HYROX PREP: VOM CHALLENGER ZUM GAME CHANGER

Als professioneller Rugby-Spieler versteht Resident Hero Flo einiges von Competition, Teamsport und Technik. Wie bereitet er sich auf seine Wettkämpfe vor? Wie sieht ein Sportler-Mindset aus? Was erwartet dich in seinen HYROX Prep Sessions bei Urban Heroes und CrossFit Sankt Pauli? Wir haben ihn interviewt. 

 

What mindset does a successful athlete need?

Well, loving Sports! Being competitive! Hating to lose! Thinking to yourself: “You are not going to lose!” It’s a competition. Being an Athlete means you are never afraid to give more. You want to be better. You want to compete. You want to be first. The beer tastes better when you win. Who wants to come third?

 

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What kind of mindset do I need to be successful in a strong team?

We all bring different things to the team. Some members are physically very strong, they bring power to the team. There are others who have a strong mindset which is very motivating for the team. It’s easier to spread these tasks in a group rather than a single person having to bring all of these skills. A team is strong because of each member bringing a certain talent to the group.

Since when do you play Rugby and how often do you train?

I played when I was a kid back home in Tahiti. At the moment I train twice a week with the team. Also, I train during the game. Every other day I train strength, interval and flexibility. Urban Heroes HIIT Sessions are ideal for that as they save me time and I get so much out of these effective sessions.

How do you motivate yourself to train every day and compete over and over again?

When you played a game you see straight away what you’ve done good, you see what you’ve done wrong and you see what you can improve. It’s a great way to track your performance levels and learn what areas you need to improve. You got one or two weeks to do that. Personally that’s what makes it easy for me to motivate myself because I know, ‚Okay, that was not fast enough, that guy was faster. I will see that guy in a month again, so I got a month to get better‘. This helps me improve and makes me work even harder on my strengths, improve my weaknesses and stay hungry for the game.

„Explore what makes you feel uncomfortable“, a saying goes. What do you think about challenges?

Challenges make you go to different places where you haven’t been before. They make you explore. You are going to get into something you don’t know. But as soon as you start to get the skills, the knowledge and a new physicality you will bring in other skills and be ready for this Challenge! Changes are good: They make you learn a lot about yourself, about how you will react to different things – mentally and physically. And when you look back you will say „That was worth it!“ – everybody says that.

 

What was your first thought when you heard about the HYROX CHALLENGE?

It’s a nice competition! It brings strength and power but also a lot of endurance and cardio. This is very exciting! For the Challengers and also for me as their Team Coach.

 

What benefits do you see in participating and in training for a specific challenge?

I love the fact that it is easier to train when you are getting prepared for a challenge. You have a goal you are working towards. It’s easier to train with a sense of direction in mind. You know you have to do these 100 Wall Balls. It’s in your hands, so you better train. I got this in my head. Challenges are very motivating. I want to compete! I want to take some time to sweat things off because of a goal. I love the reward. I worked hard for that day and I am ready to perform!

 

Have you changed anything in your way of working out over the years?

I am working out a lot smarter. When I was younger I was just doing! Be quick, be strong – there was a bit less of a mental work. These days my body needs more time to recover, it needs different things to do to reach certain goals. So I need to work a lot more with my head and also the way I do things. I do not just do: There is a thought behind it. There is a goal.

 

How will you transfer that knowledge into your HYROX Prep Sessions?

Well, in a group you have different mindsets and different skills. There are exercises which you can master using strength and power – but why not going master the technique with your mind? You will need to be smart in the competition! We can all be successful using our physicality but the participant who is competing with the smartest technique will win in the end. We are very different in a team and for the HYROX Challenge, we will need to figure this out. As your Coach, I will train your strength, your technique and your endurance but I will also teach you how to train smart! Besides mental and physical power you need to know as well when you can relax to save energy.

 

More details, please Coach Flo.

We will simulate the different exercises from the HYROX Challenge. At Urban Heroes we will train the running part and your endurance as well. I will teach you to push yourself. To realize at what time you get tired and when you will need to push yourself harder in a mentally or physically way. At the end of the Class, we are taking some time with the Challengers to give technical tips, tips for working out smarter and to answer questions. We are also partnering with CrossFit Sankt Pauli, so we can train your technique with different equipment like Slave Lake, the Skier and the Rowing Machines. It’s way better to have this feeling before rather coming that day of the competition and think, ‚Oh, I should have…‘.

100 Wall Balls – how can I get there?

This is tough. You will need power, technique and good timing! You will have your bump lower than your knee on the squat when you throw. Because your legs are stronger than your arms you will need the momentum of your legs when you throw. Not too early, not too late. I would also suggest you to breathe out when you push because you need to refill your body with new oxygen as well.

 

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What is more important during the Challenge: technique or breath?

You don’t want to have to focus on the technique anymore when you come to the competition. It should be second nature. There are so many other things going on between the racing, the noise, the tightness, the adrenaline. That’s why we need to really be working hard on the technique in any pieces of training that we have. So, you should better focus on your breath when you are in the competition.

 

Breath. You mention this very often in your classes.

Yes, breathing is part of the technique. When you run or when you do get exhausted you tend to breath faster. This is normal. As soon as you get excited, adrenaline is kicking in, everything is going very fast. But, if we can concentrate on our breathing it will make a lot of things easier. You will slow down the mindset and the moment by breathing. First of all, you get more oxygen in, so it is easier for the muscles. And the time slows down so much. It makes your mind escape from the hardness of the exercises. Those seconds just fly by. This is why I ask when people are running in the Red Room: „How slow can you breath even though we are going fast?“ As soon as you start to feel very tired or you are going to lose it, come back to the thought: ‘How am I breathing?’.

What do you expect of yourself as a Coach for HYROX?

To first of all give all Challengers everything needed to be ready for the competition! To be there as a mentor and a motivator as well. I will not be too friendly all the time, I will push them physically and mentally! Otherwise, there are no results.

HYROX Special Prep Sessions: What can the Challengers look forward to?

Well, first of all, you will train like a Pro. You will physically come to a different level from where you are already. Hopefully, everyone will arrive at a mental state where either they have never been before and discover something else in them. Or they are coming back to it. Then enjoying the game. Because the competition and the process are about enjoying yourself and what your body is capable of. Also, the team feeling because we will be a team as well and it is always easier to have a team and spread your knowledge and motivation or getting this knowledge and motivation from other people. I will coach everyone to get ready for the performance and to see what they are missing or either see what they don’t like to do or something they are not aware of and I can give to them.

 

Do you have a personal goal for the HYROX Challenge?

My goal is to see the Urban Heroes team performing well and enjoying the event and me being there to motivate them on that day! That’s what I am here for.

 

WELCOME TO THE ROXZONE, HERO! OPTIMALES TRAINING FÜR DEINE MAXIMALE PERFORMANCE!

Am 3. November 2018 stellen wir uns der HYROX Challenge als Urban Heroes Crew! Mach das Urban Heroes Hub in der Zeit vom 2. September bis 3. November 2018 zu deinem Trainingslager und geh mit uns an den Start! Mehr erfährst du unter  urbanheroes.com/hyrox-challenge/.