when gritting my teeth stopped working.
after an injury, endometriosis, long covid and some other health stuff, i couldn't train the way i used to. not because i didn't want to. it just stopped working.
Moin, I'm _Clara_.
i just wanted to get back to who i used to be.
strong, fit, with lots of energy. then came an injury, then chronic health stuff, and pushing stopped working. this is the story of how i came back differently.
you used to be really fit. training was yours, it felt natural, it was part of you. then an injury got in the way, or a diagnosis, or some chronic thing that doesn't go away anymore. and suddenly the old model stops working. you push, it hurts, you stop, you're frustrated. physio signed off, the doctors just shrug, and nobody tells you how to train with a body like this. i know how that feels. because it was mine, and part of it still is.
The shift
My story.
i trained the way a lot of people do for a long time. push through. do more. pull it together. thinking movement has to feel hard. worked great, until it didn't at all.
the mindset i had to unlearn.
Most spaces I was in — both in training and at university — reward that mindset. Being tough. Performing. Not really listening to your body. I got pretty good at that. And then I had to unlearn a lot of it.
force less, notice more.
my approach shifted. looking closer at what really creates change and what just creates more tension. accepting myself and what my body is telling me, instead of running away from it.
what i watch for now.
i care less about how much someone can do. more about how they do it. how they move. how they adapt. how they notice when something's off, and what they do with it.
Philosophy
I felt like I had to start from zero while at the same time having to push harder.
but throughout my process I realized: I already had the strength, it was just misguided. I just had to realign with what my body needed.
my degree
before i was a coach, i was a data scientist.
master of science, years in data and patterns. sounds far from movement. it isn't. i don't guess. i look at what really moves the needle and what just looks fancy. same precision goes into every session now, only the data is the body in front of me.
Philosophy
Stronger.
More aware.
More at home in your body.
training as support. not a fight against yourself.
i didn't make this up. my approach comes from years with people who really understand rehab, strength and internal martial arts. not a trend, something that holds.
Mentors & inspiration
Andi Goceva (Back2Back Gym)
Athletik-Trainerin und Rehab-Expertin in Berlin. Arbeitet mit Läufer:innen und Athleten nach Verletzungen durch gezieltes Krafttraining und Lauftraining.
2025 August – Dezember: Praktikum im Back2Back Gym.
Kraft & Gesundheitstrainerin A-Lizenz
Trainerzertifikat bei Chris Eikelmeier (Strength First). Kraftaufbau, funktionelles Training, sichere Progressionen.
Stefan Müller (Xuan Gong Fu Academy)
Interne Martial Arts. Körpergefühl und Bewegungsverständnis.
Seit 2021: Teacher Training Program Tai Ji & Qi Gong.
2022–2024: Vollzeitprogramm (Tai Ji, Qi Gong, Meditation, Pi Gua, Ba Gua, Chinese Kickboxing, Sword, BJJ).
Kerem Shemi
Einstieg in die Internen Kampfkünste 2019 über ihren Kung Fu Dance Kurs. Weiterhin Mentorin, inzwischen auch im Unterrichten.
David Grey Rehab
Nach einer Schulterverletzung über Kazufumi Nischimura auf die Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) Methoden gestoßen. Biomechanics Education DGR Interactive.
Movision Movement
Seit 2017 erste dedizierte Movement-Community. Softakrobatik, Animal Flow, zeitgenössischer Tanz, Kampfkünste.
Ido Portal Method
2014–2016 über Calisthenics-Gruppe kennengelernt. Prägte Bewegungsverständnis und Trainingsansatz.
One step