Tougher isn’t necessarily better: what two former professionals from South Tyrol advise amateur sportspeople

Your shirt is sticking to you, your legs are shaking, and on the way to the shower that feeling of satisfaction sets in: today you’ve given it your all. For many amateur sportspeople, that’s exactly what defines a good training session. Michael Messner sees things differently. “You don’t have to push yourself to the limit in every session to improve,” says the former ice hockey player. “Just because you’re not completely knackered after a session doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good one.”

Together with his sister Kathrin Messner, he runs the Sporthotel Zoll in Sterzing, South Tyrol. Since June 2026, the family-run hotel has been consistently focused on training, recovery and nutrition. Much of what the two of them teach there can be incorporated directly into your own training.

Michael Messner joined the Starbulls Rosenheim in the DNL, Germany’s top junior league, at the age of 15. He then spent twelve years playing mainly for the Sterzing Broncos in Serie A, Serie B and the Alps Hockey League. He represented the Italian youth national teams at four World Championships.

Kathrin Messner played in midfield, including for CF Südtirol, reaching the Italian Serie A. After completing her studies in Bolzano, she trained in fitness and health coaching as well as sports nutrition, eventually obtaining her A licence. “Back then, training, nutrition and recovery were nowhere near as professionally coordinated as they are today,” she recalls of her time in women’s football. The risk of injury was correspondingly high.

Michael Messner observes that the most common mistake at the gym is made, of all people, by motivated athletes: they train regularly, but without a clear structure. It is crucial that the sessions build on one another, that the intensity is managed sensibly, and that you stick with it for months on end.

To do this, you need a starting point. “Only when I know where I currently stand can I identify what I need to work on,” says Michael Messner. It’s only a second assessment that reveals whether your training is working or whether you need to make changes. “Training hard is one thing. Knowing whether it’s actually making you better is another.”

The Messners have developed this assessment method in collaboration with Dr Lutz Herdener. The exercise physiologist completed his PhD at the Technical University of Munich, was a national and athletics coach for many years, and visits Zoll several times a month. “Graphs, figures and charts are only useful if the right data is collected accurately and the correct conclusions are drawn,” he says.

For him, there is no single measurement that explains everything. What matters is the overall picture, and at the heart of this is the quality of movement – the foundation for all further training. Anyone without a stable leg axis or with an unstable spine risks discomfort or injury during longer runs or several weeks of HYROX training. The diagnostic model used at Zoll therefore originates from professional sport, adapted for amateur athletes who wish to participate in sport over the long term.

Herdener takes a similarly nuanced view of differences in strength between the sides of the body, as recorded by VALD’s force plates. For coaches, these are a warning sign, yet sports such as tennis or ice hockey inevitably lead to asymmetries, as do old injuries. They only need to be specifically addressed once the body can no longer compensate for them. “An athlete is far more than the sum of their measurement data.

“Incidentally, according to Herdener, those who plateau rarely train in the wrong heart-rate zones; more often than not, it’s a lack of variety. A new stimulus is more beneficial than one to which the body has long since become accustomed. As you make progress, your training should therefore change.Anyone training two to four times a week without a coach should, especially at the start, have a check-up every two to three months, advises Herdener. He rejects diagnostics as an end in itself: “The training itself is often the diagnostic tool.”

When it comes to eating, too, professionals think differently. “They view nutrition much more as part of their training,” says Kathrin Messner. In recreational sport, by contrast, the focus is often on body weight. Yet anyone who trains needs sufficient energy, carbohydrates to keep their stores full, and protein for their muscles.

For everyday life, she recommends the ‘plate principle’: half the plate should consist of vegetables and fruit, a quarter of protein-rich foods and a quarter of carbohydrate-rich side dishes. There’s no need to count calories. However, the principle isn’t set in stone: On days of intensive training, endurance athletes in particular need more carbohydrates to replenish their stores.

The close link between diet, training and recovery is demonstrated by metabolic flexibility – that is, the body’s ability to switch between using energy from sugar and from fats. According to Dr Lutz Herdener, this can be trained and has an impact on performance, sleep and health, for example in the prevention of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

For Kathrin Messner, strength training is one of the most important building blocks of all, because it improves body composition, strengthens bones and maintains physical performance well into old age. She explains that women in particular are often reluctant to do strength training, out of concern that lifting heavy weights will make them too muscular. Her advice to everyone is to do strength training regularly, gradually increasing the intensity, and to feel free to use weights that challenge you. “It’s about becoming stronger, more resilient and staying healthy in the long term,” she says.

