“I've become more confident and proud.” – Michael’s story

Battling health problems early in life, Michael discovered the transformative power of fitness and how it can impact every aspect of life. And while working out had always been a core part of his routine, he still struggled with his appearance and confidence.

That’s when he decided to take on the Freeletics Transformation Challenge, seeking the tools and guidance to build healthy habits and become his best version. Here’s his story:

“In my teens and early twenties, I had quite a lot of health issues, ranging from asthma to heart problems. Especially the latter brought me to the hospital more often than I'd like to admit.

However, working out – especially lifting weights – helped me a ton. I haven't had any heart problems for more than ten years now. Exercising has been a crucial and integral part of my life, but when it came to nutrition and sleep, things were a different story.

Before starting the Transformation Challenge, I was eating only once or twice a day. And when I did, I would eat everything in sight – and at a record-shattering pace. I used to track my calories and macros religiously when I first started out, but that all came to a halt during the pandemic. Since then, I just wasn't as disciplined, if disciplined at all, in controlling myself.

My sleeping schedule was... experimental to say the least. At times, I was running on only 4 hours of sleep because I’d been coding and gaming quite excessively.”

“I wanted to feel comfortable in my body. I was also aware of my shortcomings when it comes to conditioning and mobility, which I actively wanted to work on.

I was really looking forward to seeing the changes from the more obvious ones, like the look of my body, to the changes in habits and mentality. I wanted to push myself, follow the plan as strictly as possible, and make this a life-changing journey.

I also wanted to get creative with the food options we had. As limitations breed creativity, I was quite stoked to see what new culinary experiences could be created.

This was an excellent chance to gain and learn about myself, my body, and my discipline. Historically, I tended to have self-doubts, but as I headed into the Transformation Challenge, I didn’t see any reason to be worried.

I wanted to become a better version of myself. By setting and completing my goal to give this challenge my very best, I will have paved the way for my future self to follow.”

“Halfway through the Transformation Challenge, and I was still enjoying my workouts, though I definitely had a strong preference for strength-focused sessions. I was really glad to see all of the positive changes thus far! Cardio luckily improved as well, which has always been a weak point.

But the biggest change has been my physical appearance. At some point, people even thought I was somebody else. Just imagine the weight I lost up to this point as a dumbbell – the extra weight that is gone is insane!

I've become more confident and proud of what I've achieved. I've become more proactive, which I really enjoy.”

“I’ve been training for years, but the Transformation Challenge helped me push myself out of my comfort zone – especially when it came to cardio. I wasn't giving my all before, but training with the others helped a lot!

The diet, especially preparing meals, has become effortless now. I’m super confident I’ll be able to stick to the plan even after the Challenge. My sleep has been good, and I’ve even started incorporating naps on rest days for extra recovery.

I’m feeling much more comfortable! Food feels special again – I’m celebrating my meals and want to make them special. I’ve become more confident and proud of what I’ve accomplished.”

“I achieved a lot, but it feels like I'm not fully there yet. Losing 16kg is nothing to sneeze at, but I want to achieve even more than that.

I plan to stick to the meal plan but slightly increase portion sizes. I want to keep training and set small achievements to accomplish. And beyond changes in appearance, I want to work on skills like Muscle Ups, a 200kg Deadlift, and more.

I will continue on this route and achieve my goals this year for sure!”

“Community is a cheat code. Pushing and cheering for each other is such a big win, which you would miss out on if you did it on your own.”