No, Frank Holfeld doesn't have any German vegetables in his trousers, even if bike pro Florian Vogel claims he does. In the middle of sunny Tuscany, Vogel and ten riders from the Swisspower team gather around the physiotherapist Holfeld, whose tight lycra pants are wrapped around his legs. Holfeld is responsible for the coordination and dynamic training of the Swiss bikers. But before he explains the exercises, Florian Vogel is allowed to do 40 push-ups on the sandy car park - because of the German vegetables.
Florian Vogel, the lieutenant of world champion Nino Schurter. Hardly any other biker understands the concept of teamwork as well as he does. He and Schurter dominate the World Cup races as a power duo. But for Vogel to be able to support Schurter, he has to be as fit as the reigning world champion. Covering kilometres, cross-country skiing and coordination exercises are all part of the World Cup bronze medallist's daily training routine. The Swisspower team has brought physiotherapist Holfeld on board especially for dynamic and coordination training. The German is regarded by the Swiss as the modern-day gymnastics father Jahn and trains the riders almost every morning - at least here at the training camp.
"Florian, what's that? ... Pathetic!" the physiotherapist peppers across the dusty car park. Vogel is trying to get the coordination run right. He has to take two short intermediate steps and then lift one leg upwards and, after two more intermediate steps, lift the other leg backwards. All as quickly as possible. But Vogel is not the only one who struggles, on the contrary, he is one of the better ones. For most people, this exercise is a "fisherman's fry" for the legs - they get bogged down and stumble.
Even top athletes can improve their coordination. Coordination refers to the interplay between the central nervous system and skeletal muscles within a targeted sequence of movements. The more coordinated a biker is, the better they ride their bike. Be it in a tricky singletrail section or on a downhill. But a good sequence of movements also supports endurance during basic training and protects against incorrect posture on the bike.
The variety of coordination exercises is almost endless and starts with a one-legged stand on a sofa cushion and ends with hula-hoop wobbles on a Pezzi ball - standing on it, of course.
The sun disappears behind a cloud that swallows up the light like a concrete wall. It is cold. The sweaty bikers stand in front of Holfeld and begin to shiver. "How was the training?" the physiotherapist wants to know and stares at Vogel. "Good, really good German school," says Vogel. Holfeld waves him off with a grin, "OK, short break, then we'll continue on the slackline."
Top exercises for coordination and dynamics
Leg coordination
Take two quick, short steps forwards. Now pull your left knee upwards. Now take two quick steps again and pull your left foot towards your buttocks. After two more steps, switch legs: The left knee is pulled upwards (two steps) then the right foot follows, which is lifted towards the buttocks. Do this for a distance of 50 metres.
One-legged jump
Stand on one leg and make a short jump forwards. Immediately afterwards, take a long jump with the same leg. Then squat down with that leg (as shown in the centre photo). Now switch legs. You can also do this exercise for 50 metres.
Slackline
In addition to balance, tightrope walking also trains your ability to react. Your body awareness also benefits, as you learn to use your muscle strength precisely. Last but not least, you improve your ability to orientate yourself and determine the position of your own body in a room - ideal for fast donwhills.
