Jamie hat seine “kleine” Reise um die Welt beendet und seine Eindrücke und Erfahrungen zusammengefasst. Natürlich wollen wir euch den XLR8 Newsletter nicht vorenthalten…

Germany not settling for Bronze

Matthew left the tour in France, but not before we had the chance to attend a mates wedding in Holland and a couple of days off in Paris. Thankfully I managed to get on the right train in Paris and end up heading to Frankfurt, opposed to trying to take a short ride in Holland, and getting stuck on a fast train to Paris, getting to Antwerp before being able to get off. Luckily the train conductor found it more funny than anything.

It was a great start to courses in Germany. The lads Jason and Bernd had done their homework and were keen to make the best out of the week. (Jason I promise not to mention you managed to stall the car everyday I was there….. yeah right).

After a couple of introductions and tours around a number of sports venues (Heidelberg Racket Centre , Pfitzenmeier Gym), along with running sessions with TSG 78 Heidelberg Athletics Club and the first team of SC Neuenheim Rugby Club, it was time to get stuck into the courses. I was a little worried the man flu may slow things up, but the enthusiasm in which the first group of XLR8 course participants approached the day, soon had everyone laughing and putting in the effort. The course was largely made up of the SC Neuenheim Rugby Club and was hosted at their clubrooms. It was also the first opportunity I had to meet the XLR8 Germany National Trainers in Markus and Manuel (Manu) – whom also attended a day’s workshop with me, refining the XLR8 courses and upskilling on several sports software packages such as VXSport (www.vxsport.com). Two really good guys, who have a lot to offer and we look forward to working closely with them in the future.

The SC Neunheim Rugby Club just missed out on reaching the playoffs this year, coming an unlucky fifth after the regular season. However, they came second in the German 7s final, held last weekend (19th & 20th June) and are also due to play SC Frankfurt 80 for the German Cup Final this coming weekend (26th June).

Who said grown men don’t hold hands … and have fun doing it!

Doing the hard yards.

When one just isn’t enough…

It’s all in the way you hold your tongue.

Being in Germany also provided the great opportunity to visit the Pfitzenmeier Health and Wellness Clubs (www.pfitzenmeier.de). The club has 6’000 members and over 40’000 check in’s a month!

Day spas, a rehab pool, members entertainment area and a focus on the holistic approach to the fitness industry makes this group a leader and a must see… if you are in Germany. I am sure XLR8 will stay in touch with the personal training manager Thomas Beck in the times ahead.

The second of the two courses in Germany was held at the TSG 78 Heidelberg Athletics clubrooms & ground and attracted a wide range of sports including American Football, Athletics, Football, Tennis and Rugby Union. A number of personal trainers also took up the challenge and had some fantastic ideas when it came to the group tasks. With Manu and Markus now on board, we managed to team teach this course in a strange mix of German English…a lot of fun.

Shneck-Shnack-Shnook in German … or rock, scissor, paper…

The ‘butt bounce’ race, a bit of fun in teaching good mechanics.

Marcus wearing an ITS motto – ‘love in your heart – speed in your feet’.

The concept of stride length… Fast Fact – Usain Bolt takes 41.5 strides, most take 45 to run 100m

XLR8’s partner in Germany is Innovative Training Systems (www.its-sport.de). They are a young company with some brilliant ideas and the motivation to go with it. I am sure we are going to see these guys grow quickly and by no means were they or the participants settled with stopping after the Bronze courses. Bring on silver… and the World Cup they say.

A massive thanks to Jason’s family who adopted me for the week – loved it! I got to experience some local German custom and see the sights of the Heidelberg Castle and the Schwetzinger Hunting Lodge. You really need to watch this space with ITS, and they have a great following on Facebook too!

Be sure to check back on the XLR8 Training website soon, as we undertake a major website reconstruction over the next 6-8 weeks.

A final thought… at Jason’s expense… here is how you should try parking!

All the best, JT