Performance
A South African physician's landmark synthesis links endurance physiology, training, injury, and racing.
The author describes pacing in two layers. First, a pacing plan is stored in the subconscious from past training and racing. Then, during the effort, signals from the heart, muscles, blood and lungs change that plan as conditions unfold.
The author argues that a controller in the brain decides how hard the body may work during exercise. Fatigue is not just muscles, heart or lungs running out. Performance limits are set by this governor, not simply by the organs that traditional exercise science measured.
The author argues that a high maximal oxygen uptake comes from being a superior athlete rather than being what makes one superior. He also claims that measuring oxygen use and muscle fuel stores matters little for understanding performance.
The author disputes official advice that athletes should drink large volumes of fluid during exercise. In his view, more fluid is not inherently protective, and the standard guidance is wrong.