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If you train regularly, you will eventually reach your limits as an athlete. You feel exhausted, exhausted and unmotivated. A training plan alone is often not enough to get the most out of you. In this article, we will show you what champions pay attention to when it comes to their body awareness in order not to give out.
You are an athlete and your body feeling tells you it is no longer possible and you are just tired and tired? Suddenly, training is no longer fun, which is why you don't Motivation have more and put it on hold for now.
The fact is: the training plan is seldom solely responsible for an unforeseen low performance. Rather, it is the diet that is wrong. What you eat is extremely important in order to provide your body with the nutrients it needs for a hard workout. You should also know your resting heart ratein order to be able to train optimally. Train like a champion - then you can give the cold shoulder to athletic burnout.
Body awareness tip 1: Champions know when they need water
Many people exercise because they enjoy it. Others train because the body is their capital. Whether you are doing weight training, endurance training or HIIT training If you prefer to be a professional bodybuilder, triathlete or soccer player, it doesn't matter at all in the end. Even if you are someone who is just a little bit Everyday sport needs to shut down a little. What you need in any case is water so that your body does not go limp. Lack of water is the most common reason for a sudden drop in performance. However, if you want to fully exploit your performance potential, you should make sure you have enough water before, during and after training.
Water is even vital to maintain all metabolic processes. Without water we literally dry out. Depending on the type of sport and the amount of training, athletes need between three and four liters of water a day. In the case of particularly persistent sports, including triathlon and marathon, the water requirement is even much higher. After all, triathletes lose between 15 and 20 liters of water in a competition.
This can happen if the deficit is not made up in time:
- Disorientation
- Muscle spasms
- kidney damage
- Circulatory collapse
In the worst case, chronic lack of water leads to death. Unfortunately, many athletes still only drink when they are really thirsty. However, thirst is an alarm signalthat your body sends out when it threatens to dry out. You should therefore drink in good time before you are thirsty.
Which water is actually best?
Many minerals are excreted through sweat. Minerals that are essential for your body. When you are active in sports, you primarily excrete the minerals sodium, magnesium and calciumthat your body needs to build bones and muscles.
You should therefore not underestimate the regular supply of water. After all, your body consists of 70% water. Many athletes often resort to tap water to quench their thirst. In principle there is nothing wrong with tap water. Especially not if you only do sports occasionally. Tap water is not only cheap - it is often cleaner than bottled water because it is strictly controlled. However, competitive and professional athletes striving for a marathon should pay attention to the ingredients of the water in order to ensure a regular supply of sodium, magnesium and calcium.
When it comes to the minerals it contains, mineral water is clearly ahead. Water with a sodium content of 400 to 600 mg sodium per liter is ideal for competitive and professional athletes. In comparison: Tap water only has an average sodium content of 20 mg per liter. In addition, the mineral water should contain at least 150 mg calcium and 50 mg magnesium per liter. However, you should avoid carbonated water so as not to constantly belch. Even better are isotonic drinks, especially spritzers. Here, the ratio of liquid and nutrients is very similar to that of human blood and is therefore particularly readily available.
Body awareness tip 2: Champions know their pulse very well
If you want to train effectively, you should know your heart rate. The heart rate plays an important role, especially for endurance athletes who want to train in different heart rate zones. The pulse depends not only on the type of training, but also on the level of training and age. Weather conditions also play an important role.
In order to determine your current training status, you should know your resting heart rate. It is best to determine this immediately after waking up, without moving. 70 strokes are considered normal for adults. The heart of a trained athlete, on the other hand, works at 30 to 50 beats per minute.
As soon as you start exercising, your pulse will skyrocket. The so-called recovery pulse reflects your general fitness. The better your fitness, the faster you will recover. Depending on the level of performance, the pulse drops by 20, 30 or 50 beats within a minute after exercise. 50 strokes are an absolute top value that is usually only achieved by professional athletes.
