Bjoern Schinke (Björn Schinke) is the coach behind Linda Meier’s 2025 HYROX World Championship victory. His approach combines running and station technique, carefully managed training, and the confidence to execute on race day.
A sports scientist with a background in rowing and Olympic weightlifting, Bjoern worked as an athletic conditioning coach for Germany’s men’s eight during the Olympic cycle that ended with silver in Tokyo. He has also worked with 2021 HYROX World Champion Tobias Lautwein.
In our Rox Lyfe podcast conversation, Bjoern explains how he helped Linda improve her movement efficiency while balancing training with a full-time job. We explore how he adjusts sessions around work stress and recovery, why her neuro-athletic exercises are individual to her, and how they prepared her to stay in control when leading the biggest race of her career.
From Rowing to HYROX Coaching
Bjoern began rowing at 11 and competed at national level as a lightweight rower. Looking back, he feels he lacked a coach who could explain the transition from junior competition towards senior performance. That experience shaped the coach he wanted to become: someone who helps athletes understand what they are doing, why it matters, and how long progress might take.
His work with Germany’s men’s eight reinforced the importance of technical detail. In the weight room, he analysed barbell movements during cleans and power cleans, helping athletes improve how they moved before asking them to lift heavier.
His relationship with Tobias Lautwein also began through technique work, after offering to help improve his rowing. Tobias later introduced him to Linda Meier.
Although their first session included rowing, Bjoern identified other areas to develop, including power production and running efficiency. Building trust took time. Linda had already achieved success and understandably questioned changes to methods that had worked for her. Bjoern describes roughly the first six months of their work together as being largely about earning that trust through explanation, practice and feedback.
Movement Efficiency and Neuro-Athletic Training
Bjoern places movement efficiency at the centre of his coaching. With Linda, that meant working on running mechanics as well as station technique, looking for ways to maintain speed while wasting less energy.
He recalls Linda sending him a comparison video of her old and new running styles. Despite already being a strong runner, she could see the changes they had made together.
Neuro-athletic training forms another part of his approach. Bjoern describes this as assessing how visual information, balance and awareness of body position influence movement, then selecting exercises to address an athlete’s individual needs.
You may have seen Linda performing a balance and eye-fixation drill before racing. Bjoern explains that he selected it specifically for her, and that copying the same exercise would not necessarily help another athlete.
These exercises occupy only a small part of her training, usually at the beginning of a session or before a race. His aim is to use targeted preparation, then practise the movement itself. As an athlete develops, he removes preparatory exercises that are no longer needed.
The broader lesson is to identify where your movement could improve and work on those specific areas. Simply adding more training does not address every limitation.
Mindset, Pacing, and Learning to Lead
Before Linda’s 2025 world title, Bjoern had seen her lead an earlier race and struggle to judge her effort without someone ahead to follow. They subsequently worked on pacing, self-awareness and the confidence to trust her own performance.
That preparation became important in Chicago. When Linda took the lead during the burpee broad jumps, Bjoern’s concern was whether she could stay composed and maintain control. Watching her smile late in the race was particularly rewarding.
Enjoyment also shapes his coaching. Bjoern credits Tobias Lautwein with helping him understand how to combine detailed performance work with the fun that keeps athletes engaged in HYROX.
He adapts his use of testing to Linda’s personality, too. They use VO₂ max testing, but he avoids excessive benchmarking and repeated timed simulations that he feels could make her anxious or overly focused on numbers. Instead, he also considers her training paces, station performance and how she feels.
For everyday competitors, his main advice is to learn pacing. Start at a controlled effort, develop awareness of what you can sustain, and aim to remain in control during the second half of the race.
Balancing HYROX Training With a Full-Time Job
Linda’s training volume was one of the talking points of our conversation. When I referenced roughly eight and a half hours per week, Bjoern acknowledged that her volume was low compared with many other Elite 15 athletes.
He suggested that becoming a full-time athlete would not necessarily mean dramatically increasing her training. Extra time could also allow them to explore technical details, strength work and more complex movements.
Their programme includes running, rowing, SkiErg work, strength and station practice. Bjoern sees improved rowing technique as valuable beyond the race itself: it allows Linda to use the rower more effectively for aerobic training.
Managing fatigue is central to their approach. Running, squatting, rowing and cycling all place demands on her legs, so he considers their combined load when planning recovery.
They have a weekly framework, but communicate frequently and adjust sessions around how she feels. If Linda has an exhausting day at work, they may change the planned training. She also contributes ideas, with Bjoern helping steer the programme.
For athletes balancing HYROX with work and family, that is a useful lesson: your training plan needs to account for the demands of your life alongside the demands of the sport.
What You Can Learn From Bjoern’s Approach
You do not need to copy an elite athlete’s programme to apply some of these principles:
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Give technique a purpose. Identify a movement that costs you time or energy, then practise improving it.
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Consider your total workload. A stressful working day can affect what you can recover from.
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Practise pacing. Learn an effort you can sustain through the later runs and stations.
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Understand your sessions. Ask what each workout is intended to develop and how it fits your goals.
Bjoern’s work with Linda shows how coaching can bring technique, physical preparation and race confidence together. The details depend on the athlete, their needs and the time they have available.
To check out the full interview, watch below or listen on the Rox Lyfe podcast…
