S02E13 - Walk with me - Taking a Hike with Crossfit Coach Tobias Kundmüller

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This is Scaled to Fit Fit in your 50s. Restarting exercising and feeling like a rookie at the age of over 50. With Marko Lindgren.

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I took my microphone out for a walk to talk about CrossFit again, but now from a different angle. From the angle of us in our 50s.

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With me takes a hike Tobias Kundmüller, a trainer at CrossFit F2 in Munich, Germany. Because why not? After only a couple of years he moved from just training in CrossFit himself to helping others in their path toward stronger selves. And for CrossFit, very clear is what I like to say, don't do nothing, do something and scale it back.

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First I wanted to know how Tobias started doing CrossFit.

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A friend of mine brought me to CrossFit. She started in our CrossFit box I think about a year before me and she kept telling me "ah you gotta go to CrossFit, that's exactly your stuff, that's exactly the kind of training that you would love".

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And back then I just stopped with parkour because of some injuries and there was a lot of jumping around and I started going to the gym and I did not really like the gym so I never really thought about what was CrossFit, I just heard they are working with weights so it's more gym atmosphere and yeah I just did not really want to go.

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And at some point I just did her the favor and said "okay, I will go there, I will have a look".

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Yeah and basically after the first five minutes I was hooked.

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So I did this on-ramp class that we offer at our CrossFit box where you just learn in six sessions of one hour, you learn the basic movements, do your first workouts, learn the structure of the classes.

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And after that you are good to go into the world of CrossFit classes at our box.

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As any box. You said you get hooked, can you say what made you get hooked with that training, what was the thing that really gave to you, that you didn't want to give up?

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It's a few different things. It was the intensity from the beginning because the workouts at a gym that you control yourself, you go there, you do a lot of rest and then you lift a few barbells or dumbbells or whatever and then you do a rest and you sit around for an hour and your heart rate does not go up.

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And from the very beginning the CrossFit classes were highly intensive. The workouts usually take between eight to twenty minutes and at that time you are always going all out.

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So your heart rate is always up and afterwards you are just full of adrenaline and all those chemicals in your body that make you feel good and you just sit there and say "okay, that was a good workout".

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And that was a big part of the fun from the very beginning. And the other thing is that it does not get boring because there are so many different movements in CrossFit.

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So we have gymnastics movements, we have barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell, we have cardio workouts, we have heavy days where you focus on heavy load and the mix of that. So you come in kind of unprepared every day and getting prepared for that unpreparedness in the long term.

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And that's pretty cool. So I always felt pretty good right after the workouts and the whole day. So that's why I kept going back.

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Right. And your relationship with CrossFit also grew deeper. So you became a trainer, a coach. Why is that? What happened?

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Yeah, it was about one and a half years in when our head coach and the box owner Michael put up a post on Instagram looking for coaches. And that's when I started thinking about if that would be something I could do and if I wanted to do it.

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And in the beginning I told myself, "No, I'm just doing it for one and a half years. I'm not ready for that." But at some point I just asked him if he would think that I would be a good fit and if he could imagine me as a coach.

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And then we were having a talk and he told me what coaching is about. And yeah, basically at that time I was training four to five times a week. So I was there pretty much every day.

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I knew a lot of the members and I saw their progress and I kind of wanted to be part of this progress and of this journey of the other members.

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Plus working with people, being creative in the classes. And yeah, I mean it works on my form as well. There are still techniques on every, I'm pretty sure every coach, no matter how long he or she does it, has certain movements that can improve.

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And the more you focus on improving others, the more you think about your own movements. And that's what makes you better.

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The best way to learn is to teach others. Yeah, kind of. Plus you have to be very consistent in your own training.

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And because you're being watched, you're training with the other athletes that you coach as well. So they are of course looking at you and seeing, "Yeah, okay, last time he corrected me, now he's doing it wrong."

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So that's for me a motivation as well to do it better. Yeah. What kind of people do you train? What are your, let's say, typical fellow athletes?

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It's a very colorful mix. It's not really age or gender specific. I mean we have teens classes and kids classes, but those have separate classes just because they have other needs while training.

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And we want to meet those, but I think after 15 or 16 they can join the regular classes.

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And in the classes we have a mix of beginners, advanced, almost professionals. Sometimes we have drop-ins from other countries, people that are competing on certain levels.

