INTERVIEW: Make yourself "battle-ready" with Todde

"Kampfkräftig" is the new book by "Military Fitness" author Torsten Schreiber. This is a practical book that aims to help everyone who wants to prepare for an entrance test for special forces. Or just to improve themselves.

SPARTANAT: Todde, "Kampfkräftig" is a somewhat unusual book title for a sports book. What is the purpose of your new paperback?

Torsten Schreiber: I didn't want to write a book that only contains general plans for everyone, like many providers do. Since I believe that every athlete needs an individual plan according to their goals and abilities, I have a different approach. While a one-year plan for beginners and a six-month plan for advanced users form the core of the book, the entire range of training theory and knowledge about sports, as well as ideas and tips from the practice, make the paperback complete and particularly worth reading.

The journey is the goal: 5,000m in around 19 minutes, possibly even a bit faster/17-20 clean pull-ups/50 kg bench press 40 times or more/1,000m swim in 15-16 minutes/Sit-ups touching elbows to knees around 80-90 times in 2 minutes.

SPARTANAT: Members of special forces are also known as "Tactical Athletes". What level of athleticism is required?

Torsten Schreiber: Our soldiers are called military athletes. Because such an athlete is characterized by their versatility, a "tactical athlete" will never be a world champion in individual disciplines. They must combine many different disciplines to be top fit for their job. When I look at the training for special forces, a candidate should be well-trained in disciplines that don't necessarily go well together. For example, they should be able to run fast but still lift heavy weights in bench press. Therefore, one must find a middle ground to excel in all disciplines. Under the conditions just mentioned, I would consider the following values very good: 5,000m in around 19 minutes, possibly even a bit faster/17-20 clean pull-ups/50 kg bench press 40 times or more/1,000m swim in 15-16 minutes/Sit-ups touching elbows to knees around 80-90 times in 2 minutes.

SPARTANAT: You are a trainer yourself. What can people learn from you?

Torsten Schreiber: I have developed my athletic abilities over two decades, which is only partially related to my work as a trainer. Of course, I was lucky that sports were highly valued in our unit, and I always had to or was allowed to incorporate it into my daily service. These are largely experiences that sometimes deviate from the expert opinion.

As a trainer, I have met dozens of candidates, unfortunately, 70-80 percent of them failed during training. About half of them due to lack of preparation.

Each one had different problems, which we often recognized on the first day. The knowledge of sports and the ability to identify weaknesses in athletes and train them specifically (in private) make me a pretty good advisor/trainer.

SPARTANAT: Who do you recommend your book to?

Torsten Schreiber: Generally, it is a paperback for everyone, as mentioned above, with a comprehensive package in the field of sports and training planning.

But I wrote it specifically for young people who need to prepare for athletic entrance tests, especially for special forces, and have not much experience due to their young age.

But I also provide some valuable tips for advanced athletes. As an advanced athlete, one often falls into a monotonous and familiar training routine, which may limit progress. Here, I can give some new ideas for improvement.

"Kampfkräftig" is by "Military Fitness" author Torsten Schreiber. He knows what he's talking about. He is a combat swimmer and has been a triathlete for over 20 years. During his active time, he trained intensively for his duties. He has already written the book "Military Fitness - Training like the combat swimmers" on the subject of military sports. As the leader of sports groups, he also prepares civilian athletes for various performance goals. Want to be part of it? This is the way!

"Kampfkräftig! Fit for Special Forces" by Torsten Schreiber, Vienna 2022, paperback in a convenient pocket format, 136 pages with illustrations, €14.90

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