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 PHYSIOLOGY - LABORATORY AND CLINICAL RESEARCH

REGULATION OF
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 PHYSIOLOGY - LABORATORY AND CLINICAL RESEARCH

REGULATION OF
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FRANK E. MARINO
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Regulation of fatigue in exercise / editors, Frank E. Marino.

p. cm. -- (Physiology - laboratory and clinical research)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-62081-810-7 (eBook)
1. Fatigue. 2. Exercise. 3. Health. 4. Stress (Physiology) 5.
Exercise--Physiological aspects. 6. Sports--Physiological aspects. I.
Marino, Frank E.
RA781.R33 2011
613--dc22
2011003737

Published by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. † New York

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 CONTENTS

Contents v
Preface vii
Chapter 1 The Central Governor Model and Fatigue during Exercise 1
Timothy David Noakes
Chapter 2 Two-way Interactions between Mental and Physical Stressors
and their Role in Fatigue 27
Stephen S. Cheung
Chapter 3 Metabolic Acidosis and Fatigue: Where to from here? 41
R. A. Robergs and D. Kennedy
Chapter 4 Central Mechanisms Limiting Muscle Performance in Fatigue 63
Janet L. Taylor and Simon C. Gandevia
Chapter 5 The VO2MAX and the Central Governor:
A Different Understanding 79
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Timothy David Noakes

Chapter 6 The Anticipatory Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise 101
Frank E. Marino
Chapter 7 Fatigue and the Regulation of Exercise Intensity during Team
Sport Matches 117
Rob Duffield and Aaron J. Coutts
Chapter 8 Cytokine Dysregulation and Cancer-related Fatigue in Exercise 137
Jack Cannon
Chapter 9 An Overview of the Epidemiological Evidence Linking Injury
Risk to Fatigue in Sport: Identification of Research Needs
and Opportunities 155
Caroline F. Finch, Ann Williamson and Brendan O’Brien
Chapter 10 Fatigue – Insights from Individual and Team Sports 177
David B. Pyne, David T. Martin

Index 187

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Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 PREFACE

The chapters contained within this edited volume are the result of presentations delivered
at a meeting on the Future of Fatigue in Exercise July 19-21, 2009. The purpose of the
meeting was to bring to the forefront new ideas about fatigue in exercise which have been
proposed over the last 15 years or so. Much of the controversy in this area of research has
stemmed from the insightful “unpacking” of the interpretations provided by proponents of the
classical view that the limitations of human physical performance are determined primarily by
the limitations of the circulatory system. One might argue that this view and understanding
has stood the test of time and thus is unshakable in its abilities to predict human physical
performance. However, it is noteworthy that the philosopher Karl Popper suggested that every
idea might someday fall to the ground.
More important than Popper‟s assertion is the most sacred of tenets of scientific inquiry;
that of refutation. The consequence of all scientific inquiry is that new models come to light
which might better explain a wide range of phenomena. To this end, the chapters contained in
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

this volume are intended to provide the reader with some alternative explanations for existing
data and a way forward for those wanting to continue unraveling the causes of fatigue under
various exercise conditions. If, by the reading this book the reader is not enticed to challenge
or argue with the authors then the book will have missed an opportunity and not served its
greater purpose. In saying this, it is worthwhile reiterating the wise words of renowned
paleoanthropologists Johanson and Shreeve [1], “As scientists, our first responsibility is to
squeeze the last drop of information out of every bit of evidence we have in hand. But we
must also be willing to take the next step, and build from that information theories that will be
ready when the next discovery comes along to test their strength. That‟s what doing science
means…The point is not to be right. The point is to make progress. And you cannot make
progress if you are afraid to be wrong.” (p. 131). It is with this sense of adventure and
willingness that the authors of the chapters in this book have undertaken their writing task.

[1] Johanson D, Shreeve J. Lucy's child: The discovery of a human ancestor. London:
Viking; 1989.

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Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 In: Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise ISBN 978-1-61209-334-5
Editor: Frank E. Marino © 2011 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Chapter 1

THE CENTRAL GOVERNOR MODEL

AND FATIGUE DURING EXERCISE

Timothy David Noakes*

UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine,
Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town and Sports Science
Institute of South Africa, Boundary Road, Newlands, 7700, South Africa

ABSTRACT
In 1923 Nobel Laureate A.V. Hill proposed that maximal exercise performance is
limited by the development of ischaemia of the heart leading to anaerobiosis in the
exercising skeletal muscles. This anaerobiosis prevented the oxidative removal of the
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

lactic acid that Hill believed induced skeletal muscle contraction. As a result, skeletal
muscle relaxation was inhibited, impairing exercise performance and inducing fatigue.
This theory has dominated teaching and research in the exercise sciences for the past 80
years. But the problem with the model is that there is little biological evidence that it is
correct and much that disproves it. For example there is no evidence that skeletal muscles
become “anaerobic” during exercise or that the accumulation of lactic acid impairs
skeletal muscle function. Further this model of exercise performance is unable to explain
at least 6 common phenomena including (i) differential pacing strategies for different
exercise durations; (ii) the end spurt in most forms of competitive sport; the presence of
fatigue even though (iii) homeostasis is maintained and (iv) fewer than 100% of the
muscle fibers in the active limbs have been activated; (v) the ability of certain drugs and
other interventions to enhance exercise performance even though they act exclusively on
the brain; and (vi) the finding that the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) is a function of
the relative exercise duration rather than the exercise intensity. More importantly, the
cardinal weakness of this model is that it is “brainless”. It allows no role for the brain in
the regulation of exercise performance. In this chapter I present the evidence that an
alternate model of exercise performance, the Central Governor Model, is better able to
explain all these phenomena. The CGM views exercise as a behaviour that is regulated in

*
Tel: +2721 6502459; E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
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 2 Timothy David Noakes

anticipation by complex intelligent systems in the brain, the function of which are to
ensure that whole body homoeostasis is protected under all conditions. According to this
complex model fatigue is purely an emotion, the function of which is to insure that
exercise terminates before there is a catastrophic biological failure. The complexity of
this regulation cannot be appreciated by those who study the body as if it is a collection
of disconnected components, as has become the usual practice in the modern exercise
sciences.

INTRODUCTION
My early career in the medical sciences was strongly influenced by Prof Christiaan
Barnard who on the night of the 3rd December 1967, performed the world's first successful
human heart transplant in my hometown. As a direct result, three months later whilst
completing a student exchange program in Los Angeles, California, I decided to study
Medicine at the University of Cape Town. After completing my training and my internship, I
chose to complete an MD degree for which I studied, amongst other topics, the function of the
heart using an isolated, perfused, pumping rat heart model. I wished to understand the nature
of the factors that determine the heart‟s ability to produce a maximum cardiac output. Since a
large focus of my subsequent career has been to challenge the theory that the cardiac output is
the principal regulator of human exercise performance [1], only now do I appreciate the irony
of that choice.
For five years I worked in Professor Lionel Opie‟s laboratory that was established at the
University of Cape Town to study cardiac metabolism as a result of Professor Barnard‟s
innovation. Perhaps my subsequent career was influenced by Professor Barnard's statement
that: “Most of us think along straight lines, like a bus or a train or a tram. If the destination
isn't up on the board, few of us would know where we are going - and this applies even to
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scientific researchers who should know better. We tend to let tradition lead us by the nose. It
takes an effort of will to break out of the mould” [2] (p. 56).
During this research I discovered that an important factor determining the heart‟s
capacity to produce a maximum cardiac output was the nature of the fuels and hormones
supplied to it. Only when provided with glucose, insulin and adrenaline did the heart produce
its highest cardiac output [3]. Importantly these chemicals maximized myocardial
contractility [4], which is best understood as the capacity of each individual actin and myosin
crossbridge to produce force during myocardial contraction; the greater the force produced by
each cross-bridge, the higher the contractility. Looking back in hindsight at that work 30
years later, I now conclude that even though it lacks a brain to control it, the isolated working
heart paces itself during these experiments so that it does not fail catastrophically. Instead it
always functions with reserve but this reserve is minimized in hearts perfused with glucose,
insulin and adrenaline. I learned also that the heart maximized its stroke volume and hence
the cardiac output, through quite large changes in myocardial contractility. Subsequently we
showed that physical training altered the extent of certain phosphorylation processes on the
regulatory myosin light chains and that these changes might explain training-induced changes
in myocardial contractility and hence in cardiac function [5].

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 The Central Governor Model and Fatigue during Exercise 3

Perhaps the single most important physiological principle I learned during that time was
contained in Table 10.1 on page 162 of the 1977 version of the classic textbook of the time,
Physiology of the Heart, written by Professor Arnold Katz [6] of New York. That table
compared the mechanisms by which the heart and skeletal muscles increase their force
production. It explains that skeletal muscle increases its force production almost entirely by
increasing the number of motor units (and hence muscle fibers and cross-bridges) that are
active (recruited) in the exercising muscles. Katz proposes the still common belief that
skeletal muscle fibers have only a very limited capacity to increase their inherent contractility.
In contrast, because all its fibers contract with each beat, the heart cannot increase its
force production through an increased muscle fiber recruitment. Instead this increase can
occur only as a result of maximizing (i) the number of actin and myosin cross bridges formed
during contraction (the Frank-Starling effect) and (ii) the contractility of each cross-bridge.
The strange paradox is that those cardiologists who have little direct contact with the exercise
sciences, have always taught that skeletal muscle increases its contractile force by recruiting
more motor units and hence more muscle fibers. These cardiologists do not teach that the
output of the organ of their speciality, the heart, determines the capacity of the skeletal
muscles to produce force (as a result of a large cardiac output and hence a generous oxygen
delivery to the exercising muscles). Rather they teach that the speed at which we run or the
weight that we can lift, is determined by the number of motor units that are recruited in our
exercising limbs. Exercise physiologists on the other hand consistently argue that how fast we
run is determined solely by the magnitude of our maximal cardiac output [7, 8]. Most remain
vigorously opposed to any suggestion that the extent of skeletal muscle recruitment plays any
role.
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Hill’s Preconception.
An oxygen deficit
determines fatigue Since I am tired when
during maximal running at 16km/hr,
exercise. I must have an oxygen
deficit.
Hence this proves …

Figure 1. The circular logic on which A.V. Hill established his Cardiovascular/Anaerobic/Catastrophic
Model of Human Exercise Performance.

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 4 Timothy David Noakes

Maximal Work Loads

Oxygen Uptake
4 Blood Lactate

Blood [lactate] (mmol/l)

12
Oxygen uptake (l/min)

Maximal
3 Submaximal
Oxygen
Work Loads
Uptake 9

2
6
Note the presence
1 of a “plateau” for
2 work loads each 3
lasting 3 minutes
0 0
Rest I II III IV V VI
Speed 3 mph 3 mph 7 mph 7 mph 7 mph 7 mph
Treadmill
Grade 5% 15% 2,5% 5% 7,5% 10%

Work Load

Figure 2. An early graphic depicting the “plateau phenomenon” according to the interpretation of
Mitchell and Blomqvist in 1971.

After completing my Doctor of Medicine degree I began to teach courses in sports

sciences and to establish a sports science laboratory. At the time it was believed that the
measure of a proper exercise scientist was his or her proven ability accurately to measure the
maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) of athletes. Furthermore, the more “elite” the
athletes that he or she was able to test, the more important must be the exercise scientist. This
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perversity occurred because of the discipline-wide dogma that the VO2max alone defines all
there is to know about human exercise performance. Nothing else really mattered, then or
even now [9].
Quite quickly I also learned that a study measuring the VO2max could not be published in
a reputable sports science journal at that time unless in included the following statement:
“The plateau phenomenon was identified in 100% of tested subjects”. However we were
unable to identify this phenomenon in studies of rats [10, 11] and humans [12] with the
regularity that the discipline then required. The challenge was either to follow this popular
tendency and to write that which we had not found. Or else to discover why, uniquely in the
entire world [8] it seems that we are the only researchers unable to discover this “plateau
phenomenon” in 100% of our tested subjects.
Better to understand our unique failure, I became interested in the history of how this
intimate linkage had developed between oxygen consumption, in particular the VO2max, and
athletic performance. One natural starting point was Professor David Costill‟s first book on
the physiology of long distance running [13]. For at the time there was no exercise
physiologist who better understood the application of exercise physiology to athletic
performance. On page 26 I discovered the following statement: “Since the early work of Hill
and Lupton [14], exercise physiologists have associated the limits of human endurance with
the ability to consume larger volumes of oxygen during exhaustive exercise”. This statement
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 The Central Governor Model and Fatigue during Exercise 5

suggested that this linkage likely began with the work of the English physiologists Professor
A.V. Hill and Dr Harry Lupton. My readings soon led me to a foundation study of Professor
Frederick Gowland Hopkins of the University of Cambridge. This study was clearly pivotal
in the evolution of Hill‟s beliefs.
By the time they reported their studies, Hill and Hopkins had both won Nobel prizes for
Physiology or Medicine but neither was a neurophysiologist. Hopkins was a biochemist and
Hill a muscle physiologist. It is perhaps natural that any models to understand human exercise
performance that either developed would focus predominantly on biochemical and
physiological explanations without any reference to the brain. Furthermore as Hill was
essentially a muscle physiologist, since it was for the study of muscle that he had been
awarded the Nobel Prize in 1922, it was to be expected that he would place skeletal muscle at
the centre of any model of human exercise physiology that he developed.
The studies of Hopkins were particularly interesting because his intent was not to study
exercise physiology in humans but rather to measure the true lactic acid concentrations in the
skeletal muscles of recently dead creatures, specifically frogs. He had found that the lactate
concentrations of frog skeletal muscle were never low under these conditions. He surmised
that some chemical reaction was activated by death causing lactate concentrations to rise in
muscles sampled after death. He soon discovered that muscle lactate concentrations were
much lower when the harvested muscles were placed immediately in ice-cold alcohol, than
they were in muscles not treated this way. Furthermore if the excised muscles were then
stored in an atmosphere of nitrogen, their lactate concentrations continued to rise. Whereas,
lactate concentrations fell progressively in muscles stored in oxygen. Hopkins and W.M.
Fletcher, who is remembered as Hill‟s tutor, subsequently concluded that “lactic acid is
spontaneously developed, under anaerobic conditions in excised muscle” and that “fatigue
due to contractions is accompanied by an increase of lactic acid” [15].
In fact in the context of what he was studying, Hopkins should have concluded that
“since lactic acid is spontaneously developed in excised frog muscle, so this reaction must be
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stopped by immediately placing the excised muscle in ice-cold alcohol if the true ante-
mortem muscle lactate concentration is to be measured”. Unfortunately this conclusion was
not properly conveyed. As a consequence when A.V. Hill began to interpret his own findings,
he quickly concluded that Hopkins‟ work had proved that skeletal muscles produce lactic acid
only when they are “anaerobic” and that it is this production of lactic acid that causes skeletal
muscle fatigue. The point of course is that Hopkins and Fletcher‟s work had essentially
nothing to do with exercise physiology. They studied neither exercise, nor “anaerobiosis”
(rather they studied totally anoxic muscle that did not have a blood supply). Nor did they even
study mammals, let alone humans.
My readings led me ultimately to the critical statement by Hill, Long and Lupton [16]
that: “Considering the case of running ... there is clearly some critical speed for each
individual ... above which, the maximum oxygen intake is inadequate, lactic acid
accumulating, a continuously increasing oxygen debt being incurred, fatigue and exhaustion
setting in”. Unrecognized at the time was that this interpretation introduced the novel concept
of catastrophe into the teaching of physiology, more specifically into exercise physiology. For
the standard teaching in human physiology is that the body has multiple redundant controls to
ensure that all bodily systems are homeostatically regulated under all conditions of life [17]
but fail catastrophically only at the moment of death. Yet in this single paragraph A.V. Hill
introduced the concept of catastrophic failure into human exercise physiology. A measure of
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 6 Timothy David Noakes

the resilience of his interpretation is that nearly 90 years later, this concept of fatigue resulting
from a catastrophic physiological failure remains intact and largely unchallenged in almost all
the teaching and writing in the exercise sciences.
At the 1987 American College of Sports Medicine Annual Conference I was invited to
speak on the role of exercise testing for the prediction of athletic performance. There for the
first time I showed that Hill's original study did not prove the conclusion that he had drawn
(Figure 2 in [18]). Specifically that he had not established that fatigue during maximal
exercise is caused by the development of anaerobiosis in the exercising muscles. By re-
analyzing Hill‟s data, I was able to show that he had based his interpretation and hence built
his entire cardiovascular/anaerobic/catastrophic (CAC) model on the basis of his
preconceived belief that an oxygen deficit causes fatigue during maximal exercise (Figure 1).
Yet the basis for his interpretation was the sensation of fatigue that he developed when
running at the highest speeds of which he was capable. Thus when he experienced the
symptoms of fatigue whilst running at 16 km/h, Hill assumed that he had suddenly developed
an oxygen deficit. Hence the model that Hill conceived was entirely dependant on his
preconception, even before he began his first experiment, that skeletal muscle anaerobiosis
causes fatigue (Figure 1). As a result Hill‟s experiment simply “proved” what he already
believed and did not consider any other possible explanations.
In 1971 J.H. Mitchell and G. Blomqvist [19] produced the classic figure, reproduced here
as Figure 2, which indicated their interpretation of how the failure of oxygen delivery
conceived by Hill, limits maximal exercise performance by producing a “plateau” in oxygen
consumption. Notice that their depiction of a plateau was specific – the absence of any further
increase in oxygen consumption once a maximum value had been achieved. Currently there
are about 13 modern definitions of the criteria used to define the “plateau phenomenon” [1]
and none describes the precise and unequivocal event depicted by Mitchell and Blomqvist in
this figure. For if the “plateau phenomenon” is caused by the physiological phenomena that
Hill described (and as detailed below), specifically the onset of myocardial ischaemia leading
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to skeletal muscle anaerobiosis, then the description of what constitutes a “plateau

phenomenon” is quite simple – it must take the form depicted by Mitchell and Blomqvist.
But according to the Hill model the real test of a maximal effort must be the development
of myocardial ischaemia, a point that is persistently avoided by those seeking to prove that a
particular VO2max measurement is truly “maximal” [20-24] (see also Chapter 5).

HILL’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE FACTORS INITIATING

AND TERMINATING SKELETAL MUSCLE CONTRACTION

Hill‟s understanding of skeletal muscle contraction was the following: “When a muscle is
stimulated, a certain amount of lactic acid is liberated at certain surfaces within it. This, by
some physical or chemical process still uncertain, causes a development of force and, if
allowed, a shortening of the muscle. The acid is then rapidly neutralized, its effect passes off,
and the muscle relaxes. The process can be repeated again and again until the available supply
of alkali for neutralizing the acid has been used up, when the rapidly increasing acidity of the
muscle stops its further activity. This stage is that of complete fatigue, and the amount of

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 The Central Governor Model and Fatigue during Exercise 7

work which the muscle can perform depends on the degree to which it can tolerate acid before
this stage is reached”.
“The acid slows the relaxation of the muscle. This last effect is very striking in short
distance races. Where slower muscle relaxation, commencing within seven or eight seconds
from the start, causes a progressive diminution in the maximum speed long before exhaustion.
This formation of lactic acid is the chemical reaction on which the whole of voluntary
muscular activity depends” [25] (p. 224-225).
Figure 3 shows the mechanism of fatigue according to Hill‟s model of exercise
physiology as I understood it up to 1996 and as is usually taught in the majority of modern
textbooks of exercise physiology. The key concept is that there is a maximum or limiting
cardiac output which cannot be exceeded. As a result there is a limit to the amount of blood
that can be pumped to the exercising muscles. But during maximal exercise, the exercising
muscles‟ requirement for blood flow exceed this maximal rate. As a result the muscle begins
to function “anaerobically” with the production of lactic acid in excess. This lactic acid
inhibits muscle contraction, in fact muscle relaxation according to Hill‟s original
understanding.
That this is still the accepted explanation is shown by the statement in the most current
review of “what do we know and what do we still need to know” about the VO 2max: “the
primary distinguishing characteristic of elite endurance athletes that allows them to run fast
over prolonged periods of time is a large, compliant heart with a compliant pericardium that
can accommodate a lot of blood, very fast, to take advantage of the Starling mechanism to
generate a large stroke volume” [7] (p. 31).
But my conclusion in a presentation at the 1987 ACSM conference was that: “Yet a
critical review of Hill and Lupton‟s results shows that they inferred but certainly did not
prove that oxygen limitations develop during maximal exercise… This review proposes that
the factors limiting maximal exercise performance might be better explained in terms of a
failure of muscle contractility (“muscle power”), which may be independent of tissue oxygen
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deficiency. The implications for exercise testing and the prediction of athletic performance
are discussed” [18].
My reference to the potential role of changes in muscle contractility in regulating
maximal exercise performance was based on (i) my training in cardiac physiology and (ii) my
assumption, shared with all exercise scientists at that time (and still assumed by all those who
like Levine [7] and Shephard [8] believed in a peripheral regulation of exercise performance),
that fatigue in any form of exercise, regardless of duration or intensity, must occur only after
all the available motor units in the exercising limbs have been recruited. It was natural to
draw this conclusion since this was the presumption that all exercise physiologists shared at
that time. For the simple reason that if exercise is regulated purely by changes in the ability of
the exercising skeletal muscles to produce force, so called peripheral fatigue, then fatigue can
only occur once all the available motor units have been activated in the exercising limbs. For
if this is not the case and if exercise terminates before all the motor units and hence muscle
fibers have been activated in the exercising limbs, then the brain must be the regulator of the
exercise performance. For it has caused the exercise to terminate prematurely (by
mechanisms still unknown) even when fresh, non-fatigued muscle fibers remain in the
exercising limbs. This peripheral fatigue/regulation model cannot explain how exercise can
terminate even though there is a population of fresh, unused skeletal muscle fibers in the
exercising limbs waiting to be recruited.
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 8 Timothy David Noakes

Figure 3. The sequence of physiological events that are usually considered to cause fatigue during
progressive maximal exercise to exhaustion according to the popular interpretation of the A.V. Hill
model.
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Figure 4. The real sequence of physiological events that A.V. Hill and colleagues described in 1923 as
the cause of fatigue during progressive maximal exercise to exhaustion.

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 The Central Governor Model and Fatigue during Exercise 9

Nine years later in the 1996 J.B. Wolffe Memorial Lecture I proposed “…an alternate
physiological model … in which skeletal muscle contractile activity is regulated by a series of
central, predominantly neural, and peripheral, predominantly chemical, regulators that act to
prevent the development of organ damage or even death during exercise in both health and
disease and under demanding environmental conditions….Regulation of skeletal muscle
contractile function by central mechanisms would prevent the development of hypotension
and myocardial ischemia during exercise in persons with heart failure, of hyperthermia during
exercise in the heat, and of cerebral hypoxia during exercise at extreme altitude” [26]. Once
again my theory was based on my continuing assumption that fatigue during any form of
exercise must occur only after there is complete (total) skeletal muscle recruitment in the
exercising limbs.
This paper was rebutted by Drs. David Bassett and Edward Howley of the University of
Tennessee who concluded that: “When we weigh the scientific evidence on both sides of the
issue, it appears that Hill's views were amazingly accurate. Scientific investigations in the 70
years since Hill have served mainly to reinforce his paradigms and confirm that his scientific
“hunches” were correct. Only relatively minor refinements to his theories have been needed.
In contrast Noakes‟ views are not supported by strong scientific evidence, and they raised
numerous paradoxes and unresolved dilemmas” [27].
This rebuttal encouraged me once again to review all of Hill‟s writings. I discovered a
critical paragraph that had been overlooked by all previous authors including myself: “The
enormous output of the hearts of an able-bodied men, maintained for considerable periods
during vigorous exercise, requires a large contemporary supply of oxygen to meet the
demands for energy… . When the oxygen supply becomes inadequate, it is probable that the
heart rapidly begins to diminish its output, so avoiding exhaustion” [16]. Hill next suggested
a mechanism which would prevent the development of irreversible heart damage during
maximal exercise: “We suggest that … either in the heart muscle itself or in the nervous
system, there is some mechanism (a governor) which causes a slowing of the circulation as
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

soon as a serious degree of unsaturation occurs”. Remarkably Hill foresaw that this
mechanism acted in an anticipatory manner even though it was activated only after the
catastrophe had already begun. The function of this anticipatory control was to insure that a
worse catastrophe, irreversible myocardial damage, was prevented.
Unfortunately Hill did not indicate in which organ system or at which site he believed
this “serious degree of unsaturation” was detected, activating this anticipatory reflex. Was the
oxygenation of the skeletal muscles or the heart or perhaps even the brain threatened? A
“dangerous degree of unsaturation” cannot occur in the systemic arterial circulation including
the circulation to the coronary arteries supplying the heart muscle, or to the skeletal muscles
or perhaps even to the brain unless the exercise is performed at extreme altitude or if there is
co-existing lung disease, both of which cause the arterial oxygen partial pressure to fall
especially during exercise. Hill seems not have understood this. Probably he conceived that
maximal exercise caused oxygen “unsaturation” in the active tissues and that this
“unsaturation” adversely affected the function, first of the heart and then as a consequence, of
the skeletal muscles. Ninety years later we cannot be sure of exactly what Hill believed [28].
But we do now know that myocardial “unsaturation” (ischaemia) must occur if the
cardiac output reaches a truly maximal value whilst the exercise intensity continues to
increase. This is because myocardial perfusion is critically dependant on the coronary
perfusion pressure [29] which cannot increase once a truly maximal cardiac output has been
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 10 Timothy David Noakes

reached. Instead coronary perfusion must fall leading to a progressive myocardial ischaemia.
My interpretation of what I believe Hill meant is shown in Figure 4. In this model the heart
and brain are in communication in order to produce a reduction in myocardial function as
soon as the myocardial ischaemia that Hill predicted must develop, happens. Again a critical
consequence of this model was to introduce the concept of catastrophic failure into human
exercise physiology.
The moment I understood Hill‟s model, my training in cardiovascular physiology made
me realize that the human body would not have survived the selective pressures of evolution
if it had been designed in this way. Instead of the brain protecting the heart by reducing
myocardial function directly, as Hill described, the more effective method of control would
be to reduce the demands placed on the heart by the action of the exercising muscles. Thus
Figure 5 shows the essential modifications to Hill‟s original “governor” theory that converted
it into the CGM. By regulating the amount of muscle recruited by the brain in a feed forward
manner on a moment-to-moment basis, the central nervous system can insure that
homeostasis is maintained in all bodily systems, not just the heart.
Figure 6 shows that sections of the original A.V. Hill model are usually studied by
scientists working in different sub-disciplines in the exercise sciences. These sub-disciplines
include muscle physiology, biochemistry, applied sports science, cardiovascular and
respiratory physiology, neurophysiology and in some cases even statistics [30]. The problem
is that protagonists of each of these sub-disciplines tend to see only that part of the model that
falls within their ambit of expertise and understanding.

By regulating the amount of muscle recruited by

Brain the brain on a moment-to-moment basis, the
central nervous system can insure that
homeostasis is maintained in all bodily systems
and not just the heart, during exercise.
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Heart Muscle Mitochondria

High but not Adequate

maximal blood flow Adequate blood
(limiting) to muscle flow to muscle
Protection cardiac fibers prevents the
against output development of
myocardial anaerobiosis
ischaemia
High rates of lactate
production fuel skeletal
Adequate muscle and myocardial
coronary metabolism and may
blood flow act as sensory feedback
to the brain

Figure 5. The modified model – the Central Governor Model – that evolved from A.V. Hill‟s model
(Figure 4).
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 The Central Governor Model and Fatigue during Exercise 11

Figure 6. Exercise scientists tend to explain fatigue and exercise performance on the basis of the
functioning of the organ systems, tissues or molecular mechanisms that fall within their specific areas
of expertise.

Thus, for example, scientists trained in cardiovascular physiology are more likely to
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

develop a model of exercise physiology in which the heart and cardiovascular system are the
dominant players [7, 8, 19, 21, 22, 31, 32]. As a result they tend to assume that an
understanding of human exercise performance can be acquired purely by understanding the
cardiovascular response to exercise. In contrast biochemists will usually argue that fatigue
can be described purely on the basis of known biochemical changes in the body during
exercise whereas muscle physiologists and applied exercise scientists will imagine that all
fatigue must originate in skeletal muscle [20, 27, 33-36]. For the truth is what we study and
what we believe, is determined by our area of interest (and expertise). And often what we
believe is determined by what we believed even before we began our research.
But the problem is that the body does not function in discrete, disconnected
compartments and so cannot be studied as if it does by scientists with a compartmentalized
understanding of human physiology. Nor will such compartmentalized study force the body
to act that way, however much we might wish it.
Undoubtedly the most damaging effect of the A.V. Hill model, other than the
development of the concept of fatigue as a form of catastrophe failure, has been to exclude
central command from the brain as a possible factor determining exercise performance [37].
Thus his specific physiological model of fatigue focused the minds of generations of exercise
scientists on maximal exercise to exhaustion in the laboratory as the dominant (and simplest)
model for the study of fatigue. Yet in this model the experimenter controls the athlete‟s level

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 12 Timothy David Noakes

of central command by progressively increasing the work rate. As a result the only manner in
which the tested subject‟s brain can influence the exercise performance is either by increasing
the extent of skeletal muscle recruitment in the active limbs (in response to the externally-
driven, progressive increase in the work rate) or by terminating the exercise. There are no
other options. Thus since it is the controlled variable in the experiment, the role of central
command in regulating the exercise performance cannot be determined by this testing
method. Only when the athlete is allowed to set her own pace does the role of central
command in the regulation of the exercise behavior become obvious [38, 39].

TWO COMPETING MODELS TO EXPLAIN EITHER

THE LIMITATION (A.V. HILL MODEL)
OR THE REGULATION (CENTRAL GOVERNOR MODEL)
OF HUMAN EXERCISE PERFORMANCE

Figure 7 shows the main features of the two competing models that are currently used to
explain the factors that either limit or regulate human exercise performance. The A.V.Hill
CAC or homeostatic failure model is based on the use of a series of fixed but increasing work
rates set by the experimenter, and which continue to increase until the tested subject is no
longer able further to increase the work rate at which point the exercise test terminates.

Muscle contraction Fatigue results from a

Homeostatic Failure/

produces linear failure to maintain

Limitations model

physiological homeostasis either

changes directly in the active
in muscles (Peripheral
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fatigue) or indirectly in
Metabolism/ the CNS (Central
Energy supply fatigue)
Cardiovascular system
Body temperature

Physiological and psychological

inputs before exercise:
•Physiological state
Regulatory Model

•Expected distance/duration
Anticipatory/

•Previous experience/motivation/
external competition Continuous feedback
Feedback: from various systems is
•Fuel reserves integrated to regulate
•Rate of heat accumulation exercise by continously
•Hydration state modifying the number of
•Self-belief motor units recruited in
the exerciseing limbs

Figure 7. Two opposing models – the homeostatic failure/limitations model or the anticipatory
regulatory model (CGM) - are currently used to explain human exercise performance.
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 The Central Governor Model and Fatigue during Exercise 13

The interpretation then is that muscle contraction produces linear physiological changes
in metabolism, in energy provision, and in the cardiovascular, respiratory, thermoregulatory
and hormonal responses, amongst many others. Ultimately one or more systems fail as each is
unable further to increase its functional capacity in response to another increase in the work
rate. Rather the exercise must terminate as soon as the maximal functional capacity of one or
more systems has been exceeded. As a result, fatigue is caused by a failure to maintain
homeostasis either directly in the active muscles (peripheral fatigue) or indirectly in the
central nervous system (central fatigue). Note that this model does not include any role for
feedback from the periphery to influence the extent of central motor command. My
contention is that an unquestioning devotion to this form of testing has produced the
“brainless” model of exercise physiology that we currently teach since in this form of testing
the usual function of the tested subject's brain to establish the pacing strategy is usurped by
the brain of the experimenter [37]. Thus the role of the brain in determining the exercise
performance cannot be detected during the VO2max test.
In contrast the anticipatory model allows feedback from the periphery to influence the
extent of the feed forward central command that determines the level of skeletal muscle
recruitment. Thus this model allows the action of physiological and psychological inputs
before exercise to establish the athlete‟s initial pace. These factors likely include the athlete‟s
physiological state at the start of exercise; the expected distance or duration of the intended
exercise bout; the degree of previous experience that the athlete has, most especially in the
specific activity that is being undertaken; the athlete‟s level of motivation which will be
critically influenced by the level of external competition and the importance the athlete
ascribes to the event; as well as the athlete‟s level of self-belief amongst many other
psychological factors.
Then during the exercise, there will be continuous feedback from all the organs in the
body which will inform the central command of the state of the fuel reserves, the rate of heat
accumulation and the hydration state, amongst a host of many other factors.
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Table 1. How do the A.V. Hill and Central Governor Models explain some common
phenomena observed in athletes?