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So there's a really good mix in there. And I think the oldest athletes we have are in their 60s. So mid-60s is currently the oldest member that we have.

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Yeah, and people come from different professions, from different backgrounds. Some were doing acrobatics or fighting sports, martial arts before. Others come from mountain sports or just gym.

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We have team sport players there, football athletes. So pretty much everyone at some point comes in there and they all stay. So we barely have people that check it out and then leave because they don't like it.

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Somehow everyone who tries it has fun with it. Yeah, I don't know. I visited your box and I have to say the atmosphere there is very pleasant. It's a very nice box.

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Yeah, we have a good community. That's one of the pretty regular feedbacks that we get from people who come visit us from other countries or from other CrossFit boxes in Munich. And the community in our box is really one of the big plus points that we have.

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Because it's not an isolation between more advanced athletes and beginners and young and old classes and coaches and members. It's just a big group, a big team, kind of a family where everyone kind of knows everyone or at least gets to know them.

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Everyone is pretty fast welcomed in the classes. Yeah, let's talk a little bit about the people in their 50s. So why would you say it's important for grown-ups to do resistance training? So training with weights or body weights or dumbbells or whatnot.

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I mean it's always good to start early, but no matter when you start, the more you move and the more muscles you build and the more flexible you are, the more you challenge your cardiovascular system to a certain point, the more vital you will just stay in the upcoming years.

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So I mean some people start at 15, some people start at 50 and still they both have advantages from it.

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So I'm not a medic, I'm not a doctor, but even I, when I compare now in my mid-30s myself to other people of my age who do not do sports, no matter what, or just in March do their regular gym training.

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They're getting stiff and they're getting more and more lazy and more comfortable because it's just even standing up from the couch is just a challenge. It's so exhausting, I don't want to do this.

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And it's not only on the body, it's as well for the mind. It's a different mindset when you're used to move yourself and move, used to challenge yourself, get sweaty, then at some point you know you can go through this no matter what it is. It is a challenge, it is a hard time.

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It might be at work, it might be in the family or just a long hike where you don't give up and turn around because it looks steep but you just go there because it's fun to challenge yourself.

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I'm pretty sure that no matter how old you are, that's something where you can take big wins out of.

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I think that that was a key, the fun to challenge yourself, that you have to enjoy that uncertainty of reaching the goal, whatever you're trying, then enjoy the journey.

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Yeah, I mean that's one of the bigger things in CrossFit, to be prepared for things that you cannot be prepared for. Usually we do not post our workouts upfront so the members that come in do not know what is in front of them until they are there.

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We would call it cherry picking if you know it upfront and you just go to certain classes because you know, I like Olympic weightlifting so I only do weightlifting classes.

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That keeps you flexible and that keeps you, for the mind and for the body, keeps you just fit for whatever comes.

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And if then CrossFit athletes, I mean I know it from friends from the CrossFit box and from myself, if you then try other sports that you never did before, you're usually doing better than people that do no sports at all or for example just going to the gym regularly and doing bench presses because bench press for example does not really push the heart rate usually.

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And also the attitude is different right? Yeah, absolutely. So you're more open to.

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The good to no corner. So why is it hitting your 50s actually the perfect time to fall in love with resistance training? And no, don't roll your eyes thinking I'm too old for that. You are not. But this could be a total game changer.

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Once you hit your 50s, your body starts sending some not so subtle messages. You may notice you can't open that pickle jar as easily as you used to.

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Or those stairs feel a bit more challenging. Maybe you're feeling a little more soft around in the middle than you would like.

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There's actually a name for it. Sarcopenia. Basically your muscles are slowly waving goodbye, starting as early as your mid 30s. But here's the cool part. Resistance training is like hitting the undo button.

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Just six to eight weeks of consistent training and you can start seeing real improvements in your muscle to quality and strength. Pretty amazing what your body can still do, right? Yes!

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There are four major benefits you shouldn't ignore. One. First your bones. Especially after menopause. But also for those without it, bone density takes a nosedive faster than you can say osteoporosis.

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But resistance training sends love letters to your bones. Every time you lift something heavy, whether it's weights, your own body weight or even resistance bands, you are telling your bones, hey, you need to stay strong because we've got work to do.

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Just twice a week can improve bone density in your spine and hips, exactly where you don't want fractures happening.

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Two. Blood sugar control. Your muscles are basically Klu Go's vacuum cleaners. When you build more muscle through resistance training, you are creating more places for sugar to go instead of just hanging out in your bloodstream causing trouble.

