Title |
The limit to exercise tolerance in humans: mind over muscle?
|
---|---|
Published in |
European Journal of Applied Physiology, March 2010
|
DOI | 10.1007/s00421-010-1418-6 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Samuele Maria Marcora, Walter Staiano |
Abstract |
In exercise physiology, it has been traditionally assumed that high-intensity aerobic exercise stops at the point commonly called exhaustion because fatigued subjects are no longer able to generate the power output required by the task despite their maximal voluntary effort. We tested the validity of this assumption by measuring maximal voluntary cycling power before (mean +/- SD, 1,075 +/- 214 W) and immediately after (731 +/- 206 W) (P < 0.001) exhaustive cycling exercise at 242 +/- 24 W (80% of peak aerobic power measured during a preliminary incremental exercise test) in ten fit male human subjects. Perceived exertion during exhaustive cycling exercise was strongly correlated (r = -0.82, P = 0.003) with time to exhaustion (10.5 +/- 2.1 min). These results challenge the long-standing assumption that muscle fatigue causes exhaustion during high-intensity aerobic exercise, and suggest that exercise tolerance in highly motivated subjects is ultimately limited by perception of effort. |
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Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United Kingdom | 15 | 15% |
United States | 11 | 11% |
Australia | 7 | 7% |
Finland | 3 | 3% |
Canada | 3 | 3% |
France | 3 | 3% |
Spain | 2 | 2% |
Brazil | 2 | 2% |
Italy | 2 | 2% |
Other | 12 | 12% |
Unknown | 39 | 39% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 64 | 65% |
Scientists | 20 | 20% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 12 | 12% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 2 | 2% |
Unknown | 1 | 1% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 5 | <1% |
United States | 3 | <1% |
Spain | 3 | <1% |
Brazil | 2 | <1% |
Italy | 2 | <1% |
Sweden | 1 | <1% |
Canada | 1 | <1% |
South Africa | 1 | <1% |
Norway | 1 | <1% |
Other | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 609 | 97% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 111 | 18% |
Student > Master | 105 | 17% |
Student > Bachelor | 88 | 14% |
Researcher | 48 | 8% |
Other | 31 | 5% |
Other | 120 | 19% |
Unknown | 126 | 20% |
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Psychology | 57 | 9% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 55 | 9% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 24 | 4% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 22 | 3% |
Other | 78 | 12% |
Unknown | 151 | 24% |