Phenomenon Peripheral Model Central Governor Model

Pacing One pace for all distances Variable pacing
End spurt Impossible Possible
Homeostasis Fatigue due to loss of Homeostasis maintained under
homeostasis all conditions as a result of
behavior modification
Skeletal muscle Exercise terminates with 100% Never 100% muscle activation
activation muscle activation during exercise
Drug effects Act on heart, lungs, muscles, Explains effects of drugs acting
but not brain on brain
RPE A measure of the exercise A measure of the relative
intensity exercise duration

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 14 Timothy David Noakes

As a result continuous feedback from all these systems is integrated to regulate exercise
by continuously modifying the number of motor units recruited in the exercising limbs. That
this system allows an anticipatory regulation of the exercise performance is the central
prediction of the CGM and which distinguishes it from the traditional central fatigue model
[40, 41] which acknowledges that the brain is responsible for the termination of exercise but
only after there has been some catastrophic failure of brain function. In other words, the
central fatigue model as originally conceived lacked any reference to the brain‟s ability to
anticipate a future failure and to insure that the exercise behaviour was modified specifically
to insure that homeostasis was protected and a catastrophic failure prevented.

THE EXPLANATION FOR SIX COMMON EXERCISE PHENOMENA

ACCORDING TO EITHER THE LIMITATION (A. V. HILL MODEL)
OR THE REGULATION (CENTRAL GOVERNOR MODEL (CGM))
OF HUMAN EXERCISE PERFORMANCE

Table 1 lists six phenomena that must be obvious to all who study human exercise
physiology [42]. It includes the explanation for these phenomena according to either the A.V.
Hill or the Central Governor Model (CGM). With regard to the first phenomenon, pacing,
only the CGM can explain the variable pacing strategy that is observed in all sporting
competitions [43, 44] and indeed in the moment to moment changes in muscle power output
during exercise [45]. In contrast the Hill model predicts that athletes can only ever follow one
pacing strategy. Specifically one in which they begin exercise at an unsustainable pace that
then slows as the negative pacing molecule, lactate, begins to accumulate causing the
progressive slowing as described by Hill in 1923.
There is growing interest in the concept that Homo sapiens evolved from Homo habilis as
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

a result of the persistence hunting to their exhaustion (as a result of hyperthermic paralysis) of
large, faster moving antelope in conditions of extreme heat [46-48]. Thus the current theory is
that between 2 to 3 million years ago early hominids learned how to hunt animals to their
extinction by chasing each until its body temperature was abnormally elevated causing
paralysis. When paralyzed, the antelope could be dispatched without the use of metal-tipped
spears which were first constructed only about 60,000 years ago. As a result according to this
theory for 2 million years or more, early hominids were able to kill with their bare hands large
antelope protected by dangerous horns. The high protein diets provided by the capture of this
energy rich food would explain the increase in brain size that occurred especially over the last
500,000 years.
In order to capture the antelope under these conditions, human persistence hunters would
have had to evolve a complex anticipatory pacing strategy in which they retained sufficient
reserves not just for the 4-6 hours that they chased those antelope but also for the period that
would be required to carry the captured meat back to their hungry families.
One of the clearest studies showing the presence of this anticipatory pacing was reported
by Amann et al [49] although the authors perhaps undervalued the physiological relevance of
their finding [50]. Figure 8 shows that their study found evidence for anticipatory pacing
beginning within less than 60 seconds of exposure, without their knowledge, to gas mixtures

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 The Central Governor Model and Fatigue during Exercise 15

with different inspired oxygen fractions (FiO2). The effect was dose-dependent and was
greatest when subjects were exposed to an FiO2 of 15%. Importantly EMG activity during
exercise at different FiO2 was reduced in proportion to the reductions in power output
indicating that (i) that the reduction in power output on exposure to hypoxia was associated,
as predicted by the CGM, with a reduced central command and (ii) this effect was
anticipatory and did not occur only after there had already been some catastrophic failure (as
a result of the development of severe hypoxia in one or more critical organs). Furthermore
under all conditions there was the presence of an “end spurt” in which the subjects increased
their power outputs. The endspurt occurred also with an increase in EMG activity in the
active skeletal muscles, indicating that the endspurt was also due to an increased central
command (as predicted by the CGM). Indeed the second and perhaps one of the most
interesting phenomena in exercise physiology is this “end spurt” in which athletes like Haile
Gebrselassie (Figure 9) speed up at the end of the race, running the fastest when they should
be the most tired [43].
The end spurt phenomenon poses significant theoretical problems for our current
understanding of fatigue which is most simply defined as an inability to maintain the present
or required work rate. Yet elite athletes like Gebrselassie cannot be fatigued according to this
definition if they are able to speed up at the end of their world record-setting performances.
Thus this simple observation poses a real problem for our current understanding of fatigue. It
cannot continue to be ignored simply because it is inconvenient.

Time to
completion
Hyperoxia 439 ± 7 s
Iso-oxia 451 ± 7 s
Power output [W]

400 Normoxia
Hypoxia
350 458 ± 7 s
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300
483 ± 8 s
250
45
40
exercise MVC)
iEMG (% pre-

35
30
25
20
15
0 1 2 3 4 5
Distance (km)

Figure 8. Effect of different inspired oxygen fractions on power output (top panel) and muscle
activation (integrated EMG (iEMG) activity as a % of that achieved during an MVC) during 5km
cycling time trials. The study shows the presence of anticipatory pacing strategies present within the
first km of the trial and the end spurt beginning after 4km..

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 16 Timothy David Noakes

24.0

23.5
Running speed (km.h-1)
More muscle recruitment
23.0

22.5

22.0
Less muscle recruitment
21.5
Year and Total time of 3 World Record 10 000m performances:
1995 26:43.53 1997 26:31.32 1998 26:22.75
21.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Kilometers

Figure 9. Running speeds for each kilometer during 3 world 10 000m record performances by
Ethiopia‟s Haille Gebrsellasie. Note the presence of a marked end spurt in each race. According to the
CGM, the different paces are due to continual, moment-to-moment changes in the levels of skeletal
muscle recruitment with reduced recruitment in the middle of the race and increased recruitment in the
endspurt during the final 1 km.

According to the CGM, the moment to moment [45] changes in pacing strategies that
occur during exercise are due to changes in the extent of skeletal muscle recruitment (Figure
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

9), either increased or decreased according to whether the athlete speeds up or slows down.
Thus according to the CGM, the end spurt is due to the recruitment of additional skeletal
muscle motor units in the exercising limbs as the end of exercise approaches. The point of
course is that the Hill CAC model cannot explain the end spurt phenomenon any more
effectively than it can explain how the pacing strategy is set at the start of exercise [42].
The third phenomenon is the protection of homoeostasis which, according to the Hill
model, does not occur. Rather according to that model it is the failure of homeostasis that
causes fatigue and exhaustion. In contrast the key prediction of the CGM is that behaviour
modification insures that homoeostasis is protected under all conditions. Thus the CGM treats
exercise as a behaviour that is continuously modified to insure that cellular homoeostasis is
protected under all conditions. Indeed many presentations at this conference will evaluate
behavior modifications the goal of which appear to be the maintenance of homeostasis during
exercise.
The fourth phenomenon is the difference in the extent of skeletal muscle activation that
the either model predict is present at the point of fatigue. As already argued, the Hill model
predicts that exercise must terminate when there is 100% activation of all the motor units in
the exercising limbs. For the simple reason that if the periphery alone determines the exercise
performance, then the activity must continue until all the muscle fibers have been recruited
and exercised to the point of their individual exhaustion. Whereas the CGM predicts that

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 The Central Governor Model and Fatigue during Exercise 17

100% muscle activation does not occur in any form of exercise since this is likely to threaten
homeostasis and cause bodily damage.
There is convincing evidence that skeletal muscle recruitment is never 100% except
perhaps in medical conditions such as infection with the tetanus bacillus which causes tetanic
muscle contractions that may lead to bony fractures [51-53]. Similarly treatment of
schizophrenia with the analeptic (convulsion-producing) drug, metrazol [54, 55], or of
depression with convulsive shock therapy [56] was associated with bony fractures before
these forms of treatment were finally terminated. The point of these examples is that if
unregulated skeletal muscle contraction can produce sufficient force to cause bony fractures,
then it makes sense that complete skeletal muscle recruitment must be prevented by some
central control mechanism.
The fifth phenomenon is the manner in which certain drugs that act only on the central
nervous system can improve exercise performance. According to the Hill model drugs that
improve exercise performance must act on the heart, lungs and the muscles but not on the
brain since, according to the “brainless” model of human exercise performance (Figure 2 in
Chapter 5), the brain plays no part in such performance. In contrast the CGM is able to
explain why certain drugs that act exclusively on the brain can improve exercise performance.
Our own studies show that amphetamines act by reducing the extent of skeletal muscle
reserve and therefore allow exercise to continue for longer at a higher intensity [57].
When I began to write more widely on the CGM I received the following personal
correspondence from a former professional cyclist. He wrote: “If I go and inject myself with
250 mg of speed amphetamines the drug will have a rapid effect on this governor and I can
guarantee that I will have God-like strength that was there all along but I was never able to
access before as my governor is a tight bastard! The only limiter will be when I drop dead or
run out of fuel. Unfortunately for me I‟ve seen both sides of the effects of drugs in sport. My
wife‟s previous boyfriend died from racing in hot conditions whilst under the influence (of
amphetamines). Super natural rides used to be common here until drug testing came and they
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all had to switch to more subtle expensive products”.

The sixth phenomenon is the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) which according to the
classic interpretation of its originator, Dr Gunnar Borg, is a measure exclusively of the
exercise intensity [58]. In contrast in developing the CGM, we discovered that the RPE is a
measure of the duration of exercise that has been completed or that which remains [59]. I first
became aware of this possibility when I evaluate the study of Baldwin and colleagues [60]
and found that their data showed a significant linear relationship between the RPE and the
exercise duration [61]. Furthermore the rate at which the RPE rose was greater when the
subjects were carbohydrate-depleted than when they began exercise with intact carbohydrate
stores. But when the RPE data were plotted against the relative, rather than the absolute
exercise duration, all the data points fell on the same line indicating the presence of a
fundamental biological law: Specifically that the RPE rises as a function of the expected
exercise duration.
We have since shown that the RPE is different from the start of exercise in the heat even
though the rectal temperatures were not different at that time [62]. Therefore the brain had
calculated the projected rate of heat retention in different environmental conditions and had
planned, in anticipation, the exercise duration that could be safely sustained without the risk
that heat stroke would develop.

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 18 Timothy David Noakes

Centrally-acting performance modifiers

Placebos Music Amphet Glucose Bupropion Mental fatigue Self-belief
-amines ingestion
(63-66) (67,68) (57) (69) (70) (71) (72)

Time Prior Knowledge of Cerebral

deception experience endpoint oxygenation
(73) (74) (75) (76-79)

End Spurt Anticipation

World records (Teleoanticipation)
(43,44,49,91)
Begin exercise at
different intensities in
Afferent sensory feedback
proportion to expected
Heat or Dehydration exercise duration
(38,39,86,93-95) (100) (80-87)

Hypoxia or Hyperoxia FEEDBACK FEED Reserve

(49,50,96-98) (99) FORWARD
Submaximal recruitment at
Glycogen stores exhaustion (49,57,89)
(101,102)
Lactate paradox of
Muscle soreness, fatigue or altitude (89)
damage (92,103,104)
VO2max occurs at submaximal
Running downhill
World records muscle recruitment
(105)
(43,44,49) (88,90)

Figure 10. Recent studies that are compatible with the functioning of a CGM but which cannot be
explained by the A.V. Hill model. The numbers refer to the reference number for each cited study.

In summary, there are 6 phenomena, well-known to all who observe or study exercise,
that cannot be adequately explained by the traditional Hill CAC model but which are
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compatible with the predictions of the CGM. When added to the compelling body of evidence
that disproves the biological basis for the Hill model [1], it becomes quite difficult to
understand how some [8] continue to argue with great vehemence, that it is the CGM not the
Hill model that needs to be “retired”.

SOME CURRENT STUDIES WHICH CONFIRM THAT EXERCISE

IS REGULATED IN ANTICIPATION BY CENTRAL MOTOR COMMAND
THAT RESPONDS ALSO TO THE PRESENCE OF FEEDBACK
FROM A VARIETY OF PERIPHERAL ORGANS

Figure 10 shows some of the key predictions of the CGM. These are (i) that the ultimate
regulation of the exercise performance resides in the central nervous system, the function of
which is potentially modifiable by interventions that act exclusively on central (brain)
mechanisms; (ii) that the exercise pace is set “in anticipation”; (iii) that the protection of
homeostasis requires that there is always a skeletal muscle reserve during all forms of
exercise; (iv) that the exercise intensity may increase near the end of exercise – the end spurt
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 The Central Governor Model and Fatigue during Exercise 19

even in the face of significant “fatigue”; and (v) that afferent sensory feedback can modify the
exercise performance.
Thus in the very recent past a series of studies have shown that exercise performance can
be modified by a number of interventions that act solely on the central nervous system
including placebos [63-66], music [67, 68], the amphetamines [57], glucose ingestion [69],
bupropion [70], mental fatigue [71], self-belief [72], time deception [73], prior experience
[74], knowledge of the endpoint of exercise [75] and altered cerebral oxygenation reduced by
beta-adrenergic blockade [76], heat [77], maximal exercise [78] and hypoxic exercise [79].
Similarly the evidence for the anticipatory control of exercise [80-87], for skeletal muscle
reserve during exercise [57, 88-90], the end spurt [43, 44, 49, 91], and for afferent sensory
feedback related to prior exercise [92], to exercise in the heat [38, 39, 86, 93-95], in hypoxia
[49, 50, 96-98] or alternatively hyperoxia [99], the extent of dehydration [100] and the body
glycogen reserves [101, 102], muscle soreness [103] and muscle damage [104] or
alternatively the act of running downhill [105], continues to accumulate.
Thus it would seem that the evidence to support a central control of exercise is rather
more secure than is the (absence of firm evidence) on which Hill‟s CAC model is based [1].

CONCLUSION
The CGM views exercise as a behaviour that is regulated in anticipation by complex
intelligent systems, the function of which are to ensure that whole body homoeostasis is
protected under all conditions. This complexity cannot be appreciated if the body is studied as
a collection of disconnected components as has become the usual practice in the modern
exercise sciences.
Indeed on the basis of their work with US military conscripts during the Second World
War, Bean and Eichna [106] warned already in 1943 that: “… physical fitness cannot be
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defined nor can differences be detected by means of a few simple physiological

measurements … obtained during limited tests … . To do so results in focusing attention on
some erroneous concept. Man is not a pulse rate, a rectal temperature, but a complex array of
many phenomena…. Into performance enters the baffling yet extremely important factor of
motivation, the will-to-do. This cannot be measured and remains an uncontrollable, quickly
fluctuating, disturbing variable which may at any time completely alter the performance
regardless of physical or physiologic state.”
Similarly the medical student who was the first to break the four minute mile, Roger
Bannister wrote in 1956 [107] that: “The human body is centuries in advance of the
physiologist, and can perform an integration of heart, lungs and muscles which is too complex
for the scientist to analyse”. Later he continued: “It is the brain not the heart or lungs, that is
the critical organ, it‟s the brain” [108]. Future generations of exercise scientists would be well
advised to head the words of these most observant scientists.
The novel concepts predicted by the CGM [109, 110] and which are the opposite of those
flowing from Hill‟s CAC model are the following:

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 20 Timothy David Noakes

1. The physiology of pacing, not fatigue, is the core issue for understanding exercise
performance. The goal of pacing is to maintain homoeostasis and to prevent a
catastrophic physiological failure.
2. Multiple, independent systems in the periphery provide sensory information that
influences central motor command in the brain. The sum of this information
generated in the center and in the periphery determines the pacing strategy during
exercise.
3. Fatigue is purely a sensory perception which may be expressed physically as an
alteration in the pacing strategy. Fatigue may therefore be a measure of the central
neural efforts to maintain homoeostasis.
4. The role of the brain is to ensure that exhaustion develops and exercise terminates
even though homoeostasis is maintained. As a result, a catastrophic outcome is
prevented. This interpretation conflict absolutely with the traditional Hill model
which predicts that exercise terminates only after there has been a failure of
homeostasis in some bodily system.

The importance of this conference is that it will allow rigorous, open debate of an idea
that challenges the very core of what is currently taught in the exercise sciences.
Like all theories that challenge an existing and entrenched dogma, the CGM has evoked a
wave of distrust and many active attempts at its suppression. But the task of real science is to
discover that which is true and so to advance our knowledge, not to attempt to suppress that
which is inconvenient.
In his triology devoted to the study of the scientific process and those who produce new
knowlege, Daniel J. Boorstein wrote that: “The barrier to knowledge is not ignorance. It is the
illusion of knowledge”.
It is improbable that on the basis of the few simple experiments that he conducted,
Professor Hill could have developed a model of exercise for which in the past 90 years “only
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relatively minor refinements to his theories have been needed” [9].

REFERENCES
[1] Noakes TD, St Clair Gibson A. Logical limitations to the "catastrophe" models of
fatigue during exercise in humans. Br J Sports Med, 2004, 38, 648-9.
[2] Cooper D. Chris Barnard by those who know him. Vlaeberg, Cape Town, S.A.:
Vlaeberg Publishers; 1992.
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acute simulated moderate altitude on power, performance and pacing strategies in well-
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 In: Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise ISBN 978-1-61209-334-5
Editor: Frank E. Marino © 2011 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Chapter 2

TWO-WAY INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MENTAL

AND PHYSICAL STRESSORS AND THEIR
ROLE IN FATIGUE

Stephen S. Cheung*
Environmental Ergonomics Laboratory, Department of Physical Education
and Kinesiology, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines,
Ontario, L2S-3A1, Canada

ABSTRACT
Exercise capacity is dependent on many factors, with multiple triggers proposed for
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

the onset of fatigue. One model for exercise regulation is from a behavioural or
psychological perspective, where the organism integrates input from a variety of internal
and external cues to derive a conscious decision on an efficient or optimal level of effort
while avoiding catastrophic physiological collapse. If the brain is a strong controller or
integrator for exercise, then it appears logical that significant stress on the brain, whether
it be physiological, neurohumoral or biochemical changes [1], or mental from high
cognitive effort, should influence exercise capacity. This chapter will examine the two-
way interactions between high levels of mental stress and exercise-induced fatigue. It will
also explore whether motor skills or cognitive functioning can be preserved in the face of
extreme physiological fatigue, and their implications to sports and occupational training.

INTRODUCTION
It is indisputable that “fatigue,” defined here as a decrease in voluntary or involuntary
exercise capacity, occurs with sustained exercise. This is a common occurrence in endurance
sports requiring sustained submaximal repetitions such as running, cycling, or swimming, and

*
905-688-5550x5662 (w); 905-688-8364 (f); [email protected]
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 28 Stephen S. Cheung

a number of theoretical models have been proposed to contribute to such development of

fatigue in both thermoneutral [2] and hot [3] environments. It is also common consensus in
athletic settings that physiological fatigue elicits impairment in skilled sports (e.g. racquet)
requiring both repetitive movements and tactical decision making [4, 5]. Indeed, the
interaction between physical and mental fatigue is implicit and paramount in sports, as much
of training and strategy revolves around degrading an opponent‟s mental and motor skills
through pushing them to the point of physical fatigue. The difficulty is understanding what
happens physiologically as that point of fatigue approaches and what factors contribute to
determining exercise capacity and tolerance [6], especially as the primary factors may vary
depending on sport, individual characteristics such as fitness and training status, and
environmental issues such as temperature and altitude.
One recent paradigm in understanding exercise capacity is the interaction between
peripheral factors and centrally-regulated determination of voluntary effort. Rather than the
traditional view that exercise is limited by failure in one or more physiological systems (e.g.
metabolic, cardiovascular, muscular), voluntary exercise is proposed to start and end in the
brain [7]. Within this framework, the brain is proposed to integrate a wide range of
physiological inputs in an anticipatory or feed-forward fashion, with the end goal of
maintaining optimal or maximal exercise capacity while avoiding catastrophic failure of any
system or the body as a whole [8-10]. One interesting dimension to the discussion concerning
the relative contributions of the brain versus the peripheral muscles to exercise fatigue, but
which has largely been ignored to date by physiologists, has come from investigations into
the effects of mental activity on exercise, and vice versa. If the brain is a strong controller or
integrator for exercise, then it appears logical that significant stress on the brain, whether it be
physiological [11], neurohumoral or biochemical changes [1] or mental from high cognitive
effort [12], should influence exercise capacity. Examples of this interaction include
diminished levels of arousal, as assessed by EEGs, upon the attainment of voluntary
exhaustion in the heat [13, 14], and also in higher subjective ratings of perceived exertion and
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altered brain activity in the heat despite no changes in electromyographic activity [13].
Similarly, the physiological stress stemming from exercise should also impact cognitive
function and mental task performance.
The purpose of this review, therefore, is to explore the interactions between mental
activity and exercise capacity. The focus will be on whether significant mental stress can
influence exercise capacity and the reverse of whether exercise influences cognitive
functioning and mental performance. Finally, we will also explore whether motor skills or
cognitive functioning can be preserved in the face of extreme physiological or mental fatigue,
and their implications to sports and occupational training [15].

MENTAL ACTIVITY AND EXERCISE

Surprisingly, while the effects of exercise or environmental stressors on cerebral
physiology [1, 15, 16], along with investigations on the effects of exercise on mood and
mental health [17, 18], have been a heavy field of research within the past decades, data on
whether mental activity impairs exercise performance has been almost completely missing
until very recently [19]. In contrast, the bulk of data on mental stress effects on exercise has

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Two-way Interactions between Mental and Physical Stressors ... 29

come indirectly from studies on the etiology and diagnosis of overreaching, overtraining and
burnout [20, 21]. In such reports, high levels of psychosocial stress related to personal or
competitive issues is assumed to be a contributor to the lower performance levels that remains
the main criterion for defining overtraining. This is a different question than the effects of
direct and acute mental stress on performance, along with the confounding effects from the
wide range of immunological and neurohumoral changes associated with overtraining.
Therefore, this section will focus on the few studies available where exercise is performed
during or following heavy mental efforts.
In healthy, non-overtrained subjects, strong experimental evidence linking mental fatigue
to reduced exercise performance was recently provided by Marcora et al. [12]. In this
experimental protocol, 90 min of a cognitively demanding vigilance task was employed to
elicit mental fatigue compared to 90 min viewing of a neutral television commentary.
Subsequent tolerance times during a ride to exhaustion at 80% of their peak power output was
significantly shorter following the mental task (640 ± 316 s) than with neutral (754 ± 339 s)
conditions. Importantly, self-reported motivation levels were not different following the two
mental manipulations, yet subjective sensations of fatigue were higher before the exercise
task. This higher sensation of effort and fatigue carried over into the actual exercise, where
ratings of perceived exertion were significantly higher following the mental task despite no
differences in the physiological responses over time. Overall, the data suggests that elevated
strain in cognitive functioning negatively impacted exercise capacity through mental rather
than physiological pathways, though the linking mechanism integrating mental effort and
physical capacity remains unexplored.
A threshold effect of mental stress may be evident, such that mental stress might need
sufficient intensity to significantly stress the overall human system before it will begin
impairing exercise performance. Indeed, mild mental stimulation may actually contribute to
improved physiological response to exercise, analogous to the well-documented effect of
crowds or psychological stimuli improving performance of skilled tasks [22]. When a
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

moderately stressful vigilance task requiring continuous attention and pattern recognition was
performed during a soccer-simulation treadmill run, heart rates were lower [23]. Importantly,
this lower physiological strain occurred without change in the actual treadmill protocol and
therefore externally-imposed stress, nor in the level of blood lactate, salivary cortisol and only
mild changes in ratings of perceived exertion. Overall, while no direct cognitive measures
were taken, the authors proposed that the improved physiological response may be attributed
to enhancing dissociation and diverting attention from the treadmill run. If dissociation or a
change to external focus is a mechanism for improvement in physiological responses, an
unexplored avenue appears to be the potentially different effects of this distractor in people
with preference for internal versus external psychological focus [24].

SUMMARY
In summary, only minimal direct information is available on the effects of acute mental
stress immediately prior to or concurrent with exercise in healthy subjects, leaving the field
ripe for further research. Future avenues include whether there is a threshold or an optimal
level of mental stress to enhance exercise capacity. This meshes with demonstration by

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 30 Stephen S. Cheung

Barwood et al. [25-27] that psychological training improved exercise capacity in the heat and
also prolonged breath-hold times in cold water, such that the physiological bases for sport
psychology may become more closely examined and quantified.

EXERCISE EFFECTS ON COGNITION

Mood, feelings of energy and fatigue, along with mental health can be improved by
exercise [18], and this is typically explicitly or implicitly suggested as one of the many health
benefits from increasing physical activity in the general population. Much of the work on
synergies between mental stress and exercise has come from the field of psychology, where
exercise is used as an experimental manipulation to elicit physiological stress or fatigue, and
cognitive function becomes the primary test of interest. Namely, does exercise improve
mental performance, or can mild to heavy exercise blunt or otherwise impair cognitive
functioning? This interaction is typically one of the implied goals of increasing fitness in a
sporting context, where fatigue is often blamed for poor decision making. Similarly, in
occupational health and safety, fatigue from physical or environmental stress may be
responsible for increasing the risks of cognitive impairment and accidents [28, 29]. Overall,
evidence for exercise-induced impairment of mental functioning is equivocal, and the focus
of this section will be on the effects of exercise-induced fatigue on mental and task
performance in a sporting context.

IMPAIRED COGNITION
A body of evidence suggests that moderate exercise can significantly degrade
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components of the information processing pathway ranging from simple cognitive response
through to complex decision making. Yagi et al. [30] employed the common experimental
psychology technique of analyzing the P300 event-related potential waveform in response to
auditory or visual “oddball” stimuli. With cycling exercise at a moderate intensity of 130-150
bpm, the latency of the P300 wave decreased, typically representative of a faster rate of
cognitive processing. However, the amplitude of the wave decreased, indicative of a
diminished attentional resource allocated to the stimulus. Complementary data to these
cognitive findings were reported in actual performance measures. Reaction time – a
combination of both cognitive and motor performance, decreased during exercise when
responding to either visual or auditory stimuli. However, the error rate also increased during
exercise. Overall, the authors concluded that exercise resulted in a faster but weaker cognitive
response to external stimulus.
These data are supported with intermittent and variable treadmill running simulating a
90-min soccer match, where response time to the vigilance task gradually improved over the
course of exercise but the accuracy degraded [23]. One extrapolation from such data is that
athletes may make faster but inappropriate decisions as exercise or matches progressed.
Furthermore, such accuracy errors may possibly increase the risk of injury, such as from not
recognizing and properly evading collisions. Further support for a negative effect of exercise
on cognitive function comes from research into higher-level complex executive functioning.
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 Two-way Interactions between Mental and Physical Stressors ... 31

In performing a random number generation task, subjects adopted less effortful and complex
strategies with the onset of moderate aerobic cycling, which was maintained throughout
exercise; however, complexity returned to baseline levels immediately upon termination of
exercise [31].
The above mental impairment from exercise can be interpreted with a holistic framework
of the human organism having a baseline or preferred capacity to compensate for overall
stressors to the system, as outlined by Robert and Hockey [32]. In this model, an interactive
two-stage control of overall performance is achieved through continuous analysis of “effort”
leading to compensatory control of mental resource allocation. Therefore, with an increase in
stress, greater allocation of resources would result in greater perceived mental or
physiological effort. Alternately, overall perceived effort and mental resources may be
preserved by adopting lower performance goals or less complex strategies. While primarily
derived from behavioural psychology, such a model appears readily adaptable to an exercise
context, where enhanced physiological strain forms an additional input to the body‟s overall
integration of effort or stress [33]. In turn, decreasing cognitive functioning or complexity of
responses by the individual serves to minimize the overall demands on mental resource
allocation during exercise [31]. Such a model of exercise and environmental stress [34] also
readily accommodates the observations of greater subjective ratings of perceived effort with
exercise following mental stress [12], decreased mental arousal with hyperthermia [14], and a
perceptual underestimation of physiological strain during heat stress with increased fitness
and theoretically greater physiological reserve [35].

PRESERVED COGNITION
Opposing a major role for exercise fatigue on cognitive functioning, a series of studies
from a French research group has found that, in general, reaction times to a mental task
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improved without significant impairment in accuracy. Reaction times to a pattern recognition

task with different levels of stimulus degradation along with response options were
progressively faster at 20% and 50% of maximal aerobic power cycling exercise, with
elevated mental arousal and catecholaminergic stimulation proposed as possible mechanisms
for improved response times [36]. Similarly, response time (time from stimulus onset to
initiation of a motor response) decreased consistently by 10-15 ms throughout the entire
continuum of overall response times with no impairment in either the variability of response
or accuracy with a choice (two-hand by two direction) reaction time task when performed at
90% of ventilatory threshold power [37].
One limitation of reaction time studies is that reaction by itself can be a “black box” that
makes it difficult to separate the various components of a complete response, ranging from
cognitive processing of the stimulus through to motor coordination to affect an appropriate
response. Some data suggest that exercise actually has minimal effect on cognitive
performance, but rather that improvement comes from enhanced motor facilitation.
Davranche et al. [38] found, in athletes involved in decision-making sports (e.g. team,
racquet, fighting sports), that reaction times to both weak and strong intensity signals with a
visual pattern recognition task were shortened during exercise. However, electromyographic
data on the thumb used to respond to the stimulus demonstrated that the pre-motor reaction

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 32 Stephen S. Cheung

time was in fact not altered by exercise, but rather that the improvement can be attributed to a
faster motor phase; furthermore, similar motor time improvements occurred with both weak
and strong signal intensity [38, 39]. Further EMG analysis indicated that the facilitation could
be attributed to an improved synchronization of motor unit discharge [38], suggesting that
exercise may have a priming effect on enhancing overall coordination even with movements
not directly related to the exercise. However, the potential mechanism behind exercise
benefits on motor functioning, especially on improved motor patterning, remain unclear and
open to further research [40].
While of high scientific fidelity, the ecological validity of cognitive tasks isolating
particular components of the information processing pathway can make extrapolation to
actual exercise and sporting situations problematic. Royal et al. [41] attempted to
comprehensively investigate the effects of incrementally greater fatigue on various
components of team sports performance. In a group of junior elite male water polo players,
intermittent but maximal effort 20-s swimming/shooting drills with progressively less
recovery between repetitions (80 down to 10 s) elicited a wide variety of effects on sports
performance. The stronger fatigue sets, not surprisingly, elicited higher heart rates, ratings of
perceived exertion, lactate levels, and also a degradation in the biomechanical proficiency
involved in penalty shooting. However, the higher levels of fatigue, against hypothesis,
actually improved the accuracy of decision making on a water polo-specific tactical test.
Overall preservation of sports performance was maintained despite the disparate findings in
its foundational components, in that no effect was observed on penalty shooting velocity or
accuracy. It is unclear why the decision making was improved with greater physiological
strain, as this contrasts with the general views, summarized above, of a faster but less accurate
decision with fatigue [30]. One possibility is that the highly-experienced athletes may have
been accustomed and more highly aroused by the realism of the sport-specific exercise and
test in this particular study. In contrast, the generalized fatigue from non-specific exercise
such as cycling or treadmill exercise, along with non-specific and non-familiar cognitive and
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performance tasks, may have elicited lower levels of arousal or motivation in subjects in other
studies [41].
Complementing cognitive and performance tasks, one advance over the past decade has
been the increasing utilization of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to monitor activity
at the level of the motor cortex in response to exercise or environmental stressors. TMS
appears highly sensitive to the particular muscles being employed with a particular exercise
task, as Tergau et al. [42] observed that intracortical facilitation significantly decreased only
in the active (brachioradialis) versus non-active (aductor pollicis) muscles following a pull-up
to exhaustion task. In coordination with electroencephalographic or neuro-imaging data, TMS
may thus aid in mapping the neural responses to exercise, or in isolating the location at which
fatigue occurs. For example, Todd et al. [43] reported that increased cortical activity remained
possible with moderate passive hyperthermia that did not elicit muscular fatigue, but that this
enhanced central activity remained unable to compensate for impaired muscle properties from
hyperthermia, resulting in an overall decrement in voluntary force that likely occurs at a level
below the motor cortex.

