Dumbbell journey, 3rd week
Added 5kg pair of dumbbells. Goal is to build muscle but occasionally I get exercises with 30+ reps and 5kg like screenshot for next week. Shouldn’t it be lower reps with higher weights? I get confused because I’ve come across 30+ reps before and I had to lower it myself with the coach feedback. I can’t lift 38 reps with heavier weight and I think it’s out of my goal. I get the impression that there is something wrong with the algorithm or that it randomly increases reps. Any ideas?
If I’m not mistaken it explains on the training schedule that the first few weeks are low weight higher reps as apart of its strategy. I will soon be starting the barbell gain myself.
It’s actually 19 reps per side (38 total). Again most exercises don’t exceed 12reps and most of them are only max 2reps. On coach feedback I had to increase reps to 6 for most exercises but it says to increase weight instead. It’s ruther confusing. I know you start with lower weight and more reps and inxrease weights and decrease reps progressively but there is no logic here. It is doing the opposite randomly, increasing reps and weights. Suddenly i have to do a new move with 5kg and 19 reps per side for 4 rounds. Something is going wrong with the algorithm, it is not consistent with the work out or level.
@melaLetics might be more knowledgeable than I am on this issue.
Good luck
I always thought this was to increase endurance. I could be mistaken. 
I know @Ben is always saying that this is related to the weights that you have in your Coach settings. Either there isn’t a higher weight, or the jump to the next weight is too big and so the Coach increases the reps really very high to compensate.
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So far I’ve completed 2 Perfect weeks.
I have added 5kg dumbbell pair to my equipment. Now available are 3.5kg and 5kg pairs.
My workout plan for next week includes exercises that I’ve done before with 8-12 reps along with other exercises at 2 reps. All at 3.5kg.
And there is the Dumbbell Cleans exercise with 38 reps at 5kg.
It doesn’t follow the logic of “less reps heavier weights, lighter weights more reps”. It’s higher reps with the heaviest weights available. I have come across randomly increased reps in the previous weeks and I decrease them myself via coach feedback. But I’m confused if I should follow the coach reps suggestion. I could complete 38 reps for both sides with the given heavier weight but I’m wondering if this is on the right track to build muscle. I think that the algorithm works a bit random.
Update: I tried to add another 7kg single dumbbell and the coach updated the specific exercise again at 38 reps and 7kg weights. So the AI coach planned again with the higher reps and heaviest weights available. I think it is clearly a glitch?
Heya 
Ok, this is a topic that has been discussed in depth here before.
So, this is going to happen where the Coach considers that the weight is too easy for you, but that there isn’t a next weight to move you up yet.
Remember that the Coach is progressive. If you are already at the max weight that you have available to you, the only way for the Coach to give you more challenging workouts is to increase the rep count.
Your weights are already very much at the lower end of what we recommend for absolute beginners to strength training (see 
) and essentially the Coach believes you should be lifting more.
Hi Ben,
Thank you for your feedback.
I understand that the Coach is adding weights progressively according to the availablity I set on the app. But as I’ve mentioned other exercises icluded in the same workout are only with 2x reps and the lower weight I have set at 3.5kg. Two weeks already the reps are not higher than 8x or 12x even with a pair of 5kg added. Plus that I have added even 8kg to check how the Coach adapts the reps but they remain at 38x reps. it only changes to 18x if I add 12kg. But that’s not what I’d call progressive, it’s a sudden peak, isn’t it?
Anyway, I’ll try to adapt to the given reps and maybe set them lower on coach feedback. I think it’s really confusing. Also i think the app should mention before starting the journey that those are the recommended weights per level of exeprience, instead of having to find out in the middle of the journey via the help center.
Thank you for your advice
Hi @Ben,
Following up my latest post about the apps random repetition number behaviour I’ve come up with some further observations.
I’m on week 4 of Dumbbell Gain Journey,.
My available weights are 7,5kg (pair) 8,5kg(pair).
Reps suggested by the app are staying very low at 2x since the start fo the journey although I give feedback that I could do 2-3 more reps and there is no progression. This week reps appeared at only 1x for most exercises. I gave feedback at green level (Easy peasy I could do 3-5 more reps), but the app continues to suggest less reps for the next days. Worried that I’m really wasting money and time here and I think I’ll give up on freeletics since there is no progress for 5 weeks now. It’s like I;m doing the same workout again again and I can only inxrease the weights or reps myself. I could do that without the app.
Any ideas?
Screenshot from Monday complete workout
Screenshot from Thursday’s suggested work out
I’ve taken a look-I’ll DM you and you can decide to share.