Robin Niederost originally wanted to be a circus performer.
Because of a back injury, she studied Spoert and has been grinding ice hockey professionals for 20 years
Bad Tölz
- Straubing, Hanover, Vienna, Bietigheim, Bad Tölz - Kevin Gaudet and Robin Niderost have been a team not only privately but also professionally for almost 20 years.
He works as a coach for the Tölzer Löwen, she as a fitness trainer.
Our newspaper spoke to the 49-year-old about this unusual constellation, training in the Corona crisis and life as a woman in a male-dominated environment.
Ms. Niderost, how fit are the players after the forced Corona break?
It's very different to summer training, where everyone is always fit on the ice.
Six of the nine sufferers only started training again on Friday.
Before that, they were completely at home for three weeks and could not do any fitness training at all.
That's why they only went on the ice for 30 minutes, alone and very slowly.
How are the seriously ill players?
You need to keep pausing, then you need to have your heart tested.
They are only allowed to train again when the values are good.
The healthy players were in quarantine for several weeks. How did you bridge the time?
We did a home workout every day with the seven healthy players using "Zoom".
I've never offered such virtual training for players, but it was fun.
Reid Gardiner and Niklas Heinzinger were the only two who were allowed to go into the arena as normal because they were injured and had no contact with the team.
You also did strength training as usual and trained on the ice.
But now to you: is it true that you almost became an artist at Cirque du Soleil?
Yes that's true.
As a kid I was a gymnast.
I trained 25 hours a week.
When I was 13 I said: stop, I'll stop, I'm done.
I was burned out.
When I was 21, I read that Cirque du Soleil invited people to a talent search.
That went on for three days, ten hours at a time.
It was incredibly difficult.
Everything was tested: physical strength, dancing, trampoline jumping, gymnastics ... A few days later I received a letter that I was admitted to the Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas.
I was so happy.
At the same time I had severe back pain.
So I went to the doctor, I got an X-ray.
And then the doctor said to me: A vertebra has broken.
The worst thing I can do with this back is gymnastics.
He said that if I keep going I might not be able to walk anymore.
So I had to cancel Cirque du Soleil.
That was very sad.
An undetected vertebral fracture - how is that possible?
The doctor said it was a very, very old fracture.
He meant it happened when I was maybe six or seven years old.
This happens more often to gymnasts and dancers when they do a backflip and extremely bend their backs.
When you're young, you don't notice it that way.
The pain comes later.
Then how did you become a fitness trainer?
I studied sports science for eight years.
From 2003 to 2008 I worked with a youth ice hockey team in Moncton (a city in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, editor).
I also trained baseball players and figure skaters.
Kevin was also in Moncton during that time, but I haven't met him yet.
Then how did you get to know him?
He was looking for someone to train the Straubing Tigers for five weeks.
He briefly interviewed me in Moncton, I said “yes” - and then I was in Straubing.
The following year I trained the team again, we got to know each other a little better - and then that happened (laughs and points to the shared apartment in Bad Tölz).
How do you have to imagine living together with a trainer?
What should I say now ... It's difficult ... We work together in ice hockey, we come home and he always thinks about ice hockey.
He always sits in front of his computer and watches one video after the other to prepare for the game.
In a previous interview, you said that he is a bit distracted at times. Is that still the case?
Oh yes, there are a few stories ... Kevin starts the car, drives off, even though I haven't fully got in yet.
I scream “hey” and he says “sorry, sorry, sorry”.
That happens often.
Or we go to dinner, he gets up quickly and runs out the door.
I just say: "Okay, I'll come too." Or he drives through a red light.
His comment: “I'm thinking about the power play right now.” He really always thinks about ice hockey, that's my life.
It's a little dangerous to live with him sometimes, but it's always fun.
What do you think of when you think about tequila in Mexico?
We were on vacation in Mexico.
I ate something wrong.
For 24 hours I had stomach cramps and was sick, sick, sick.
So Kevin went to reception and said, “My wife is very, very sick.
What can we do? ”The man at the reception said:“ Tequila is always good for the stomach. ”So Kevin drank two tequila, thanked me and came back to me.
Bad Tölz is your fifth station as a fitness trainer in Europe. Are there big differences or do the teams tick similarly?
Two things have changed.
For one thing, I'm older now and have more experience.
Therefore, the relationship with the players has changed.
Second, training wasn't as important or interesting when I started 20 years ago.
Back then, not every team had a fitness trainer either.
Now the players know: It's not just about playing ice hockey, you have to train your whole body.
The players think differently now and that's great for me.
20 years ago I had to show every exercise exactly, now the players know what to do.
What is life like as a woman in an all-male society?
The first few years were difficult.
In the beginning I didn't have as much confidence as I do now.
It was difficult for me to work with new teams.
The players may have thought, “Why do we have a woman as a fitness trainer?
And then also the coach's wife? ”But after two weeks they trusted me.
And they saw that I can go along with anything.
I was in Bietigheim for seven years, so that wasn't a problem.
Is it difficult to keep a professional distance from the players?
I don't know what the players in the dressing room are saying.
There is a respectful distance.
At the same time, the players know that they can talk to me - regardless of whether it is a woman's problem or a knee problem.
I've never had a problem with players saying inappropriate things to me.
How often do you exercise?
I exercise two to three times a day.
I don't take part with the team, I just tell them what to do.
It's different with injured people - I always train together with them so it's not so boring.
It's a bit of a competition, according to the motto: If you can do the exercise 50 times, I have to do it that often.
Who is the fittest Tölzer?
Can I name several names?
The players are fit in different categories.
Blacky (Andreas Schwarz, d. Red.) Does everything and twice.
He's never sore, he's always strong.
Max French is an athlete through and through.
He has muscles, strength, power.
Philip Schlager is also very fit.
Tosti (Luca Tosto, editor) is also getting stronger.
He loves to exercise.
When Schlager trains with Tosto, that's good for both, because Tosto has a lot of energy.
How much longer can you work as a fitness trainer?
I always say: If it doesn't look easy anymore, I'll stop.
For example, I love doing stair sprints with the boys.
I'm not that fast.
But I'm strong and that's okay too.
They often post videos of exercises online. What is your relationship with the new media?
I love sharing fitness videos, inspiring and motivating people.
I prefer to put crazy, not everyday things online.
These videos are fun for me, they keep me young.
How many followers do you have?
There are 13,000 on Instagram. The channel is called movewith rockinrobin.
Not very big, but it doesn't matter.
Do you also work for fitness studios?
I am a trainer for everything - from yoga to spinning.
I also used to have my own gym.
In Bietigheim I trained four times a week with a group of 30 women.
We always did something different.
That was fun.
I hope that we can do something similar in Tölz when Covid is over.
You might also be interested in:
junior managers fear numerous players leaving
+
For once without training clothes: Robin Niderost as a model.
© private
+
Robin Niderost already had the invitation to Cirque du Soleil in his pocket, but then an injury ruined all plans.
© private