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“After my back injury, EISENHORN helped me back into professional sport”
A childhood dream came true for track and field athlete Annik Kälin when she came 4th in the heptathlon at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. The Swiss heptathlete achieved 6th place at the 2023 World Championships and won the bronze medal at the 2022 European Championships. In this exclusive interview, the 24-year-old competitive athlete from Graubünden explains how she was able to achieve this result despite injuries and how EISENHORN helped her.
EISENHORN: Congratulations, dear Annik, on your fourth place at the 2024 Olympics in the heptathlon discipline. A great success, but your participation in Paris was anything but predictable. Why?
Annik: “Three years ago, I injured my back and had bone edema in my vertebrae. This forced me to suddenly restructure my training and specifically strengthen my core.”
EISENHORN…and during this time you discovered the EISENHORN weight station for yourself?
Annik: “Yes, a physiotherapist drew my attention to your weight station. It’s perfect as an all-in-one home gym for my small basement and I was able to do my new core training on it. As you can adjust the EISENHORN can be set up in so many different ways, it is very suitable for discipline-specific strength training.
EISENHORN: What convinced you to invest in a EISENHORN fitness station?
Annik: “I love the flexibility in the smallest of spaces that the EISENHORN power station gives me. I think it fits perfectly into any home and even beautifies the rooms. The training routes are even shorter with my EISENHORN, and compared to other training equipment, you can let off steam with an incredible number of exercises on the EISENHORN fitness station or try out new things again and again. There is not just one exercise that is possible with this device, but 10 million. For me as an athlete and physiotherapist, it’s the perfect training device.”
EISENHORN: What does your training routine with the EISENHORN look like ?
Annik: “I train three times a week for 60 minutes on my EISENHORN S Black Edition. Two to three times a week, I complete my core program on it and also do sport-specific activation and strengthening exercises.”
EISENHORN: Is the core program very important to you?
Annik: “Yes, because it was only through EISENHORN that I was able to prepare my core muscles and my body in general for the stresses and strains of the Olympics. After my back injury, EISENHORN helped me get back into professional sport.”
EISENHORN: How do you deal with setbacks in general?
Annik: “Setbacks and injuries are unfortunately part and parcel of top-class sport. However, I wouldn’t be the athlete I am now because of them. I believe that the setbacks have made me stronger, helped me develop and taught me a lot about myself and my body.”
EISENHORN: How did you experience fourth place at the Olympic Games?
Annik: “It was a dream come true for me. I would never have imagined that I would one day be on the Olympic stage and even bring home a diploma. Fourth place at the Olympics is a huge motivation for the next four years.”
EISENHORN: How did you get into heptathlon in the first place and what fascinates you about this discipline?
Annik: “When I was 10 years old, I accompanied a friend to the athletics club in Landquart. I enjoyed this sport straight away. After that, everything came naturally – the successes at national and international level. This increased my motivation more and more, so that I made it all the way to the Olympics.
EISENHORN: How do you structure your training to excel in seven different disciplines?
Annik: “I train 6 days a week. With everyday life and studying to be a physiotherapist, it requires a lot of planning. I get a lot of support from my family, friends and my employer. I still train with great pleasure and motivation. The variety in training and the different challenges still fascinate me. As I’ve never had any major weaknesses and I’ve always enjoyed the variation of disciplines, I ended up doing the heptathlon.”
EISENHORNWhat role does strength training play for you as a heptathlete, and how has your training changed over the years?
Annik: “The older you get, the more important physical factors become. You can make great progress in all disciplines through targeted strength training.
EISENHORN: How does training with the EISENHORN differ from your conventional strength training ?
Annik: “It’s very practical and the weight is very easy to adjust. It’s also very functional, which I really like.”
EISENHORN: How safe do you feel when training with the EISENHORN power station ?
Annik: “I feel very safe, especially during training sessions with high weights. Because the weight station is very stable. Nothing can happen.
EISENHORN: Who would you recommend the EISENHORN fitness station to? Do you think it could also be beneficial for athletes from other disciplines or recreational athletes?
Annik: “For anyone who wants to do a good workout at home in just a few minutes. And also for those who find it too difficult to go to the gym. In general, the EISENHORN power station is a great balance for athletes and can be very helpful for patients.”
EISENHORNPlease complete the following sentence: The EISENHORN is a perfect training device for at home, …
Annik: “…that keeps everyone fit and also beautifies the home.”
