today I am going to do the MAX by itself to see how it feels. Maybe i'll do two rounds?
In any case, i will definitely be following this. Thank you!
Thank you very much, I appreciate your support and I'm glad you'll keep reading on!
DeleteI think there's no point for everybody to struggle again and again with the same things. That's the idea of this blog, for people to take advantage of my expierience in their own training. Don't worry, you'll improve your times sooner than you think. You just have to keep pushing hard.
As I said before, at least one day of this week try to do first Aphrodite and then the MAXs. You'll be exhausted, you'll probably only be able to do a low number of reps, you'll be definitely sore, but you'll feel like you achieved the biggest thing ever, and that's the best feeling one could wish for!!!
I just finish my first week and now i had a problem with the max part , i don't get it , what are the main exercices ?
ReplyDeleteHello Rahim, for week #2 the exercises are:
Delete- Push Up MAX (do as many push ups as you can in 100 seconds)
- Sit Up MAX (do as many sit ups as you can in 300 seconds)
- Aphrodite.
There is no "rule" as to when do you have to do one or the other. Since you are just starting Freeletics to do all three exercises in one day is probably too much for you, and the idea is to push hard but to make it through . I'd recommend you do one day Aphrodite, another day both of the MAXes and then try on a third day to do Aphrodite + one (or two) of the MAXes. That way you are increasing your training volume in a "controlled" manner... Good Luck!
Thank you so so so much for your advices and help :D
DeleteHave a great day :D