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 Two-way Interactions between Mental and Physical Stressors ... 33

Figure 1. Mental fatigue from 90 min of a highly-demanding cognitive task resulted in a consistently
higher subjective perception of effort throughout cycling to exhaustion at a constant workload of 80%
of peak power output. Voluntary tolerance time also significantly decreased by 15% compared to
following a neutral mental task, with maximal perceived effort at exhaustion in both conditions.
(Reprinted from [12] Used with permission).
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Figure 2. Heart rate responses to a 90 minute soccer-simulation treadmill run, performed either with no
cognitive task or while performing a vigilance task. Heart rate was significantly lower throughout all 15
min segments except for the final segment, despite the exercise intensity being identical and externally
paced in both conditions. No differences were observed in blood lactate or salivary cortisol responses
between conditions, with ratings of perceived exertion lower during the second 15 minute segment of
the first half during the vigilance task. (From [23] Used with permission).

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 34 Stephen S. Cheung

Figure 3. Electromyographic analysis demonstrates that the improvement in overall reaction time with
increasing exercise at both weak and strong stimulus (left figure) was not due to acceleration of the
cognitive, pre-motor phase (middle figure), but was due to a systematic enhancement of the motor
phase of response (right figure). (From [38]. Used with permission).

SUMMARY
The effects of exercise and increased physiological strain on cognitive functioning and
mental performance remains unclear. Part of the uncertainty revolves around the wide gamut
that constitutes task performance, from informational processing and non-motor aspects along
with movement planning and execution, through to neuromuscular activity and feedback.
This is exacerbated by the body‟s apparent ability to compensate for minor impairments
within individual components along the entire pathway. Therefore, one of the key avenues for
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research in the coming years appears to be a better understanding of how to properly and
comprehensively quantify cognitive performance changes in an exercising context.

PRESERVATION OF PERFORMANCE
A third approach to investigating the interaction between mental and physical
performance is to pose the question: “Are there basic mental and/or motor skills that are so
ingrained that they are resistant to “fatigue” from hard exercise?” From an evolutionary
perspective, it would seem logical that humans would never have survived our early days of
“hunt and be hunted” if we were not able to function and perform essential survival skills
while chasing prey (e.g. throwing a spear) or being chased by hungry and toothy critters (e.g.
simple motor coordination in running across rough terrain). Can relatively modern and novel
skills be learned and ingrained to be resistant to fatigue from hard exercise? A research group
from Hong Kong recently investigated this question in a pair of studies [44, 45], utilizing the
underhanded rugby pass as the novel skill. This particular task appears a reasonable choice, as
it‟s not inherently as natural as a single-armed overhand throw used with a spear, rock, or
baseball. Naïve subjects learned the skill via either an implicit (errorless) or an explicit

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Two-way Interactions between Mental and Physical Stressors ... 35

(errorful) protocol, then performed the test before and after two Wingate sprints [45] to elicit
anaerobic fatigue or a ramp VO2max test [44] to elicit aerobic fatigue. Compared to control
subjects with no learning of the skills, accuracy in the rugby pass test was much higher with
both styles of learning before and after the exercise manipulation. However, implicit learning,
where minimal errors were made over the course of learning, was more resistant to exercise-
induced fatigue in both studies [44, 45].

a)
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b)

Figure 4. a) Two Wingate anaerobic sprints had minimal impact on underhanded rugby toss accuracy
(blocks 1 and 2), although some degradation was observed when the toss was taught using an explicit,
errorful instructional method (retention 2 was the final pre-trial test, compared to Block 1 as the first ten
tosses following exercise). b) Accuracy results following maximal aerobic exercise with both implicit,
errorless instruction versus explicit, errorful instruction. Accuracy was retained both following initial
learning of the task (transfer 1) and also following a year with no further exposure to the skill (transfer
2), with both significantly better than a control group with no training. (From [45, 44]. Used with
permission)

Interestingly, accuracy was essentially maintained at initial post-learning levels when the
test was repeated with and without exercise following a year with no further experience in
rugby passing [45]. This demonstrates that both learning processes were successful in training

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 36 Stephen S. Cheung

and retaining a novel skill and well-learned skills seem very resistant to extreme fatigue. In
terms of the interaction between mental and peripheral factors during exercise fatigue, this
ability to ingrain skills to the point of becoming “instinctive” or habitual suggests that motor
output, in some instances, can be separated from central or peripheral fatigue induced by
either exercise or likely strong mental stress. Again, the mechanism underlying this long term
learning and motor patterning remains unknown. This has also been reported with motor
skills such as the synchronization of grasping and grip force modulation despite the decay of
sensory input from local hand cooling or removal of visual input [46]. Specifically, the force
used to grasp the object was consistently higher throughout the lifting task, but the pattern of
that force modulation remained similar with either hand cooling or blinding. It is proposed
that a centrally-controlled feedforward pattern anticipated the force and coordination required
to perform the task, making it resistant to peripheral impairment of the hand and also to
central strain from mild heating or cooling of core temperature [46].

SUMMARY
Findings of skill retention despite exercise fatigue is of course important from an athletic
perspective, as much of sports training and strategy revolves around degrading an opponent‟s
mental and motor skills through pushing them to the point of physical fatigue. Arguably, it is
even more crucial in occupational settings, where proper training of emergency responses can
make the difference between life and death. For example, with offshore petroleum installation
heavily reliant on helicopter transport for its personnel, periodic retraining of emergency
escape skills from a ditched helicopter is required. However, determining the frequency of
such training recertification is tempered by the loss in time and productivity. Therefore,
understanding the nature and mechanisms underlying retention of such skills with different
training programs become essential in establishing the best ways to train and retain such skills
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under the extreme mental and physical stress involved in actual emergency situations.

CONCLUSION
The discussion on the synergies between mental and physical stressors demonstrate the
strong capacity of the central nervous system in modulating or overriding peripheral control
of sports performance and vice versa. The nature and mechanisms underlying such
interactions remain largely unexplored despite the critical role decision making and mental
stress has in safe and successful athletic and occupational exercise. Furthermore, the
additional stress caused by environmental stressors such as extreme temperatures or altitude
may compound mental or physiological stress, further contributing to a degradation of
performance or acceleration of fatigue [34]. With advances in technology and measurement
capabilities such as neuroimaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation, future research will
hopefully seek a closer integration of psychological and physiological responses to exercise
and environmental extremes.

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 Two-way Interactions between Mental and Physical Stressors ... 37

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[39] Davranche K, Burle B, Audiffren M, Hasbroucq T. Information processing during

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Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 In: Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise ISBN 978-1-61209-334-5
Editor: Frank E. Marino © 2011 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Chapter 3

METABOLIC ACIDOSIS AND FATIGUE:

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

R. A. Robergs1,*, D. Kennedy2
1
Exercise Physiology and Biochemistry, Exercise Physiology Laboratories, Exercise
Science Program, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-1258, USA
2
Paradigm Physical Therapy & Wellness, Albuquerque, NM, USA

ABSTRACT
For the last 35 years the central focus of acidosis has been on lactic acid or lactate as
being the cause of acidosis and acidosis being the cause of fatigue during intense
exercise. Unfortunately, causation has been implied from correlation. The organic
chemistry of the lactate dehydrogenase reaction clearly demonstrates the error of the
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development of metabolic acidosis from lactate production. This is not to detract from the
significant development of acidosis during intense exercise. However, the assumed
negative effect of acidosis on contractile failure is also called into question. The purpose
of this review and commentary is to reflect on past research that has investigated the role
of acidosis in fatigue, provide extensive evidence from the record of prior and current 31P
MRS research on muscle acidosis during exercise and recovery and provide further
insight into proton balance during muscle energy catabolism based on computations of
multiple competing cation and pH-dependent proton stoichiometry. Finally, we suggest
the role of acidosis in fatigue may have a greater effect outside of the cell.

INTRODUCTION
For more than 100 years, the development of metabolic acidosis has been heralded as a
major contributor to the fatigue accompanying intense exercise and therefore a determinant of
intense sports and athletic performance. Such a belief has also been connected to the
misconception of the production of lactic acid in contracting skeletal muscle and the

*
Phone: (505) 277-2658; Email: [email protected]
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 42 R. A. Robergs and D. Kennedy

consequent lactic acidosis. We now know that exercise-induced metabolic acidosis is not
caused by lactate production [1], that there is a negligible presence of lactic acid in human
tissue, and that the biochemical explanation of metabolic acidosis is far more complex than
the concept of all blame being given to one molecule; lactic acid. Nevertheless, it is important
to once again recognize the irrefutable facts of the organic chemistry of the lactate
dehydrogenase reaction, as shown in Figure 1.
The reduction of pyruvate to lactate involves the metabolic buffering of 1 proton (H+) per
lactate formation, and this stoichiometry is remarkably constant across the physiological
muscle pH range (6.1 to 7.0) (Figure 1) with proton coefficients of 0.9897 and 0.9938,
respectively. Lactate production also regenerates NAD+, and as such is an important, if not
essential feature of the metabolic characteristic of sustained ATP turnover from glycolytically
fueled muscle contraction (Figure 2). In other words, without lactate production, glycolytic
ATP regeneration and muscle contractile function during intense exercise would be severely
compromised.

Table 1. Muscle and blood pH measurements during intense whole

body or regional exercise in humans*

Model Muscle pH Method Blood pH Ref

Human Whole Body
Intermittent intense running 6.41 Biopsy homogenate pH 6.94 28
or cycling (vastus lateralis) electrode (capillary
samples)
Intense cycling (vastus 6.6 Biopsy homogenate pH 60
lateralis) electrode
400 m sprint running 6.63 Biopsy homogenate pH 7.1 14
(gastrocnemius) electrode (venous)
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Human Regional
31
Knee extension – vastus 6.74 P MRS 71
lateralis
Knee extension – vastus 6.77 Biopsy homogenate pH 71
lateralis electrode
31
Knee extension – vastus 6.54 P MRS 63
lateralis
31
Dynamic forearm wrist 6.52 P MRS 53
flexion
Knee extension – vastus 6.43 Biopsy homogenate pH 66
lateralis (electrical electrode
stimulation)
Isometric knee extension – 6.56 Biopsy homogenate pH 59
vastus lateralis (occluded electrode
circulation)
31
Isometric wrist flexion 6.42 P MRS 45
31
Isometric wrist flexion 6.24 P MRS 2
31
Finger flexion 6.55 P MRS 58
*
Not intended to be a thorough representation of published research.

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 Metabolic Acidosis and Fatigue 43

Figure 1. The lactate dehydrogenase reaction, showing proton (H+) metabolic buffering and NAD+
regeneration for glycolysis. The carboxylic acid functional group of pyruvate and lactate remain
deprotonated as they are never produced in their acid form and remain so due to the low pKa of 2.26
and 3.67, respectively.

The absence of lactic acid and misconception of a lactic acidosis does not detract from
the fact that skeletal muscle and the systemic circulation can develop extreme acidosis during
intense exercise. Data from 31P MRS has quantified muscle pH to decrease from 7.0 to 6.2
during repeated short term intense muscle contractions to volitional exhaustion [2]. In
addition, venous blood pH decreases from 7.4 to as low 7.15 (mixed venous) have been
documented for sustained intense cycle ergometry exercise to volitional failure [3] (Table 1).
Blood and muscle acidosis can be sustained for at least 30 min during passive recovery, and
for some individuals is also accompanied with severe nausea [3, 4]. Juel et al. [5-8] and others
[9] have quantified the exercise training responses of the monocarboxylate lactate and proton
transporter in skeletal muscle, thereby revealing the importance of proton and lactate efflux
from muscle to blood (Figure 2) and the contribution of the proton load of intense muscle
contraction to systemic metabolic acidosis.
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Figure 2. The combined transport of lactate and a proton (H+) from muscle to blood as a support of
continued glycolytic ATP turnover during intense exercise.

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 44 R. A. Robergs and D. Kennedy

Several reviews have been written on the topic of lactate and/or acidosis and muscle
fatigue in recent years [10-12]. Consequently, the purpose of this review and commentary is
to reflect on past research that has investigated the role of acidosis in fatigue, provide
extensive evidence from the record of prior 31P MRS research on muscle acidosis during
exercise and recovery, present some of our recent, as yet unpublished 31P MRS findings, and
provide further insight into proton balance during muscle energy catabolism based on
computations of multiple competing cation and pH-dependent proton stoichiometry. Final
discussion will then be given ON the need to combine knowledge of physico-chemical
buffering to computations of proton release from energy catabolism to improve understanding
of the biochemistry of exercise-induced metabolic acidosis. Knowing the biochemistry of
metabolic acidosis, in combination with implications of acidosis to muscle fatigue, will
enable scientists to ask and answer the question, “Where to from here?”

RESEARCH METHODS USED TO STUDY ACIDOSIS AND FATIGUE

A variety of methods have been used to research the potential influence of acidosis on
muscle fatigue during intense exercise, and these methods are summarized in Figure 3. Brief
overviews of this research and their contributions to revealing the potential impact of acidosis
to the fatigue of intense exercise are provided in separate sections below.
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Figure 3. Summary of methods used to study exercise-induced metabolic acidosis and fatigue.

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 Metabolic Acidosis and Fatigue 45

INTENSE EXERCISE AND METABOLIC ACIDOSIS

It is beneficial to understand the historical development of the evidence of exercise-
induced metabolic acidosis, as well as the extent of metabolic acidosis documented from
various human experimental exercise conditions and in vitro muscle models from various
animal species. A summary of these findings is presented in Table 1. Intense exercise has the
capability to lower muscle pH to values between 6.0 to 6.8, with this pH range revealing
considerable variability in end-exercise muscle pH. The lowest muscle pH data come from
research using magnetic resonance techniques. Research of the metabolic acidosis of intense
exercise has always assumed that the acidosis is a negative occurrence to muscle energetic
and/or contractile function. For example, the classic research, though not necessarily correctly
interpreted, Sahlin et al. [13-15] demonstrated that muscle pH decreased to 6.4 following high
intensity isometric exercise, and that such decreases correlated highly (r=0.96) to the
accumulation of muscle lactate and pyruvate (Figure 4a). Interestingly, in the same study by
Sahlin et al. [14] a similar correlation was presented between muscle pH and a log
transformation of a version of what has become known as the phosphorylation potential (log
([creatine] [ATP] / [creatine phosphate] [ADP]) for muscle in response to different conditions
of intense sustained or intermittent isometric exercise (Figure 4b). A decrease in the
phosphorylation potential is interpreted as increased non-steady state metabolic stress in
contracting muscle, or in other words, a condition of ATP demand exceeding ATP supply
from glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration. Interestingly, Sahlin‟s correlation presentation
of acidosis and the phosphorylation potential never received the attention and
acknowledgement as the correlation of pH to lactate + pyruvate. Presumably, the concept of
metabolic acids causing acidosis was more in-line with scientific thought at that time [16].
A summary of this research is very clear. Intense exercise induces a severe metabolic
acidosis. Muscle pH can fall as much as 1 pH unit, and blood pH can fall as much as 0.45 pH
units depending on where blood is sampled from relative to the exercising muscle mass.
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Metabolic acidosis also coincides with the accumulation of glycolytic intermediates and
lactate, which remain good predictors of alterations in muscle acid-base balance.

EXACERBATING THE ACIDOSIS OF INTENSE EXERCISE

If methods that exacerbate acidosis increase fatigue or decrease exercise performance,
such results provide indirect evidence for the detriment of metabolic acidosis to muscle
metabolism and/or systemic physiology during exercise. There are few studies that have
followed this line of inquiry from a nutrition perspective. Nevertheless, Robergs et al. [4]
compared placebo (pH=7.16) to nutritional alkalosis (0.2 g/kg Na+HCO3- + 0.2 g/kg
Na+citrate; pH=7.21) or acidosis (0.3 g/kg NH4Cl; pH=7.15) and showed that pre-exercise
acidosis resulted in significantly shorter time to fatigue when cycling at 110%
Watts@VO2max compared to both placebo and alkalosis.
Exercise at increased altitude has been more widely applied to study exacerbated acidosis
and exercise performance. Exposure to the hypoxia of higher altitude induces an acute and
chronic decrease in blood bicarbonate due to a sustained hypoxic hyperventilation and
commensurate respiratory alkalosis. As such, an early rationale for studying exercise at
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 46 R. A. Robergs and D. Kennedy

altitude was that the hypoxia and associated decreased blood buffering capacity, despite a
resting respiratory alkalosis, would exacerbate the development of metabolic acidosis. Such
rationale was proven incorrect by Adams et al. [17] who revealed higher end exercise blood
pH during hypoxia (FIO2 = 0.12) than normoxia.
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Figure 4. Early research of the change in muscle pH for different rest, exercise and recovery conditions
and the association of muscle pH to pyruvate, lactate and the cytosolic phosphorylation potential
(log(([creatine][ATP]) / ([creatine phosphate][ADP])). Adapted from Sahlin et al. (59,60).
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Metabolic Acidosis and Fatigue 47

Hogen et al. [18] used 31P MRS to study the muscle (gastrocnemius) phosphagen system
in six subjects during incremental plantar flexion exercise exposed to graded hypoxia (FIO2 =
0.1), normoxia (FIO2 = 0.21), or hyperoxia (FIO2 = 1.0). The exercise-induced decrease in
muscle pH had a significantly earlier onset and more rapid change in the hypoxia condition.
End-exercise muscle pH was not different between conditions; 6.84, 6.9 and 6.92,
respectively. However, it is interesting that the pH values were not lower compared to other
31
P MRS investigations (see Table 1), and that such non-significant findings are difficult to
interpret due to the low sample size and marginally adequate statistical power (d=0.8, α =
0.05, 1-β = 0.85, n = 6; GPower 3.1, Universität Kiel, Germany). The final data
interpretations were that regardless of oxygen availability, exercise is terminated when
intracellular conditions develop that are no longer commensurate with continued muscle
contraction. The intracellular conditions reported across all trials were a mild acidosis, which
is not revealing of a role of acidosis to end exercise, and more importantly, similar relative
changes (compared to rest) in muscle [CrP] (~42%) and increased [Pi] (~440%). These
metabolic similarities occurred despite significant differences in time to exhaustion between
FIO2 conditions.
There are clearly more complex issues involved in exercise to exhaustion than a decrease
in muscle or systemic pH.

DECREASING THE ACIDOSIS OF INTENSE EXERCISE

Normal Ionic Exchange during Exercise

During rest conditions, acid-base balance in muscle is primarily maintained by Na+/H+

transport in conjunction with Na+/bicarbonate co-transport. Na+ is brought into the cell in
exchange for H+ in both systems, however this creates an increased intracellular [Na+], which
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requires remediation by the Na+/K+ pump. With increased Na+/K+ pump activity, increased
energy demand occurs, which can ultimately constrain Na+/H+ exchange and bicarbonate co-
transport for effective buffering and pH maintenance during intense exercise [7]. In addition,
considerable K+ efflux from muscle raises interstitial [K+], which can impair the membrane
potential and contribute to electrophysiological contributions to muscle fatigue [19-21].
During high intensity exercise pH regulation is better mediated by lactate/H+ co-
transport. Increasing H+ from ATP turnover and glycolysis during intense exercise coincides
with, but is not stoichiometric with, lactate production and accumulation. The release of
lactate and H+ from the cell has also been shown to occur at similar rates [22], though others
have provided evidence that such stoichiometry is larger for H+ efflux [7-9]. The export of
lactate and H+ ions into the interstitium, vascular system, and mitochondria is mediated by the
monocarboxylate transporters (MCT1 and MCT4) and can account for 70-75% of the efflux
of H+ out of the cell to offset the rapid decline of intracellular pH [9]. The MCT system
transport of H+ out of the cell allows the H+ to be buffered in the interstitium and vascular
system via HCO3- in the carbonic anhydrase reaction [9]. Additionally, the MCT1 is found in
the mitochondrial membrane suggesting that the mitochondria might also provide a H+
buffering mechanism and additional mitochondrial derived metabolic clearance of lactate [23,
24].

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 48 R. A. Robergs and D. Kennedy

Exercise Training

Improvements in proton buffering can be attained through quality training. Intermittent,

high intensity training has been shown to increase the density of MCTs and Na+/H+ transport
proteins (by as much as 15%), which will increase H+ export from the cell and improve pH
regulation [8]. Another mechanism that may account for improved H+ release with training is
an improved capillary density. With increased blood flow to the working muscle smaller
muscle-to-arterial concentration gradients exist creating improved buffering via HCO3- [7].
Training also increases cellular protein through classic hypertrophy, thereby increasing
structural H+ buffering. Furthermore, training increases the capacity of the phosphagen
system, and because of the improved MCT facilitated efflux of lactate, increases the capacity
of lactate production. Reactions of the phosphagen system and lactate production represent
the muscle cell‟s largest contributors to metabolic H+ buffering.

Ingestion of Buffering Agents

Ingestion of sodium citrate prior to an intense exercise bout can also improve acid-base
regulation. Acute ingestion of sodium citrate has been shown to reduce post exercise acidosis
following intense exercise [4, 25]. However, improved exercise performance with sodium
citrate ingestion has not been established. In several studies the ingestion of sodium citrate,
while improved acid-base balance was demonstrated, exercise performance during Wingate
testing, or exercise to exhaustion at 95% ,100%, and 110% VO2max failed to demonstrate
improved exercise capacity [4, 25-27].
The ingestion of sodium bicarbonate (Na+HCO3-) was first investigated some 80 years
ago and at that time was found to have some ergonomic benefit [28]. Further work in the
1970‟s and 1980‟s continued to find that the use of Na+HCO3- could be beneficial to exercise
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performance [29]. The use of Na+HCO3- to improve high intensity exercise has been more
recently demonstrated during competitive cycle ergometry. This improvement is thought to
derive from improved buffering capacity and maintenance of resting levels of pH through a
60 min bout [30]. Similarly, a study using 31P MRS during incremental forearm exercise to
exhaustion found a 12% improvement in peak power with ingestion of Na+HCO3- [31].
Overall, the ingestion of Na+HCO3- appears to have a potentially beneficial effect on
performance for both long-term and short-term high-intensity exercise, and more so for
intense intermittent exercise [32, 33]. The mechanism of improved performance from
establishing pre-exercise alkalosis seems unclear, though it would appear that any ergogenic
effect would depend on the exercise condition creating an acid-base disequilibrium.
Nevertheless, evidence also exists to show that pre-exercise alkalosis may benefit muscle
from a deceased K+ efflux [20].

HYBRID METHODS
The main hybrid method that we will mention here pertains to electrical stimulation of
human muscle accompanied by muscle biopsy and biochemical assay of metabolites. Such a
design is beneficial because artificial stimulation removes the role of the central nervous

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 Metabolic Acidosis and Fatigue 49

system from fatigue and the decision to end exercise, thereby possibly revealing more
complete muscle biochemical contributions to fatigue. Spriet et al. [34] have done classic
research of this type. Seven male subjects received electrical stimulation of the antero-lateral
thigh involving 1.6 s stimulation followed by 1.6 s recovery. Subjects were stimulated to
perform 64 contractions during complete anoxia induced by a thigh cuff inflated to 250
mmHg. Muscle biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis at rest, and in the recovery
interval following 16 and 48 contractions. The contralateral leg was then prepared and
underwent similar testing, except muscle biopsies occurred in the recovery intervals after 32
and 64 contractions. Muscle biopsies were prepared for and assayed for glycolytic
intermediates, lactate and pH (homogenate technique). Ironically, despite such involuntary
and arguably supra-maximal contractions, muscle pH did not decrease below 6.43. Such
intramuscular conditions coincided with a 40% decrease in muscle ATP.
As with all research based on muscle biopsy, the low temporal resolution of the muscle
sampling, in combination with the delays inherent in sampling and possible errors of the
homogenate technique, muscle pH data are inherently high compared to results from 31P MRS
(see Table 1). While validation work of muscle pH from 31P MRS to biopsy (homogenate)
methods has revealed an acceptable validity coefficient (r=0.88) [35], the pH range studied in
this investigation was narrow (7.14 to 6.77) thereby limiting the external validity of these
findings.

IN-VITRO METHODS
Early in vitro studies of muscle fibers demonstrated that a low pH was detrimental to
muscle performance resulting in reduced force production and shortening velocity [36-41].
This early work was initially linked to lactic acid as the source of acidification of the cell,
though this construct has since been repudiated [1]. Still, several mechanisms were identified
including enzyme inhibition, particularly of phosphofructokinase, interference with Ca++
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regulation at the sarcoplasmic reticulum, disruption of cross-bridge cycling, and slowed

relaxation time.

pH Effects on Enzymes
Initial in vitro studies suggested decreasing pH to have an inhibitory effect on
phosphorylase and PFK [41]. However, subsequent investigation, particularly of in vivo or in
situ muscle calls this finding into question. Using in situ methods of rat muscle at physiologic
temperature, increasing acidification failed to inhibit PFK and phosphorylase activity,
allowing continued ATP regeneration by glycolysis [42]. In humans, changes in PFK activity
have been shown to remain unchanged during acidic conditions based on observation of
continued gylcogenolysis [43-45].

Force Generation/Velocity
With declination of intra- and extracellular pH, decreased contractile force and velocity
of contraction have been demonstrated by in vitro work with tissue samples at 25˚C [39, 40].

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 50 R. A. Robergs and D. Kennedy

The loss of force was thought to arise from both interference of Ca++ binding at troponin C
through competition of H+ at the binding site, thus slowing cross-bridge detachment, and H+
interference with Ca++ release from the SR due to a charge differential across the membrane.
However, subsequent investigation at higher temperatures demonstrated decreased affects of
acidosis on fatigue. Pate et al [46] and Westerblad et al [47] found that acidification at 30˚C
and 32˚C decreased peak force 18% and 10% respectively. This was a significant change
from the 53% and 28% drop in peak force found at lower temperatures [46, 47]. It should be
noted in these studies that the drop in peak force was for maximum tetanic contraction, which
is not reflective of in vivo intrinsic muscle performance. More recently, Knuth et al [48] also
found that loss of peak force was improved from 30% at 15˚C to 11% at 30˚C at a pH of 6.2.
Decreased contraction velocity due to a reduction in cross-bridge detachment rate in the
presence of increased [H+] has shown similar improvement with increasing temperature and
appears to be dependent more on increasing [Pi] than a low pH [49]. While there appears to
be a slight effect of acidification on force generation/velocity, this effect has not been
examined at actual muscle physiologic temperatures (due to methodology constraints) or at
equivalent in vivo muscle contraction conditions. It is possible that at higher temperatures the
effect of acidosis on force generation/velocity may be even smaller.
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Figure 5. Spectra from 31P MRS for the medial gastrocnemius at rest and after intense exercise. The
upper left image shows data processing involving Lorentzian curve fitting of the rest condition
spectrum.

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 Metabolic Acidosis and Fatigue 51

The upper insert of Figure 5 presents the same rest spectrum after line fitting with
Lorentzian curves. The area under each curve is proportional to metabolite concentration, and
typically the muscle ATP
phosphate peak, and then used as an internal standard to calculate the remaining phosphate
metabolites [51]. The respective concentrations for Pi and CrP based on this method for this
spectrum are 6.0 and 32.0 mmol/kg wet wt.
The effects of acidification are further complicated by research on single fiber
preparations demonstrating that acidification of the fiber maintained or improved force
generation [50]. Increased [K+] was found to decrease muscle force production due to
changes in membrane potential and reduction in action potential (AP) propagation down the T
system resulting in decreased Ca++ release from the SR. But under acidic conditions, this
effect was remediated by decreased Cl- permeability and reduction of the AP threshold,
therefore allowing greater AP propagation and force generation [19]. Thus under conditions
where the AP propagation rate may lead to fatigue, a low pH may help preserve muscle
function and delay the onset of fatigue.
In summary, establishing more physiologic conditions of in vitro research, particularly
with respect to temperature, has changed the understanding of low pH on muscle fatigue; it
now appears that a low pH has a far less inhibitory effect on contractile function and in
certain circumstances may act to preserve muscle activation thus offsetting any detrimental
effects leading to force reduction.

CONTRIBUTIONS OF 31P MRS TO THE STUDY

OF EXERCISE-INDUCED METABOLIC ACIDOSIS

The method of 31P MRS has enormous capabilities for the study of muscle metabolic
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acidosis. Figure 5 presents a 31P spectrum acquired from the medial gastrocnemius of a 48
year old female subject. All peaks are labeled, and note that the resonance frequency of
phosphate groups differs slightly depending on their neighboring atomic conditions. The x-
axis unit ppm is an adjustment of the resonance frequency (MHz) based on the magnetic field
strength of the magnet. This normalizes the signals and thereby enables spectra from different
magnets to be compared.

Figure 6. The chemical structure of inorganic phosphate. One of the ionizable oxygen atoms has a pKa
within the physiological pH range. As muscle pH falls below 7, a greater proportion of inorganic
phosphate molecules becomes protonated. As such, muscle inorganic phosphate functions as a proton
(H+) buffer within skeletal muscle.

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 52 R. A. Robergs and D. Kennedy

Figure 7. a) Stacked spectra from 31P MRS for the combined Palmaris Longus and Flexor Carpi
Radialis muscles of the forearm at rest and after 1 min stages (1 kg increment) of incremental wrist
flexion exercise. b) The same data of a) focused to the resonance range from creatine phosphate (Cr) to
inorganic phosphate (Pi). The shift in resonance frequency of Pi (δ) is shown by the dashed lines. c)
The computed pH for the individual spectra.

The resonance frequency (ppm) difference between Pi and CrP is pH dependent. As

muscle pH falls, a larger proportion of Pi molecules acquire a proton to the sole ionizable
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oxygen across the physiological range of pH (Figure 6). This protonation alters the resonance
frequency of the phosphate group, causing the Pi peak to migrate closer to the CrP of the 31P
spectrum. A spectrum for the gastrocemius acquired during intense plantar flexion exercise is
presented in the bottom image of Figure 5. Muscle pH is calculated from 31P spectra using a
modification of the Henderson-Hasselbach equation (Equation 1). For the spectra of Figure 5,
muscle pH had decreased from 7.0 at rest to 6.82 during repeated intense plantar flexion
contractions.

pH = 6.75 + log10 [δ - 3.350 / (5.6 - δ] Equation 1

The quality of 31P spectra is proportional to the volume of the sampled muscle and the
magnetic field strength. The spectra presented in Figure 5 is from a 1.8 Tesla magnet (1 Tesla
= 1,000 gauss = 3,000 x earth‟s equatorial magnetic field strength of 0.3 gauss). Higher field
strength magnets allow greater resolution between phosphate peaks and increased temporal
resolution. For example, the spectra of Figure 1 represent 1 min of data, resulting from the
sum of 12 spectra where each was acquired every 5 s. A 3 Tesla magnet provides greater
signal to noise, and thereby allows for the summation of fewer spectra, with quality data
obtainable in time intervals as short as 10 s [51, 52].

