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Why Olympic athletes aren’t at risk for pushing their physical limits
Two weeks of images showing Olympic athletes completely gassed at the end of their events probably gives people reason to wonder how much is too much.
[Slideshow: Pain and punishment at the Olympics]
The human limits get pushed by top-level athletes, but apparently not to the point of a life-or-death situation. That's not to suggest the average exerciser should make sure to go out for her/his job at that hottest part of the day instead going out in the morning or evening when it is more temperate, but it is fascinating.
Research, much of it led by Tim Noakes, a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, suggests that however much some athletes may want to push beyond all previous performances, a switch in the brain - known as the "central governor" - will keep them safe.
"The brain uses the symptoms of fatigue as key regulators to ensure that the exercise is completed before harm develops," Noakes wrote in a recent paper in the journal Frontiers In Physiology.
In other words, it's not that muscles get too exhausted to work any more, or that the body gets too hot to go on, but that the brain stops an athlete activating the same amount of muscle, thus forcing them to stop before it's "life over." (Reuters)
[Related: Watching the Olympics? So is almost everyone else in Canada]
The ghoulish spectre of a performer dying in competition has been heightened in recent years; it nearly happened right in London earlier this year. Five years ago, U.S. marathoner Ryan Shay collapsed and died during his country's Olympic trials. There have also been plenty of conjecture that distance runners face long-term health problems. However, those are so statistically rare it doesn't suggest a trend, and apparently it involves people who had a heart condition.
In other words, go out and run.
Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.
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