How Konrad Abeltshauser and Markus Eisenschmid from Red Bull Munich train

Monday, 10. February 2025 | How Konrad Abeltshauser and Markus Eisenschmid from Red Bull Munich train

Exercises from the pros: Abeltshauser and Eisenschmid take you to the GymHow the Red Bulls train// NEWSEndurance, balance, speed, coordination, strength - ice hockey is one of the most demanding sports. Our players Konrad Abeltshauser and Markus Eisenschmid introduce you to their favorite exercises to get ready for game day.

Every player at EHC Red Bull Munich is given an individual training plan at the start of the season in collaboration with our fitness coaches. This is regularly adapted according to strengths, weaknesses, imbalances or injuries. However, the players, who clearly have their favorite exercises, also have a say.

“Bench press is always a favorite for me, of course,” says Abeltshauser. Our number 16 thrives in the weight room. The physically strong defender is a fan of exercises such as the pendlay row - where you do a rowing movement with a barbell while standing. This strengthens the back muscles in particular, which are extremely important in ice hockey. You can also do lunges with a barbell in your neck to strengthen your legs and torso.

Outdoor sports during the off-season

Also very popular: the trap bar deadlift. “Moving a lot of weight is important to me, the trap bar offers a good grip, which makes the exercise easier to perform,” explains Abeltshauser. To round off his training, Abeltshauser focuses intensively on his core. He focuses on classic planks, supplemented by variations such as side planks, front planks and rotations. “You can vary a lot and it never gets boring,” he says.

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In the off-season, our nature boy stays active: “I like going into the mountains, hiking or cycling.” He likes to carry his daughter in a stretcher for extra weight when hiking.

Eisenschmid: “This provides stability”

Simple but effective - that's Markus Eisenschmid's motto. The attacker is a big fan of the squat, in various variations. “It's the most important exercise for me, I do it with the barbell in front. This allows me to train my core and lower body without straining my lower back, which is often a weak point for ice hockey players,” explains our number 11.

He also uses single-leg deadlifts. “That helps me to stabilize my pelvis, which is extremely important on the ice.” Eisenschmid prefers dumbbells for his upper body. “I really like dumbbell bench presses because they provide stability and compensate for imbalances. Plus pull-ups or another pulling exercise.” He also focuses on explosive elements such as jumps and works with high weights with few repetitions, which has a positive effect on his speed and explosiveness.

You can read more about how to perform the individual exercises perfectly here.