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 Metabolic Acidosis and Fatigue 53

The research and scientific benefit of using 31P MRS to study muscle pH changes is
based on the non-invasive nature and high temporal resolution of the method. Intramuscular
pH measurements that can occur in frequent time intervals enable quantification of the kinetic
response of pH change during and in recovery from intense exercise. For example, Figure 7
presents the 31P MRS spectra obtained from dynamic forearm wrist flexion exercise for one
subject in another of our recent investigations. This subject was able to fully tax his
phosphagen system, diminishing the CrP signal to within the noise of the spectra of Figure 7a
and b. The shift in resonance frequency of Pi between minutes 2 and 4 is clearly seen in
Figure 7b. Intramuscular pH decreased rapidly during the third and fourth stages of this
protocol, attaining peak acidosis of pH = 6.12 (Figure 7c).
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Figure 8. Data from a representative subject during repeated bouts of wrist flexion exercise (see text). a)
The changes in creatine phosphate (CrP) and inorganic phosphate (Pi) during and in recovery from
exercise. b) Changes in intramuscular pH revealing a sustained metabolic acidosis from bout 1 through
bout 3.

Our most recent 31P MRS investigation has produced very interesting data to compare to
the in-vitro findings of Pedersen et al. [19]. As a reminder, this study revealed a benefit of
intracellular acidosis to contractile force development in skinned muscle fibers from the rat
due to a possible enhanced excitability of the t-tubule system. We designed a human subjects
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 54 R. A. Robergs and D. Kennedy

experiment where intense intermittent forearm wrist flexion exercise was performed. We
measured the changes in muscle phosphate metabolites through exercise and recovery using
31
P MRS. Thus, we were able to assess the repeated ability of subjects to tax their phosphagen
system through repeated intervals while accurately quantifying intramuscular pH. As pH
recovery in muscle is a slow response, while CrP recovery is rapid, any delay in pH recovery,
if intramuscular acidosis was influential to muscle fatigue, should detract from the subjects‟
capability to tax their phosphagen system in repeated intervals of exercise. Our data for a
representative subject is presented in Figure 8. The subject completed 7 min of incremental
exercise (1 kg increase/min @ 12 contractions/min), 5 min of recovery, then two additional
bouts of intense exercise (2 min @ WLmax from exercise bout 1) to near failure separated by
5 min of recovery. The data are strikingly clear in showing the sustained condition of
metabolic acidosis, yet the ability of the subject to continue to fully tax his phosphagen
energy system while completing standard exercise. The data present no evidence
intramuscular acidosis causing a detriment to in-vivo contractile function or cellular energy
turnover.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTON RELEASE

FROM THE CHEMICAL REACTIONS OF NON-MITOCHONDRIAL
ENERGY CATABOLISM TO EXERCISE-INDUCED
METABOLIC ACIDOSIS
In the original manuscript where Peter Stewart introduced the theory of physico-chemical
causes of acid-balance in blood and muscle, a key issue proposed was the sole dependence of
the hydrogen ion activity of a solution on other, „independent‟, variables such as the
concentrations of positive and negatively charged elements and weak acids, and the partial
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pressure of CO2 [53]. As such, Stewart indicated that tissues such as skeletal muscle did not
alter body fluid acid-base balance by the production or release of protons during increasing
metabolic demand. Consequently, the entire physico-chemical approach to acid-base
chemistry has been interpreted to preclude recognition of a tissue contribution of protons to
acid-base balance. For example, others have stated that “… the quantity of H+ added or
removed from a physiologic system is not relevant to the final pH, since [H+] is a „dependent‟
variable ...” [54].
Clearly, one of the constraints of the Stewart approach is the treatment of H+ activity
(accumulation) as being solely dependent on other factors. This is an invalid assumption that
today remains unsupported by any empirical data. Furthermore, to assume zero proton
exchange from the sum of all reactions of cellular energy metabolism is in opposition to the
exchange of protons, and other competing cations, based on computations from
experimentally established dissociation constants for all known biological and non-biological
organic molecules [55]. Clearly, the “Stewart” of “physico-chemical” approach to acid-base
chemistry does not cause acidosis but demonstrates the potential for changes in ionic
concentrations to alter cellular and blood proton balance. The important feature that is left to
establish is the quantity of proton release, or what has been termed the “proton load”, of
intense muscle contraction.

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Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
Metabolic Acidosis and Fatigue 55

Figure 9. Computed data for proton coefficients from the reactions of non-mitochondrial energy
catabolism in skeletal muscle. Negative coefficients represent H+ release.

We believe an important contribution to understanding and quantifying the proton load of

intense muscle contraction is to compute the proton coefficients of all metabolites and
reactions of skeletal muscle non-mitochondrial energy metabolism (phosphagen and
glycolytic energy systems). This work is based on acquiring known dissociation constants for
multiple cations for specific metabolites from peer reviewed research [55]. We then computed
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 56 R. A. Robergs and D. Kennedy

the proportion of H+, Na+, K+ and Mg++ dissociation for specific metabolites from pH 6.0 to
7.0 using an alpha equation as shown in Equation 2, which allowed us to develop proton
coefficient curves across the physiological pH range for each metabolite.

 n 
L  
n
1
Ltot  
1  K H H   ....  K Hn H    n
    
K A A a   K AH A a  H   ..
Equation 2
(Note that for multiple cation binding, KAH in equation 1 refers to KH*KAH, etc)

We then summed substrate (-„ve) and product (+‟ve) H+ coefficients for each reaction of
the phosphagen and glycolytic systems to derive H+ coefficient data for a given rate of
product formation. For example, a H+ coefficient of 1.0 would be 1.0 mmol/L H+ release for 1
mmol/L product formation.
The results of this work were revealing of the specific reactions that contribute to, as well
as oppose, proton release. In addition, the extent of net H+ release possible from non-
mitochondrial energy metabolism was shown to be remarkably high. Figure 9 presents the net
H+ coefficients for reactions of non-mitochondrial energy catabolism in skeletal muscle.
Negative coefficients represent H+ release. Interestingly, while most reactions are net H+
releasing, the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase reaction is the most H+ releasing
reaction of glycolysis, with H+ coefficients becoming more negative as pH decreases.
Glycolysis sums to be net H+ releasing when fueled from glycogen, with H+ coefficients
being -3.97 and -2.01 for pH 6 and 7, respectively.
When modeling muscle metabolism during 3 min of intense exercise to volitional
exhaustion, net H+ release amounts to approximately 80 mmol/kg wet wt. This H+ load of
intense muscle contraction is opposed by adjustment based on the ion constant of water,
structural H+ buffering, H+ transport out of the muscle fiber, changes in strong ion
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concentrations, and additional chemical buffering by HCO3-. These data are revealing of the
capacity of H+ release by contracting skeletal muscle, and are more than double the
previously accepted value based on the incorrect assumption of lactate production being
stoichiometric to H+ release.

METABOLIC ACIDOSIS AND FATIGUE: WHERE TO FROM HERE?

It is clear that the field of acid-base physiology is in a state of turmoil, with no accepted
paradigm for explaining exercise-induced metabolic acidosis. The inability to understand the
cause of metabolic acidosis, during exercise and even all other forms of acidosis, is a major
detraction from the scientific advancement of basic, applied and clinical research and the
application of these findings to professional practice. When viewed from the perspective of
understanding fatigue and performance during exercise, current research interpretation clearly
reveals the error of labeling acidosis and lactate production as fatigue inducing events. The
notion that acidosis is the cause of contractile failure, and in particular that acidosis arose
from the formation of a single molecule (lactate), is not a valid construct. The primary effects
of acidosis appear to have a potential canceling effect. The slight loss in force production (as

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 Metabolic Acidosis and Fatigue 57

little as 10% based on in vitro studies) due to decreasing pH by impairment of myosin/actin

binding as the H+ competes with Ca++ at the troponin C site and through charge differential at
the SR limiting Ca++ release may be offset by positive effects of a low pH on maintenance of
action potential propagation through the t-system. Further research is needed to elucidate the
effects of acidosis under in-vivo physiologic conditions to determine if even the slight loss in
muscle force seen in vitro persists.
So what role does acidosis have to play in muscle fatigue? Our own 31P MRS findings of
sustained near maximal ATP turnover from the phosphagen system during repeated intense
exercise intervals despite continued metabolic acidosis (Figure 8), clearly reveals a disconnect
between acidosis and fatigue. Interestingly, one area of influence of acidosis to fatigue may
be outside of the muscle cell. There is evidence that the H+ directly affects group IV afferents
that are chemically sensitive [56]. Increased afferent discharge from neurons that provide
nociception have been shown to inhibit the motor neuron pool which could decrease alpha
motor neuron firing thus reducing force production [57-61]. Hodges [59] demonstrated that
experimentally induced pain in the triceps surae complex reduced motor unit firing rates by as
much as 12%. Additionally, the synergistic muscles that would contribute to continued force
production also showed decreased motor neuron firing rates.
During muscle fatigue the discharge of these small-diameter muscle afferents (groups III
and IV) increases according to the temperature, chemical and the mechanical environment of
their free nerve endings, which are all altered during intense exercise and thus can contribute
to fatigue [62]. Lastly, further input from group IV afferents that are stimulated repeatedly by
increasing [H+] may have an effect on central processing by the cortex, particularly the
enkephalinergic, dopaminergic and serotonergic systems, which appear to control motivation,
pain and vigilance [62]. Processing in these regions of the brain could lead to increased pain
perception and thus contribute to the bottom of the fatigue curve, particularly the decision to
end exercise.
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REFERENCES
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31P-MRS study of oral creatine ingestion. J Appl Physiol, 2004, 96, 2288-92.
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[60] Kniffki K, Schomburg E, Steffens H. Synaptic effects from chemically activated fine
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Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 In: Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise ISBN 978-1-61209-334-5
Editor: Frank E. Marino © 2011 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Chapter 4

CENTRAL MECHANISMS LIMITING MUSCLE

PERFORMANCE IN FATIGUE

Janet L. Taylor, Simon C. Gandevia,

Neuroscience Research Australia and the University of New South Wales
Barker St, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia

ABSTRACT
During exercise, muscle fatigue leads to a loss of maximal voluntary force or power.
Processes in the muscle contribute to fatigue, but there is also a contribution from
processes in the nervous system. This is known as central fatigue. Central fatigue is
demonstrated when twitch interpolation shows a progressive failure of voluntary
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activation. That is, the motoneurones fire too slowly to generate maximal possible muscle
force despite maximal voluntary effort. During single limb exercise, factors that influence
the development of central fatigue are primarily repetitive activation of neurones in the
motor pathway and changes in inputs to these neurones from other motor areas or from
sensory feedback. At a spinal level, changes in the intrinsic properties of motoneurones
make them harder to drive, and descending drive from the motor cortex becomes less
effective. Supraspinal fatigue can be identified using transcranial magnetic stimulation,
which shows that extra output from the motor cortex is available but remains untapped by
voluntary effort. The mechanism for this is unknown but feedback from fatigue-sensitive
small-diameter muscle afferents may be important. During whole-body exercise, the
addition of systemic changes is likely to cause further impairment of the performance of
the motor pathway.


Email: [email protected]; Phone +61 2 9399 1116
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 64 Janet L. Taylor and Simon C. Gandevia

INTRODUCTION
Exercise is sustained or repetitive activation of one or more muscle groups. In people,
voluntary muscle contractions are driven primarily from the motor cortex through
corticospinal neurones which act at a spinal level to activate motoneurones directly and
indirectly. Each motoneurone innervates a group of muscle fibres and their contraction
produces force and/or movement. During exercise, changes occur at most levels in this chain.
Some of the changes contribute to an impairment of the force produced by the muscle. That
is, they contribute to muscle fatigue, which can be defined as any exercise-induced reduction
in the ability of a muscle or muscle group to generate force or power [1, 2].
It is useful to consider three ways that exercise can alter the motor pathway. First,
neurones and muscle fibres fire repeatedly and there are intrinsic changes in their behaviour
that are related to this repetitive activation [e.g. 3, 4]. Second, the firing of neurones and
muscle fibres depends on their input and this input can change with fatigue. Muscle fibres
only have input from the motoneurones that innervate them, but the motoneurones receive
input from sensory receptors, as well as descending drive. Motor cortical cells receive inputs
from multiple cortical and subcortical areas including sensory feedback from the periphery. In
particular, sensory receptors in muscle are activated by muscle contraction and affected by
fatigue, and these feed back to the neurones in the motor pathway at both a spinal and a
cortical level. Third, there are systemic effects associated with whole-body exercise that may
influence motor output especially under particular conditions, such as hyperthermia,
decreased glucose availability, decreased oxygen availability, blood flow limitations, and
other metabolic changes. It is important to note that systemic effects may influence muscle
fibres or the neurones in the motor pathway directly, or indirectly via activation of afferents.
Systemic effects will not be addressed here as this chapter is concerned primarily with the
contribution of the nervous system to fatigue in single limb exercise.
While it is clear that processes related to excitation and contraction of the muscle
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contribute greatly to the impairment of maximal force output with fatigue [e.g. 5], processes
in the nervous system also contribute. This contribution is known as central fatigue and, for
practical reasons, is considered to encompass processes above the level of the terminal
branches of the motor axons, whereas peripheral fatigue includes processes in the terminal
branches, neuromuscular junction and muscle fibres (see Figure 1)[6, 7]. Central fatigue can
be defined as a progressive reduction in the voluntary activation of muscle during exercise
[2]. That is, a decline in the ability of the nervous system to drive the muscle maximally. In
addition, supraspinal fatigue can be identified as a subclass of central fatigue. It can be
defined as fatigue produced by failure to generate output from the motor cortex [2].

MEASUREMENT OF VOLUNTARY ACTIVATION

Motor Nerve Stimulation

Voluntary activation can be measured using the technique of twitch interpolation [6, 7].
Here, maximal stimulation of the motor nerve to a muscle is carried out during a maximal
voluntary contraction (MVC). If an increment in force is evoked despite the subject‟s
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Central Mechanisms Limiting Muscle Performance in Fatigue 65

maximal effort then voluntary activation is less than 100%. Some motor units are either not
recruited or are not firing fast enough to form fused contractions. To quantify the level of
voluntary activation, the increment in force (superimposed twitch) is compared to the twitch
of the muscle at rest. As ongoing or previous activity can potentiate the force evoked from a
muscle, the superimposed twitch is potentiated and so should be compared to a potentiated
resting twitch elicited shortly after a maximal effort. Voluntary activation is expressed as a
percentage and can be calculated using the formula, voluntary activation = (1- superimposed
twitch/resting twitch) X 100 [6, 8, 9]. Voluntary activation is commonly high in isometric
MVCs but is rarely 100% [2, 8]. It is frequently measured with motor nerve stimulation in the
knee extensors (85-95%), elbow flexors (>95%), ankle dorsiflexors (95-100%) and
plantarflexors (>95%), and the diaphragm. It has also been measured in elbow extensors,
intrinsic hand muscles, abdominal muscles, and masseter [2, 10].
When measuring voluntary activation during a fatiguing protocol, two additional points
should be kept in mind. First, the repeated activation of motoneurones by voluntary activity
changes the threshold of their axons for electrical stimulation irrespective of any change in
their response to voluntary drive. After a 1-min MVC, there is a 30% increase in threshold, so
that unless the stimulus is sufficiently supramaximal initially, it will no longer activate all of
the muscle [11]. Second, the contractile response of the muscle to a single action potential is
more affected by fatigue than the response to repetitive activation [12, 13]. Thus, the resting
twitch to a single stimulus may decrease disproportionately compared to the superimposed
twitch and overemphasise a failure of voluntary activation. The use of a pair of stimuli at high
frequency (100 Hz) can ameliorate this problem.
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Figure 1. Definitions of muscle fatigue, peripheral fatigue, central fatigue and supraspinal fatigue.
Peripheral and central fatigue can be identified by stimulation of the motor nerve. Supraspinal fatigue is
a component of central fatigue. It can be identified by transcranial stimulation over the motor cortex.

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 66 Janet L. Taylor and Simon C. Gandevia

Motor Cortex Stimulation

Voluntary activation can also be measured using transcranial magnetic stimulation over
the motor cortex rather than stimulation of the motor nerve [14-18]. Again the stimulus is
delivered during a MVC and if an increment in force is evoked, then voluntary activation is
less than 100%. However, a failure of voluntary activation measured with cortical stimulation
has different implications than that measured with motor nerve stimulation. It indicates that
extra output could be evoked from the motor cortex, motoneurones and muscle despite
maximal voluntary effort. It implies that motor cortical output was not maximal and was not
sufficient to drive the motoneurones maximally and that motoneurone firing was not maximal
and was not sufficient to drive the muscle fibres maximally. Voluntary activation measured
with motor cortical stimulation can be quantified but it is not appropriate to compare the
superimposed twitch to the twitch evoked by stimulation with the muscle at rest. Excitability
at both cortical and spinal levels increases with voluntary contraction so that the effective
input to the muscle from the same cortical stimulus is much less during rest than during
contraction. To circumvent this problem, an estimated resting twitch can be calculated from
the relationship between the superimposed twitch and voluntary force. For the elbow flexor
muscles, this relationship is linear for voluntary contractions of above 50% maximal and the
amplitude of the estimated resting twitch is calculated by extrapolation to the axis (zero
voluntary force) [17]. The estimated resting twitch can then be used in the formula, Voluntary
activation = (1-superimposed twitch/estimated resting twitch) X 100. For the elbow flexors,
voluntary activation measured with cortical stimulation is reported as 90-95%. The technique
has also been used for the wrist flexors and knee extensors [15, 16]. In addition, cortical
stimulation has been used to evoke superimposed twitches from adductor pollicis and the
elbow extensors [19, 20].
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SIT
100 10%
force
initial
(% initial MVC) MVC

50

200 ms
0
2-min MVC

Figure 2. Traces of elbow flexion force recorded at intervals during a sustained maximal voluntary
contraction (MVC) of the elbow flexor muscles. Each trace is around the time of transcranial magnetic
stimulation over the motor cortex (black arrows). The progressive fall in force before the stimuli shows
the development of fatigue during the sustained MVC. After each stimulus, there is a small increment
in force (superimposed twitch, SIT). The SIT is small at the start of the fatiguing contraction and larger
later in the contraction. This indicates supraspinal fatigue. SITs from the first and final traces are shown
enlarged in the inset. The fall in force after each SIT corresponds to the silent period, in which
voluntary EMG is suppressed.

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 Central Mechanisms Limiting Muscle Performance in Fatigue 67

Problems with the use of cortical stimulation to measure voluntary activation include the
difficulty in localising stimulation to one muscle or muscle group. Stimulation of the
antagonist muscle in addition to the agonist reduces the size of the superimposed twitch [17].
Submaximal stimulation of the motoneurone pool and muscle can also be a problem. It
produces small superimposed twitches in the lower force contractions and results in a small
estimated resting twitch.

EVIDENCE FOR CENTRAL FATIGUE

During fatiguing exercise, there is a decline in the ability of the nervous system to
activate muscles maximally. This decline represents central fatigue and is demonstrated by a
fall in voluntary activation (or an increase in the size of the superimposed twitch). It can be
demonstrated during different kinds of exercise and for different muscles including the knee
extensors, ankle plantar and dorsiflexors, elbow flexors, diaphragm and hand muscles [2].
One of the most straightforward paradigms for causing muscle fatigue is the maintenance
of an isometric maximal voluntary effort of a single muscle group. Here, within a few
seconds, fatigue is apparent as a fall in force. At the same time a progressive increase in the
superimposed twitch evoked by motor nerve stimulation shows that central fatigue develops
[14, 21-24]. At the end of a 1.5-3 min MVC, voluntary activation is reported to fall by 10-
15% [14, 22]. Demonstration of central fatigue with motor nerve stimulation implies that
motoneuronal drive to the muscle has become worse at producing fused contractions of all the
motor units, but it gives no indication of the mechanism for inadequate drive to the muscle. If
motor cortical stimulation is delivered during a sustained MVC, then the superimposed
twitches which it evokes also grow progressively (Figure 2) [14, 25, 26]. This growth
indicates that voluntary drive from the motor cortex has become worse at driving the
motoneurones. Although additional motor cortical output can be accessed by the stimulus, it
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is not employed voluntarily despite the subject‟s maximal voluntary effort. Thus, the increase
in the superimposed twitch to motor cortex stimulation suggests that some of central fatigue
is due to mechanisms at a supraspinal level and is a marker of supraspinal fatigue [27].
Theoretically, comparison of voluntary activation measured with motor nerve stimulation and
motor cortical stimulation should quantify the supraspinal contribution to central fatigue.
However, in practice, non-linearities in the relationship between voluntary force and
voluntary activation measured with motor nerve stimulation mean that this is not possible
[17]. Central and supraspinal fatigue are seen not only during sustained isometric maximal
efforts but also during intermittent isometric and dynamic maximal efforts [28-32].
Although it is less obvious than during maximal contractions, fatigue also develops
during submaximal exercise. If a contraction to a target force is maintained, the active muscle
fibres gradually fatigue and EMG increases progressively as more motor units are recruited to
compensate [9, 33, 34]. If brief MVCs are performed occasionally through the submaximal
exercise, a fall in maximal voluntary force is seen [9, 34-37]. As central and supraspinal
fatigue are demonstrated by the failure of the nervous system to activate the muscle
maximally, measurement of voluntary activation during submaximal forces is not helpful in
identifying central fatigue [38]. However, motor nerve and motor cortical stimulation
delivered during brief MVCs performed during a sustained submaximal contraction show that

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 68 Janet L. Taylor and Simon C. Gandevia

central and supraspinal fatigue do develop [36, 37]. This occurs during contractions as weak
as 5% maximum if they are maintained for long enough [35]. Indeed, ~two-thirds of the loss
of maximal force during a 5% contraction held for >1 hour was explained by supraspinal
fatigue, whereas supraspinal fatigue accounts for ~one quarter of fatigue during a 2-min MVC
[27, 35].
Whole-body exercise such as cycling or running can also produce central fatigue in the
muscles that are used in the exercise [39]. For example, following running or cycling,
stimulation of the femoral nerve shows an increase in the superimposed twitch during
maximal isometric knee extension [40, 41]. Furthermore, in a recent study, cortical
stimulation delivered during isometric MVCs after cycling showed a supraspinal contribution
to central fatigue [25]. Surprisingly, this failure of cortical drive to the knee extensors had not
recovered by 45 minutes after the end of exercise and was exacerbated during sustained
contractions.
Taken together, it seems that central fatigue develops along with peripheral fatigue
during most exercise and that, whenever it has been tested, there is a supraspinal component
to the central fatigue. The contribution of central fatigue varies with the kind of exercise but
under some conditions it can be as important, or more important, than peripheral mechanisms
for loss of force [38]. The mechanisms of central fatigue are not clear but are likely to include
processes at a spinal and cortical level, and they ultimately result in motoneurone firing that is
insufficient to activate muscles to generate their maximal available force output.

MOTONEURONES DURING FATIGUE

During a sustained maximal voluntary contraction, the muscle fibre relaxation rates slow
[42-44]. Thus, fused contractions of the fibres can be maintained despite some decrease in
motor unit firing rates. However, the presence of an increasing superimposed twitch indicates
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that motoneurone firing slows too much to maintain full activation of the muscle and so
contributes to fatigue. Motoneurone firing depends on the properties of the motoneurones and
on their synaptic input from afferents and descending drive. During fatiguing exercise, a
reduction in firing rates could result from a change in motoneurone properties that make the
motoneurones less responsive to input, or an increase in inhibitory input, or a decrease in
excitatory drive. Some inputs to motoneurones come from muscle afferents which are likely
to change during contraction and fatigue. These afferents include those from the muscle
spindles (groups Ia and II), from Golgi tendon organs (Ib) and the small-diameter myelinated
and unmyelinated afferents (groups III and IV). Muscle spindle afferents fire during voluntary
contractions and a reduction in their firing and an increase in presynaptic inhibition during
sustained contractions may reduce excitation to the motoneurones of the fatigued muscle and
could contribute to decreased firing rates [45-47]. Tendon organ inhibition to the contracting
muscle is reduced during sustained voluntary contractions so that it is unlikely to reduce
motoneurone firing [48-50]. The influence of small-diameter afferents is addressed in a
subsequent section.
Some insight into motoneurone behaviour during fatigue in humans can be gained from
examining responses to stimulation of the corticospinal tract. An electrical pulse passed
between the mastoid processes activates corticospinal axons at the cervicomedullary junction

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 Central Mechanisms Limiting Muscle Performance in Fatigue 69

to evoke a single descending volley [51, 52]. This in turn activates motoneurones and
produces a response which can be measured in the electromyogram (EMG). During a
sustained MVC, these responses (cervicomedullary motor evoked potentials, CMEPs)
decrease in size compared to the maximal compound muscle action potential (Mmax) evoked
by peripheral nerve stimulation (Figure 3A,C)[53, 54]. Thus, motoneurone excitability
decreases. The decrease in CMEP size during a strong contraction is not compatible with a
decrease in excitatory drive to the motoneurones but indicates that the motoneurones have
become harder to drive either through inhibition or through a change in their intrinsic
properties [55]. The behaviour of individual motor units during sustained submaximal
contractions suggests that changes in the intrinsic properties of motor units occur with
repetitive activation. Motoneurones that are continuously activated become less responsive to
synaptic input [56, 57]. They require more voluntary drive to maintain their firing rates and
can even cease firing [58]. As this behaviour is specific to motoneurones which have been
firing for some time, it is unlikely to be due to a change in input to the motoneurone pool.
Such changes should also affect newly recruited motoneurones. Overall, the slowing of
motoneurone firing cannot be due solely to a decrease in excitatory drive and a contribution
from altered intrinsic properties of the motoneurones due to their repetitive activation is
likely.

A. control fatigued C. 120

MEP and CMEP area (% Mmax)
CMEP
MEPs

M wave 80
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B.
40
MEP CMEPs

M wave
20 mV
0
control 2-min recovery
25 ms MVCs sustained MVC MVCs

Figure 3. Changes in motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and cervicomedullary motor evoked potentials
(CMEPs) during a sustained maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). A. Overlaid traces of CMEPs and
maximal M waves (evoked through brachial plexus stimulation) recorded from biceps brachii in one
subject during brief MVCs (control) and near the end of a 2-min MVC (fatigued). B. Overlaid traces of
MEPs and maximal M waves recorded from biceps brachii in one subject during brief MVCs (control)
and near the end of a 2-min MVC (fatigued). C. The area of MEPs and CMEPs during a 2-min MVC
and during brief MVCs before and after the sustained contraction. Each potential in each subject was
normalised to the maximal M wave (Mmax) recorded at close to the same time. MEPs and CMEPs
were recorded in two separate studies.

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 70 Janet L. Taylor and Simon C. Gandevia

MOTOR CORTEX DURING FATIGUE

Motor cortical excitability can be examined during voluntary contractions using
transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Here, a pulsed magnetic field induces an electrical
current in the cortex and activates neurones. When delivered over the primary motor cortex
TMS evokes a short-latency excitatory response in the EMG (motor evoked potential, MEP).
Pyramidal tract neurones are activated directly by stimulation of their axons or indirectly
through synapses by stimulation of cortico-cortical neurones [59, 60]. The indirect
stimulation means that the size of responses evoked in the descending axons is influenced by
the excitability of neurones in the cortex. Because responses are recorded in the EMG, they
are also influenced by the excitability of the motoneurones. During voluntary contractions,
the MEP is followed by a lengthy period of EMG silence. The latter part of this silent period
is thought to be due to intracortical inhibition via GABAB receptors so that the duration of the
silent period represents the actions of inhibitory interneurones in the cortex [e.g. 61, 62].
During a sustained MVC, supraspinal fatigue increases. That is, motor cortical output
becomes less able to drive the muscle fully [14, 26]. EMG responses to cortical stimulation
also change [63]. The MEP grows in size (Figure 3 B, C). As the decrease in CMEP at the
same time shows a reduction in the excitability of the motoneurones, the increase in the MEP
suggests that the motor cortex becomes more excitable [53, 64]. Similarly, fMRI studies show
that the BOLD signal at first increases during a sustained maximal effort although then it
decreases [65]. However, while the MEP grows, the silent period also lengthens and this
suggests an increase in inhibition in the cortex [64]. These paradoxical changes make it
difficult to understand what cortical changes underlie the increase in supraspinal fatigue.
Furthermore, under some circumstances supraspinal fatigue can be dissociated from the
changes in the MEP and silent period so that neither is critical for the development of
supraspinal fatigue [14, 64].
Paired pulse TMS has also been used to investigate intracortical inhibition with fatigue.
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In these paradigms, a conditioning TMS pulse is used to alter the MEP evoked by a
subsequent stimulus. Short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) is thought to be mediated
by GABAA receptors and long-interval intracortical inhibition (LICI) by GABAB receptors,
like the silent period. Both SICI and LICI have been tested with the muscle at rest during and
after fatiguing exercise which consisted of intermittent contractions, and both decreased
progressively with fatigue [66-68]. This contrasts with the increase in the silent period which
occurs when the muscle is contracting. When LICI is tested during a sustained MVC, it
increases dramatically but this appears to be through spinal rather than cortical mechanisms
[69]. Thus, it seems that inhibition in the motor cortex may not contribute to supraspinal
fatigue.

GROUPS III AND IV MUSCLE AFFERENTS

Afferent input from the limbs alters the excitability of neurones in the motor pathway at a
spinal and cortical level. While cutaneous input does influence the motor pathway, the input
that is most likely to change during fatiguing exercise is from the muscles. In particular,
small-diameter (groups III and IV) muscle afferents are thought to have a role during fatigue
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Central Mechanisms Limiting Muscle Performance in Fatigue 71

as some of them are chemically sensitive and increase their firing with the accumulation of
metabolites, while others are mechanically sensitive and fire with contractions [70-74]. The
firing of both mechanically and chemically sensitive afferents is enhanced by ischemia. It is
group III and IV muscle afferents that transduce muscle pain and contribute to the sensations
of muscle fatigue with exercise.
The role of small-diameter muscle afferents in fatigue appears to be complex. It has been
postulated that they provide reflex inhibition to motoneurones but this is not true for all
muscle groups [54]. When muscle is held ischaemic at the end of a fatiguing contraction by
blocking blood flow to the limb, metabolites are held within the muscle and its recovery is
prevented. Under these conditions, a period of relaxation allows the motor cortex and
motoneurones to recover from any effects of repetitive activation but the group III and IV
afferents continue to fire [14, 75, 76]. With fatigue of quadriceps, maintained ischemia keeps
motor unit firing rates slow, and for the ankle plantar flexors, H-reflexes are decreased [76,
77]. However, these changes could result from presynaptic inhibition of Ia inputs by group III
and IV afferents [47, 78]. When motoneurone pools supplying arm muscles are tested with
CMEPs during brief MVCs, responses in triceps brachii are inhibited, whereas those in biceps
brachii are not [54]. Indeed, CMEPs in biceps are even facilitated with fatigue of the elbow
extensor muscles, whereas those in triceps are inhibited with fatigue of the antagonist elbow
flexor muscles. Thus, at the spinal cord, group III and IV muscle afferent firing maintained by
ischemia after a fatiguing contraction inhibits some motoneurone pools but can excite others.
It cannot account for the decrease in the response to corticospinal tract stimulation observed
in biceps brachii during a sustained MVC, but it could contribute to motoneurone slowing and
central fatigue in other muscle groups [53, 54].
Small-diameter muscle afferents can also have a supraspinal influence on fatigue. When
TMS is carried out at rest during ischemia after a fatiguing effort, MEPs are unaffected [79].
Similarly, during brief MVCs during maintained ischemia, the recovery of MEPs and the
silent period is unaffected [14]. However, the superimposed twitch evoked from the elbow
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flexors remains large. This supraspinal fatigue only recovers when blood flow to the arm is
allowed to resume. Thus, despite no apparent direct effect on the primary motor cortex, small-
diameter afferents contribute to supraspinal fatigue. During cycling, a reduction in input from
small-diameter afferents leads to a change in pacing during a time trial [80]. Greater muscle
activity is produced initially with a consequence of more peripheral fatigue.
In addition to their fatigue sensitivity, small-diameter muscle afferents can also be
activated experimentally through injection of hypertonic saline into the muscles. This
produces muscle pain. Examination of MEPs and CMEPs in biceps and triceps brachii, with
the muscles at rest or during submaximal voluntary contraction, suggests that motoneurones
are facilitated while motor cortical excitability is decreased during experimental muscle pain
[81]. Maximal voluntary force is reduced and the pattern of motor unit firing is altered [82,
83]. These effects are not wholly consistent with the changes with muscle ischemia after
fatigue but small-diameter muscle afferents are not homogeneous and different distributions
(and temporal activation) of afferents will occur in the two procedures. Furthermore, the
afferents may have different effects on neurones that have not been repetitively active in
fatiguing exercise and those that have. Thus, it is not easy to predict the net effect of group III
and IV afferents during exercise. However, it seems likely that they act supraspinally to
reduce voluntary activation and have more diverse effects at a segmental level.

