Freeletics does a great job of helping it’s Free Athletes get nutrition advice in their nutrition app. We offer a bit more information about eating specifically for HIIT training at FreeleticsTraining.com Our very own, and free, nutrition guide focuses on how the high-fat low-carb diet can help you burn fat quickly without losing performance during the workouts.

Pre-Workout Foods

Before you start your Freeletics Bodyweight routine, you should give be giving yourself the best opportunity to attack your workout and maximize your efforts. Many of us simply don’t have the go-hard attitude that is sometimes needed to really go after an Aphrodite, or Metis, so we need stimulants to help.

Along with stimulants, we will need some kind of energy supply. Luckly, you can still do a low-carb diet and use carbs as a source of energy as long as it doesn’t exceed your suggest daily intake and stems from a quality source.

Caffeine

It’s no surprise here, caffeine is a very useful drug that can boost your performance during a workout. It’s benefits include increased focuse, higher levels of energy, and it’s a good anti-oxident. This is why caffeine is a major ingredient in pre-workout supplements. Many pre-workout drinks however are laced with a ton of other ingredients that may or may not work well with your body. A simple cup of coffee will be enough for the short burts of energy that is demanded from a high interval training routine like Freeletics.

Half hour before a Freeletics workout, have a cup of coffee, or another source of caffeine, for around 100 mg. A typical cup of coffee contains 100 mg.

It takes 20 minutes for your body to absorb most nutrients so at .5 hr you should be up and ready to crush your Freeletics work out.

If you can’t have caffeine for medical reasons, then a simple carb like a fruit juice or sports drink like Gatorade (with sugar, not the splenda version) will help energize you, sans caffeine.

Alternatives to Coffee:

• Have a Sugar Free Red Bull (80 mg)
• Take Green Tea Pills – (150 mg of Caffeine)
• Green Tea
• Wheat Grass
• Ginseng Tea
• More alternatives

Bananas

Bananas are natures Powerbar! These little guys pack a ton of potassium and digestible carbohydrates (aka, energy) that will help you maintain your energy levels during your work out. It’s recommended you eat a medium banana about 30-40 minutes prior to an intense workout. The potassium in the fruit will help with muscle functionality.

If the workout includes short sprints like Hades or longer runs like Apollon, you will want to have a quick source of energy to perform at your best. Bananas can be a great and natural way to help you perform at your best.

Post Workout Foods

Branched Chain Amino Acids or BCAAs

A Freeletics workout is intense, so make sure you have included some Branched Chain Amino Acids as part of your muscle recovery as they are needed to build muscle. Specially we are talking about 3 chains; leucine, isoleucine and valine. These are the key amino acids that are needed to help you perform at your best.

BCAA’s have been known for their ability to help muscles recover as well as increasing the bodies fat burning ability. Along with this, they have been shown to help in preventing your muscle from being burned as energy in case you don’t have enough stored energy (like fat or carbs).

Foods Containing BCAAs

• Meat Based
  • Chicken
  • Fish
  • Beef
  • Pork
• Vegetarian Options
  • Legumes
    • Beans
    • Lentils
    • Soy Beans
  • Corn
  • Almonds
  • Cashews

Start drinking a serving of BCAA’s around 15 minutes before you start working out and continue drinking throughout your workout.

Post Workout: Protein and Simple Carbs

Protein

Drinking your protein is far better than eating some meat or other solid since time is of the essence after a tough workout and liquids get absorbed by your body much faster than solids.

You can have a whey protein shake but you’ll still need some simple carbs since most protein powders don’t come with carbs (they use splenda or other non caloric sweeteners).

Simple Carbs

Simple carbs such as sugars help deliver the protein and other nutrients to your muscles by raising your insulin levels. Some say that it’s not necessary to consume protein after a workout and give examples like prisoners with restricted diets and no access to supplements that still manage to get buffed. Your body might be able to adapt and do the best it can with what its given, but I would rather do the most I can for my body while I can control it.

Ideal Sources of Simple Carbs:

• Fruits
• Sports Drinks
• Brown Sugar

So that’s pretty much the basics of what you should consume before, during and after your high intensity workout. The only other supplement that will ensure your body is functioning at its best and you recover quickly is a multi-vitamin. It doesn’t revolve around your workout but you should take one every morning or per dosage on the bottle.