Running on empty
For almost a century ,scientists have presumed , not unreasonably ,that fatigue or exhaustion in athletes orginates in the muscles . precise explaations have varied ,but all have been based on the limitations theory . in other words ,muscles tire becouse they hit a physical limit ; they either run of fuel or oxigen or they drown in toxic by-production .
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in the fast few years ,however ,timophy noakes and alan st clair gibson from university of cape town
,south africa ,have examined this standard theory .the deeper they dig ,the more convinced they have become that the physical fatigue simply isn`t the same as a car runing out of petrol.
fatigue,they argue ,is caused not by distrees signals springing from overtaxed muscles,
but is the imotional response which begins in the brain .the essence of ther new teory is that the
brain, using a mix of physiological , subconscius and conscius cues ,paces the muscles to keep them well brack from the brink of exhaustion .
when the brain desides it is time to quet , it creates the distresing senstation we interpet as unbreareble muscle fatigue this sentral governor theory remains controversial but it does explain many puzzling aspects of athletic performance .
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