Why do muscles need rest after exercise? When does performance diagnostics make sense and how often can you challenge your body? What beginners and advanced users should know about regular exercise.
Movement is a basic principle of human life - because our organism never comes to rest. Even when we sleep, the heart beats around 70 times every minute, the diaphragm rises and falls twelve to 15 times, and blood flows through our veins at more than four meters per second. During exercise, these number of strokes multiply, and then it becomes obvious that evolution has equipped us with an extremely durable body.
However, this high-performance system has one disadvantage: it only works in the long term if it is repeatedly required. But in industrialized nations people have become sluggish - they save energy wherever they can. 100 years ago, a resident of the western world walked more than ten kilometers a day; now the distance covered is between 400 and 700 meters. And while at the beginning of the 20th century almost nine tenths of economic output was achieved with the help of muscle power, today it is less than one percent.
Modern people operate machines that work for them. And protects your own body - which can lead to lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, heart attack or obesity. Therefore: Nothing is as healthy as regular exercise - as long as you follow ten principles.
1. What should you consider before your first training session?
For some active people, a visit to the doctor is advisable: for beginners and those returning to sports over the age of 35, sports doctors recommend a preventive examination. Anyone who suffers from cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, diabetes, thyroid disease, lung problems or spinal problems should also consult a doctor. The same applies to smokers and people with high blood pressure or who are overweight. Children should be examined to determine the resilience of their musculoskeletal system. Even well-trained athletes over 40 are required to complete a check every two years.
2. How intense can the stress be?
Training only increases performance if it pushes the body to the limit. Because it adapts to the stress – and thus becomes more efficient. Beginners should only increase their load gradually. The goal is pleasant exhaustion, not complete exhaustion. Well-trained athletes can expect much more, but then have to plan for longer recovery times; for example, they should rest for several days after extreme exertion. Standing still is important: only during a break can the body react to the unusual stress - and build muscles, for example.
3. How much time does the training take?
How long and how often an athlete should train depends primarily on their fitness. A beginner will benefit enormously from a short, weekly training session. However, this strain is usually no longer sufficient after a few weeks. Then the following applies: Several short units are just as efficient as a few, longer ones. The problem: the better you get, the more you have to train, and the less progress you make. Then it makes sense to make the stress as variable as possible - and, for example, to complete high-intensity training every now and then.
4. How to deal with muscle problems?
Sports doctors differentiate between three phenomena: muscle soreness, cramps and major injuries (strains and tears). Muscle soreness is caused by micro-injuries in the tissue after particularly intense stress or unusual movements. It heals without lasting damage and can be alleviated with heat or light endurance training (e.g. cycling). A muscle cramp can occur during exercise, but also at night while sleeping.
The causes include severe fatigue, loss of fluids or excessive demands. Vigorous stretching or massaging of the muscle can often stop the cramp. However, it has not yet been proven whether magnesium - as is often claimed - has a preventative effect. Anyone who suffers muscle strains or tears should first treat them according to the “PECH” rule (“break,” “ice,” “compression,” “elevation”). In addition, such an injury requires time to heal, sometimes weeks; A visit to the doctor is also advisable.
5. Why warm up?
If you walk casually or slowly circle your arms, you prepare your organism for the stress that lies ahead. For example, the body temperature rises to up to 38.5 degrees Celsius, blood circulation increases, muscles become more flexible, and the speed of transmission between the nerves increases. Once warmed up, an athlete can now perform at their maximum and their risk of injury also decreases.
6. Should you stretch?
When you stretch your muscles, you don't elongate them - because they can't be stretched at all. Rather, stretching exercises only help an athlete tolerate pain and tension better, thereby increasing their mobility. Immediately before a competition, they are therefore useful for athletes who need to be very flexible under stress. These include gymnasts, hurdlers and judoka.
On the other hand, for footballers or volleyball players who often sprint or jump, stretching exercises before a competition reduce muscle strength and should therefore be avoided. As a training element, however, stretching exercises are useful in the long term for all athletes. It makes sense to stick to a rhythm - stretch for a few seconds, relax, then stretch again - instead of tensing the muscle statically for a long time.
7. Monitor your own performance?
Documenting your training makes perfect sense: if you regularly note down how quickly you have overcome distances, you can track your development and also motivate yourself more easily. Many athletes use special watches that measure heart rate and base their training on their pulse values. Athletes who base their training precisely on their heart rate must first have undergone professional performance diagnostics - something many amateurs fail to do. Instead, they rely on blanket guidelines, which are usually inaccurate. People with cardiovascular diseases should always use a heart rate monitor and not exceed a certain frequency specified by their doctor when exercising.
8. How useful is a special meal plan?
Before heavy, long-term stress, it is advisable to eat food that is particularly rich in carbohydrates (such as pasta or rice). This ensures that there are enough energy-rich carbohydrates available that the organism can use quickly. Otherwise, the diet should primarily contain protein and natural animal and vegetable fats (in meat, fish, nuts or legumes), especially during times when training is rather light.
9. How to lose weight?
To lose weight, you simply have to consume more calories than your body needs. It is therefore crucial to change your eating habits. Regular exercise is also helpful. When it comes to strength training, you should, if possible, use exercises that use large, large muscle groups, such as squats or push-ups. When it comes to endurance training, short and intensive intervals or the HIT are recommended for advanced users.
10. What if you get sick?
Anyone who is sick should under no circumstances exercise. If you have a cold, gastrointestinal infection, fever or body aches, you should take a break of several days and then start with easy training. If in doubt: consult a sports doctor.
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