If you want to train in a specific heart rate zone, you need to know your maximum heart rate. The rule of thumb is: 220 minus age, but this formula is very imprecise. Another method is the self-test, in which you do a decent sprint after a ten-minute warm-up. The highest measured heart rate is your maximum pulse.
1 Zone
This zone is also called Health zone designated. A workout in this area is not just a workout for that Recovery, but also suitable for starting training and for general stabilization of the cardiovascular system. You can reach this z. B. with a slow endurance run (50 to 60 percent of the maximum heart rate) between 20 and 40 minutes.
2 Zone
In this zone the intensity is so strong that the body does Energy primarily from fats wins. Here, ATP is not obtained from glucose, but from fats. The light to medium intensity also strengthens the cardiovascular system. It can be sustained over a longer period of time. You can reach this zone, for example, with a medium-fast endurance run (60 to 70% of the maximum heart rate) between 40 and 80 minutes.
3 Zone
70 to 80% of your maximum heart rate is the aerobic zone, too Fitness zone called. In the aerobic zone, the intensity is so high that it is perceived as moderate to strenuous. The The body draws energy primarily from cellular respiration. (ATP is not only obtained from the breakdown or conversion of glucose, but also to a small extent from fats and proteins.) Training units in this zone increase endurance, strengthen the heart muscles, improve capillarization and breathing.
4 Zone
This zone is the anaerobic threshold zone (80 to 90% of the maximum heart rate). In this zone there is no longer enough oxygen available, so that the body can Most of the energy can only be obtained through fermentation can. The supply of the muscles deteriorates, which leads to rapid fatigue. Training in this area improves the handling of lactate (improved lactic acid breakdown) and increases the "tolerance limit" or anaerobic threshold. Stress in this area is perceived as very strenuous and can only be sustained for a short time.
5 Zone
90 to 100% of the maximum heart rate: You are in this zone on the absolute high performance limit. Usually this zone is only reached in extreme situations. Loads in this area can only be sustained for a very short time.
Body awareness tip 3: Champions know when they need a break
If you train continuously to achieve your goals, you will eventually reach your limits. There is a risk of classic burnout, which is associated with fatigue and reluctance to train. At this stage, you experience regression, which can be seen as a lack of stamina or muscle wasting. Real champions allow themselves rest from time to time in order to regenerate completely and to prevent overtraining.
In most cases, performance deficits or your own feelings already indicate overtraining, however, an increased resting heart rate can also indicate burnout. Therefore, you should check your heart rate daily to relieve your body early on. It doesn't have to be a break from training, however. Loose, short training units are definitely allowed, however, under no circumstances should you overexert yourself. A relaxed endurance run is ideal in this case. You can also do other sports (cycling, swimming) to exercise moderately.
Body awareness tip 4: Champions know how to balance the imbalance in their bodies
Everyone has a "good side" that they claim more. This also affects many athletes who move unilaterally in training and competition. This includes not only fencers, canoeists, hand and soccer players, but also baseball and tennis players who place unequal demands on their bodies. Real champions compensate for this imbalance with targeted strength training to prevent muscle pain and wear and tear on the joints and spine.
Body awareness tip 5: The influence of food on your body
Real champions don't eat to satisfy their hunger. They eat to provide their bodies with essential nutrients. High quality food is the fuel for your cells. As soon as the nutrients are missing, your performance also goes downhill. It doesn't matter whether you choose paleo, a vegetarian or vegan diet. It is much more important that you eat high-quality (organic) products that do not contain any additives.
Diet is a real science. Especially for athletes. If you exercise regularly, you need an individual nutrition plan that is perfectly tailored to your needs. After all, endurance athletes have to eat differently than bodybuilders. It doesn't just depend on what you eat, but also whether you can tolerate it. This is why many professionals keep a food journal by writing down what they eat and how they feel afterwards every day. As an athlete, you should always listen to your stomach in order to optimize your body and your training.
Summary
If you notice that your athletic performance is going downhill, you are getting tired and less interested in your training, you should counter this. With these 5 tips you can start to develop a new body awareness to train like a champion in biohacking. Fatigue and displeasure will then be a thing of the past!