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 .

72 Janet L. Taylor and Simon C. Gandevia

CONCLUSION
During exercise of a single limb, the factors that come into play in the development of
fatigue are primarily repetitive activation and altered input to muscle fibres and neurones in
the motor pathway. At the spinal level, motoneurones fire too slowly to generate maximal
possible muscle force. They become more difficult to drive and it is likely that one underlying
mechanism is a change in the intrinsic properties of the motoneurones as a result of repetitive
activation. For some muscles, inhibition from fatigue-sensitive small-diameter muscle
afferents may also contribute, but for other muscles it does not. As well as becoming more
difficult to drive, motoneurones may lose excitatory input from muscle spindles in the
periphery and/or from descending drive. This is termed disfacilitation. Cortical stimulation
can evoke extra motoneuronal output and extra muscle force in the midst of a fatiguing MVC,
which indicates that the motoneurones are not completely insensitive to input and could
respond to extra excitatory drive. In addition, it indicates that some motor cortical output
remains untapped. Thus, output from the motor cortex is suboptimal. However, it is not clear
what prevents extra voluntary output from the motor cortex, as the excitability of the motor
cortex to stimulation is increased and intracortical inhibition may be decreased. Small-
diameter muscle afferents seem to have a role in central fatigue at a cortical level as their
activation prevents recovery of supraspinal fatigue and nociceptive afferents decrease
excitability of the motor cortex at rest and during submaximal contractions. It is likely that
input to the motor cortex from other cortical and subcortical areas is altered but as yet there is
no evidence for this.
During whole-body exercise, many other factors will add to the influences of repetitive
activation and altered muscle afferent input. These additional factors will impinge on the
performance of the motor pathway both through the activation of afferents and through
changes in the milieu of the muscle and neurones.
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Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 In: Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise ISBN 978-1-61209-334-5
Editor: Frank E. Marino © 2011 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Chapter 5

THE VO2MAX AND THE CENTRAL GOVERNOR:

A DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING

Timothy David Noakes

UCT/MRC Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine,
Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town and Sports Science Institute of
South Africa, Boundary Road, Newlands, 7700, South Africa

ABSTRACT
In 1923, Nobel Laureate A.V. Hill introduced his cardiovascular/ anaerobic/
catastrophic model of human exercise performance. According to this model, maximal
exercise testing for the measurement of the maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max)
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terminates when the maximum rate of oxygen delivery to the exercising muscles is less
than their peak rate of oxygen demand. As a result skeletal muscle anaerobiosis develops,
causing fatigue and the termination of exercise. The weakness of this interpretation is that
it is “brainless” since it excludes any role for the brain in determining maximal exercise
performance. Yet without the brain, there can be no skeletal muscle recruitment, without
which exercise cannot occur. The analogy is a racing car: A racing car filled with petrol
will not move off the starting grid until the brain of the racing driver starts the car‟s
engine, engages first gear and applies pressure to the car‟s accelerator. The role of the
brain in exercise performance is identical; until the muscles are recruited by the motor
cortex, they will not function; without increasing skeletal muscle recruitment, the oxygen
consumption and cardiac output cannot rise. Thus it is the level of skeletal muscle
recruitment that must determine the athlete‟s maximal work rate as well as the extent to
which the cardiac output and oxygen consumption rise during the VO2max test.
Remarkably the Hill model has instilled the reverse doctrine specifically that the cardiac
output, not the level of skeletal muscle recruitment, determines the work output of the
muscles. In this chapter I present 6 biological predictions of the Hill model of maximal
exercise performance that have been disproven specifically that (i) the “plateau
phenomenon” does not occur in 100% of subjects during VO 2max testing; (ii) skeletal
muscle anaerobiosis does not occur during maximal exercise; (iii) the cardiac output does

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 80 Timothy David Noakes

not show a “plateau phenomenon” nor (iv) are all available motor units activated in the
exercising limbs of all subjects during VO2max testing; (v) fatigue does not always
develop at the same level of “fatiguing” metabolites; and (vi) fatigue is never absolute.
Instead the evidence is that the VO2max test is a submaximal test that is terminated by the
brain when less than 100% of the motor units in the exercising limbs have been recruited.
The protected variable that triggers this anticipatory termination of the VO2 max test is
currently unknown but may well relate to changes in cerebral oxygenation.

INTRODUCTION
On the basis of his interpretation that fatigue is caused by anaerobiosis in the exercising
muscles as a result of the development of myocardial ischaemia, in 1923 Professor Archibald
Vivian Hill introduced the concept of the maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) into the
exercise sciences (Chapter 1). In 1955 H.L. Taylor and colleagues[1] established this concept
by stating that: “The classic work of Hill has demonstrated that there is an upper limit to the
capacity of the combined respiratory and cardiovascular systems to transport oxygen to the
muscles. There is a linear relationship between oxygen intake and work rate until the
maximum oxygen intake is reached. Further increases in workload beyond this point merely
result in an increase in oxygen debt and a shortening of the time in which the work can be
performed”.
These scientists were also the first to describe the concept that would become known as
the “plateau phenomenon”: “Each day the (running) speed was increased until the oxygen
uptake during the standard collection time reached a plateau”. In the past 50 years few have
felt it necessary to question the veracity of these concepts. Those who have dared[2-5], have
usually attracted a dismissive response[5-15] suggesting that new ideas are not always
welcome in the exercise sciences.
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In a recent publication Mitchell and Saltin[16] provided their most current interpretation
of Hill‟s contribution to our understanding of the physiological basis for the VO2max: “It is
noteworthy that although well-designed treadmills were available, Hill preferred walking and
running in the field or on the track for his experiments. To determine the velocity of the
runner, he developed a sophisticated electromagnetic system that provided split times for
every 25 yards. In the experiments on Hill himself, a levelling off in VO2 was observed, not
as a function of increasing speed of running, but with the time at the highest velocity, which
was 260 meters.min-1[17]. Noakes has challenged whether Hill actually demonstrated a
plateau in VO2 and thus had measured a true VO2max[3]. Hill appears to have accomplished
this in the experiments conducted on himself; but more importantly, he was the one who
conceived the physiological meaning of maximal VO2.”
Elsewhere [18, 19] I have provided the contradictory evidence which shows that Hill was
absolutely convinced that his model of the physiological factors limiting the VO2max was
beyond doubt. So why would he have considered it necessary to “prove” this theory by
showing the presence of the “plateau phenomenon”? In his mind he had already done that.
Only later, when his theory began to be questioned for the first time, did a modern generation
of scientists feel the urgent need to “prove” that Hill‟s ideas were correct by attempting to
show that the “plateau phenomenon” or some equivalent [10, 11, 15, 20, 21] always causes
the termination of exercise in all VO2max tests (as is required by the Hill model).
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 The VO2MAX and the Central Governor 81

In fact, as argued in Chapter 1, the real test of a maximal effort according to the Hill
model must be the development of myocardial ischaemia and cardiac failure, according to
Hill‟s idea that: “When the oxygen supply becomes inadequate, it is probable that the heart
rapidly begins to diminish its output, so avoiding exhaustion”[22].
However the well-established finding that myocardial ischaemia does not occur during
maximal exercise in healthy subjects [23] disproves this component of Hill‟s model. Not
surprisingly protagonists of this model chose to ignore this inconvenient finding, continuing
rather to argue that it is the presence of a “plateau phenomenon”, defined in at least 10
different ways [24] that proves the model. Whereas I argue that according to the Hill model
the sole proof that a VO2max test is “truly maximal” is the development of myocardial
ischaemia. Or alternatively that exercise terminates only after all the available motor units in
the active limbs have been recruited (Chapter 1).
Mitchell and Saltin[16] included a diagram, redrawn here as Figure 1, which explained
why they believe the VO2max is limited by the maximum cardiac output and the maximum
systemic arterio-venous oxygen difference. According to this (Hill) model, three factors,
namely cardiovascular function (specifically the maximum cardiac output), the blood
haemoglobin concentration, and the extent to which oxygen is extracted from the arterial
blood by the active muscles determine the magnitude of the VO2max. The focus of this
chapter is to argue that the model depicted in Figure 1 is only valid if exercise is indeed
limited by a failure of oxygen delivery to the exercising muscles as Hill had presumed in
1923 but which, I argue, his data did not ever prove [4, 18, 24, 25].

Maximal oxygen uptake

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Maximal cardiac output Maximal systemic a-VO2 difference

Maximal Maximal stroke Maximal arterial O2 Minimal mixed

heart rate volume content venous O2 content

Maximal Minimal Hemoglobin % O2 Redistribution Extraction

end-diastolic end-systolic concentration saturation of blood of O2
volume volume flow

Figure 1. The physiological factors that determine or “limit” the maximum oxygen consumption
(VO2max) according to the traditional A.V. Hill model. After Mitchell and Saltin [16].

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 82 Timothy David Noakes

MOTOR UNIT RECRUITMENT

Number Frequency

1.RESPIRATION 4. CENTRAL CIRCULATION

Maximum ventilation Coronary blood flow
Alveolar ventilation: Myocardial contractility
perfusion ratio
Cardiac output
Alveolar – arterial O2
diffusion Pulmonary capillary pressure
Haemoglobin – O2 affinity Systemic blood pressure
[Haemoglobin]

2.PERIPHERAL CIRCULATION 3. MUSCLE CONTRACTION /

METABOLISM
Muscle blood flow
Muscle mass
Muscle vasodilatory capacity
Muscle fiber type
Muscle capillary density
Muscle contractility
Capillary O2 diffusion
Mitochondria – size and number
Mitochondrial O2 extraction
[Myoglobin]
Haemoglobin-O2 affinity
Energy stores
Flow to non-exercising regions
Substrate delivery
Hormonal response

Figure 2. The popular diagram showing the four physiological systems (respiration, peripheral
circulation, central circulation and muscle contraction/metabolism) that are believed to “limit” the
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

VO2max according to the traditional A.V. Hill model. The missing element in this diagram is the
central nervous system. Without the recruitment of sufficient motor units in the limbs, movement and
hence exercise is not possible. Without an increased skeletal muscle recruitment, there can be no
increase in VO2. In which case the “VO2max” is limited by the absence of the brain.

4. CENTRAL CIRCULATION
1. RESPIRATION

ATP Pi
ADP
3. MUSCLE
CONTRACTION /
2. PERIPHERAL METABOLISM
CIRCULATION
ADP
Pi

Figure 3. According to the Hill model the function of the cardiorespiratory system and skeletal muscle
metabolism (A) is to maximize the rate of ATP production (B) so that the rate of force production by
the muscle is also maximal.

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 The VO2MAX and the Central Governor 83

The core belief of the Hill model is that the capacity of the heart and cardiovascular
system to provide oxygen to the exercising muscles determines the exercise performance. As
P.O. Astrand wrote in his PhD thesis in 1952: “The working capacity of the heart may
determine that of the muscles” [26]. Or as Levine has written more recently: “the primary
distinguishing characteristic of elite endurance athletes that allows them to run fast over
prolonged periods of time is a large, compliant heart with a compliant pericardium that can
accommodate a lot of blood, very fast, to take advantage of the Starling mechanism to
generate a large stroke volume”[6] (p. 31).
This theory has been expanded somewhat into a popular diagram (Figure 2) which
proposes that factors relating to respiration, peripheral circulation, central circulation and
muscle metabolism ultimately determine human exercise capacity. According to this theory,
the key function of these systems is to ensure that there is a maximal rate of ATP generation
in the muscles.
As a consequence it is believed that the critical determinant of the amount of work that
the muscles can perform is the rate at which the cardio-respiratory and metabolic systems (A)
can supply ATP (B) to fuel the actin and myosin cross-bridge cycles in the exercising muscles
(Figure 3). But the ignored elephant in this particular sitting room is the absence of the brain.
For without the brain, the depicted human would be unable to stand, let alone exercise
vigorously. An intriguing question is: Why has it taken so long for anyone to detect the
obvious omission from this diagram?
Figure 4 explains why this model cannot be the truth. For the simple reason that the
provision of ATP does not activate the cross-bridge cycle; rather something more than just
ATP is required to induce a muscle contraction (which can then utilize the ATP so generously
provided by these other systems). The analogy might be to a racing car that has a full tank of
petrol. Even with a full tank a racing car cannot begin the race unless a driver starts the
engine, engages first gear and applies his foot forcibly to the accelerator.
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1. RESPIRATION 4. CENTRAL CIRCULATION

Pi
ATP ADP Ca++
3. MUSCLE
CONTRACTION /
2. PERIPHERAL METABOLISM
CIRCULATION
ADP
Pi

Figure 4. Skeletal muscle contraction (B) is initiated by calcium release from the sarcoplasmic
reticulum which is dependent on the functioning of intact central and peripheral nervous systems (A).
The cardiorespiratory and skeletal muscle metabolic systems (C) function to generate ATP at rates
sufficient to cover the demands generated by skeletal muscle recruitment directed by the central
nervous system.

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 84 Timothy David Noakes

In the analogy to skeletal muscle contraction, the driver is the central nervous system
(Figure 4). His action in pressing the accelerator is equivalent to the neurally-regulated
release of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum within the muscle fibers. The arrival of
calcium at the myofilaments allows the cross-bridge cycle to occur; only then is ATP required
(in proportion to the number of cross-bridges that are formed) to allow each cross-bridge to
relax before another cross-bridge can be formed. Thus the amount of ATP required to sustain
this activity is a function of the exercising workload. But it is not the ATP that drives muscle
contraction.
The analogy is complete when it is realized that the function of the driver's brain is to
ensure that the racing car completes the race safely without driving so fast that it leaves the
race track destroying the car and potentially also the driver. The brain does this by always
insuring that it recruits just sufficient motor units (and hence muscle fibers) in the driver‟s
right calf muscles so that the pressure on the accelerator always produces the correct car
speed, appropriate for each segment of the race track and for each moment of the race.
The Central Governor Model (CGM) predicts that during exercise the brain acts
identically, insuring that just sufficient motor units are always activated in the exercising
limbs to ensure that the exercise can be completed safely. The brain achieves this by
modifying behavior in anticipation to ensure that the brain, the body and ultimately the
human species survive. The brain of the athlete, like that of the racing car driver, is interested
ultimately in survival. As a result all athletic performances are submaximal since the only
truly maximal athletic performance would be the one that causes the athlete‟s death.
As a result, the missing factor in the traditional diagram of the factors limiting exercise
performance is the role of the brain in directing the extent of skeletal muscle recruitment on a
moment-to-moment basis during exercise. I argue that the goal of this control must be to
insure the protection of whole body homeostasis.
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THE SIX PHYSIOLOGICAL PREDICTIONS OF THE A.V. HILL MODEL

Two key concepts in science are that (i) we can interpret scientific information, including
new data, only according to a conceptual model of how we think a particular system works.
The value of these models is that they make predictions which can then be tested in
appropriate experiments. But (ii) a conceptual model must be changed as soon as evidence
that it does not predict becomes available. Once there is even a single finding that is not
predicted by a particular model, that model must be either modified or discarded, or else it
becomes a “creaking and ugly edifice” [3]. It is my contention that the A.V. Hill model makes
at least 6 predictions, all of which have been disproven. As a result, I continue to argue that
the A.V. Hill model needs to be retired and replaced by a model that better explains all (not
just some) of the relevant findings in the exercise sciences. The six predictions of the A.V.
Hill cardiovascular/anaerobic/catastrophic (CAC) model (Chapter 1) that in our view [24]
have been disproven are the following:

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 The VO2MAX and the Central Governor 85

First Disproven Prediction of A.V. Hill’s CAC Model

A stable, non-rising “plateau phenomenon” does not occur in 100% of subjects causing
termination of the VO2 Max test.
Hill‟s explanation of the physiological events that cause the termination of maximal
exercise was, as described in the companion chapter (Figure 4 in Chapter 1), unambiguous.
He believed that the development of myocardial ischemia, limited by a governor that
protected the heart by reducing acutely its pumping capacity, led to skeletal muscle
anaerobiosis, lactic acidosis and the impairment of skeletal muscle relaxation.
Since this description is so precise, it should be easily detectable by the following
sequence of events: (i) The development of acute myocardial ischaemia with the diagnostic
symptoms of angina pectoris followed by (ii) an abrupt plateau in cardiac output and in
oxygen consumption (VO2), leading to (iii) a fall in cardiac output and VO2 as progressive
cardiac failure develops consequent to (iv) continuing myocardial ischaemia.
But the reality is that the only “evidence” for this sequence of events is that, in a certain
proportion of tested subjects, the VO2 does not increase linearly up to the point of exercise
termination. This classic response was depicted in the highly influential paper by Mitchell and
Blomqvist published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1971 (Figure 5; see also
Figure 2 in Chapter 1). These figures suggest that the oxygen consumption exhibits the
“plateau phenomenon” for at least 2 workloads before the termination of any bout of
progressive maximal exercise.

4 5 6
4
VO2 (l.min-1)

3
3
2
2 1
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1 0
150 3 4
SV (ml)

1 2
Absence of data

100 0
4
HR (beats.

200 3
min-1)

150 2
1
100 0 4
3
20 2
CO (l.min-1)

15 1
10 0
5

0 1 2 3 4
VO2 (l.min-1)

Figure 5. An original diagram [55] of the cardiovascular changes during exercise up to the point at
which the VO2max is achieved failed to indicate the changes in stroke volume, heart rate and cardiac
output that, according to the Hill model, must occur subsequent to the achievement of VO 2max.

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 86 Timothy David Noakes

Myocardial ischaemia
1.0

CF (l.min-1)
The VO2max
test will
0.5
always
terminate
after the
CO (l.min-1)

20
development
15
of angina
10
pectoris and
will induce a
progressive
VO2 (l.min-1)

3
2 cardiac
failure
1

0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Work load

Figure 6. If the cardiac output limits the VO2max, then this must be because there is first a plateau in
coronary blood flow which induces myocardial ischaemia, angina pectoris and a progressive cardiac
failure followed by a falling VO2.

It is interesting that the text accompanying that figure makes no reference to the changes
in cardiovascular function that must happen once the “plateau phenomenon” has occurred. In
a previous paper[4] I argued that the cause of the plateau in VO2 must be a plateau in cardiac
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output caused by a plateau in coronary blood flow leading to myocardial ischaemia and a
progressive cardiac failure (Figure 6). According to this interpretation, faithful to Hill‟s
original interpretation, the VO2max test must always terminate after the development of
myocardial ischaemia, angina pectoris and a progressive cardiac failure (Chapter 1).
One of the more interesting studies that has relevance to this theory is shown in Figure 7.
In that study [20] the change in VO2 immediately preceding the termination of the test was
studied in approximately 70 subjects. In 28% of the tests, the subjects‟ VO2 rose
exponentially immediately prior to the termination of the test (Figure 7; top panel). In another
55% of tests, the subjects‟ VO2 rose linearly up to the point of exhaustion (Figure 7; middle
panel). In only 12 subjects, that is in only 17% of the total study population, did the VO2
appear to reach a “plateau” prior to the termination of exercise (Figure 7; bottom panel). The
authors did not report that any test terminated after the development of myocardial ischaemia
and angina pectoris.
Thus these data provided by a group with a strong belief that the VO2max is determined
by a failure of oxygen delivery to the muscles [20, 21, 27], found that more than 80% of these
maximal exercise tests terminated without any evidence for a “plateau phenomenon”,
however liberally defined. According to the logic applied by A.V. Hill, this finding must
mean that more than 80% of these tests did not terminate as a result of skeletal muscle

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 The VO2MAX and the Central Governor 87

anaerobiosis consequent to the development of a maximal cardiac output and myocardial

ischaemia. But instead of acknowledging this inconvenient truth, the authors spun the finding
as evidence that it is unnecessary to demonstrate the “plateau phenomenon” to prove that a
“true” VO2max had been achieved.
As one of the reviewers of that paper I encouraged the authors to add some discussion of
how their data disprove this key prediction of the A.V. Hill model. Not unsurprisingly the
authors were allowed to publish their paper in one of the world‟s leading journals of
physiology without any reference to this important conclusion, which must indicate that there
is a publication bias favoring those articles that appear to support the predictions of the A.V.
Hill model.
In our review [24] of the limitations of the A.V. Hill model, we analyzed 33 studies that
have reported the percentage of VO2max tests that terminated with or without evidence for a
“plateau phenomenon”. Considering that the physiological events causing the “plateau
phenomenon” are supposed to be absolutely specific (Figure 4 in Chapter 1) – the
development of a maximum cardiac output leading to an abrupt failure of oxygen delivery to
the exercising muscles – it is surprising that there are at least 10 different definitions of how
these events can be identified. Of a total of 1978 individual VO2max tests reported in the
literature by 2004, 44% showed evidence for some form of “plateau phenomenon” as defined
by one or more of these 10 different criteria.

4
n = 19 (28%)

0
5
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VO2 (L.min-1)

n = 40 (55%)

0
4

n = 12 (17%)

0
0 1200
Time

Figure 7. The study of Day et al. [20] found that there were 3 different patterns of change in VO2
preceding the termination of exercise during testing for the VO2max. In 28% of subjects (top panel) the
VO2 rose exponentially immediately prior to exercise termination; in 55% the rise was linear (middle
panel) and in only 17% was there evidence for a “plateau phenomenon” (bottom panel).

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 88 Timothy David Noakes

The
A.V. Hill’s Cardiovascular/Anaerobic/ Central
Catastropic Model (CACM) of Exercise Governor
Physiology and Athletic Performance Model
(CGM)
1 The presence of 2 The absence of a 6 Muscle 7 Muscle
a plateau plateau indicates anaerobiosis anaerobiosis
indicates that adequate muscle ? always limits does not limit
muscle oxygenation maximal exercise maximal
anaerobiosis during maximal performance with exercise
occurs during exercise. or without a performance in
maximal exercise. plateau. all subjects.
EITHER OR
3 Hill, Long and 5 However the
Lupton showed plateau is not
that the plateau always present
develops during during
maximal 4 Hence muscle maximal
exercise. anaerobiosis exercise.
limits maximal
exercise
performance.

Figure 8. If skeletal muscle anaerobiosis identified by the presence of the “plateau” phenomenon causes
the termination of exercise, then the absence of this phenomenon in some must indicate that factors
other than skeletal muscle anaerobiosis cause the termination of exercise in those subjects.

Aside from the obvious comment that a physiological event which is supposed to be so
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specific should produce a characteristic and easily identifiable physiological response,

specifically an abrupt ceiling in the rate of whole body VO2 measured by sampling the
expired air, this finding raises an even more important question: What causes the termination
of exercise in the ~50% of subjects who do not show any evidence for a “plateau
phenomenon”, however defined, immediately prior to the termination of the VO2max test?
According to the predictions of the A.V. Hill model, this cannot be due to a limiting cardiac
output, skeletal muscle anaerobiosis, lactic acidosis and a failure of skeletal muscle
relaxation. But if these (patho) physiological changes do not cause the termination of
exercise, then the obvious question is: What does?
Figure 8 first published in 1998 and since largely ignored, compares the interpretation of
these data according to either the A.V. Hill model or the CGM. The key argument is that the
absence of a “plateau phenomenon” must indicate the presence of adequate muscle
oxygenation during maximal exercise. For if this is not true, then neither is the converse. And
if the converse is not true, then the A.V.Hill model is not valid.
Thus if a “plateau” is not present at the termination of a VO2max test, then the cause of
that exercise termination cannot be explained by the A.V. Hill model since that model
requires that myocardial failure and skeletal muscle anaerobiosis must always occur before
the exercise terminates. In contrast, the CGM explains the absence of the “plateau

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 The VO2MAX and the Central Governor 89

phenomenon” as evidence that a factor or factors other than skeletal muscle anaerobiosis must
cause the termination of maximal exercise in those subjects.
According to the CGM, the presence of the “plateau phenomenon” could be explained by
a number of phenomena other than simply the development of skeletal muscle anaerobiosis.
For example, it could indicate an increased reliance on oxygen-independent metabolism in
anticipation that the exercise is about to terminate (so that there is no need to further increase
oxygen utilization). This fits with the idea that the central governor has the capacity to act in
an anticipatory manner (Chapter 1).

Second Disproven Prediction

Skeletal muscle anaerobiosis does not occur during maximal exercise in humans.
The second absolute prediction of the A.V. Hill model is that skeletal muscle
anaerobiosis must be present at exhaustion in 100% of subjects. Remarkably, two of the
leading scientists studying skeletal muscle oxygenation during maximal exercise have both
concluded that skeletal muscle anaerobiosis does not occur during maximal exercise even
when maximal exercise is performed in hypoxia.
Thus in 1998 Richardson and colleagues [28] concluded that: “…skeletal muscle cells do
not become anaerobic … since intracellular PO2 is well preserved at a constant level even at
maximal exercise” and that “average intracellular PO2 remains above PO2crit even at maximal
exercise in hypoxia”. Similarly, Mole et al. [29] concluded that: “…O2 availability is not
limiting VO2 during exercise”. Perhaps not surprisingly these inconvenient conclusions of
such leading scientists have been ignored since they disprove the foundation belief on which
A.V. Hill built his model.
Instead what seems to be favored is that which Fletcher and Hopkins [30] (Chapter 1)
wrote in 1907: “Lactic acid is spontaneously developed under anaerobic conditions…”.
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Third Disproven Prediction

The cardiac output does not show a “plateau phenomenon” in 100% of subjects at the
termination of the VO2 Max test.
The third absolute requirement of the A.V. Hill model is that the cardiac output must
always be maximal at fatigue since the heart is merely the slave to the oxygen demands of the
exercising muscles. As a consequence the heart must pump to its maximum capacity
whenever fatigue occurs in order to maximize oxygen delivery to the oxygen-starved
muscles. But a number of studies have established that exercise frequently terminates before
the cardiac output or stroke volume reaches a “plateau” or maximum value[31]. The notable
exceptions are a series of studies many from the same laboratory, which show a plateau in
cardiac output during high-intensity exercise [32]. In contrast scientists from another
laboratory who consistently argue that oxygen limits exercise performance [33-35] are unable
to find a plateau in cardiac output during maximal exercise [36]. Yet they nevertheless still
conclude that “in healthy humans VO2max is limited by cardiac output and skeletal muscle
blood flow”.

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 90 Timothy David Noakes

But if the cardiac output does indeed “plateau” during maximal exercise, then this should
cause myocardial ischaemia as it does in persons with coronary artery stenosis [37], for the
reasons described in Chapter 1. None of the subjects in the studies apparently showing a
“plateau” in cardiac output reported the development of angina pectoris which must occur if
cardiac output reaches a true maximum. In one study the central venous pressure reportedly
rose [38]. This is surprising since this indicates the onset of cardiac failure. Yet if cardiac
failure is indeed the reason why maximal exercise terminates in young, healthy subjects, as
predicted by the A.V. Hill model, then surely other researchers would also have reported that
finding sometime in the past 80 years?
However the most striking and well documented example of a failure to achieve a
maximum cardiac output at exercise termination occurs during maximal exercise in extreme
hypoxia. Under those conditions the well-described “lactate paradox” of high altitude
(hypoxia) occurs [39]. In this condition, blood lactate concentrations are low at exhaustion.
Less well appreciated is the “cardiac output paradox” of high altitude in which both the
cardiac output and heart rate are also sub-maximal at exhaustion.
A popular explanation is that the heart becomes progressively more hypoxic at increasing
altitude; its function fails [40] and, as a consequence, it is unable to provide enough oxygen to
the exercising muscles. But there is clear evidence that the heart is not hypoxic during
maximum exercise at altitude [33, 34, 41-43]; thus this explanation whilst convenient, is
simply wrong. A more likely explanation [39] is that the extent of skeletal muscle recruitment
becomes progressively less at increasing altitude [44] or increasing levels of induced
hypoxia[45] so that paradoxically low cardiac outputs and blood lactate concentrations are
simply the result of reduced levels of skeletal muscle recruitment allowed by the brain at
increasing altitude or greater levels of hypoxia.
The finding that the “maximal” cardiac output in hypoxia is sub-maximal is especially
paradoxical according to the A.V. Hill model. This is because the cardiac output should be as
high or higher during maximum exercise in hypoxia than in normoxia so that the delivery of
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blood with a lower oxygen content can be maximized. Rather the more reasonable
explanation is that skeletal muscle recruitment is reduced at altitude; this reduces the oxygen
demands of the exercising muscles as well as the rates of skeletal muscle lactate production
and release.
Figure 9 explains why I think so many find it difficult to understand this paradox. This
figure shows the cardiac output/work rate relationship in an experiment reported by Calbet
and colleagues [34]. The traditional (Hill) method of interpreting this figure is to assume that
the cardiac output drives the work rate; in other words that A, a greater cardiac output, causes
B, the higher work rate. But the CGM argues that it is the brain‟s feed-forward recruitment
(C) of the motor units in the exercising limbs that determines the work rate, the oxygen
demand of the exercising muscles and hence the cardiac output (A). According to this
interpretation, the cardiac output does not determine the work rate. Rather the level to which
the cardiac output rises is determined by the passive cardiovascular response to the oxygen
demands of the tissues. This demand is in turn determined by the motor cortex as part of a
complex feed-forward control mechanism. This is the CGM.
Thus if the cardiac output is low at exhaustion, it is because the level of skeletal muscle
recruitment is also low. This is the key interpretation that devotees of the Hill model have
great difficulty understanding.

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 The VO2MAX and the Central Governor 91

Fourth Disproven Prediction

All available motor units are never activated in the exercising limbs at exhaustion.
The fourth absolute requirement of the A.V. Hill model is that complete recruitment of all
available motor units in the active limbs must occur some time prior to the development of
exhaustion. For unless there is complete skeletal muscle recruitment at exhaustion during
voluntary exercise, the central nervous system must be regulating that performance.
For the clear prediction of the A.V. Hill model must be that as each motor unit becomes
fatigued, the brain is forced to recruit additional units to sustain the activity. Ultimately when
fatigue develops in the final motor unit recruited, the force output of the active muscles must
also fall causing the exercise to terminate.
In contrast, the CGM predicts that motor unit recruitment is regulated and never maximal
so that exercise always terminates before there is a maximal skeletal muscle recruitment.
Already in 1997 Sloniger and colleagues [46, 47] showed that muscle activation was not
maximal in any of the major lower limb muscle groups at exhaustion during maximal
horizontal or uphill running. This has since been confirmed in a study [48] which found that
in none of the lower limb muscle groups was muscle activation at exhaustion during a
VO2max test more than about 70% of that achieved during a short bout of maximal sprint
cycling (Figure 10).
24

22

20
Brain
recruitment
18
Cardiac output

16
(L.min-1)
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

14

12

0
0 100 150 200 250 300 350
Workrate

Hill Model Central Governor Model

Figure 9. The Hill model predicts that it is the increase in cardiac output (A) that produces the increase
in work rate (B) that occurs during progressive exercise to exhaustion. In contrast the Central Governor
Model predicts that an increased motor command from the brain determines the increase in work rate
that occurs during this form of exercise. The greater power output produced by the increased number of
motor units that are activated in the exercising limbs, increases the blood and oxygen demands of the
active skeletal muscles. As a consequence the cardiac output rises (C).
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 92 Timothy David Noakes

100
VM RF VL BF MG LG Mean EMG
90

EMG activity (% during sprint cycling)

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0
123 123 123 123 123 123 123
Trials (day 1-3)

Figure 10. The study of Albertus[48] showed that the level of skeletal muscle recruitment in 6 different
muscle groups during VO2max testing averaged about 50% of that achieved during a short burst of
maximal cycling exercise. VM vastus medialis; RF rectus femoris; VL vastus lateralis; BF biceps
femoris; MG medial gastrocnemius; LG lateral gastrocnemius; EMG electromyography.
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Figure 11. The Hill model requires that the 4-fold higher “maximal” power output during a Wingate
“Anaerobic” test (2000W) than during a VO2max test (400W), must be due to 4-fold increase in muscle
contractility without any increase in skeletal muscle recruitment. In contrast the Central Governor
Model predicts that this increase in “maximal” power output is more likely explained by a much greater
level of skeletal muscle recruitment during the Wingate “Anaerobic” test than during the VO 2max test
with perhaps a small change in skeletal muscle contractility.

