Neuro Athletics, 18. August 2019

My Interview with the “Mittelbayerische”

The brain is the boss

Regensburg. Markus Schreyer looks even healthier and more impressive in nature than on his homepage. Fortunately, the athlete, who could easily crush a raw potato in his fist, gently shakes hands and asks for his little office in the middle of the old town. Here everything is clean and practical: a massage bench, a desk, a shelf full of life-enhancing books, the 27-year-old does not need more. Most of what he needs is in his brain. He smiles a lot.

You say your life’s work is to make people the best version of themselves. What do you mean by that?

You only live once and life is too short not to get the best out of yourself. Most people stay well behind their potential, mentally and physically.

What is more important – mind or body? Or is the ratio 50:50?

100: 100, I would say. All areas are significant: diet, exercise, brain, hormones, organs, sleep. Everything is connected together and different areas of the body need to be optimized. For example, many people suffer from hormonal imbalances. They have problems losing weight, have digestive problems or even depression.

But if organs are not working properly, you go to the doctor, not the coach, right?

Specialists often only look at one part of the body – I look at people as a whole. I take a lot of time to get a picture of my clients’ condition: what does he eat? How does his brain work? How does he sleep? How is his body fat distributed? What do his blood values ​​say? Of course, I do not make any medical diagnosis, but I can grasp the context and develop a strategy on how a person can get the most out of themselves. I do not follow standard values, I am interested in the optimal values of blood work. I cooperate with doctors, some of them were also coached by me. They learn from me, I learn from them.

Which qualifications do you have?

I studied fitness and health management at the IST-University Düsseldorf. That was a good basis, but I appropriated many things myself. I spend virtually no spare minute without further education: I attend seminars, read, listen to podcasts – three to four hours a day.

Who comes to work with you?

Very different. From professional athletes to housewives who want to work on themselves. The average age is 35, but I already had a client who was over 70.

You are also traveling internationally: in New York or Miami. In 2018, you coached Kevin Anderson, one of the world’s top tennis pros. How did that happen?

The contact was made via his physio Daniel Pohl. Kevin’s main goal was to optimize nutrition and sleep. I flew to Miami, we had two sessions to analyze his condition and habits and take action. In 2019, I took care of Joey Keane of the New York Rangers of the NHL, the US professional ice hockey league, and his brother. In both cases, apart from aspects such as nutrition, brain-based training was the focus which deals with the question: how to prevent injuries and optimize performance through the fastest possible visual data processing? In hockey instincts and milli-seconds count. Brain-based training is the key to better performance. I stayed in New York for five days. 

How did everything start and are you able to make a living from coaching?

I wrote my first nutritional plan in 2013, and I’m officially coach since 2017 and yes: I can live on it well. Maybe that’s because there are personal trainers, non-medical practitioners and doctors, but hardly anyone who acts so holistically and looks at all pillars of health.

What difficulties do you see the most with your clients?

I often see problems with our stress hormone cortisol. There are different triggers: nutrition, sleep, food intolerances, muscular imbalances, mental aspects,, nutritional deficiencies, gut health and much more. The gut plays a central role. Here sits a large part of our immune system, many important brain messengers are formed in the ut. Many people also suffer from bloating and abdominal pain which costs an enormous amount of quality of life.

What made you become a coach?

When I was 13 or 14 I had extreme atopic dermatitis, also mental problems. The breakthrough came when I changed my diet and worked with a therapist. In addition, I was always very athletic. I wasn’t able to become a basketball pro so I decided: I’m going to be a coach.

The idea of ​​being 100 percent healthy and relaxed naturally appeals to everyone. The problem is: how do you motivate yourself every single day?

Many think optimal health and a beautiful body cost endless suffering. But it is very important to me that results are being sustained and succeed in the long term. If someone does not enjoy what he does, they will relapse again and again. I lead people to the point where they do not say, “Oh no, I have to, but: Hey, I want. Many think they have to change their lives completely. But they can continue to eat a slice of pizza or have a glass of wine with friends here and then.

You say, get the losers out of your life, what do you mean?

Yes, that is one of the building blocks in my concept: avoid negative influences and people who suck energy.

What would it cost to make me a five-star version?

Everyone is different, so you can not say that. But for a few weeks of individual accompaniment, you would have to calculate a four-figure sum.

You help people to change their lives forever, says your homepage. That sounds like promises of salvation – too good to be true. You have a lot of responsibility, right?

I can help people to make better use of their potential. But this is not about the extremes. Many customers are very extreme on their path and have success for a while – but not in the long run. My goal as a coach is to let customers find their balance and lead them to their midst.