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This is huge for preventing or managing type 2 diabetes. Three. Your heart and daily function. Cardio training is good for your heart health, yes. But resistance training is fantastic too. It lowers blood pressure, improves cholesterol levels and reduces inflammation. Plus, it gives you functional strength. Getting up from chairs, climbing stairs and carrying groceries all become easier.

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Four. Your brain and mood. Resistance training isn't just physical, it's also mental. It is actually like brain food. Better memory, focus and cognitive function. Plus, it's great for your mental health. It brings real improvements if you are suffering from depression or anxiety symptoms.

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There's something powerful about lifting heavy things that makes you feel like you can handle whatever life throws at you.

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As I mentioned, in your 50s your body starts playing a different game. And this is where resistance training becomes your secret weapon against basically everything.

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We are talking obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis and even some cancers. It's like having a swiss army knife for health problems. One tool that helps with multiple issues.

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By building muscle and losing fat, you are essentially making your body more resilient against all the stuff that tends to crop up as we grow up.

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So in practice, you don't need to become a gym rat or crossfitter. We are talking 2-3 sessions per week hitting all major muscle groups.

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Start with squats, pushups and rows movements that use multiple muscles at once. Aim for 2-3 sets and 8-15 reps at a challenging but manageable intensity.

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The key is progressive overload. Gradually making it harder over time. And yes, your joints can handle it. Start with bodyweight exercises, resistance bands or light weights.

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When done correctly, it actually helps your joints rather than hurting them.

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Resistance training in your 50s isn't about vanity, it's about vitality. It's about being able to keep up with your life, maintaining your independence and feeling strong and confident in your own body.

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It's about not just adding years to your life, but adding life to your years.

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So whether you start with some pushups against the wall or sign up on a CrossFit box, your future self will thank you.

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Because honestly, your 50s aren't about slowing down, they are about gearing up for all the amazing stuff that is still to come.

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Trust me, your body is way more capable than you think and it's never too late to start treating it like the incredible machine it is.

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The good to no corner.

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Okay, then if a person starts, let's say, in their 50s, starts with the CrossFit, what are the things that should be especially paid attention to?

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Because when you're young, you can go and do all kinds of things, but when you get older, then there are certain things. So what would you say if there comes a newbie, 50 year old, to you?

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I think that's not only relevant for people in their 50s, it's for everyone, but especially after a certain age, you really have to, from the very beginning, work on your technique.

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And just try to do the movements correctly and in an ergonomic and economic way, just to save yourself from injuries.

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Usually when you're in your 20s and you do a wrong deadlift, then maybe your back is aching for a few days, but so what.

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But after a certain age, the structure in the core is just not that forgiving, so you might just hurt your back for good and then it's a long way back.

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So starting slowly.

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So basically the technique in order before increasing weights.

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Absolutely, absolutely. That's one of the fundamentals. Because lifting heavy to a certain point is always easy, but especially in the workouts that we do where you have a lot of reps and work for time, so as fast as possible.

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That's where it can get dangerous when you do not have the technique, but you have a lot of weight on the barbell, for example.

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So working on the technique always as well for advanced athletes, we do always this.

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Recurring progressions throughout the workouts and in our warm-ups where we just walk our athletes step by step through every movement so that we can analyze and see, okay, that looks a bit off, straight in your back, get your hips deeper.

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All of that commands so that people really start to feel how the correct movement should feel. Just to prevent injuries.

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Right. We already touched a few points about like if you, I don't want to put against CrossFit and the gym, but if you put them against, so you choose, you don't have time for everything.

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So you said, okay, CrossFit is like, there's more variety, it's like a proper workout to get the heart rate up, so it's also cardio. In a way, is there some other things about what you would say that CrossFit sort of forbids going to the gym?

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Yeah, if you're just a regular gym user, usually you just go there on yourself and do the movements that you think are good for you. And maybe you ask JetGPT for a training plan or something.

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But if you're not willing to pay a personal trainer, there will be no one who's correcting you. So if you're doing it wrong, you're doing it wrong over and over again until it hurts.

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And in CrossFit, you always have a coach on site. That's the basic of our classes. There's always a coach leading you through the movements, correcting you throughout the workouts.

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And if we as coaches see that the movement is off completely, then we start scaling, if necessary, the athletes as well during the workouts.

