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A Few Words with Tobias Heiberg

How one PICP coach is bringing advanced training to Denmark

Hans Christian Andersen was a popular poet and writer whose stories have entertained and inspired the world. His birthplace was Odense, Denmark, which coincidentally is where you can find another successful and inspiring individual, PICP Level 2 coach Tobias Heiberg.

With a BSc in physiotherapy, Heiberg works as a rehabilitative therapist, especially with those who have undergone surgery and hence need rehab, and also as a strength and conditioning coach. He has trained national men’s and women’s teams in beach volleyball, the men’s national team in goal ball (a sport for the visually disabled), elite handball teams, junior tennis and junior elite badminton players, soccer players, and candidates for the police and Special Forces.

Heiberg, who presented his thesis at the International Conference of Strength Training at Odense University in 2006, has been strength training for 14 years. His focus on conditioning has helped him to compete on the national elite beach volleyball tour for eight years, achieving top-ten rankings, and to compete at the elite level in indoor volleyball for three years. He’s also been active in handball, water polo, soccer, archery and rock climbing.

Heiberg is a busy man, but he took a few minutes to share his story.

KG: What are some of the success stories of athletes you’ve trained?
TB: My recent work with badminton and goal ball has been extremely rewarding. My best badminton player was the European Champion for teams, mixed double and women’s double last year for U17; she was also national champion in both U17 + U19(women’s single) in 2010. Furthermore, two other of my badminton players won silver in the U17 national championships. But the best was when the aforementioned female player was picked to go to the senior world championship for national teams – she was 16 at the time – and they made it to the quarterfinal. For this group of young athletes, I feel privileged to work with them because of their work ethic and the commitment they have to their sport, something other athletes I’ve worked with could learn a great deal from.

In my work with the men’s national goal ball teams, two of the players said that they felt better physically prepared for the recent world championship than they did for the Beijing Paralympics, where they took the gold. At this point they had trained with me for three months.

KG: What are some of the unique physical requirements of the athletes you train?
TB: For the ball and racquet sports, they need to be explosive throughout their matches and be able to stay on top physically, even late in matches. The badminton players need to have excellent levels of relative strength.

KG: Do you use structural balance training?
TB: I’ve used the structural balance foremost as a testing tool to design the training from. With the badminton players it has resulted in marked lower injury rates, plus one of my players has felt a significant improvement in the grim Morbus Scheuermann [a skeletal disease] he has. I have used structural balance training in the same way with my goal ball athletes, and in both cases I have been impressed with the weight it carries in regards to an increase in max strength.

KG: What are the common dietary problems associated with your clients when you first consult with them?
TB: Typically, too many carbs and too little quality protein, so they have a hard time gaining strength because they do not nourish their system well. Plus many are still oblivious to the quality of fish oil and nuts.

KG: What supplements have you used personally?
TB: Serenity for sound sleep, HCL, Übermag Plus, Multi-Intense, fish oils, glutamine and glycine.

KG: What is the most rewarding aspect of working with the general population?
TB: In my current job as a rehabilitative physiotherapist, I’m constantly pleased to be able to help people return to their jobs and to be part of a good social group of co-workers.

KG: What is it about Charles’s training methods that sets him apart from others?
TB: It’s the “No BS” approach. You accept what works and reject what does not. In some respects you have to be the best at the basics, so your toolbox might have a lot of advanced protocols, but if you take care of the basics, such as structural balance and proper nutrition, you are well on your way. I’ve learned from a lot of coaches and found a number of them to overcomplicate matters, so attending Charles’s courses was a real eye-opener for me.

KG: What other seminars by Charles are you interested in attending?
TB: PICP 3, Program Design and the Biosig. Theory of training is only as good as the results it produces. Charles has the theoretical knowledge and has been able to use it in practice. He is on a constant pursuit of new knowledge to optimize his work, and I think the best lesson I learned from him is to keep on evolving.

KG: Have you noticed a significant financial gain after attending Charles courses?
TB: Very simply put, the jobs I have now are better paid than before the PICP.

KG: How do you promote your business?
TB: I don’t promote myself in the general sense. I try to network as much as possible, since networking is essential for landing good jobs in the athletic world in Denmark. I’m part of a strength and conditioning coaching network initiated by the national Danish elite sports organization. Furthermore, if there is a job that sounds interesting, I’ll apply for it. I try to stay ahead by following how the various clubs or athletes do, and I offer my interest if I find it challenging.

KG: What have you learned about presenting yourself as the best coach for the job when you’re in competition with others?
TB: I’ve come to think of coaching strength and conditioning like this: If you produce results, then I really do not bother with people’s credentials – like in Jerry Maguire: “Show me the money!” Charles himself is a man who only teaches others what he can vouch for. I had a private session with him at one of the courses to discuss training and have a program made, and he was mentally present as few I’ve experienced. I have genuine respect for the wealth of knowledge he shares and the way he conducts his business. Attending the PICP has taken the guesswork out of designing programs and has improved the general approach in how to carry myself as a coach.

KG: What are your goals?
TB: I’ll focus my attention on continuing to learn from the best. I would like to work with ice hockey – our national team has become quite good recently, beating the US at the world championships, and the talent is there. But my foremost dream is to work with armed forces, specifically Special Forces, where the physical condition is paramount and can be the difference between life and death. I think anything that can help my country in its military endeavors around the world will have great significance for me.

KG: What advice would you give those who want to copy your success?
TB: Stay ahead. Try following paths others have not taken. Two years ago I was the first Dane to attend any of Charles’s seminars, even though they are held in nearby Sweden. Now there are seminars in Denmark. Many are still skeptical about seemingly new approaches to training and nutrition, but I have chosen to do what works regardless of what others might think. Be bold in trying to land jobs in the athletic world, use your network and always aspire to learn more and be better than your competition.