Kathi Schützenhöfer and Lena Plesiutschnig moved to Vienna in 2014 to turn their hobby of playing volleyball into a profession. The two friends have been playing indoor and beach volleyball together since they were 15 years old and have won several tournaments since then. 

We have been supporting Austrian sportsmen and sportswomen for years and have been able to accompany our two volleyball players for five years now. During this time we have already experienced a lot together and therefore we want to look back on our time with them a little. 

How they motivate each other to do sports

In 2014 we learned a lot from them about morning sports and motivation. Kathi’s tip: “Just get out! After the first five minutes, as soon as you see the sun, it goes by itself.” 

“It also helps if you remember the feeling you had the last time after playing sports. Or you think of something you are looking forward to afterwards,” adds Lena. Sport has probably become an integral part of her life and her past successes are proof of this. 

kathi-lena-fruehstueck

How professional athletes eat breakfast 

Their favourite products in 2014 were our Chocolate Granola and Spelt Crunchy with yoghurt and fresh fruits. In the meantime, they prefer our Bircher Porridge and the Sport Porridge Chocolate Banana, because healthy and nutritious breakfast is important to them. In addition, the porridge provides them with enough energy for their training, as they both train six days a week. 

Lenas and Kathis everyday training 

Already a few years ago they told us that winter means one thing above all else to them: preparation for the new season. So from November on, every year they train for the coming season, which starts around March or April. The training consists of both ball and athletic training. 

This has not changed until today. They are still in the training centre from Monday to Saturday, have three units there from Monday to Friday and one unit on Saturday. Their daily training consists of 1-2 ball units and additionally strength or endurance training. Strength training focuses, among other things, on the stability of the entire body. They strengthen their leg muscles and improve their jumping power for example with exercises like lunges, knee bends and box jumps. 

Their goals 

They also told us about their goals for the next few years, including 2015, not only in sporting terms, for example qualifying for the 2016 Olympics, podium places and successful games, but also in private terms. This included cooking together more often, having longer breakfasts and enjoying the limited time at home.

The next goal: The Olympic Games in Tokyo. But for the first time in history, the summer Olympic Games had to be postponed and will now take place in July and August 2021. Of course, this will not stop Lena and Kathi and they will continue to train hard to compete next year. 

Their strengths 

We asked them what they see as each other’s strengths. According to Kathi, Lena’s strengths include her determination, her block and her teeing height. Among Kathi’s strengths are her ambition, her speed and power. But probably one of her greatest strengths is their friendship. The two know each other inside and out, can trust each other in every aspect and obviously have a lot of fun together and in sports. 

kathi-lena-teneriffa

At the beginning of the year we were allowed to visit them during their training for the Olympic Games and learned a lot about the everyday life of a professional athlete: 

Trainingsalltag der österr. Beachvolleyballerinnen Lena & Kathi | Verival Athleten

We wish Kathi and Lena great success in their future and look forward to continuing to accompany them on their journey. 

Katrin Atzlinger

Content Creator

Neben meiner Tätigkeit in der kreativen Content Production wie Fotografie schreibe ich auch regelmäßig für den Blog. Ansonsten interessiere ich mich sehr für Themen wie Nachhaltigkeit und gesunde Ernährung und liebe es, diese spannend aufzubereiten.

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