For Kathrin Messner, recovery is not an add-on to training, but an integral part of it. “We apply the stimulus during training, but the actual adaptation takes place during the recovery phases.” Michael Messner adds a point that amateur athletes often overlook: Sometimes it is wiser to adapt your planned training to how you feel on the day, rather than stubbornly sticking to it.

The phase angle from the body analysis can provide an indication of this; put simply, it reflects the condition of the body’s cells. If it drops over several measurements, Herdener explains that this may mean the body is not recovering sufficiently. Together with other data, it thus helps to identify overexertion at an early stage.

However, more recovery is not automatically better. Herdener points out that elaborate recovery strategies can also undermine hard-won training gains. Whilst cold and heat treatments are part of the daily programme at the Zoll’s Recovery Lab, the aim is to strike the right balance, not to focus on quantity.

At the Sporthotel Zoll, this philosophy has become a core concept. Since the refurbishment, nobody books just a room any more; every stay is linked to one of seven sports programmes. These range from ‘Fitness Health’ for improved wellbeing, through ‘Running Elite’ and ‘Bike Excellence’ for ambitious runners and road cyclists, to ‘HYROX Performance’ for targeted competition preparation. The siblings were aware that this would narrow their target audience. “In today’s tourism sector in particular, it is more important than ever to position oneself clearly and remain authentic,” says Michael Messner.

Following the assessment, training takes place in the 700 m² Performance Centre, which features its own HYROX area, professional racks and a skill court where sensors and cameras challenge reaction times and cognitive abilities. Just outside the door, there are around 1,000 metres of running routes, trails and road cycling passes such as the Penser Joch and the Jaufen Pass.

The crucial part, however, begins with your departure. You head home with a training plan for the next twelve weeks, accompanied by the Zoll app, and after eight weeks there’s an online session with your coach. Herdener emphasises that the app is a tool, not a substitute for a trainer’s expertise. Michael Messner doesn’t expect perfection. What’s more important, he says, is that guests understand what’s good for them and incorporate it into their everyday lives on a long-term basis. In this way, the stay becomes a starting point rather than a break for athletes who want to get more out of their training.
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Perhaps that is the most valuable lesson from competitive sport: progress isn’t made on the day you give it your all, but over the many weeks during which you keep at it sensibly.

What is measured during a performance assessment?
Depending on the method used, the assessment measures movement quality, body composition, strength and lateral differences, as well as endurance capacity. The assessment only provides meaningful results when viewed as part of the overall picture; a single measurement is not sufficient.

How often should amateur athletes undergo a performance assessment?
Anyone who trains two to four times a week without regular coaching should have a check-up every two to three months, particularly at the start. Training data such as wattage figures or improvements in technique also provide valuable insights.

Are strength differences between the left and right sides dangerous?
Not necessarily. Sports that favour one side or previous injuries often lead to asymmetries. It is important to recognise them and monitor how they develop. They should be specifically addressed through training if the body can no longer compensate for them.

What does the phase angle indicate?
The phase angle from bioimpedance analysis provides information on the condition of the body’s cells and the distribution of water within the body. If it decreases over several measurements, this may indicate high levels of stress and insufficient recovery.

What does metabolic flexibility mean?
It describes the body’s ability to switch between generating energy from carbohydrates and fats, depending on the situation. Training, diet and recovery can improve this.

What does a balanced plate look like for athletes?
A simple guide is the ‘plate principle’: half vegetables and fruit, a quarter protein-rich foods, and a quarter carbohydrate-rich side dishes. On days of intense endurance training, the proportion of carbohydrates may be higher.

Do women become too muscular from strength training?
This is a common concern. Targeted strength training with sensible progression primarily improves body composition, strengthens bones and maintains performance in the long term.

Who runs the Sporthotel Zoll in Sterzing?
Siblings Michael and Kathrin Messner, both former elite athletes in ice hockey and football. They developed the assessment and training programme together with the sports physiologist Dr Lutz Herdener. Since June 2026, every booking has included a sports programme.