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 The VO2MAX and the Central Governor 93

Figure 11 depicts the explanations provided by either the A.V. Hill model or the CGM of
the factors explaining exercise performance during either short duration exercise of very high
intensity or during a VO2max test. The A.V. Hill model predicts that at the point of
exhaustion during the VO2max test all motor units are active since the exercise must
terminate only after “peripheral fatigue” has developed in all the available muscle fibers
(motor units) in the exercising limbs.
But this explanation seems unlikely since there are no known mechanisms by which skeletal
muscle fibers can increase their contractility fourfold. Nor would it seem logical that this
contractility “reserve” is activated only during “anaerobic” exercise of very short duration and
not during more prolonged maximal “aerobic” exercise. In contrast, the CGM predicts that a
fourfold increase in power generation can occur as a result of increased motor unit
recruitment with some increase in skeletal muscle contractility.
Thus to explain the approximately fourfold greater power output during maximal exercise
of short duration, for example during the Wingate “anaerobic” test, than during a VO2max
test, the Hill model requires that each contracting muscle fiber must be able to increase its
power output fourfold. This can only be achieved with a fourfold increase in the contractility
(Chapter 1) of each cross-bridge cycle.
Indeed the unpublished results from our laboratory showed that EMG activity, our
measure of the extent of skeletal muscle recruitment, rose as a linear function of power output
during a progressive exercise test for the measurement of VO2max (Figure 12). But exercise
terminated when EMG activity was less than about 60% of that achieved during a maximal
voluntary contraction. But when subjects performed short bouts of exercise lasting between
10 and 20 seconds at progressively higher power outputs beginning at the power output at
which they terminated the VO2max test, this linear increase in EMG activity continued up to
the highest power output that these subjects were able to sustain for 10-20 seconds (Figure
12).
This is not a novel finding. In his textbook [49], Enoka includes a figure (Figure 13)
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

which also shows that only about 50% of the available motor neuron pool is activated during
running whereas close to 100% of the motor neuron pool is active during a vertical jump.
Thus all these findings confirm that skeletal muscle recruitment is submaximal during the
VO2max test, a finding which is completely incompatible with the A.V. Hill model.
Indeed another interesting paradox in the exercise sciences is the explanation of what
constitutes “maximal” exercise. Figure 14 explains this phenomenon. The “maximal” work
rate achieved during a VO2max test in an elite cyclist might be 600W; the same athlete may
be able to sustain a power output of about 2000W for a brief period during a Wingate
“anaerobic” test, and perhaps an even greater power output during a vertical jump. According
to the Hill model, the power output of 600W represents “maximal” exercise whereas the
power output achieved during the Wingate test represents “supramaximal” exercise. But the
term supramaximal is specious since by definition an exercise intensity cannot be maximal if
there is another higher intensity that can also be sustained. The source of this error is the
definition of the VO2max test as a maximal test which it is not since it does not activate 100%
of the available force-producing elements in the exercising limbs (Figures 10 & 12)..

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 94 Timothy David Noakes

1.6
1.5 VO2max testing
1.4 Discontinuous testing
1.3
1.2
1.1
1.0
iEMG (% MVC)
0.9 60% increase
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2 Slopes not significantly
0.1 different (P = 0.35)
0.0
200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
Power output (W)
1.2
VO2max testing Slopes not significantly
1.1 Discontinuous testing different (P = 0.80)
1.0

0.9

0.8
iEMG (% MVC)

0.7
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1
200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
Power output (W)

Figure 12. EMG activity (as a measure of skeletal muscle recruitment) rose as a linear function of the
increasing work rate beyond that at which the VO2max was achieved in both the Vastus Medialis (top
panel) and Vastus Lateralis (bottom panel) muscles. These data confirm that skeletal muscle activation
is not maximal during VO2max testing (as is required by the Hill model).

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 The VO2MAX and the Central Governor 95

100 Vertical
Slow twitch muscle fibers jump
90
Fast twitch oxidative muscle fibers
80 Fast twitch glycolytic muscle fibers

70

Power (W)
60

50

40

30

20
Run
10
Jog
0
0 50 100
Motor neuron pool recruitment
(% total number)

Figure 13. The textbook of Enoka [49] includes a figure showing that running requires the activation of
less than about 50% of the available motor neuron pool in the exercising skeletal muscles.

Power (Watts) >200%

100%
Reserve Reserve
Extent of skeletal muscle recruitment (%)

90 2400 Supra-maximal
Vertical Vertical exercise
jump jump
80 2000
(Central Governor Model)

Wingate Wingate Intensity of Effort (%)

“Anaerobic” “Anaerobic” (A.V. Hill Model)
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test test
100%
60 600
VO2max test VO2max test
Maximal exercise

Figure 14. According to the traditional Hill model any power output (exercise intensity) greater than
that at which the VO2max is achieved, for example during the Wingate “Anaerobic” test or during a
vertical jump, is “supramaximal” (right panel). But this term is specious since there is no intensity that
can be higher than maximal, just as there is no state more dead than simply dead. But if all exercise
intensities (power outputs) are graded according to the extent of skeletal muscle recruitment (left
panel), then this specious term can be removed from the exercise science vernacular. Note that even a
vertical jump does not recruit all the available motor units in the lower limbs; rather there is always
some reserve capacity.

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 96 Timothy David Noakes

Figure 14 shows that in terms of skeletal muscle recruitment, the peak work rate of 600W
achieved during the VO2max test occurs at a submaximal level of skeletal muscle recruitment.
Similarly the work rate of 2000W is achieved at a higher but still submaximal level of skeletal
muscle recruitment. When these work rates are compared on a scale of the level of skeletal
muscle recruitment, it is clear that both are examples of submaximal exercise.
Thus according to the CGM the intensity of any exercise bout should be related to the
extent of skeletal muscle recruitment that is activated. Adopting this definition allows the
specious term “supramaximal” to be removed from the accepted vernacular of our discipline.

Fifth Disproven Prediction

Fatigue does not always develop at the same level of fatiguing metabolites in the
exercising limbs.
The fifth absolute requirement of the Hill model is that fatigue in any form of exercise
must always develop when the concentration of metabolites causing that fatigue reach
concentrations that are identical regardless of the manner in which the fatigue was produced.
But there are a number of studies showing that the originally-favored fatiguing metabolite,
lactic acid, is not associated with fatigue and might indeed be ergogenic. For example, the
study of the Nielsen et al. [50] came to the conclusion that the accumulation of lactic acid
protects against muscular fatigue so that: "In contrast to the often stated role of lactic acid as a
cause of muscular fatigue, lactic acid may protect against fatigue”. Many others have now
come to the same conclusion [24]. In fact the unexplained paradox of the Hill model is that
lactic acid needs to act selectively to impair the function of skeletal muscle whilst leaving the
function of the heart and the respiratory muscles unaffected. It seems improbable that a
substance that is supposedly toxic to one type of muscle can be the premier fuel for another,
specifically the myocardium. This is a paradox that no one has yet challenged.
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The “lactate paradox of high altitude” is perhaps the best example of an exercise
condition in which exercise terminates at low blood lactate concentrations. According to one
respected scientist "... the presence of the Lactate Paradox during maximal exercise at altitude
is one of the strongest demonstrations of a central limitation to exercise performance"[51].
It seems more probable that the choice to either stop or to slow down during exercise is
made on the basis of a complex brain decision that is influenced by a number of factors one of
which might indeed be the concentration of lactate in the muscles. But it is clear that lactate
does not act directly in the muscles to cause fatigue as is required by the A.V. Hill model.

Sixth Disproven Prediction

The final absolute requirement of the A.V. Hill model is that fatigue must always be
absolute. Yet the reality is that athletes speed up at the end of exercise (Figure 9 in Chapter
1), the classic “endspurt”, so that they cannot be absolutely fatigued. This phenomenon of the
end spurt poses real problems for exercise scientists for as described in Chapter 1, it shows
that our current definition of fatigue must be wrong. For the athlete‟s ability to speed up
immediately prior to the termination of exercise proves that she was not fatigued according to
the definition which holds that fatigue is present only when it is no longer possible to sustain
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 The VO2MAX and the Central Governor 97

the desired workrate. Thus according to this definition any athlete able to develop an
“endspurt” is by definition not fatigued.
According to the CGM, the endspurt occurs because of an increase in skeletal muscle
recruitment, perhaps associated with some increase in skeletal muscle contractility, whereas
fatigue is purely an emotion [52] that is used to insure that athletes do not overexert
themselves thereby threatening their homeostasis.

SUMMARY
The evidence presented here suggests that the VO2max test is a submaximal test that
terminates at less than 100% of skeletal muscle recruitment.
The protected variable that triggers the anticipatory termination of the VO2 max test is
currently unknown but may well relate to changes in blood flow to, or oxygenation of the
brain [53, 54].
At high rates of respiratory ventilation, the most likely protected variable is cerebral (not
myocardial or skeletal muscle) oxygenation. This is because at high rates of ventilation the
carbon dioxide concentration in the blood falls and this is likely to induce cerebral
vasoconstriction. This will reduce blood flow perhaps to critical parts of the brain, possibly
inducing the desire to terminate the exercise.
We also propose that the exercise intensity should be defined relative to the percentage of
motor units that are recruited in the exercising limbs (Figure 14). This removes the specious
term “supramaximal” from the vernacular.
Finally, since the VO2max test is “brainless”, it will likely have little value in the
prediction of performance in those athletic events that requires some contribution from the
athlete‟s brain. Instead what defines the really outstanding athletes is their ability to perform a
devastating end spurt. It is not clear how the VO2max test can predict each athlete‟s ability to
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

perform such an endspurt.

Thus my interpretation is that the Hill model has become a fabulous fable. It is far more
likely that the brain regulates exercise performance specifically to prevent the catastrophic
metabolic failure that Professor Hill and his scientific progeny believe “limits” exercise
performance.

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 In: Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise ISBN 978-1-61209-334-5
Editor: Frank E. Marino © 2011 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Chapter 6

THE ANTICIPATORY REGULATION

OF FATIGUE IN EXERCISE

Frank E. Marino†
Exercise and Sports Science Laboratories & School of Human Movement Studies
Charles Sturt University, Bathurst NSW 2795, Australia

ABSTRACT
The development of fatigue during exercise has been studied for over a century and
although many attempts have been made to identify the causative factors, the process by
which fatigue develops is still not clearly understood. There has been much research
describing the relationship between heat stress, energy availability, perception,
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cardiovascular perturbations, hydration, and a host of other factors impinging on the

development of fatigue during exercise. Until recently it was presumed that the
development of fatigue during exercise was a process moving toward system collapse.
Rather, it is now clear that fatigue can also be thought of as being a process which
protects the body from physiological catastrophe rather than moving toward it. In this
sense it is useful to approach the understanding of fatigue by attempting to examine the
potential inputs that might be used by the body to regulate rather than limit exercise
performance. To this end, this chapter will explore the possible inputs which might be
available to the body as a way of regulating the fatigue process and anticipating the effort
required to successfully complete a given exercise task and avoid cellular catastrophe.
The areas which will be discussed are the inherent differences between constant load and
self-paced exercise, energy availability, thermoregulation and effort sense as possible
inputs for the anticipatory regulation of fatigue in exercise.

________________________________________________
†61 2 63384268 (Tel); †61 2 63384065 (Fax); Email: [email protected]

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 102 Frank E. Marino

INTRODUCTION
The ability to resist fatigue under various conditions is indeed an integral part of human
performance and has been studied for well over a century. The methodological advances of
scientists such as Luigi Galvani in the 1780s in experiments studying the nervous system of
frogs, provided the window to further examine neuromuscular responses. In these
experiments Galvani showed that frog‟s legs twitched in direct response to an electrical
stimulus concluding at the time that the frog contained electricity [1]. However, it was the
careful experimentation of scientist Alessandro Volta which showed that the frog required
electrical current from another source to make the muscle twitch [1]. Through these
experiments Volta had inadvertently invented the battery. Thus, the pursuit in understanding
movement can be traced back to these landmark experiments which gave scientists the
possibility to study the nervous system and conduct experiments which provided insights into
the workings of skeletal muscle. From this time of fundamental understanding of
neuromuscular response to electrical stimuli, the concept of fatigue became synonymous with
the ability of the skeletal muscle to either withstand to some degree the inevitable decline in
its work capacity or continue to work under given conditions.
The concept of fatigue has yielded many definitions over the centuries all of which
typically place the quantitative measure of skeletal muscle force or its precipitous decrement
as the major representation of fatigue. An example of a classic result which depicts the
reduction in force generating capacity of the muscle is shown in Figure 1. Inevitably over the
years, definitions of fatigue have emerged which attempt to more clearly define the
observation depicted in Figure 1. Some of these definitions are provided in Table 1. It is clear
from these definitions that the concept of fatigue has shifted to accommodate the “fine
tuning” of the evolving experimental paradigms.

Table 1. Example definitions of fatigue

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Author/s Definition

Mosso (1904) The first is the diminution of the muscular force. The second
is fatigue as a sensation. That is to say, we have a physical fact
which can be measured and compared, and a psychic fact
which eludes measurement.

Fitts & Holloszy (1978) A reversible state of force depression, including a lower rate
of rise of force and a slower relaxation.

Bigland-Ritchie et al. (1986) A loss of maximal force generating capacity.

Vøllestad (1997) Any exercise-induced reduction in the maximal capacity to

generate force or power output.

Allen & Westerblad (2001) Intensive activity of muscles causes a decline in performance,
known as fatigue.
References are [2, 71-74].

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 The Anticipatory Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise 103

500

400

300
Force (N)

200

100

0
0 15 30 45 60
Time (s)

Figure 1. Shows the typical reduction in force during a sustained muscle contraction over a 60 s period
when visual feedback of the force progression is available and the individual is afforded strong verbal
encouragement to maintain the contraction.

Although there are many texts written on the topic of fatigue, the work produced by
Mosso titled La Fatica (Fatigue) [2] stands as a seminal text relating the concept of fatigue to
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

the work of the skeletal muscle. However, a much overlooked message in this text is the
conclusion arrived at by Mosso after studying what he termed the “law of exhaustion” in
which he categorized fatigue into two phenomena: “The first is the diminution of the
muscular force. The second is fatigue as a sensation. That is to say, we have a physical fact
which can be measured and compared, and a psychic fact which eludes measurement” [2](p.
154). It is interesting to note that Mosso understood that the brain played a major role in the
fatigue process for he wrote “It is then not only the will, but also the nerves and the muscles
which are fatigued in consequence of intense brain work” [2] (p.273). This statement reflects
the development of the typical dichotomy we see today where fatigue is described as either
central or peripheral in origin. This dichotomy has a particular meaning for fatigue research
for it is understood that the mechanisms which cause reductions in the production of skeletal
muscle force can be anywhere from the motor cortex to the skeletal muscle apparatus and all
the processes which occur along this path (see chapter 4). Proponents of either the central or
peripheral paradigms argue that fatigue might develop more or less in one area than the other
depending on the task [3]. However, one could argue that this might not be a useful
dichotomy as the human does not divide itself into discrete physiological components during
exercise, rather it is a complete system which undertakes the task so that each component
plays an integral part in the development of fatigue [4]. Therefore, fatigue should be viewed
as a process which immediately begins upon commencing exercise rarely ending with

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 104 Frank E. Marino

exhaustion and seldom with irreversible physiological catastrophe [5, 6]. The evidence for
this view of fatigue can be seen in studies which measure the muscle power output at various
points either over time or distance. For example, when the power output was measured during
a 60 min cycling time trial, the power output produced at the second time point was reduced
compared to the initial value. As the total time for the exercise trial was 60 min there is no
obvious or immediate reason to suspect that significant physiological changes occurred within
the initial moments of exercise that would reduce the capacity of the system to produce a less
than optimal effort especially if the ability to “re-produce” muscle power at the end of 60 min
was similar or even higher than the initial value [7] (see Figure 2). These findings suggest that
humans are able to pre-program or calculate the required effort so that the task can be
completed without the system becoming exhausted. In this sense exhaustion is defined as “a
total loss of strength; to consume or use up the whole of the available energy” [8].
The concept that a control system exists in which a programmer takes into consideration
a finishing point (teleoanticipation) was described by Ulmer [9]. In this model, the organism
would account for the various signals derived from somatosensory and metabolic changes and
then make adjustments to achieve an outcome which is well within the limits of the
organism‟s performance potential. If this system exists then it would be evident in a wide
array of organisms within the animal kingdom. In fact, recent evidence indicates that this is a
strategy used by migratory birds at the individual and group level if the flock is to be
successful in their attempt at flying long distances [10].

1.2

1.1
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1.0
Normalised data

0.9

0.8

0.7 Power Output

0.6

0.5

1 2 3 4 5 6
Sprint Interval

Figure 2. Shows the normalised power output during 60 min of high intensity cycling exercise. The
power outputs for sprint intervals 2-6 have been normalised relative to sprint number 1. Sprint intervals
occurred at each 9 min mark for a 1 min sustained effort. Note the immediate reduction in power at
intervals number 2-5 compared with number 1 with an end-spurt evident at number 6 so that power
output is restored to initial values. Data are re-drawn from Kay et al. [7].

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 The Anticipatory Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise 105

The concept of fatigue during dynamic exercise requires the individual to respond on a
moment-by-moment basis and it seems that there is evidence that as fatigue develops there
are critical adjustments that need to be made ahead of the finishing point; the anticipatory
regulation of exercise. This chapter will examine the evidence which supports such a system
in nature and argue for fatigue as a process integrating many signals that develop during the
course of endurance exercise allowing the organism to complete the task and avoid
irreversible cellular damage.

EXERCISE AND LABORATORY PROTOCOLS

In recent times there has been debate over the appropriateness of the maximal oxygen
consumption (VO2max) test as a measure of the true capacity of the individual athlete [11-16].
This is not to say that this type of incremental test to exhaustion has not provided an
understanding of the workings and interaction of the cardiovascular and muscular systems.
Indeed the VO2max test has provided a universal understanding and a point of reference from
which physiologists can draw conclusions about the dynamics of human physiology.
However, the inescapable principle of this test is that the subject keep pace with the
experimenter or the externally driven exercise load so that voluntary termination of exercise
occurs the moment a „maximal‟ workload is reached where heart rate, cardiac output and
stroke volume reach their maximal values so that oxygen consumption can no longer rise as
originally described by Hill, Long and Lupton [17-19] and subsequently advocated by
Mitcthell & Blomqvist [20]. The issue here is not whether the VO2max is meaningful and
ecologically valid or that it produces artifacts, rather it is the use of the resulting VO2max as a
reference point which is potentially problematic. That is, for the vast majority of exercise
physiology experiments which examine physiological capacity, the workload is set at a
percentage of the VO2max (or similar outcome such as peak power output, peak velocity).
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Therefore, when the exercise intensity is anchored to a percentage of the „maximum‟ the end
result is usually time to complete the exercise. In this case exercise is completely driven by an
externally imposed load rather than allowing the subject to freely adjust their intensity. In
essence, the constant load model of exercise can only ever produce a result which is relative
to the energy expenditure of the imposed load rather than the energy expenditure that the
exercising subject is prepared or willing to “contribute” to the task. For this reason, the
constant load or submaximal model of exercise can be thought of as an open loop task or
exercise of unknown duration.
The classic result of the open loop model is depicted in Figure 3 which shows that a
given treatment such as acclimation to high ambient temperature will result in relatively
longer exercise time to exhaustion rather than premature fatigue in the non acclimated
condition. Therefore, the consideration is whether the open loop model of exercise physiology
reflects the true nature of the exercise response during competition or indeed the normal real-
life experience of the individual. When examining this issue it is useful to consider findings
which show that the reliability of the constant load model is perhaps lower than one would
wish for an experimental protocol. For instance, McLellan et al. [21] have shown that time to
exhaustion over a series of five trials could vary from 12 to 23.5% when exercise is set at
intensities less than 80% of VO2max. The authors suggested that the individual biological

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 106 Frank E. Marino

variation and physiological capacity might be high at lower compared with higher intensities
in addition to the inherent differences between cycling and running. Interestingly, others [22]
have shown that the coefficient of variation of time trial performance ranged from only 0.9 to
2.4% for highly trained and well-motivated cyclists performing four time trials over three
distances. Effectively, these studies provide evidence that laboratory trials which negate the
individual's ability to regulate exercise intensity did not reflect the range of physiological
responses which might be present under more self regulated situations and by the level of
training of the individual. It is also notable that a familiarization trial reduces the coefficient
of variation significantly [23]. The issue of constant load versus self-paced exercise should
not be underestimated as there are many studies which have evaluated intervention strategies
attempting to overcome metabolic or thermoregulatory deficits which then advocate for
particular intervention strategies based on the constant load paradigm. For example, the use of
carbohydrate loading has been advocated for decades based on results of studies which show
a longer exercise duration with the addition of carbohydrate to either the diet or the ingested
fluid [24-28].
Critical limiting core temperature range
40

39
Tc C

38

37 Control
Acclimated
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36

0 20 40 60 80

Time (min)

Figure 3. Shows the typical core temperature response during an open loop cycling exercise test when
subjects were either acclimated to the heat or not (control). Note the terminal core temperature response
is within a narrow range with the exercise time extended for the acclimated group (~48 min vs 80 min
following acclimation). These data established the critical limiting temperature hypothesis as the
common observation during open loop tests with the termination of exercise at similar core temperature
irrespective of the intervention strategy. Data redrawn from Nielsen et al. [75].

Carbohydrate loading and supplementation for improved exercise performance is based

largely on the findings from classic studies which used a one-legged exercise model showing
that glycogen depletion in the exercised leg could be re-synthesised as much as two-fold by a
3-day carbohydrate diet [29]. Subsequently this group of researchers consistently
demonstrated that carbohydrate either by feeding or infusion significantly prolonged exercise
duration by sparing glycogen in the working muscle [30-33]. The classic studies of Coyle et
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 The Anticipatory Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise 107

al. [27, 28] provided differential evidence that carbohydrate feeding in the form of glucose
would extend exercise duration. The findings from these and similar studies eventually led to
advocating carbohydrate loading for the improvement of exercise performance in the field
although they were all based on the open loop submaximal model of exercise physiology.
However, this is not to suggest that results from these studies are of no benefit. On the
contrary, the findings from these studies provide the basis on which to further explore the
relationship between fuel utilisation during exercise and the fatigue process.
In contrast to the typical findings from the open loop model of exercise physiology,
studies which use a self regulated exercise protocol report somewhat different findings which
are not consistent with the classic view that augmented physiological responses always occur
under more stressful conditions or situations which lead to a performance decrement. In the
self regulated exercise model the typical scenario is that subjects either exercise for a given
amount of time attempting to cover as much distance as possible or complete a given distance
as quickly as possible. Therefore, if the individual commences a trial knowing either the
duration or distance to be covered the protocol can be thought of as a closed loop model of
exercise physiology. A series of studies from our laboratory using a reliable 60 min time trial
punctuated with „all out‟ high intensity efforts have been unable to detect any significant
differences in distance covered within 60 min in either cool or in warm conditions or whether
or not subjects were hyperhydrated [34-36]. Similarly, others have reported that a
carbohydrate diet which increased muscle glycogen concentrations did not result in improved
performance in a 100 km time trial [37]. Therefore, in self regulated exercise where subjects
are required to cover a distance as quickly as possible the physiological response is regulated
in such a way that the distance to be covered is achieved and premature termination of
exercise seldom ensues. This outcome contrasts the constant load model which predicts
reduced exercise duration under stressful conditions rather than the resulting longer duration
of the self-paced trial.
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EVIDENCE FOR ANTICIPATORY REGULATION

The classic understanding is that exercise capacity is governed by systemic and cellular
limitations that when achieved lead to catastrophic cellular events thereby limiting physical
exertion; the so-called catastrophe model [38]. This physiological paradigm gained
acceptance as it was thought that the heart limited the availability of oxygen to the working
muscle leading to anaerobiosis and eventually to the cessation of exercise [17, 39]. This view
has been challenged on the basis that the availability of oxygen to the heart is also limiting
leading to myocardial ischemia, but since ischemia does not occur during exercise in health
this physiological model is limited in its predictability [13, 40]. This debate is beyond the
scope of the present discussion so the interested reader should consult the relevant readings
(see chapters 1 & 5). Regardless of one's point of view on the putative cause limiting exercise
performance, it is an unavoidable conclusion that sporting events require the individual to
give an effort which will sustain them well beyond the end of the event. On this basis alone it
is likely that during a sporting event requiring sustained effort, individuals likely plan a
strategy ahead of time which will take into account the amount of energy required to
complete the task. This understanding is not particularly new as many athletes recognise this

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 108 Frank E. Marino

as pacing. A prime example of pacing was the record-breaking mile run by Sir Roger
Bannister in 1954. In his recording of that historic event, Roger Bannister described the
moments in the race where his friends and fellow runners Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway
undertook a pacing strategy leading to success: “We seemed to be going slowly! Impatiently I
shouted „Faster!‟ But Brasher kept his head and did not change the pace. I went on worrying
until I heard the first lap time, 57.5 seconds. In the excitement my knowledge of pace had
deserted me. Brasher could have run the first quarter in 55 seconds without my realising it,
because I felt so full of running, but I should have had to pay for it later. Instead, he had made
success possible” [41](p.165). Although anecdotal, this description of the events of 1954 does
make the point that there must be an individual strategy to success in sporting events.
However, anecdotal evidence from sporting events does not necessarily constitute
reliable evidence for anticipatory regulation of exercise performance. Experimental evidence
for anticipatory regulation comes from the studies of Williamson et al. [42] where subjects
cycled at a constant load for 15 min on three separate occasions after being hypnotised to
respond to either uphill, downhill, or level gradient. These authors found that the mere
suggestion of an uphill gradient increased the heart rate response significantly above that of
the level gradient even though under all three conditions the gradient was actually identical.
However, the heart rate response during the downhill gradient was not different from that
achieved during the level gradient. Interestingly, the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was
increased significantly when subjects were told they were cycling uphill compared to the
level gradient. Furthermore, the RPE decreased when subjects believed they were cycling
downhill. These findings indicate that physiological responses might be related to an
expectation in addition to the actual work that needed to be undertaken, for there seems to be
a minimum cardiovascular response to the exercise to sustain a given metabolic demand.
However, these authors also measured regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) distribution
during the three different hypnotic exercise tests and found that this particular variable
changed according to whether there was a suggestion of downhill cycling or uphill cycling.
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For instance, the suggestion of downhill cycling produced a decrease in rCBF in a region of
the anterior cingulate cortex and the left insular cortex. Others have shown that activation of
the anterior cingulate cortex is closely related to a perceived change in unpleasantness of
painful stimuli [43]. Therefore, the reduction in RPE with the suggestion of downhill cycling
might indicate that specific brain regions are related to the interpretation of unpleasantness
and are activated not solely by the actual physical effort but the perceived effort. Conversely,
with the suggestion of uphill cycling there were increases in rCBF to the right thalamic region
and the insular cortex. Although involved in regulation of many cardiovascular and
respiratory responses, the insular cortex is also thought to serve as a site for „central
command‟ activating motor areas by feedforward signals [44]. Even given the limitations
which exist with respect to hypnotic manipulation such as hemisphere dominance; based on
these particular data it is entirely reasonable to suggest that there exist both brain regions and
pathways which would allow for the anticipatory or feedforward regulation of the expected
exercise.
Perhaps the strongest evidence for the feedforward regulation of exercise comes from
studies which manipulate heat strain under various conditions. The interpretation of data from
thermoregulatory studies is very dependent on assumptions that the body or indeed the brain
has limited tolerance to the amount of heat it can store [45]. For instance, it has been widely
thought that there exists a critical limiting core temperature which is associated with a
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 The Anticipatory Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise 109

reduction in motor drive leading to premature fatigue (see also Figure 3) [46-48]. However,
recent field studies have provided evidence that a critical limiting core temperature may be an
artifact observed in typical laboratory settings [49, 50]. When comparing African with
Caucasian runners in elevated ambient temperatures, it was found that the African runners
were able to maintain higher running speeds whilst the Caucasian runners decreased their
running speed even though core temperature was identical at the commencement of the
performance run [51]. This particular finding could only be explained on the basis that the
heavier Caucasian runners had to reduce their pace and thereby reduce their heat retention to
avoid a lethal hyperpyrexia. However, this reduction in pace could only occur by forecasting
the thermal limits as the point of fatigue would be too late to reduce the motor drive to avoid
thermal injury. This view was subsequently confirmed by Tucker et al. [52] who showed that
during a 20 km self-paced cycle time trial under cool and hot conditions, subjects reduced
their power output and integrated electromyographic (iEMG%) signal in the heat well before
there was a significant difference in rectal temperature and which only occurred at the end of
the time trial. These authors proposed “… that the early decline in power output in the
absence of any thermoregulatory disturbance in the heat forms part of an anticipatory
response in the brain, which mediates a reduction in skeletal muscle recruitment to ensure that
the rate of heat production is reduced” (p. 428).
Notably, in an attempt to disapprove the existence of an anticipatory mechanism
operating during exercise and heat stress Ely et al. [49] investigated the heat storage response
over 8 km on a circular running track so that split times were recorded every 200 m. A
notable finding in this study was that 12 of the 24 runners exceeded a rectal temperature of
40°C during the trial. A rectal temperature greater than 40°C was not associated with a
reduction in performance in the 8 km time trial and runners were actually able to accelerate in
the final 600 m despite having a rectal temperature above 39.5°C. The authors concluded that
pace is independent of the heat storage in both warm and cool conditions as runners appeared
to be able to accelerate despite the high rate of heat storage, so an anticipatory reduction in
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pace was unlikely. This conclusion negates the fact that participants commenced the trial in
warm conditions at a velocity of about 295 m/min and then within 600 m had reduced their
running velocity to just under 280 m/min. The velocity was further reduced in the last 50% of
the time trial to under 280 m/min only to return to a pace above 280 m/min within the final
200 m of the trial. In comparison, the running velocity in the cooler condition was maintained
throughout the trial but with an end-spurt again evident in the final stages. It is an
unavoidable conclusion that a change in pace no matter how small is mediated by changes in
muscle recruitment and by extension a change in the heat generating capacity of the muscle.
The extent to which motor drive is regulated under different levels of inspired oxygen has
been studied by Amann et al. [53, 54]. In these studies, participants were required to cycle 5
km in the fastest time possible while exposed to either room air (normoxia, FIO2 0.21),
hypoxia (F IO2 0.15), iso-oxia (F IO2 0.24-0.30) or hyperoxia (F IO2 1.0). Under these
conditions there was increased arterial oxygen content from hypoxia to hyperoxia resulting in
parallel increases in central neural output (43%), power output (30%) and improved time trial
performance (12%). It was also evident that from hyperoxia to normoxia there was an
immediate reduction in power output and EMG response approaching each 1 km distance
only for these variables to return to near initial values at the completion of the trial. The
authors suggested that the effect of arterial oxygen content “is a significant determinant of the
magnitude of central motor output during exercise in order to prevent „excessive‟
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 110 Frank E. Marino

development of peripheral muscle fatigue beyond a critical threshold or sensory tolerance

limit” [53][p. 950]. However, a different interpretation of these findings has been posited
suggesting that an „endspurt‟ in which power output and EMG activity increase at the end of
exercise when F IO2 values are 1.0 and 0.28, disproves the conclusion that central motor
output is regulated principally by feedback from the fatiguing skeletal muscles. That is, a
system which responds only to sensory feedback could not permit an „endspurt‟ as it could
not forecast the extent of the fatigue at the finish of the „endspurt‟. As suggested by Tucker et
al. [55], when participants performed two 20 km cycling time trials in either hyperoxia or
normoxia, improved exercise performance in the hyperoxia trial was due to the maintenance
of a higher power output throughout the trial and a higher iEMG% at various points. Again,
in this study an endspurt was evident in both hyperoxia and the normoxia trials so that peak
values were observed at the conclusion of the 20 km. Therefore, changes in muscle
recruitment and work rate seem to be dependent and sensitive to the oxygen content of
inspired air. The fact that higher power outputs and muscle recruitment were maintained with
higher oxygen content in the inspired air whilst these variables were reduced almost
immediately after the commencement of exercise only to return to near peak values at the end
of exercise, indicates that pacing strategies and performance are the result of feedforward,
anticipatory adjustments in power output.
More recent studies have examined the adjustment of performance and motor output
relative to the availability of supplemental energy. The intravenous infusion of glucose which
provides carbohydrate in the circulation had no effect on the time to complete a 60 min cycle
time trial compared with the infusion of saline placebo [56]. Conversely, the regular rinsing
of the mouth with a non-sweet moltodextrin solution which was highly unlikely to have any
direct effect on circulating glucose levels did reduce the time to complete a performance trial
[57]. The conclusion from these studies was that there exist taste receptors in the mouth
which are both sensitive to non-sweet carbohydrates and influence neural pathways which
improve exercise performance. Subsequent to these studies Chambers et al. [58] evaluated the
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effect of mouth rinsing with solutions containing glucose and moltodextrin disguised with
artificial sweetner (placebo) on cycle time trial performance. In both carbohydrate and
moltodextrin trials the total work was completed in faster time compared with the placebo. It
was also shown that the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies identified
brain regions which were activated by both carbohydrate and moltodextrin solutions whilst
artificial sweetners had no such effect. These authors suggested that improvement in
performance was mediated by the presence of carbohydrate in the mouth by activating the
brain regions thought to be related to reward and motor control. More recent work shows that
following fatiguing contractions, rinsing the mouth with carbohydrate modifies corticomotor
excitability and voluntary force production so there is immediate ergogenic effects which
precede any substrate or endocrine signalling associated with the ingestion [59]. These
findings provide evidence for the existence of a neural pathway integrating sensorimotor
signals permitting immediate recruitment of both fatigued and fresh muscle in anticipation of
receiving the substrate for utilization at the contraction site. Thus, it is now apparent, at least
for energy consumption purposes, that there are neural networks which give rise to an
anticipatory or feedforward mechanism signalling the availability of energy.
The feedforward regulation of energy availability and utilisation for the purpose of
continuing exercise provides a novel approach to understanding the fatigue process. For
example, following a CHO loading trial Rauch et al. [60] found that mean power output and
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 The Anticipatory Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise 111

muscle glycogen utilisation was higher during a 60 min cycle time trial compared to when
subjects consumed their normal diet. Remarkably, although the CHO loading trial resulted in
a higher mean power output and faster time trial performance (36.55 vs 38.1 km/h), the end of
exercise muscle glycogen content was similar (18 vs 20 mmol/kg w/w). There are two
significant conclusions that can be drawn from these findings. First, the similar end of
exercise muscle glycogen concentration despite the difference in the pre-exercise
concentration is indicative of a pacing strategy which is „constrained‟ by a „critical‟ level of
substrate availability. Second, because subjects decreased their power outputs over the initial
30-32 min of the 60 min trial when muscle glycogen concentrations were relatively high, but
were then able to increase their power outputs in the last 2 min of the trial when muscle
glycogen was perhaps at the lowest value, indicates that muscle power output was reduced for
the first 58 min of the 60 min time trial by an anticipatory pacing strategy. These results do
not support the classical understanding which posits that critically low levels of muscle
glycogen concentrations lead to metabolite induced fatigue due to an inability to rapidly
generate ATP from glycolytic pathways. For if this was true, it would not be possible to
generate the greatest power output after 58 min when substrate availability was at its lowest.

