Book provides insights

What former ski star Hermann Maier still trains today

Hermann Maier also attended the book presentation and told anecdotes from his everyday training back then.(Bild: Markus Tschepp)

What happens when a chimney sweep and a bricklayer meet? The result is one of the most successful duos in Austrian sporting history. As life often turns out differently than planned, the bricklayer became former ski star Hermann Maier and the chimney sweep became successful coach Heinrich Bergmüller. 

On Thursday evening, the latter presented his new book, the autobiography "Heini Bergmüller - The man behind the Herminator". Hermann Maier also attended the reception at the Obauer restaurant and hotel.

"If you can still lift your arms, then it wasn't training. That's what they used to say. Heini then questioned whether that was really the right way," says the former ski star.

From then on, moderate, no longer excessive training became the key to success as the "Bergmüller method". "In truth, I still do everything that Heini gave me back then to this day. Especially in the basic and endurance areas. You're talking about 130 heart rate," explains Hermann Maier.

But Bergmüller doesn't just reveal the training secrets in his new book. In his autobiography, the 72-year-old is also unsparing and honest about how tough it can be in top-class sport: "My athletes always came first for me. My family and I often fell by the wayside."

The book has been published by Egoth Verlag and is now available in bookshops.