Interview with ex-Worldcupper Wolfram Kurschat: How do you stay fit over 40?

Interview with former Worldcupper Wolfram Kurschat

BIKE: Arm pump in the bike park, limp on a multi-day tour, slump in the middle of the first marathon - it's usually the hobby bikers who need effective, practical training instructions. How do you see it?

WOLFRAM KURSCHAT: I agree with that. It would be really interesting to know how Van der Poel or Tom Pidcock train, because training strategies have changed a lot in recent years. In the past, a lot helps a lot. Ideally blocks of three with a day's break in between. But today we know that: That's often too much of a good thing.

A lot does not help much

You are an all-rounder on the bike, have ridden cross country in the World Cup, were multiple German champion, won marathons and cyclocross races, even mountain races on the road. You're now 50 - is your power fading?

In old age, it is not endurance that declines, but maximum strength - and mobility. If you divide athletic performance into three main pillars, then these are: 1. endurance, 2. strength and 3. mobility or dynamics.

There are intersections in between - such as strength endurance (strength + endurance) or speed strength (strength + flexibility). You need to work on all of these pillars if you want to maintain your performance.

> Fitness coach Mark Lauren: Biking alone is not enough

> The Ruso Brothers' top exercises

> How downhill star Nina Hoffmann trains

With older bikers, you can often see how static they are on their bikes. What can you do about this?

Stay flexible. By stretching consistently and doing flexibility exercises. The old "stretching" is now called yoga. You stay flexible by stretching your muscles and joints in all directions.

What exactly does your mobility training look like? Do you have a set routine?

You need to create a routine. Whether daily or just twice a week for ten minutes at a time, flexibility exercises should become part of your life. It is important to regularly stretch the large muscle groups - thighs, back, leg flexors, leg extensors. Ideally, you should do this after strength training or cycling, as it takes tension out of the body beforehand.

The three pillars of performance

How do you do it personally?

Exactly like this. I stretch for about ten minutes after my training sessions. Or on a rest day - sometimes longer.

Do you go to the gym?

Yes, I go to the gym. Not for long - 20 minutes - but high-intensity. For example, I do squats, bent-over rowing and bench presses with a free barbell. I use free weights because I have to stabilise my body - it works the core and abdominal muscles.

I do the exercises as circuit training: four rounds without a break, up to 40 repetitions each with suitable weights. You'll really work up a sweat.

That sounds like "time under tension" - the trend in sports science.

Exactly. It's about keeping tension on the muscle for as long as possible - with less weight but many repetitions instead of just five to twelve. I vary the repetition speed, so not in slow motion like the bodybuilders, but dynamically and quickly.

When rowing bent over, this corresponds roughly to the frequency at which I push through a pump track. I can clearly feel the training effect: I can do more laps on the pump track with less lactate in my arms. This exercise combines strength, endurance and speed.

A bodybuilder with massive arms can't do that - after two bumps he's done. I don't want disco muscles, I want functional muscles. In other words, you feel the positive effect of your training directly when you're cycling. Completely. My muscles absorb shocks and impacts much better. And I have the power to tackle uphills, off-road sections and drops with strength.

Ten minutes against ageing

Do you also train on machines?

Yes, on the leg press. I also use the machine to train my leg flexors and extensors - I also do this as a circuit without a break. This way, the strength training also acts as interval training for the heart and circulation.

Is 20 minutes in the studio really enough?

According to my method, yes, because it is very intensive. The programme is strongly geared towards my sport - biking. If you want to build muscle like a bodybuilder, you obviously have to train differently.

But if you are a runner, triathlete, mountain biker or racing cyclist and want to be well-trained, with low body fat and good muscle tone, then my recipe is the right one for you.

Not only were you a professional athlete, but you are also a pharmacist and know all about the human metabolism. How important is nutrition for you?

Over the years, I have become accustomed to a healthy Mediterranean diet - I prefer antipasti to pork knuckle with sauerkraut. Nutrition is very individual, but nowadays it is easy to measure whether the body is sufficiently supplied with micronutrients - i.e. minerals, vitamins and trace elements. My tip: cook fresh, avoid ready-made products and minimise food chemicals.

Water instead of miracle cures

What are your dietary no-gos?

Soft drinks! I completely avoid them. If it also says "Zero Sugar" on it, my alarm bells start ringing. All those artificial additives! In comparison, a normal cola seems almost healthy. No thanks, I'll stick to mineral water.

Even with hard training?

Yes, my aim is to train in such a way that I am fit and efficient and feel good. For an hour of mountain biking, cyclocross or three hours of road bike endurance training, water is enough for me. No bars, no gels - I drink everything from my natural fuel tank.

To what extent did your pharmacy degree sensitise you to these topics?

Very strong. The physiology of the body is dealt with intensively during the degree programme - you learn what happens at a cellular level. That opened my eyes and showed me how the body really works.

In what respect?

I realised that I had often weakened my body with my previous training - for example through too little regeneration or too much exertion. And I have learnt that training is a lifelong project. I once went through a phase where I didn't do anything at all and immediately realised how quickly I was breaking down - especially in terms of maximum strength.

Always on the ball

As a professional athlete, you have developed a feel for your body. Most amateur bikers lack this. How can they find out what their body needs and how best to train it?

Everyone reacts differently to nutritional concepts and training programmes. What is right for me may be wrong for you. Recently, it has become possible to have a DNA analysis carried out to determine how your metabolism works.

Nutrition and training plans can be optimised on this basis. I am currently testing this option myself to see how this analysis can best be used in the training and nutrition plan for cyclists.

You can also have your microbiome analysed. What do you think?

Microbiome - this refers to the microorganisms in our body, e.g. the intestinal bacteria. An analysis can provide answers as to which nutrients and foods are better for us than others. This analysis can also be very useful.

What advice would you give our readers - even without a DNA or microbiome analysis?

Be realistic! Don't build a training plan that you stick to for three weeks and then drop again. Set yourself goals that you can achieve. It's better to do less, but regularly. This way you can build on your basic fitness if you want to ride a marathon or a cyclocross race, for example.

But please never let the cornerstones slide: Mobility, maximum strength and endurance. And don't train one pillar at the expense of the others. Always stay on the ball! Absolutely!

Three months of 20 minutes of strength training once a week is much better than three months of nothing. With one you maintain your level - with the other you lose it so much that it is difficult to build it up again.