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So then we just decrease weight and say, okay, or maybe the range of motion and say, okay, you're not doing a full deadlift, you're just going down to the hang and back up, for example, just to be on the safe side.

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Plus, you have a motivator in the CrossFit classes. That's a big thing for me. When I go to the gym, I just get bored because it feels weird in this gym atmosphere to really work hard and fast and get sweaty

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because it's more this relaxed music in the ears just pumping.

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Yeah, 10 reps and then you take two minutes pause.

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Yeah, exactly. I mean, you can work faster, of course, and sometimes that's fun. Sometimes that's good for me. Personally, I sometimes just like it to work, for example, on shoulders and that's I can do that in the CrossFit box as well.

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But if I want to just do a no brainer, not thinking, then I just go into the gym, use a machine and I'm good to go.

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So basically CrossFit is like a wholesome you do with the class, you do the whole program. And then if you want to focus on certain areas, it might be more makes more sense to go to the gym and do that.

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Not necessarily more sense, but it depends on what you how you want to work if you want to work with machines where you just can isolate one muscle group.

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For example, during a recovery, when your physiotherapist tells you to just work on the biceps without any of shoulder or whatever, then it might make sense to go to the gym.

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But in CrossFit, we do what we call functional movements. So there's always more muscle groups involved, more joints involved.

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You always have the core, you always have the leg because you have to be stable.

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And that is sometimes depending on how far you are progressing in your fitness journey, let's say, that might be some kind of stress for your nervous system. So sometimes it can help just to avoid the overload of the nervous system when you just isolate a muscle group.

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Yeah, but I mean, in the end, it depends what you what you want, your goals.

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But if you want to, from what I see now in the members that we have compared to the gyms where I went before or the other sports where I've been either there are no people above their late 40s.

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Or the people that are going there, they are strong, they have muscles, but they can barely stand upright and move properly because they are working on muscles, but not on movements.

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Yeah, so that has a full range of movements. So it also is a stretching.

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And I mean, we have we have quite a few people in their 50s in our box regularly after the workouts going to the bar and doing their pull ups or push ups afterwards and sit ups.

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And I mean, I know people in their 40s that can't do a pull up or a push up or a sit up. So.

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Right. Let's talk about motivation. So you got your motivation to do CrossFit, right? Like that.

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And the same thing happened to me with my walking a while back, but I didn't have the motivation to go back to the CrossFit box.

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So what would you say? How to what would be the best way to motivate oneself to go back?

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If you basically you know already and you sort of got estranged from that exercise, what would you recommend to get your CrossFit fluids going?

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What definitely helps is if you're a community type of person, then getting involved in the community.

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That that that helps a lot of our athletes as well, just when you know, when they arrive the first time, they're a bit shy and standing around and not doing it wrong.

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And then just after the third or second time when you see, OK, somehow everyone is doing something wrong and they all work together.

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And when one is ready with the with the workout, he's cheering on all the others just to finish.

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And that that pushes that that sense that you are suffering in a way together.

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That's what what I learned helps a lot of people to to come back to the point where they really start liking the movement.

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I mean, we have a lot of people that are just coming because someone told them to girlfriend, boyfriend, whatever.

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Come along, let's do this. They are OK. I don't really like it. I don't want to challenge myself. I don't want to work heavy because they are just not used to this.

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And when the community is pushing in that direction and you start tracking your scores and then start seeing the first improvements, that helps a lot.

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So we have an app where we track our scores after every workout, for example, times or reps so that you can compare yourself to your previous self or to the others in the box.

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And you see, OK, that one started around the same time as me and he's making progress.

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I'm not. So maybe I have to come back more often and work more on this.

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Or you compare yourself to two weeks ago where you did deadlifts as well and you have 20 kg more on the bar and say yes.

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So this score tracking and the community are two big motivators, I think, that can help you just keep pushing and coming back.

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Weekly challenge. So why don't you check out the schedule and book a trial class in the box near you and take a sniff of the atmosphere?

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Just go try it out. You might find a lot of new friends and a new home for your exercise.

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And remember what I like to say. Don't do nothing. Do something and scale it back.

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This was scale to fit. Fit in your fifties with Marco Lindgren. All sounds are made by me.

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Send us your feedback via email at feedback at scale to fit or visit potrace.com/scale to fit to leave a rating.

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Don't forget to check the show notes at scale to fit. All the links are there. Thank you for tuning in.

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