Hard work in the desert at FC Bayern Munich’s training camp

FC Bayern Munich make winning look easy, but there’s a reason they’re so successful. Part of that is the intense workouts and conditioning that go into their winter training camp, taking place in Doha, Qatar.

The celebration in Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium when the home side Qatar Stars scored a goal against Bayern Munich earlier this week is an indicator of how dominant Bayern Munich can be: opponents have little hope of beating them, so they might as well celebrate any small success they can get.

Not surprisingly, Bayern won their first friendly match of 2015 handily by a score of 4-1. The win showed that even after the winter break, Bayern have the right combination of talented players and excellent coaching to win in just about any circumstances.

Bayern’s bench is known for being quite deep, but the expertise of head coach Pep Guardiola extends to the rest of the coaching staff as well. Among the other coaches is Thomas Wilhelmi, the team’s fitness and rehabilitation coach. He’s a busy man during Bayern’s eight-day Volkswagen Camp Qatar, often running two strength training sessions a day.

“After the guys have had 14 days of rest [over the winter break],” says Wilhelmi, “it’s important to get them back into the same shape they were at the end of the first half of the season.”

Never a dull moment

The team traveled to a fully equipped sporting complex in Doha for the fourth straight year to run their training camp and have just a few hundred meters to walk between the hotel and the training pitch.

Every day is packed full: there are often two training sessions of 60 to 90 minutes. On top of that, some players complete additional strength sessions in the gym or additional conditioning in the pool, on the bike, or on the running paths. Press conferences and other team obligations are also part of the program in Doha, and tha players are constantly keeping an eye on proper nutrition and making sure they get enough rest. Trips outside the camp complex do occur when the players are given the rare afternoon off to relax.

The camp's setting allows the players to focus entirely on training with as few distractions as possible.

Recognized worldwide

Despite being far removed from their home base of Munich, the team can’t shake the fact that it is one of the most famous in the world. Even in Doha, fans gather around the training pitch and stake out spots well in advance to grab autographs from players. In contrast to Munich, however, these fans number a few dozen as opposed to a few thousand.

“When you’ve got the FC Bayern virus and you’re a total fan, you want to experience something like this,” said Michael Zeman, a fan who traveled all the way from Germany to see the team up close in Doha.

That, too, is a testament to Bayern’s success as a team. Becoming a globally recognized sports team does not happen overnight, but is established over several years of winning seasons.

As Bayern’s international logistics and eCommerce full-service partner, DHL is proud to support FC Bayern Munich as they continue to reach even more fans around the world. Keep up to date on the partnership between FC Bayern Munich and DHL by bookmarking the sports feed of InMotion. Don't forget to check out the DHL Facebook page for a chance to win a souvenir package personally packed by players in Qatar!