THE SENSE OF EFFORT AND ANTICIPATORY REGULATION

The emotional state of the individual has attracted much research in an effort to
understand the relationship between the physical and mental responses for any given set of
circumstances. In fact, Charles Darwin provided a treatise on the expressions of emotions in
both man and animals in an attempt to describe the role of the brain in such responses [61].
Since this landmark writing other theories describing the emotions of humans have been
developed including the classical James-Lang Theory and the Cannon-Bard Theory [62, 63]
which argue for a direct relationship between the physical and emotional response. There are
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also documented accounts of people surviving extreme situations based largely on the ability
to „conjure assistance from the mind‟ [64]. However, advances in neuroscience
methodologies such as brain imaging have provided novel insights into conscious and
unconscious emotions [65]. Therefore, it is not only useful to consider the emotional state
during exercise but it is also impossible to completely separate it from the physical or
physiological response.
Borg [66] has written that “of all single indicators of the degree of physical strain,
perceived exertion is one of the most informative” (p. 560) and therefore has become one of
the often utilised tools to measure the subjective response to the difficulty of the exercise. In
this sense it is useful to view the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) as an integration of
signals given its positive correlation with heart rate, power output, oxygen uptake, blood
lactate and respiratory rate [67]. The question to be addressed, therefore, is how the RPE
provides for anticipatory regulation of exercise.
There are now several studies and re-interpretations of existing data which strongly
suggest that RPE is a critical signal for an anticipatory response. When participants performed
constant load exercise to volitional fatigue in either a glycogen-loaded or glycogen-depleted
state, the exercise time was determined by the rate of increase in RPE [68]. The salient point
from these findings is that the initial and the end of exercise RPE were similar for both

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 112 Frank E. Marino

conditions even though the rate of rise in RPE was higher for the glycogen-depleted
condition. However, when the RPE was expressed relative to the time taken to complete the
exercise, the RPE increased in a linear fashion for both conditions. These finding indicate that
RPE is perhaps determined by the state of energy availability given that the rate of increase in
RPE was higher for the glycogen-depleted condition. The other important interpretation
relates to the fact that the RPE increased at different rates for both conditions from the start of
exercise. This indicates that the perception of effort is inextricably linked to energy
availability so that energy expenditure will not exceed that which would otherwise lead to
physiological catastrophe. That is, RPE was possibly set in anticipation to ensure that the
maximal RPE was achieved well before substrate availability was depleted.
Similarly, when subjects were required to „clamp‟ their RPE [16/20] whilst cycling in
either 15, 25 or 35°C (65% relative humidity) environments, the reductions in power output
were linear in all trials but the rate of decline was greatest in 35°C [69]. However, the decline
in power output occurred well ahead of any differences in rectal temperature between trials.
This result indicates that subjects adjusted their power output in anticipation of the rise in
rectal temperature by altering the number of active motor units as evidenced by the reduction
in integrated EMG during the 35°C trial. Remarkably, the EMG was then increased well
above the initial value at the end of the trial. Therefore, changes in work rate and hence,
motor unit recruitment, were achieved specifically to maintain the RPE at the predetermined
level, suggesting that afferent feedback, effort sense and work rate are co-dependent.
A further and interesting observation is that when administered a dopamine/
noreadrenaline re-uptake inhibitor; compared to a placebo, participants were able to complete
a time trial performance in the heat (30°C) significantly faster (~36.4 min vs ~39.8 min) and
with a significantly higher terminal rectal temperature (40°C vs 39.7°C) [70]. However, the
faster time trial in the heat was accomplished with an identical RPE to that achieved in the
placebo trial. This suggests that effort sense manifested as the RPE was „mismatched‟ or
possibly even „up-regulated‟ due to the action of the drug, allowing more work to be
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performed as a consequence of altered arousal and motivation.

CONCLUSION
Anticipatory regulation of exercise is a relatively new school of thought in the exercise
and sports sciences. However, athletes recognize this as pacing and although a pacing strategy
is not a new concept there is no definitive mechanism identified by which a pacing strategy is
developed other than to assume that previous experience plays a role. Much of the current
evidence is based on the changes in work rate or power output over time and the changes in
motor unit recruitment and de-recruitment during exercise. The inputs which determine the
changes in the recruitment pattern of motor units during exercise are most likely a key
component. The inputs which permit anticipatory regulation of exercise might include energy
availability, rate of heat storage, oxygen availability and sensing and as yet undiscovered
inputs from other sources. The possibility that there exists a mechanism for anticipatory
regulation of exercise provides an enticing avenue in the study of fatigue and the
understanding of performance regulation.

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 The Anticipatory Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise 113

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 In: Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise ISBN 978-1-61209-334-5
Editor: Frank E. Marino © 2011 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Chapter 7

FATIGUE AND THE REGULATION OF EXERCISE

INTENSITY DURING TEAM SPORT MATCHES

Rob Duffield1,* and Aaron J. Coutts2

1
School of Human Movement Studies, Charles Sturt University
Panorama Ave, Bathurst, NSW2795, Australia
2
School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism, University of Technology, Sydney
Kuring-gai Campus, NSW 2070, Australia

ABSTRACT
Despite the engaging discussion concerning the mechanisms of fatigue during
exercise, one common theme seems apparent; that the underlying mechanisms are
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

intensity and duration dependent. As expected, the debate regarding the definition,
presence and mechanisms of exercise-induced fatigue centres heavily on findings of
laboratory investigations. However, presently there is little evidence from ecologically
valid, field-based settings to support this laboratory evidence. From the view of the
Exercise and Sports Sciences, a central tenant of the research into the mechanisms of
fatigue is to transfer the findings back to an applied setting to understand exercise
performance in the field. Accordingly, many laboratory studies have investigated
mechanisms responsible for the amelioration or termination of exercise performance.
However, particularly for team sports, the poor ecological validity of exercise protocols
used restricts application of the findings to the field. Further, termination of exercise in
the field is normally associated with the end of a game, rather than volitional exhaustion,
reducing the application of laboratory findings to competition settings. Recently, the use
of player tracking technology has increased the ease and resolution of collecting game-
based data to understand movement patterns of team sport athletes. As such, from the
growing body of literature it is possible to gain insight into the regulation of game-based
exercise intensity and hence postulate as to the mechanisms responsible for the
fluctuations in exercise patterns. Added to these findings are further game-based data of

*
+61 2 6338 4939 (Tel); +61 2 6338 4065 (Fax); E-mail: [email protected]
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 118 Rob Duffield and Aaron J. Coutts

physiological responses and the effects of changing conditions on the resulting exercise
patterns. Accordingly, from a collection of game-based data for a range of team sports, it
is possible to develop a more ecologically valid description of the influence of transient
and absolute fatigue, or more aptly, the regulation of exercise intensity. This chapter will
discuss game-based data on the motion characteristics of players, along with a range of
physiological data collected from „real-world‟ settings. To supplement this, using hot
environmental conditions as an example, further analysis of how changing environments
affect the regulation of exercise patterns will also be addressed. Finally, from these
respective collections of data, the role and influence of potential mechanisms highlighted
by laboratory evidence will be discussed. As such, this chapter will examine the patterns
of exercise regulation and postulate on the possible underlying mechanisms responsible
for fatigue during team sport exercise.

INTRODUCTION
Fatigue is defined as the inability to maintain the required or imposed work rate [1]. In
recent times, the term „fatigue‟ has been used to refer to both the transient reduction in
performance during exercise and the point of termination of the exercise bout [2].
Accordingly, as the definition of the term has changed, so too has its use as a descriptor of the
regulation of exercise intensity; which in part may contribute to the controversy surrounding
the mechanisms associated with fatigue [3, 4]. Despite this debate, identifying exercise
termination in laboratory environments is a relatively simple procedure, as the athlete
exercises until volitional cessation. However, in field-based exercise, discounting medical
incidents, a point of termination normally relates to the end of a game or event. As such, the
absence of a clear exercise termination point during field-based exercise clouds the
understanding of the existence and potential mechanisms responsible for fatigue. Rather, the
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reduction in exercise intensity throughout any given match seems to represent a pattern of
regulation of intensity, rather than classic notions of fatigue per se. Given the mechanisms
underlying fatigue are likely to be duration and intensity dependent [1, 2], the model of
exercise used will somewhat dictate the conclusions reached. Accordingly, while laboratory
research is presented as evidence for fatigue-causing physiological mechanisms, the lack of
specificity to field-based activities often reduces the application of these findings to the field.
Given most team sport participants do not fail to finish a match, the term fatigue is often
used to describe the transient or progressive reduction in work rate during an athletic event
[5-7]. Compounding the use of the term fatigue in field environments, is that the self-selected
nature of field-based exercise results in stochastic fluctuations in exercise intensity which
makes quantifying fatigue difficult. Moreover, the self-selected nature of field-based exercise
also mitigates the applicability of many laboratory findings sought by athletes, coaches and
scientists in the field. That said, during most (continuous) prolonged, endurance events in the
field, the measurement of speed or power output is not difficult to obtain and can provide
descriptive data as to the regulation of exercise intensity [8]. However, during team sports
where the exercise patterns consist of prolonged, high intensity, intermittent activities, the
quantification of fatigue and exercise regulation is somewhat more problematic.
Until recently, the quantification of field-based, team sport physical demands was a
laborious and protracted situation, often involving video and time-motion analysis of
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Fatigue and the Regulation of Exercise Intensity during Team Sport Matches 119

individual players [9-11]. More recently the use of equipment such as Global Positioning
Systems (GPS) and semi-automated digital image tracking systems technology has expedited
this process without sacrificing accuracy or reliability [12-14]. As such, recent advancements
in technology have allowed an unprecedented ability to monitor and measure physical
performance directly from team sport competitions [15-23]. Armed with the knowledge and
data collected from a variety of team sports, it is possible to further explore the presence of
„fatigue‟, or more appropriately, the regulation of exercise workloads, during field-based
intermittent-sprint exercise. A deeper evaluation of the regulation of exercise workloads
during matches may also allow greater appreciation of the intensity- and duration-specific
mechanisms likely to affect physical performance of team sport athletes. Accordingly, the use
of quasi-experimental procedures for field-based sports may further allow for the
development of a more refined model that explains the impact of fatigue on team sport
exercise.
To date, most evidence for the mechanisms causing fatigue for team sport exercise have
been extrapolated from laboratory simulations of intermittent-sprint exercise, and relate to a
mixture of biochemical, neurological and central perturbations [24, 25]. However, many
laboratory simulations have little resemblance of exercise patterns or technical skill demands
evident in team sport games, and generally involve externally fixed-intensities preventing the
incorporation self-selected pacing strategies [26]. Given the importance of mechanisms of
fatigue being intensity- and duration-specific, the lack of ecological validity of many
laboratory protocols may mislead the understanding of how exercise is regulated in the field.
That said, the replication of game-based exercise patterns in laboratory surrounds is
problematic due to the infinite permutations of activities incorporated in any team sport game.
Accordingly, given the improved technology to track player movements, larger samples can
now be measured and therefore the analysis of these data can provide evidence for the game-
specific regulation of exercise intensity.
Therefore, given the debate regarding the mechanisms of fatigue in (team sport) athletes,
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

the lack of ecological validity of laboratory protocols to replicate field-based exercise and the
improvement in player tracking technology, this chapter will discuss the presence and extent
of fatigue in team sport exercise and the potential underlying physiological mechanisms.
Included in this discussion will be a summary of recent literature on motion analysis of team
sports, field-based physiological measures associated with motion-analysis data, and the
effect of extraneous environments on the physiology and motion patterns of team sport
games. Collectively, these various sets of data and research findings will be used to provide
hypotheses on the role and effect of various physiological mechanisms potentially responsible
for the regulation of exercise intensity during game-based, team sport exercise.

GAME-BASED MOTION PATTERNS AS INDICATORS

OF EXERCISE REGULATION AND FATIGUE

Most field-based team sports are primarily aerobic sports that demand that athletes
complete irregular bouts of high-intensity activity. The work demands are very stochastic,
often require unorthodox movement patterns and are completed with varying and
unpredictable recovery periods. In addition to these, players are also required to complete
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 120 Rob Duffield and Aaron J. Coutts

sports-specific technical skills such as kicking, passing, throwing, jumping, catching,

tackling, hitting etc. Due to these unpredictable physical demands, the patterns of exercise
intensity are difficult to model precisely.
The first studies of time-motion in team sports used labour intensive methods such as
pen-and-paper tracking on a scaled map [27, 28] or video-based analysis [9, 29] that only
allowed for single players to be tracked at one time. Because of the labour intensive nature of
these methods, such studies were typically restricted to universities or research institutes. Due
to these limitations, the precise understanding of physical demands in competition was
relatively poor. Nonetheless, these methods provided the early information from which the
current understanding of fatigue patterns in team sports is based.
The most common method used for analysing game-based movement patterns has
required the players to be individually filmed from the side of the field and then later analysed
during play back where coding of pre-defined activities took place [6, 30-38]. More recently,
the quantification of exercise intensity and distribution of physical demands within team
sports has been simplified for the end user with the development of sophisticated semi-
automated computer-based match analysis systems (e.g. ProZone, Amisco, SICS) and
portable microtechnology including GPS [12, 14, 39]. Many of these systems now permit
scientists to monitor the movement characteristics of each player, officials and the ball during
matches. Indeed, these systems have lead to a recent increase in the number of sophisticated
analysis of the exercise intensity and movement patterns in various team sports [13, 15-18,
20, 21, 23, 40-42].
With the change in technology and improvements in measurement precision, a clearer
understanding of movement patterns and physical demands is developing [10]. Until recently,
most of the focus of the in-match performance measures for identifying fatigue had been on
changes in the global measures of exercise intensity (i.e. total distance travelled) and/or
higher intensity activities (i.e. high-intensity running (HIR) and sprint performance) [6, 7, 9,
31, 43-46]. From these measures, both 'cumulative' and 'transient' fatigue has been identified
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

during match play [7]. In addition, recent studies have also identified that there may be more
complex changes in the lower and moderate-intensity activities that occur to preserve the
ability to achieve high-intensity exercise during critical periods of play, even during the final
stages of matches [18, 19, 47].

Cumulative Fatigue

The first observations of fatigue from match analysis were reported as reductions in total
distance (TD) covered during the second half of matches. For example, Carling et al. [11]
recently reported that the typical reduction in distance travelled in each half of elite level
soccer matches was -3.1% (range -9.4 to +0.8%). These results agree with reports from many
other team sports that have shown TD to be reduced in the second half in a variety of team
sports including rugby league [48], Australian Rules Football [18], soccer officials [49],
rugby union [22]. If considered in isolation, it can be interpreted that cumulative fatigue
occurs during team sport match play.
Unfortunately, a global description of the changes in TD travelled between halves during
games does not provide specific insight into how exercise intensity is regulated by team sport
players. Many authors have reported that HIR distances (i.e. >14−15 km.h-1) are critical for
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Fatigue and the Regulation of Exercise Intensity during Team Sport Matches 121

performance in football codes and that the ability to defend reductions in these variables are
important for success [6, 7, 31]. Therefore, many investigators have examined how HIR
patterns change during matches to gain a better understanding of fatigue in team sport
matches.
As evidence of 'cumulative' fatigue during team sport match play, Mohr et al. [6] reported
that the distance travelled with HIR was significantly reduced in the second half compared to
the first during international soccer matches. These authors also reported that HIR distance
was 35–45% lower in the final 15 min of the match compared to the first 15 min. More
recently, Rampinini et al. [15] showed that elite level players who completed more HIR
during the first half of Premier League soccer matches had the greatest reduction in HIR
during the second half. In this study, the mean reduction in HIR (~100 m) from the first to the
second half accounted for approximately 25% in the reduction of total distance (~400 m)
during the second half of the match. Similarly, Coutts et al. [18] also reported that ~49% of
the reduction in total distance travelled from the first to the second half in Australian Rules
football was also from HIR. Collectively, these examples show that reductions in both TD
and HIR distance measures in team sports can be used to show 'cumulative' fatigue. Notably,
a relatively small proportion of the reduction in TD is attributed to higher intensity activities,
indicating that changes in lower intensity activities may also be important indicators of
fatigue in team sports.

Transient Fatigue

Many studies have also shown that 'transient' fatigue occurs during team sport matches
[6, 17, 18]. For example, Mohr et al. [6] used manual video-based time-motion analysis to
first show that the amount of HIR in the 5-min period immediately after the most intense 5-
min interval during international level soccer matches were of lower intensity than the
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

average match intensity. Similarly, Bradley et al. [17] extended this observation using more
accurate semi-automated match analysis procedures on the English Premier League soccer to
show that the amount of HIR decreased by ~50% in the 5-min following the most intense 5-
min period of match play; and further, that time between each HIR bout increased as the
match progressed. Indeed, it was reported that the recovery times between each HIR bout was
increased by 28% from the first 15-min period of Premier League soccer matches to the last.
Finally, Coutts et al. [18] demonstrated using a median split technique, that the players who
completed most HIR during each quarter of professional level Australian Rules Football had a
significantly greater reduction in HIR during the subsequent quarter than the players that
completed less HIR. Collectively, these findings show that 'transient' fatigue can occur
following intense exercise periods during team sport matches.
Despite evidence that both the „cumulative‟ and the „transient‟ fatigue occurs in matches,
it still seems that players retain the capacity to achieve peak speeds when required. For
example, Duffield et al. [19] demonstrated that the amount of very high-intensity running (i.e.
>20 km.h-1) and the peak speeds achieved during each sprint effort did not change in the last
quarter of Australian Rules Football matches. Additionally, Bradley et al. [17] reported no
change in peak sprint velocities during English Premier League soccer matches in players
(N=370) from any playing position when the match was analysed in 15-min periods.
Moreover, many other studies have shown that the amount to sprint distance reduces towards
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 122 Rob Duffield and Aaron J. Coutts

the end of matches [6, 7, 31, 32], especially in players from positions that require more
sprinting early in matches [17, 21]. Nonetheless, it is interesting that although both 'transient'
and 'cumulative' fatigue are increasingly apparent in most team sports as matches progress
[18, 50], many players can preserve the ability to reach peak speeds, even toward the end of
matches [11, 17]. This ability to maintain peak sprint efforts despite evidence of cumulative
fatigue may also be due to pacing strategies adopted during match play.

Lower and Moderate-Intensity Activities

Lower intensity activities (LIA) such as standing still, walking, jogging and running
comprises the majority (up to 92%) of team sport match play [51], and these lower intensity
efforts allow the athlete to recover between HIR bouts. Indeed, it has been suggested that LIA
influence the quality of HIA during team sport competition and therefore are important to the
outcome of the match [52-54]. Moreover, some authors have suggested that match-related
fatigue may also be identified through changes in the LIA profile [18-20, 45]. It may be that
players choose to carry out fewer activities at lower or moderate intensities (i.e. <15 km·h-1)
and also select to move at a slower rate between each high-intensity effort as matches
continue and fatigue ensues. This 'pacing' may allow players to conserve energy for critical
moments in the match, as these critical moments can occur unpredictably, demanding
maximal efforts.
In support of this suggestion, several studies have shown that team sport athletes reduce
the velocities at which they travel within the lower and moderate speed zones as matches
progress [18-20, 45, 55]. For example, Duffield et al. [19] reported that both the HIR (<14.4
km·h-1) and moderate-intensity activities (MIA: 7.0−14.4 km·h-1) were reduced, whilst
velocities at very high-intensities (>20 km·h-1) were maintained in 10 professional Australian
Rules Football players during preseason matches played in hot conditions. Similarly,
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Castagna et al. [45] reported no between-half effect for HIR, despite a significant MIR (8−13
km·h-1) decrement during the second half in young (under 12 y) soccer players during match
play. More recently, Coutts et al. [18] showed that while TD and HIR travelled were reduced
following the first quarter of professional Australian Rules Football, the average speeds
travelled during LIA (i.e. <14.4 km·h-1) were reduced but the average speeds achieved in the
HIR zones (i.e. >14.4 km·h-1) were not affected. Moreover, Rampinini et al. [15]
demonstrated that the majority (~80%) of the decrease in TD during the second half of
Premier League soccer matches was through decreases in distance spent travelling below 14.4
km·h-1. Combined, these examples show that it is not only the distances travelled at higher
intensity activities that show reduction during team sport matches. It seems that the distances
travelled during lower-intensity activities are often down regulated as a match progresses. It is
possible that this occurs in order to defend the ability to achieve high-intensities when
required later in the match.
In summary, the general findings from time-motion studies from team sports during
match play show that fatigue manifests in different forms during matches. There are two
commonly defined signs of fatigue during match play: 1) 'cumulative' fatigue which is
represented by a reduction in TD travelled as a match progresses, and 2) 'transient' fatigue
which is represented by a momentary or period of reduced exercise intensity (usually
following a period of increased exercise intensity). There are also indicators of the adoption
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Fatigue and the Regulation of Exercise Intensity during Team Sport Matches 123

of pacing strategies that occur during team sport match play. Indeed, it has recently been
suggested that players might alter their physical activity during team sport match play on the
basis of both pre-match contexts (e.g. prior experience in similar circumstances, fitness levels,
match importance) and physiological alterations during the game (internal temperature,
muscle metabolite accumulation, and substrate availability) to protect the ability to perform at
higher intensities toward the end of the game [47]. This theory could explain the frequently
occurring patterns in time-motion profile of team sports. Certainly, there is now evidence to
suggest that changes in lower and moderate intensity activities appear to also be of some
importance [18, 19]. It might be that changes in distances travelled in lower and moderate-
intensity speed zones may represent self-preservation for later involvement in critical events
during a match. Nonetheless, caution must be taken when interpreting these results as we
have used game-based examples from a large variety of sports that are completed over
varying durations and diverse technical/tactical requirements. Therefore, we suggest that
where possible any diagnosis of fatigue time-motion measures should be interpreted in
conjunction with other psycho-biological measures.

GAME-BASED PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES

AS INDICATORS OF PHYSIOLOGICAL STATE

Central to arguments regarding the mechanisms causing fatigue is the resultant

physiological state that may precipitate or identify potential fatigue-inducing agents [25]. In
particular, this often relates to the physiological perturbations in the exercising musculature
creating or promoting a fatigued state; thereby restricting muscular contraction and resulting
in a reduction in work performed [37]. While sufficient laboratory evidence exists to discredit
many physiological perturbations as being fatigue causing agents [2, 5], little field-based data
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

exists to describe the physiological state of an athlete matched to the measured work
performed during a game. As such, given the research focus on physiological markers of
fatigue, it is pertinent to describe the physiological responses to team sport games,
supplementing motion-analysis data, to describe both the work performed and the
physiological state of team sport athletes.

Energy Substrate Depletion

Not surprisingly, prolonged intermittent-sprint sports, such as football or soccer, result in

a significant depletion of intramuscular carbohydrate stores. Muscle biopsy data collected
from high-performance national level players during simulated matches indicates a
progressive reduction in muscle glycogen during the match, with post-game reductions as
much as 50% [25, 37]. In particular, the predominant depletion of glycogen occurs in the type
I fibers (50% empty or nearly empty), with smaller reductions (20 - 40% nearly empty) in
type II fibers [37, 56]. Despite a continued reduction in muscle glycogen stores over the 90
min of a soccer match, muscle lactate values remain relatively stable (20 ± 10 mmol.kg-
1
d.w), although these values show high variability due to the sampling time during the match
and exercise performed prior to sampling. Similarly, muscle pH shows a substantial reduction
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 124 Rob Duffield and Aaron J. Coutts

over the duration of the first half of a soccer match, becoming as low as 6.9; however, by the
end of the match, muscle pH has returned to near pre-match values [25]. Accordingly, the
intermittent-nature of team sports has been shown to be taxing on glycolytic and oxidative
energy pathways, and as such substantial carbohydrate depletion exists following team sport
matches.
Given the evidence for the bioenergetic requirements of prolonged intermittent-sprint
exercise and substantial muscle carbohydrate depletion, it is also not surprising to observe
sustained, elevated metabolite values [7, 25]. Data from several sports including Australian
Rules Football, rugby union and soccer indicate blood lactate values of 6–10 mmol.L-1 [7, 19,
57]. Additionally, as with muscle pH values, blood pH data indicates a reduction in pH over
the duration of a soccer match, along with reductions in blood buffering agents such as
bicarbonate [58]. Moreover, measures of blood glucose and triglycerides indicate a gradual
reduction and increment, respectively as the match progresses [25, 37]. The opposing nature
of the glucose and triglyceride blood responses highlights the gradual reduction in muscle
glycogen stores as intermittent-sprint exercise continues, while the reliance on free fatty acids
increases. These data further develop the picture that prolonged intermittent-sprint sports
heavily tax all energy substrate utilisation pathways.
As highlighted earlier, the distances covered and mean speeds of the different intensity
zones are reduced as a match progresses [18]. Whether the change in substrate utilisation is a
consequence or cause of the reduction in volume and intensity of exercise is unknown.
Together these data suggest that the energetic load of intermittent-sprint exercise involved in
team-sports is substantial, which may have some bearing on the ensuing development of
fatigue.

Cardiovascular and Thermoregulatory Responses

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The prolonged, intermittent nature of most team sports is well known to impose a
significant load on the cardiovascular system, from a combination of elevated cardiovascular
demands, a hypohydrated state and rise in internal body temperatures [59]. Data collected
during soccer, rugby and Australian Rules Football matches indicates mean heart rate
responses of between 75 – 85% max; however, as expected with the intermittent nature of
these sports, heart rates can range from 65% to maximal [57, 60]. While logistics of data
collection prevent the measurement of VO2 during competitive environments, the transient
nature of near maximal heart rate values is likely to indicate that inability to maintain the
aerobic or cardiovascular load is not a direct cause of fatigue [61]. However, the elevated
heart rate responses, often in the presence of reduced volumes of work, during latter periods
of a match would suggest the development of cardiovascular drift due to loss of blood volume
[62].
The hydration status of team sport athletes is a popular topic within the exercise sciences,
with a large volume of research on hydration responses to intermittent-sprint exercise and
training sessions [63]. A range of laboratory studies highlight the negative effects of
hypohydration [62], although the extent of this relationship is currently being challenged [47].
A handful of studies from competitive environments describe the change in mass before and
after a match [19, 64]. Normal post-game reductions in body mass of players is around 2  3

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Fatigue and the Regulation of Exercise Intensity during Team Sport Matches 125

kg, resulting in a fluid loss rate of 1  2 kg.h-1, depending on match duration and
environmental conditions [65]. However the quantification of fluid consumption during a
match is normally difficult to measure, and not reported. Further, post-game hydration status
is rarely reported, although has been shown to be >1.020 Urine Specific Gravity [19, 64].
Although there is likely to be a significant reduction in blood volume, resulting in a
hypohydrated state following a match, recent research has questioned the causative role of
this type of physiological change in the development of fatigue [66, 67]. Rather than
hypohydration being a cause of fatigue per se, it has been highlighted as having a role in
reducing the ability to tolerate an increasing internal thermal load during exercise [67].
Despite the plethora of literature highlighting the dangers of dehydration and risk of heat
illness [68, 69], there is relatively little research describing thermoregulatory responses to
match-play in sports. To date, only a handful of studies report core or muscle temperature for
team sport matches, [33, 70], and even less in hot environmental conditions where the
thermoregulatory system is more likely to be taxed [19]. From these early data, it seems that
core temperature is rarely elevated for any length of time above 39.5oC, and when it is, it is
usually accompanied by a reduction in work, resulting in a reduction or maintenance of
internal temperatures within tolerable limits [67, 71]. Further, while muscle temperature is
often elevated to 40oC, as expected, it rarely exceeds these upper limits and has been reported
as beneficial for match performance to remain elevated [33]. However, given the limited
published data on these thermoregulatory variables collected during competitive
environments, definitive statements on the thermoregulatory responses to team sport exercise
are difficult. Consequently, the prolonged maintenance of elevated internal temperatures
during team sports, while adding to the cardiovascular and thermoregulatory load, even in hot
conditions, seems to be maintained within tolerable limits.

