The MS Guide interview with Torbjørn Laundal (“Tobben”) – How a Concept2 Changed His Life and MS Symptoms
In August 2022, Dominic from The MS Guide shared the story of Norwegian MS‑warrior Torbjørn “Tobben” Laundal. It wasn’t a studio interview – it was Tobben’s own update to the Concept2 community that Dominic wanted more people with MS to see. Because it shows something powerful: MS medicine + serious exercise can change how you live with MS.
▶️ Watch the original video on YouTube (The MS Guide) 📺 See more MS & rowing content on Row4MS
Why Dominic wanted to show this
At the start of the video, Dominic makes it clear: exercise isn’t a replacement for MS treatment, but doctors like Gavin Giovannoni and Aaron Boster keep saying it’s one of the most powerful “DMT‑like” things we can do. Tobben is a real‑world example. He takes Natalizumab / Tysabri – he has “always trusted the medicines” – and on top of that he built a training routine that actually helps with symptoms.
Christmas 2014: a big guy finds the right machine
In the video, Torbjørn explains that he first got on the rowing machine at Christmas 2014. Back then he was, in his own words, “a big, big guy” – well over 150 kg. He simply wanted to get in better shape. Rowing turned out to be perfect: one of the most effective ways to exercise, but also extremely gentle on the body.
50 kg in under six months (with 80% diet)
The really wild part: in less than six months he lost 50 kg. He’s honest about it: you can’t row away a bad diet. A fitness friend told him, “diet is 80% of the equation,” and he repeated that in the video. Rowing was the engine, but food made the weight drop that fast.
MS since 2008 – fatigue all the time
He also reminds viewers that he’s not doing this from perfect health. He was diagnosed with MS back in 2008/early 2009. One of the things he “really struggles with” is fatigue. “I’m basically tired all the time,” he says. That’s why the next part matters.
2019: reading up on MS and switching to high intensity
After the big weight loss and some years of on‑and‑off training, around 2019 he started to read properly about exercise and MS. That’s when he changed his rowing sessions. He went from typical fat‑burning heart‑rate zones to what he calls “really crazy high intensity stuff.”
Today, on his daily rows, he sits at around 90% of max HR for the whole workout. Every session is challenging. And that is what actually helps him stay awake and functional through the day.
15 million meters and a 740‑day row streak
In the MS Guide video he celebrates a huge milestone: 15 million meters on the Concept2. And the craziest detail: almost half of those meters were done during one streak – close to 740 days of rowing every single day. Same machine, 10k every day.
Why the indoor rowing community mattered
At the end of his message, Tobben thanks the global Concept2 / indoor rowing community. People from all over the world post results, and seeing that every day kept him motivated. That’s also why Dominic wanted to surface this story – it shows how online community + MS + structured training can actually work.
Dominic’s outro
Dominic finishes the video by saying he was inspired too – he went down to his local rowing club and got back on the Concept2 himself. That’s the impact of the story.
Why this page exists
The video title on YouTube doesn’t say “Torbjørn Laundal” – so it can be hard to find if you only remember the Norwegian guy with MS who rows 10k every day. This page fixes that. It uses his full name, nickname (“Tobben”), and the source (themsguide.com) so that Google can match the right person to the right video.