Motivated, committed and full of vigour - if you have motivation problems, you only need to call Sascha Lange. Anyone who mentions the word "windsurfing" in passing - jackpot, the receiver explodes. When Sascha is on fire for something, he's hard to stop - and he's on fire for exactly two things: Windsurfing and everything to do with fitness and health. Read the interview to find out how he went from being a firefighter to an administrator and finally turned his passion into a career.
A few years ago, you appeared on the windsurfing scene as a personal trainer. It feels like you went from zero to one hundred. What did you do before that?
I always wanted to be a professional surfer or surf instructor. But my parents thought I should do something "sensible" first. I decided to train with the fire brigade, even though I wasn't really into it. And then, quicker than you can look, you suddenly find yourself as a full-time professional firefighter. I was on duty for ten years. When my son was born, a few terrible incidents in a row, including incidents where I put my own life in danger, broke the camel's back and I was out. So they retrained me as an administrative officer. But I'm anything but an administrative officer. (Laughs.) It was time to start my own business as a trainer and I did everything I could to make it work. That's why I started from scratch.
Fitness tips from Sascha Lange:
- Fitness with Sascha Lange: The best back exercises for windsurfers & co.
- The best yoga exercises for windsurfers, wingfoilers and co.
- Training for windsurfers: How to get fit for the windsurfing season
- Fitness with Sascha Lange: The best shoulder exercises for surfers
- Training for windsurfers: Happy Feet - no more aching feet when windsurfing
Sascha, you are a personal trainer for surfers. What is your personal relationship with windsurfing?
I've been surfing since I was twelve years old. I took a course during a family holiday on Lake Garda. By the end of the holiday, I was already standing in the straps and gliding - I'll never forget that feeling. From that moment on, I was hooked. However, there was a time in my twenties when windsurfing took a bit of a back seat because I only had fitness and weight training on my mind. And I also travelled a lot at that time. But I've always remained a big windsurfing fan, I've followed everything and today I'm even more keen to get out on the water again.
Did it work out? Do you work as a personal trainer full-time?
Yes, even though not all of my clients are surfers at the moment - yet - I've been doing nothing else for two years and make a living as a self-employed trainer. It was really rough at the beginning, but now it's hard to get a free appointment with me.
From your experience of training windsurfers, what would you describe as the biggest sticking points on a windsurfer's body?
Grip strength, lower back, legs and core stability - these are the areas I work on the most with windsurfers. And I don't need a gym to get people fit in these areas. Lately, for example, I've been working a lot with a simple water canister. (He reaches beside him and begins to whirl around with a canister.) It has its own momentum due to the oscillating water, and if you keep accelerating and decelerating, the hull has to compensate for everything. It's perfect, and almost everyone has a canister like this - whether on the beach on Fuerte, at home or in a motorhome.
Your online programme is called "Fit for Surfing". What do you offer members and how much does it cost?
Basically, I want the participants to have more fun on the water! That is my primary goal, and the programme is designed with this in mind. The members' area always contains the latest workouts on everything that makes a windsurfer better on the water: coordination, balance and stability are essential for every surfer. Naturally, the focus is also on recovery, mobility and yoga workouts to join in with. Not everyone has the time to do sport all the time. Those who do get up and make time should use it as efficiently as possible. Fit for Surfing helps you to organise your workouts as sensibly as possible for the physical demands of a surfer. The whole thing costs 30 euros a month, but with the discount code "SURF79" you can get the year for 79 euros: langepersonaltraining.de/services
You have an A licence as a trainer and many years of experience in windsurfing and fitness. Now you've just completed your yoga teacher training, right?
Yes, exactly. I've realised how important mobility and flexibility are for surfers and how these aspects have increasingly shaped my workouts. However, I don't go on a spiritual journey with people in yoga, I see it purely from a performance perspective. I'm always trying to educate myself. For example, I recently completed further training to become a Blackroll trainer. When I'm on holiday, I don't read novels, but rather something like "Oxygen Advantage" by Patrick McKeown, which is all about performance-oriented breathing. And I'm already planning my next training programme - proper breathing on land and in the water. I'm simply passionate about sport and a generally healthy lifestyle.
Anyone who knows you knows that you practise what you preach. I've never seen you with a beer in your hand, you're always the first to go home in the evening to get your eight hours of sleep, you get into an ice bath in the morning when it's zero degrees ...
I am now forty and fitter than ever before. I eat better and exercise much more healthily than I used to. I also surf better than I did in my twenties. That's also something I want to achieve with many of my clients. I don't just want to get them fit for the next session, but also keep them on the water in the long term - ideally well into retirement, when they theoretically have plenty of time to surf again.
You not only work with amateur surfers, but also with some professionals ...
I am currently training European freestyle champion Jacopo Testa, wave and freestyle world cup rider Antoine Albert and up-and-coming racing talent Maxi Räuchle. I've also already trained with Sarah-Quita Offringa, Lennart Neubauer, Felix Volkhardt and Marco Lufen. I really enjoy pushing these athletes. When my wife and children are asleep, for example, I analyse Jacopo's moves and think about how I can optimise his training.
Where do you see the sport of windsurfing and its athletes in ten years' time? Do you think that the fact that it is currently more difficult to make ends meet as a pro has also changed the attitude and approach of the athletes?
Yes, absolutely. In terms of training and the whole lifestyle, most people have become much more professional in terms of sport. The level is now so high - partying the night away and then messing up a heat is something nobody can afford these days. Thanks to social media, you get a lot more information and many people know what's good and bad for them. I also try on my channel (@langepersonaltraining on Instagram - note from the E.) I always try to incentivise people to adopt a healthier lifestyle and give them small tips on nutrition and training. I hope that the sport of windsurfing, with its newly defined boundaries, can return to the popularity of the 1990s and beyond. It is and remains simply the best sport in the world! Anyone who has ever glided knows what I'm talking about. Even people who have been out for years or have switched to wingfoiling in the meantime will get the itch at some point and come back to windsurfing. Till death we windsurf !
I want my customers to have more fun on the water - that's my ultimate goal."
