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Exercise Physiology The Science of Performance |
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From a practical standpoint, in this section I explain, using both general and running terms, how the body functions physiologically. The goal is that you will gain a more complete understanding of how the body works, the physiological terms most commonly used by athletes along with their meaning, and the physiological underpinnings of modern training theory. The field of Exercise Physiology is growing rapidly. New information and data is continually being brought forward. The challenge is to take maximum advantage of this ever-increasing body of knowledge by incorporating it into our training programs in order to maximize our own individual performance. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Muscle Factor Model - a physiological breakthrough providing a more accurate understanding of how muscle function during exercise and, more importantly, how they adapt to exercise. I believe this breakthrough may produce the most significant advancement in training methods since the introduction of Periodization. Learn more here. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Performance Explained - Introducing the Power Running Model of Endurance Physiology Have you ever wondered just why you can't run faster? What is going on in your body that determines how fast you can run for any distance? This article explains, in plain language, the physiological things that determine how fast you can run. If you don't really care about all the physiological jargon and endless debate about things like mitochondrial density or VO2max and you just want to know in general terms how all that physiological stuff fits together, this article is for you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why Do We Fatigue? While running, what causes us to get tired and unable to hold our pace? Why can't we run a set distance at a faster pace? Runners have been asking this question forever. Physiologists have been studying it for 100 years but have not been able to provide a definitive answer. In fact they have proposed at least 8 different models to explain fatigue. Which one, if any, is right? After much thought and research I offer a new explanation for why we fatigue. Read more here.
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This series lays out the beliefs and tenets of the power running program. 1. Muscles 2. Power 3. Strength 6. Intensity 7. Volume 8. Recovery 9. Bodyweight ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lactate There is NO Lactate Threshold There is no lactate threshold? Can that really be true? For a long time runners have believed some pretty bad things about lactate. However, there is a significant body of evidence proving that these negative beliefs about lactate are inaccurate. And there is evidence that there is not a lactate threshold. Find out more here. The Popular Press and Lactic Acid If you read popular books and magazines you have surely been exposed to the terms lactate and lactate threshold. The popular press has been very consistent in their explanation of these terms and their application to running. However, research about the true nature of lactate is finally making its way into the popular press. Read about the new writings on lactic acid in the popular press here. Do High Lactate Levels Actually Improve Performance? If you follow conventional training wisdom you are aware that the "lactate threshold" is considered to be an important determinant of endurance performance. What does the latest research have to say on this topic? Find out in this article. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sprinting Is the 100 meter sprint an endurance event? Recent research has proven that sprints and interval have a much higher aerobic component than ever believed. What is the implication of this new research? Marshall Burt coach of the Elite Training Group in Austin, TX addresses this topic here. The Surprising Aerobic Benefit of Sprinting If you are familiar with traditional training programs you know the difference between aerobic and anaerobic training. Aerobic training improves your aerobic capacity and anaerobic training improves your VO2max. Right? New research calls these beliefs into question and indicates that anaerobic training has a profound influence on aerobic capacity Find out more here. More Research on the Aerobic Benefit of Sprinting Two follow-on sprint studies by the same research team that discovered surprising improvements in aerobic endurance performance due solely to sprint training. Find out more here. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Genetics How Different Are Elites? What explains the big differences in the performance of elite runners and average runners? Are elite runners born with a natural ability to excel at running or does something else explain their performance? This article examines this topic in detail. How Much Can You Improve? Ever wonder just how good a runner you can become? Are there elite level genetics lurking in your genes? Above average level talent? If you and your buddy follow the exact same training program, will you both improve the same amount? Research provides some interesting data in helping answer these types of questions. Find out more here. How Much Can You Improve? - part 2 Research shows that there is a large variability in response to training. What does this mean to you and what are the training implications of these findings? Find out more here. How Much Can You Improve? - part 3 The third and final part of this series. How much influence do genetics have on performance? Can hard work compensate for less than elite genetic talent? Part 3 examines this topic in detail. Find out more here. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Muscle What Limits High Speed Running Performance? What determines how fast you can sprint for durations from a few seconds up to 3 minutes? Traditional exercise physiology has long taught that sprint performance is limited by anaerobic energy production. Some recent research examining this belief revealed some startling information about energy production and muscle function. Read it here. Muscle Factors There is a growing body of research examining muscle factors and the role of muscle in endurance performance. Unfortunately, lay publications seldom discuss in any detail this new information or its applicability to endurance training. The good news is that the information finally seems to be getting out to the running community. Read more here. Changes in Muscle Fiber Activation With Training, part 1 Does training cause changes in muscle fiber activation? Do different training methods result in different changes in the muscle fibers themselves? We begin exploring this fascinating subject in the first of a multi-part series on training induced changes in muscle fiber activation. Running and Muscle Damage What lessons do research studies on muscle damage and running teach us? Find out in this article. The Role of Muscle in Performance: What really limits running performance? Is it the aerobic system, as is so widely promoted by scientists and coaches alike? Or could it be something else? I submit that the singular focus on the aerobic system has blinded scientists, coaches, and runners to the true role that muscles play in performance. Find out more in this article on the role of muscles in performance. Muscle Contractility: This series explores in detail the primary characteristics of muscle. 1. Introduction 3. Strength ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Central Governor Model Professor Tim Noakes, MD, the noted researcher and author of the book Lore of Running has recently introduced a new model of endurance physiology, the Central Governor Model, that is generating a considerable amount of excitement in the physiology world. In my communications with Dr. Noakes I offered to publish some of his articles to my web site. He forwarded the following articles. If you aren't familiar with his revolutionary model it is well worth your time to read these articles. Central Governor Model - a review, part 1 The first in a series of articles that introduces the runner to the Central Governor Model. If you are want to know about this important new physiological model, but don't want to wade through all technical research, this series is for you. I discuss and review, in laymen's terms, this new model by Dr. Tim Noakes.. Central Governor Model - a review, part 2 Does Professor Noakes' Central Governor Model contradict or invalidate my muscle power model of performance? Part 2 of this series examines this question in detail. Evidence for a Complex Systems Model of Fatigue Evidence for complex system integration and dynamic regulation of skeletal muscle recruitment during exercise in humans. To download the article, right click on the link above, select "save target as" and save to your computer's hard drive. You will need Adobe Reader to view the article. Complex Systems Model of Fatigue In this article Prof. Noakes discusses in-depth the interaction between multiple physiological systems and the brain, further developing his central governor model. To download the article, right click on the link above, select "save target as" and save to your computer's hard drive. You will need Adobe Reader to view the article. From Catastrophe to Complexity Is fatigue caused by a lack of oxygen or excess lactic acid? Or is fatigue regulated by other processes? In the article Prof. Noakes introduces a novel model of central regulation of effort and fatigue. To download the article, right click on the link above, select "save target as" and save to your computer's hard drive. You will need Adobe Reader to view the article.
How does a foundational myth become sacred scientific dogma? part 1: Introduction and Lessons from Medical Training part 2: Lessons from Scientific Training part 3: The A.V. Hill cardiovascular/anaerobic model of exercise physiology part 5: The integrated neuromuscular recruitment model of exercise physiology ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- General Physiological Topics The Physiology of FIRST What explains the success of the FIRST training method? This report examines the physiology of FIRST and the results might surprise you. Read them here. A Physiological Explanation for 30 Years of Marathon Training An examination of 30 years of published marathon training programs reveals some interesting physiological insights. Read about them here. The Physics of Faster Running part 1 Exercise physiology teaches that running speed is determined by stride length times stride frequency. But, what determines stride length and frequency? Exactly what is happening within the body that results in an increase in either of these two? And what limits high speed running performance? Part 1 of 2 in a series on the physics of running faster examines these questions. Read part 1 here. The Physics of Faster Running part 2 What role does body and muscle mass play in running performance? Why are sprinters so heavily muscled and distance runners so slender? Is it possible that muscle plays a stronger role in performance than is commonly realized? Part 2 explores this topic in detail. Read it here. What Makes Lance Armstrong So Good? Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France 7 consecutive times and may the best cyclist in the history of the sport. What physiological changes occurred in Lance's body that catapulted him from just another professional cyclist to the Grand Champion of the Tour de France more times than anyone in history? Find out here. Only a Difference of Magnitude - Intrigued by the Lance Armstrong study a team of exercise scientists studied a group of world-class cyclists for five years in order to figure out what physiological changes accounted for improved performance. What was different about the changes in these cyclists versus those found in Lance Armstrong? Find out here. Dose - Response and Running What is dose-response and what implications does it have for running? Find out in this article. The Effect of Training Frequency on Recovery Does training frequency affect recovery rate? Find out in this research study examining this very topic. Thoughts on Running Economy Running economy is considered very important to endurance performance by many physiologists, coaches, and runners. However, little is known about what determines running economy and how to best improve it. This article provides some new thinking on this little understood factor. Running Physiology - the current state of the art: This series reviews the most commonly held view of running physiology - namely the Cardiovascular/Anaerobic model - and the numerous challenges to this model. If you have ever heard the terms VO2max, Lactate Threshold, and Running Economy and wondered what they mean and how they apply to runners, this is your primer. 1. VO2 max 5. VO2max or Max running speed? 7. Review
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