Sport: which training is exhausting? Which one pushes?

We can be brushed after some workouts. Then again we have more energy than before. Why is that? And which fitness program is good for what? An expert answers the most important questions.

Normally, nothing works in sport without a sensible warm-up. But we'll skip that now and get straight to the essentials, because we want to know:

Which sport makes you tired? Which perky?

John Harris trainer Theresa Pillichshammer knows: "In principle every training that pushes us to our personal limit, because the body switches to a survival mode. "A good example of this is HIT training, in which the muscles are stimulated to exhaustion in the shortest possible time. "On the other hand, long, monotonous, subliminal training makes us tired", so the expert.

Particularly important for the athlete: "We should make sure that sport complements our everyday movements as well as possible. " In other words, if you sit a lot, you should primarily integrate standing and hip-opening movements when it comes to fitness. Those who, instead, predominantly work in their job are particularly suitable for cycling, swimming or climbing. Pillichshammer recommends full-body, cardio, interval, strength and HIIT training if the physical strain is low. "If it's the other way around, you'd better attend yoga and Pilates classes." According to the fitness professional, these are also ideal prerequisites for the right motivation in sport: "When I notice that I have a good balance to my everyday demands, it automatically makes me more fun to move." But what if do you feel exhausted BEFORE training? brings us to the next question:

Is it healthy to exercise even when you are tired?

"You have to distinguish what kind of fatigue is meant. If I'm mentally knocked out I would not recommend any exercises that require a high level of attention and concentration ", so Pillichshammer. Better: a short interval or HIIT training session where you don't have to think along, for example on the cross trainer.

"If you are physically exhausted, I would definitely take a break. It is usually a sign from the body that it now needs time to regenerate in order to become stronger and more resilient. "If you train anyway, you risk injuries and weaken the immune system. That's right! We now know what we need and what to do is. But what if …

… the training should push me, but exhausted me instead? What am I doing wrong?

"Then you either train too much or you demand too little of your body," explains Pillichshammer, "The body always strives to stay the way it is. So he survived successfully for a long time, so why change something? If you eat a little less now, for example, and move a little more, that is a subliminal stimulus. The reaction of the body: it shuts down functions that are not so vital for it as burning fat and muscle mass. The consequence: You generally feel more tired and weaker. "It is different when you push the body to its limit:" Then it believes that it is vital to improve. "What happens? It increases fat burning and builds up Now we're interested in one more thing:

What kind of post-exercise fatigue is good and which is not?

"It is ideal if you feel this short-term, total exhaustion. The feeling you have when you just want to go to the ground because you have just given your all, it hurts, you're done, but you have a big smile on your face ", says the fitness expert. "Sore muscles are also absolutely good and show that you've trained properly. But it also means that you should definitely take a break now." Those who cannot sit still should opt for subliminal cardio, mobilization or stabilization training during these phases.