Increasing strength and building muscle are only possible through the complex interaction of several hormones in the body. These hormones signal the building and breaking down of muscle protein in the cells. In addition to training, nutrition and recovery also play also play a decisive role. In this study we would like to investigate how how the hormone profile changes after a strength training session as function of other depending on other stress factors.

The participants will be invited to three appointments in our laboratory. On the first two days strength tests in bench press and squat will be performed. On the third day, all participants will complete a strength training session. Additionally, they will be exposed to a mentally relaxing or challenging situation.

Saliva samples will be collected before, during and after the entire protocol to examine the building and breaking down hormones. Participants will gain insight into their strength performance and hormone profiles.

3 appointments within approximately 2 weeks.

The appointments last 1 - 2 hours

In this study, we want to compare how genes related to telomeres, which are a marker of aging, respond to two different intensities of aerobic exercise in older individuals. We are also interested in understanding how these responses compare to younger individuals.

Interested individuals are screened for inclusion and exclusion criteria by telephone and invited to two (young adults) or three (older adults) face-to-face appointments in our laboratory.

During the first session, participants are familiarized with the procedures and exercises and perform a graded exercise test on a bicycle ergometer. This is how we determine cardiorespiratory fitness and set the intensities of acute exercise testing.

No later than seven days after this first session, you will be invited for a second appointment. If you are over 65 years of age, you will complete either moderate-intensity or high-intensity exercise on the same cycle ergometer as before. The intensity will be determined randomly.

At a third visit, also at least seven days apart from the second session, you will train at the remaining intensity.

If you are between 18 and 30 years old, you will do only one training session at the intensity to which the genes of the older participants* are most responsive. Thus, you will perform either a medium or high intensity training session. During the training sessions, blood samples will be taken from a vein in your arm by a trained and experienced professional before and several times after (30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours and 4 hours) the training session. During the post-exercise period, you will be asked to remain in our laboratory and rest comfortably.

Each of these visits is expected to last 5 to 6 hours. After participating in the study, you will receive a summary of your results. For example, you will gain insight into your maximal oxygen uptake, which is an important measure of cardiorespiratory fitness.

The results of this study provide important insights into how aging affects our bodies and our molecules!

3 appointments within approximately 3 to 4 weeks.

Appointments last 2 to 6 hours.

Our hormone system can be considered an essential messaging system in our body. Among other things, hormones signal under acute physical and mental stress, such as found in sports, that we need energy. However, not everyone responds with the same rise and fall in hormones over time during and after exercise. We think that the training condition (besides gender and age) is an important factor that influences how strongly and quickly our hormone system reacts. We would like to test this connection with this experiment and examine 30 female and 30 male subjects before, during and after a complex load.

Our participants are invited to our laboratory on three dates. On one date, we determine endurance performance using spiroergometry (the gold standard for testing endurance). The other two days consist of exercise tests with two different protocols. Before, during and after the stress tests, we take saliva samples to analyze various hormones and examine heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV).

Participants receive a detailed evaluation of their endurance capacity and hormone profile.

3 appointments within 5 to 6 weeks

Appointments last 1 to 2 hours

Adaptation to athletic training depends not only on the right intensity of training, but also on optimal regeneration afterwards. One technique for regeneration is to perform specific breathing regulation exercises that can act on the autonomic nervous system.

In this study, we combine high-intensity interval training with a breathing exercise. We hypothesize that this relaxation technique will lead to faster recovery and possibly improved adaptation to training.

Participating individuals are trained by us for four weeks on a non-motorized treadmill. They perform short, intense sprints. Following each workout and each evening, all participants either perform an active recovery technique in the form of a special breathing exercise or recover passively.

Sprint training performance, as well as heart rate and other markers of recovery and fatigue, are collected at the beginning and end of the training process and provide an indication of participants' improvements.

Participants benefit from an effective training protocol and learn an individualized breathing technique for recovery.

11 sessions in 4 weeks, lasting 40 - 50min 

In the lab of the subunit trainings science,

Institut für Sportwissenschaft und Universitätssport

auf der Schmelz 6

1150 Wien

Part of the training sessions can be done independently (e.g. in a park).