Neuromuscular Responses
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Previously we have reported the lack of reduction in peak speeds, and minimal change in
mean velocities in the higher intensity zones towards the latter stages of team sport matches
[18]. However, post-exercise measures of neuromuscular power indicate a small, but
potentially important suppression of peak power, such as 2 cm in peak vertical jump height
[72]. Further, repeated 30-m sprint times have been reported to be 2  3% slower following
match-play [33]. These data are somewhat in opposition to GPS data indicating that peak
match speeds are not slower as the match progresses, although this may be evidence that
either peak velocities are not reached during competitive environments or the motivation to
perform post-game is suppressed.
To date, few studies report voluntary activation during and following prolonged match-
play in intermittent-sprint sports. Girard et al. [73] reported a reduction in both voluntary and
centrally activated maximal force production following 3 h of tennis match-play. While the
duration of tennis match-play exceeds most other team sports, even by 150 min of play,
reductions in both voluntary and evoked force productions were present. Accordingly, this
may indicate that following prolonged, intermittent-sprint sports, force production is
suppressed via both voluntary and central mechanisms, highlighting some role for both
peripheral and centrally-mediated processes of fatigue [74].

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 126 Rob Duffield and Aaron J. Coutts

Summary of Physiological State of Team Sport Athlete

In summary, while many time-motion studies show minimal reduction in peak velocities
throughout competitive matches, a significant reduction in distance covered at both moderate-
to-low and high velocities is present. Concurrently, there are small but prominent reductions
in voluntary and evoked neuromuscular force production. Further, the post-match
physiological state of a team sport athlete includes, a prominent depletion of intra-muscular
glycogen stores, elevated intramuscular and blood metabolites, elevated muscle and core
temperatures and reduced blood volumes from evaporative sweat loss resulting in a state of
hypohydration. Despite the pronounced physiological perturbations resulting from prolonged
team sport matches, it would not seem evident that the change in any of these singular factors
would be a direct causative factor associated with fatigue. Consequently, it may be the
combination of a multitude of these physiological changes that results in the regulation of
exercise intensity observed during team sport matches.

EFFECTS OF ALTERED CONDITIONS ON THE REGULATION

OF EXERCISE; EFFECTS OF THE HEAT

The discussion of motion analysis patterns and the physiological state of team sport
athletes assists the development of a clearer picture of the regulation of game-based exercise
intensity. However, by supplementing this situation with the addition of a superimposed
external condition known to result in the earlier development of fatigue, such as exercise in
the heat [75], also helps develop an understanding of the potential underlying mechanisms of
fatigue.
Exercise in warm to hot conditions is well known to exacerbate the physiological stress
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of the bout, while also resulting in an earlier onset of fatigue and exercise termination [59,
75]. In particular, high environmental temperatures are generally related to a less efficient
thermoregulatory system; whereby exercise results in higher sweat losses, reduced blood
volume, increased cardiovascular load and higher core temperatures than in cooler conditions
[62]. The increased physiological load has traditionally been associated with the earlier onset
of fatigue, however may not necessarily be a direct cause of the reduction in exercise
performance [76, 77]. Recent evidence highlights that although the physiological systems
encounter a greater load in the heat, the observed reduction in exercise intensity is evident
before systems become critically overloaded [77, 78]. Accordingly, either as a response to a
more rapid rise in the physiological load [75], in anticipation of the growing physiological
load [76] or a greater perception of load and effort [3], muscle recruitment is altered thus
reducing exercise performance. Moreover, it is thought that this reduction in recruitment of
exercising musculature is a protective mechanism to control heat generation, and limit the rise
in core temperature [76, 79]. However, while an abundance of laboratory-based research
findings exist on this topic, there is a dearth of literature reporting what occurs in field-based
environments, particularly for team sports.
A small number of studies report core temperature responses to team sport games in cool
(<18oC) conditions [33, 47], but do not report any measures of match physical demands. A
recent study reported player motion activities alongside thermoregulatory data for elite pre-
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 Fatigue and the Regulation of Exercise Intensity during Team Sport Matches 127

season Australian Rules Football games in hot (30oC) conditions [19]. The findings of this
study highlighted some interesting trends that add to the picture of game-based fatigue
developed in the previous sections. First, as noted earlier, as the match progressed, only small
reductions in the distance covered in high-intensity zones was observed, and that the
velocities of these efforts (including sprint efforts) were not reduced. Second, as the game
progressed, the major reduction in distance travelled or speed of efforts occurred in the
moderate-intensity zone (7–14 km.h-1). Third, that the reduction in moderate-intensity work
was inversely correlated (r= -0.88) with a higher mid-game core temperature. Finally, core
temperature responses reached a plateau after the first 30 min, with only minimal increases as
the game continued (final core temperatures were 39.3 ± 0.4oC). Accordingly, it seems
possible that the effects of hot environmental conditions predominantly result in the down
regulation of moderate to low-intensity efforts that may not be directly critical to game
performance.
While the limited evidence does suggest altered game-based pacing strategies and motion
activities due to the heat, the amelioration of this superimposed condition via body cooling
also assists in understanding how exercise is regulated in the field. Pre-cooling is a process
whereby skin, muscle and/or core temperature is lowered prior to exercise in the heat to
reduce the physiological load and improve exercise performance [80]. A range of laboratory-
based studies provide evidence of the ergogenic qualities of cooling prior to exercise in the
heat for prolonged continuous and intermittent-sprint exercise [79, 81]. However, to date no
studies have attempted to determine the effects of pre-cooling for team sport athletes in hot
conditions in the field. Recently, a field-based study incorporating pre-cooling before a free-
paced exercise protocol as part of a conditioning training session showed promising results
[71]. These data highlighted that a pre-cooling intervention that blunted the rise in core
temperature resulted in an increased distance covered during the session, predominantly in the
speed zones incorporating 10 – 16 km.h-1. While sprint speeds and distances were not
different between cooled and non-cooled bouts, players selected higher workloads for the
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self-selected work performed between sprint efforts. Moreover, recent unpublished evidence
highlights that during hot conditions, Australian Rules Football players cover a reduced
distance when compared to cooler conditions [82]. The decreased distances covered during
hot games, are alongside elevated core temperatures, increased sweat loss and higher
perceptual exertion. Accordingly, it seems evident that team sport exercise in the heat results
in a down-regulation of work performed for a similar physiological load. Additionally, the
reduced workload may be predominantly evident in the moderate to hard zones of running,
rather than peak speeds or very high intensity efforts.

POSSIBLE MECHANISMS RELATING TO GAME-BASED FATIGUE

Before speculating on the possible mechanisms regulating field-based exercise intensity,
it is of benefit to summarise the state of knowledge thus far. Data from player time-motion
analyses indicates that fatigue in team sports, in the sense of reduced physical work, manifests
as a reduction in distance and velocities of lower and moderate speed zones (7 – 14 km.h-1)
and to a lesser extent reductions in the higher intensity zones (14 – 30 km.h-1). These
reductions in exercise intensities are alongside depletion in muscle carbohydrate stores,

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 128 Rob Duffield and Aaron J. Coutts

elevation of metabolites, prolonged cardiovascular load, increased thermoregulatory load and

a small suppression of neuromuscular power. Additionally, when we superimpose warm
conditions, the decrease in low-moderate intensity activity seems greater, while the change in
higher intensity zones is similar to cool conditions. Further, this situation is countered in
cooler environments or when pre-cooling interventions are applied to intermittent-sprint
exercise in the heat. Despite these imposed loads, peak speeds may be as fast in the latter
stages of a match as they are at the start. Moreover, there is little reduction in very high
intensity zone distance or velocity. Within the contextual demands of intermittent, high-
intensity efforts over a prolonged duration, fatigue in team sports may not be thought of as a
classical decline in performance until an inability to continue. Rather, physical fatigue in team
sports may be better represented by the gradual down-regulation of exercise in the moderate
and lower intensity zones; either to protect or continue work in the higher zones which may
have more relevance to match performance.
The regulation of exercise intensity to ensure ability to perform near maximal work at the
end of a match represents the use of pacing strategies to ensure successful completion. Pacing
strategies have gained some attention in the research literature for prolonged, continuous
modes of exercise, such as cycling and running [83]. It is often noted in long distance events
that athletes may finish with a fast spurt of higher intensity activity [83, 84]. Accordingly,
athletes predominantly ensure completion of an event without allowing physiological
disturbances outside of (individual) tolerable homeostatic ranges [85]. These observations,
when evaluated in light of the information presented here, seem apt for a description of
pacing in team sports. The context of most team sports is that key match-specific performance
indicators often revolve around high-intensity efforts, and the inability to perform those
efforts results in overall sub-optimal performance. Thus it is possible that the understanding
of the need to respond and perform near maximal efforts at intermittent time points is an
overriding factor in the regulation of work between these efforts. Consequently, ensuring and
protecting the ability to perform these efforts may result in conscious decision making to
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reduce work intensity between efforts, while ensuring physiological responses remain within
tolerable limits is of non-conscious control. This interaction of physiological feedback and
anticipation of future demands may explain the larger reduction in moderate zone intensities,
and ability to continue to perform maximal efforts as a match progresses.
In the ecologically valid environment of field-based data collection, the context of the
match is central to the decision making process regarding regulation of exercise intensity.
High-intensity efforts are generally regarded as critical to match performance, and hence the
ability to perform these actions late in a match can be crucial. Accordingly, this context may
explain why the reduction in high-intensity zones, in both absolute and relative terms, is
smaller than that observed in other intensity zones [18, 19]. When repeated high-intensity
efforts are performed with minimal recovery, the resulting metabolic perturbations are likely
to inhibit muscular contraction and reduce high-intensity performance [86]. Outside of these
repeated high-intensity efforts, most of the reported physiological responses to team sport
activity are pronounced, without being extreme. Therefore, these data may suggest that some
reduction in high-intensity activities results from interruption of peripheral contractile
functioning. However, to allow recovery or prevent further reductions, work rates in lower-
intensity zones are reduced to facilitate faster recovery or prevent further extreme
physiological changes. As an example, the interaction of factors such as reducing glycogen
stores, increasing core temperature and reduced available blood volume may result in
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 Fatigue and the Regulation of Exercise Intensity during Team Sport Matches 129

physiological and cognitive changes precipitating the adjustment of self-selected work.

Moreover, the greater reductions in lower-moderate intensity zones when external
environments such as hot conditions amplify the physiological load also fit with this proposed
response. As such, the reduction in high-intensity zones may relate to the reduced contractile
ability of the muscle, as evidenced by reductions in post-match peak power and voluntary
activation [72, 73] while the reduction in moderate-intensity zones buffers further reduction
in high-intensity activities and ensures physiological perturbations remain within tolerable
limits. Accordingly, this somewhat ensures the ability to perform key game demands for the
duration of the match and further ensure that physiological perturbations do not become
catastrophic.
While this speculation of mechanisms regulating match exercise intensities has focussed
on physiological responses, the role of perceptual responses in the adopted pacing strategies
are also important. Although there are limited rating of perceived exertion (RPE) data
reported alongside measures of work during team sport matches, free-paced exercise in
laboratory conditions has been reported to be regulated based on maintaining non-maximal
perceived exertion [3, 61]. Consequently, the perception of the demands at any time during a
match may also influence conscious regulation of non-maximal exercise intensities at non-
critical times during a match. Further, the increased perception of thermal stress and RPE
normally noted in hot environments may also add to the increased perceptual load and thus
the reduced work and slower pacing strategy adopted in the heat, as noted previously [82, 84].
Hence, although the control of any number of physiological responses are important factors in
the regulation of self-selected exercise intensity; the perception of the current physical load,
combined with an appreciation of future game demands, are also likely to be important in the
regulation of match-based physical activity patterns.
In summary, „transient‟ fatigue resulting from repeated high-intensity bouts is likely to be
from an inhibition of sufficient contractile recovery. As further reductions in high-intensity
work may have performance implications, it is possible these reductions correspond to
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peripheral rather than central factors. Accordingly, a smaller reduction in high-intensity

volumes are observed as a match continues, possibly due to the conscious awareness and
context of game demands. In contrast, moderate workloads are reduced to a greater extent and
are more likely to result from central mechanisms. Exercise in these zones is often perceived
as not as critical to match performance, and may revolve around recovery and protection of
anticipated high-intensity efforts. Consequently, it is possible reductions in these zones may
result from centrally-mediated mechanisms. Additionally, the perceptual load of the game, the
environment, previous activity and prediction of future activity also supplements the
physiological feedback regulating self-selected activity. Given the importance ascribed to
high-intensity efforts, any self-selected reduction in effort is likely to be more pronounced in
the moderate rather than high-intensity zones. Overall, the regulation of team sport match
intensity results from a mixture of feedback on physiological state, feed-forward anticipation
of future match demands, layered with perception of current and future demands. These
systems are likely to be integrated to adopt the appropriate pacing strategy and regulate
exercise intensity to fulfil game demands, while tolerating the imposed physiological load.

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 130 Rob Duffield and Aaron J. Coutts

LIMITATIONS OF INTERPRETING GAME-BASED DATA

The two important areas of focus for this chapter are also the two major limiting factors
in the interpretation of the reported findings; those being the use of field-based data and the
use of GPS technology, respectively. First, as outlined earlier, the strength of much of the
data reported here is the ecologically valid environment within which data was collected.
These data represents ecologically valid physiology and performance data, and as such is not
constrained by the model or mode used in simulated laboratory environments. Moreover, the
predominance of laboratory data and lack of field-based data, further adds to the strength of
this generally descriptive data. However, the strength of this data may also be perceived as a
weakness when trying to provide mechanistic causes to any observed fatigue, or more aptly,
regulation of exercise intensity. A consequence of the ecologically valid setting for much of
the reported data are environments that may have a range of uncontrolled external factors:
such as ground size, opposition, tactics and environment, that can also influence the results.
Further, the co-ordinated, time-aligned collection of physiological data throughout matches is
often difficult due to the logistics of collecting data during competition matches. As such, the
lack of published data, logistical difficulties of controlling the environment for data collection
and limiting the intrusion into athlete routines may limit causative findings resulting from the
current collection of data.
Another limitation of the reported data is the reliance on relatively recent advances in
technology to record athlete movement patterns. While GPS technology is the favoured
method of data collection to quantify movement patterns in many team sports, and allows
unprecedented access to measures of player movements, it is not without questions as to
accuracy and reliability [14]. Recent research has reported both favourable [12] and less
favourable [39] findings for the accuracy and reliability of GPS technology in sports settings.
In general, the accuracy of GPS technology is highest when the exercise involves longer
duration, slower movements and limited change in direction (<5%). Unfortunately, team
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sports can rarely be described by the above conditions, and hence higher velocity movements
and repeated changes in direction result in a reduction in GPS accuracy [14, 39]. Accordingly,
the largest variance in GPS measures is observed at the very high-intensity zones (20 - 30%).
However, when the same device is worn on the same player, the intra-device reliability is
acceptable to compare between conditions or sessions [14].
As such, GPS technology is likely to under-record distance covered, particularly within
the higher intensity zones; although there is no evidence to indicate these errors change with
the duration of data collection [12, 14]. A further consideration is also the lack of use of
accelerometer measures to quantify high-intensity efforts over short durations that do not
reach speeds classified as “high-intensity”. As yet, fast accelerations that do not last more
than 1 - 2 s are not factored into high-intensity measures, although this is likely to change as
technology improves the resolution of measures [39]. Consequently, the use of GPS
technology to quantify match movement patterns is still in its infancy and will improve with
improved technology.
A final limitation to be considered is the predominant research focus on the football
codes as the medium to collect and report field-based data. Given a central tenant of field-
based research is to avoid the constraints imposed by the exercise model used in a laboratory,
to then expect conclusions made from team sport data to suit all sports is somewhat

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 Fatigue and the Regulation of Exercise Intensity during Team Sport Matches 131

hypocritical. Accordingly, as the duration or intensity of the sport in focus change, so too will
the likely mechanisms that result in the reduction of performance or fatigue.

CONCLUSION
In this chapter we have examined the patterns of exercise regulation during team sport
competition and attempted to identify fatigue from these patterns. Accordingly, we have
described that both 'cumulative' and 'transient' fatigue occurs during these sports in
competitive environments. Further, we have also postulated on the possible underlying
mechanisms responsible for fatigue and discussed the possibility of subconscious pacing of
players during team sport exercise. Based on the collection of available field-based data, it is
suggested that there may be a complex regulatory system including a number of psycho-
biological processes that may act to influence the pacing of physical efforts during matches.
This pacing effect may allow players to conserve effort in anticipation of ensuing high-
intensity responses to game demands. Clearly this contention needs to be tested
experimentally, and therefore we suggest that further field-based studies are conducted to
provide greater ecological validity to studies examining fatigue in team based sports.

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 In: Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise ISBN 978-1-61209-334-5
Editor: Frank E. Marino © 2011 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Chapter 8

CYTOKINE DYSREGULATION
AND CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE IN EXERCISE

Jack Cannon
School of Human Movement Studies, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst NSW, Australia

ABSTRACT
Fatigue is the most frequent and severe symptom accompanying cancer and its
treatment and has a significant effect on patient‟s functional status and quality of life.
Despite this, the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in cancer-related fatigue
(CRF) are yet to be fully determined. The cytokine dysregulation hypothesis has been
implicated by many experts in the pathogenesis of CRF and may account for many of the
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

symptoms accompanying cancer and its treatment. However, the relationship between
cytokine dysregulation and CRF is not well established. One approach to enhance our
understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in CRF may be to
examine exercise-induced fatigue in cancer patients using electrophysiological and
neurobiological techniques. Studies using this approach to investigate CRF are scarce,
but available results demonstrate a greater contribution from central processes to the
development of physical fatigue in cancer patients compared with healthy controls.
Interestingly, evidence exists to suggest that cytokine dysregulation associated with
cancer and its treatment may induce central fatigue through a number of different
mechanisms; specifically, altered serotonin metabolism, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
axis dysfunction, and vagal afferent nerve activation. However, further research
examining the contribution of these mechanisms are needed before any conclusions can
be drawn. The results from such studies may provide new insights into the
pathophysiological mechanisms involved in CRF and assist in the development of
successful interventions to reduce the physiological fatigue burden in cancer patients and
their carers.

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 138 Jack Cannon

INTRODUCTION
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is defined as a persistent sense of tiredness related to cancer
and its treatment that interfers with usual functioning [1]. Fatigue is one the most prevalent
symptoms experienced by cancer patients affecting 70-80% of patients during chemotherapy
or radiation therapy and 30-40% of patients post-treatment across a wide variety of cancer
types [2-4]. Additionally, fatigue is reported by patients to be the most frequent and severe
symptom experienced and more distressing than any other symptom, including pain, nausea,
and depression [5-8]. Furthermore, fatigue may be experienced for months, even years, after
the completion of cancer treatment [2]. As a result, cancer patients identify fatigue as having
the greatest impact on their normal activities of daily living and quality of life compared with
all other symptoms [9-12]. Furthermore, CRF may also impair the timing or completion of
treatment regimens, either because the extent of fatigue may limit the capacity for additional
treatment or because it reduces the patient‟s willingness to adhere to treatment modalities
[13].
Clinicians and health care providers are increasingly recognising that fatigue represents a
significant consequence of cancer and its treatment. Previous studies examining CRF have
primarily focused on identifying the clinical correlates accompanying fatigue burden, such as
cancer type [14, 15], treatment modality [6], post-treatment duration [16], anaemia [17],
depression [18, 19] and sleep disturbance [20]. However, studies examining the
pathophysiological mechanisms involved in CRF are limited. This is probably because the
development of CRF likely represents a complex interaction between various disease and
treatment factors and patient susceptibility [21]. This is demonstrated through the lack of
reliable biomarkers indicating the presence of CRF and that not all cancer patients at risk of
fatigue develop significant symptoms [6, 14, 22]. The lack of research examining the
mechanisms involved in CRF significantly limits our ability to develop objective diagnostic
criteria and successful mechanistic-driven interventions for this deleterious symptom [21]. As
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

such, research examining the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in CRF is a priority.

Proposed mechanisms to explain the fatigue associated with cancer and its treatment
should account for associations between fatigue intensity, markers of disease burden,
treatment toxicity, symptom burden, and patient behaviours [23]. In this regard, cytokine
dysregulation resulting from a chronic low-grade inflammatory response has been suggested
as a critical factor contributing to the pathophysiology of CRF and the development of many
other deleterious symptoms typically associated with cancer and its treatment [21, 24-29].
However, studies examining the relationship between cytokine dysregulation and the
presence of CRF are limited and findings are conflicting. Furthermore, the mechanistic
pathways by which cytokine dysregulation may contribute to the development of CRF are
poorly described. One approach to enhance our understanding of the contribution of cytokine
dysregulation to the development of CRF is to examine the CRF from a known perspective;
specifically, from the perspective of exercise-induced fatigue. The benefit of this approach is
that the association between cytokine dyregulation and the physiological burden
accompanying CRF along with the potential mechanisms involved could be objectively
studied using reliable assessment methodologies widely adopted in physiological research
[30].

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Cytokine Dysregulation and Cancer-related Fatigue in Exercise 139

This chapter is will provide evidence of cytokine dysregulation in cancer and its
treatment and describe its association with CRF. A rationale for investigating the
pathophysiological mechanisms involved in CRF through exercise-induced fatigue studies
involving CRF patients will be outlined. Finally, potential pathophysiological mechanisms by
which cytokine dysregulation may induce central fatigue in cancer patients will be discussed.
Investigating the contribution of cytokine dysregulation to the development of CRF using
exercise-induced fatigue studies may provide new insights into the pathophysiological
mechanisms involved in CRF and assist in the development of successful interventions to
reduce the physiological fatigue burden in cancer patients and their carers.

EVIDENCE FOR CYTOKINE DYSREGULATION

IN THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE

Anecdotal evidence for an association between cytokine dysregulation and chronic

inflammation and CRF was first proposed based on the remarkable similarity between the
general symptoms reported by cancer patients (e.g. loss of appetite, lethargy, weakness,
malaise, disturbed sleep, exaggerated response to pain, and cognitive dysfunction) and the
cluster of symptoms associated with cytokine-induced “sickness behaviours” [26, 31].
Sickness behaviours refers to the behavioural and physiological responses observed following
the experimental or therapeutic administration of specific proinflammatory cytokines, such as
Interleukin (IL)-1, IL-1, IL-6, Interferons and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)- [32-35], and
the application of agents known to induce proinflammatory responses, such as
lipopolysaccharide [36, 37].
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

CYTOKINE DYSREGULATION IN CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT

The relationship between inflammation, cytokine dysregulation, cancer and its treatment
is well established [38, 39]. Numerous studies examining patients with various cancer types
across all treatment phases report elevations in many proinflammatory cytokines and markers
of increased cytokine activity [2, 40-47]. For example, Kaminska et. al. [48] examined
patients with diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer that did not receive treatment during a 6-
year follow-up period and reported that TNF- , IL-6, IL-8, soluble TNF receptor 1
(sTNFr1), sTNF-r2, soluble IL-2 receptor-alpha, IL-1receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) and IL-10
were significantly elevated compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, IL-10 levels were
related to the tumour size and IL-6 levels were related to both tumour size and disease
progression. Additionally, Pusztai et al. [49] examined breast cancer patients with and
without primary tumour removal (neoadjuvant treatment vs. adjuvant treatment) receiving
either low-dose paclitaxel chemotherapy treatments at one-week intervals (80mg/m2 3-hr
continuous infusion) or high-dose paclitaxel treatments at three-week intervals (175-
225mg/m2 24-h continuous infusion) and healthy controls and reported increased
concentrations of IL-6 and IL-8 in the high-dose treatment group and an increased plasma
concentration of IL-10 in the low-dose treatment group compared with healthy controls.

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 140 Jack Cannon

Additionally, the changes in proinflammatory cytokine levels observed were not different
between the neoadjuvant or adjuvant treatments groups. Similar findings of elevated
proinflammatory cytokine levels and markers of cytokine activity following radiation
treatment have been reported in prostate cancer patients [50]. Together, these results
demonstrate that cancer and its treatment are associated with elevated levels of
proinflammatory cytokines and increased cytokine activity. Additionally, these results also
indicate that the absence of treatment or the removal of the primary tumour prior to treatment
may not alter the host inflammatory response. However, the specific proinflammatory
response triggered may be mediated by the treatment regime received. Furthermore,
elevations in proinflammatory cytokine levels and increased cytokine activity appear to be
chronic consequences of cancer and its treatment and have been observed to persist in
disease-free survivors for 5-10 years post-treatment [24].

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CYTOKINE DYSREGULATION

AND CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE

Despite the persistent increases in proinflammatory cytokine levels and markers of

elevated cytokine activity associated with cancer and its treatment, relatively few studies have
examined their relationship with CRF scores [51]. Panju et al. [52] reported in untreated
patients with acute myeloid leukemia within 1 year of diagnosis that CRF was associated with
IL-5, IL-6 and IL-10. These authors also reported that global quality of life was related to
interferon-gamma, IL-2, IL-5, IL-8 and TNF-. Greenberg et. al. [41] followed prostate
cancer patients undergoing 8 weeks of localised radiation treatment and reported that weekly
mean fatigue scores and IL-1 increased then plateaued by weeks 4 and 5, while fatigue scores
further increased during weeks 6 and 7. Unfortunately, correlations between IL-1 and fatigue
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

scores were not reported. More compelling data are provided by Wratten et al. [53] who
followed breast cancer patients receiving radiotherapy and reported that fatigue scores were
positively correlated with plasma levels of IL-6 and other markers of immune activity by
week 4 of treatment, such as C-reactive protein, soluble thrombomodulin, tissue plasminogen
activator, monocyte and neutrophil counts. Furthermore, Von Ah et al. [54] reported that IL-
1 predicted CRF before adjuvant therapy in breast cancer patients. In contrast, however,
other investigations have failed to observe increased proinflammatory cytokine levels despite
significant fatigue in breast cancer patients receiving chest radiotherapy [55]], or correlations
between fatigue scores and various proinflammatory cytokines or markers of inflammation in
uterine cancer patients receiving radiation therapy [56] or in metastatic or locally advanced
lung cancer patients receiving palliative care [57].
Studies examining the association between persistent fatigue and proinflammatory
cytokines levels and markers of immune activity in long-term cancer survivors are also
limited. Bower et al. [43] examined fatigued and non-fatigued disease-free breast cancer
survivors 1-5 years post-diagnosis and reported that fatigued survivors had significantly
higher plasma levels of IL-1ra, sTNF-r2, and neopterin than non-fatigued patients. Fatigued
survivors also demonstrated a lower percentage of natural killer and naive (CD45RA+) CD4
T-cells, a higher percentage of memory (CD45RO+) CD4 T-cells, and a higher CD45RO+ to
CD45RA+ CD4 T-cell ratio. Support for these findings are provided by Orre et al. [58] who
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Cytokine Dysregulation and Cancer-related Fatigue in Exercise 141

examined testicular cancer survivors 11 years post-treatment and reported higher levels of IL-
1ra and C-reactive protein in fatigued patients compared with non-fatigued patients.
However, no differences were observed between groups in IL-6, sTNF-R1 or neopterin.
Furthermore, it was observed using logical regression analyses that IL-1ra and C-reactive
protein explained approximately 35% of the variance in CRF among patients. Collado-
Hidaglo et al. [59] compared inflammatory and immune activity between fatigued and non-
fatigued breast cancer survivors 2 years after successful primary therapy and reported that
fatigued survivors were distinguishable from non-fatigued survivors by elevated levels of
plasma IL-1ra and soluble IL-6r and decreased monocyte cell-surface IL-6 receptor (IL-6r)
levels. Furthermore, fatigued survivors exhibited an exacerbated inflammatory response to
lipopolysaccharide stimulation demonstrated by greater increases in IL-6 and TNF- levels.
However, not all research findings are in agreement with these results. Gélinas and
Fillion [60] examined post-treatment breast cancer survivors and did not observe an
association between fatigue scores and IL-6. Other studies examining post-treatment
hematological cancer patients also failed to observe associations between fatigue scores and
markers of inflammation, such as plasma IL-1b, IL-1ra, IL-6, neopterin, CRP, and soluble
TNF receptors [61, 62]. Discrepancies between studies examining the association between
proinflammatory and immune activity markers and CRF may be explained by a number of
reasons. Some studies in this area have used cross-sectional research designs and relatively
small sample sizes, which may limit the ability to identify between group differences or
relationships between variables within groups due to high data variance. Additionally,
proinflammatory cytokine levels and markers of inflammation and immune activity have been
reported to change through the course of treatment [50]. Thus, studies examining data
collected at a single time point during a treatment cycle may not permit associations between
variables to be observed [63]. Furthermore, because fatigue is a perceived phenomenon it can
only be assessed using a subjective recall questionnaire that characterizes patient symptoms.
In this regard, a number of questionnaires have been developed for this purpose, which has
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

resulted in inconsistencies between studies in the methods used to assess fatigue status [22,
64-70]. Additionally, the psychometric properties of objective fatigue questionnaires and their
clinical value in assessing fatigue status in cancer patients is debatable [10, 71]. Furthermore,
similar to other subjective recall instruments, the results from cancer fatigue questionnaires
may be influenced by self-reporting bias. As such, it has been suggested that as fatigue can
persist for a prolonged period of time patients may experience a change in subjective
standards of measurement throughout the course of the disease [72]. Thus, patients affected
by prolonged CRF can gradually become accustomed to an impaired functonal status and
experience it as normal [73]. This is supported by studies that fail to observe correlations
between subjective fatigue scores and self-reported or objective physical activity levels [74]
or measures of maximal physical performance despite significantly impaired physiological
capacity [73-75].

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 142 Jack Cannon

INVESTIGATING CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE

THROUGH EXERCISE-INDUCED FATIGUE

Much of what we know about the development of physical fatigue has come from
research investigating exercise-induced fatigue. Research success in this area is largely due to
the application of specialised electrophysiological and neurobiological assessment techniques
that have allowed the physiological mechanisms contributing to exercise associated
reductions in performance to be examined [76-83]. Based on the accumulation of data
obtained the physiological mechanisms contributing to exercise-induced fatigue are broadly
classified as either central or peripheral in origin [84]. Central fatigue occurs in the central
nervous system (CNS) and is characterised by a progressive failure to voluntarily drive motor
neurons causing a decline in motor unit recruitment and/or discharge frequency [25, 84],
resulting from decreased excitability and/or inhibition of CNS, such as the motor cortex,
descending upper motor axons, reflex inputs, or associated spinal circuitry. Peripheral fatigue
occurs at the neuromuscular junction and/or within the muscle and is characterised by the
inability of the peripheral contractile apparatus to perform work despite adequate central drive
[25, 84]. Peripheral fatigue may occur due to neuromuscular transmission failure and/or a
reduction in the function of the contractile apparatus as a result of reduced energy substrate
availability and/or the accumulation of metabolic by-products.
Studies examining the central and peripheral contributions to exercise-induced changes in
performance have been successfully performed in other pathologies that manifest as fatigue
and have provided new insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms involved, such as
chronic fatigue syndrome [85-89]. However, only one available study has examined CRF
through exercise-induced fatigue. Yavuzsen et al. [30] compared the contributions of central
and peripheral factors to exercise-induced fatigue between advanced cancer patients referred
to palliative care and healthy controls. All subjects were assessed for fatigue using the Brief
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Fatigue Index questionnaire. Exercise testing involved participants sustaining a submaximal

elbow flexion contraction at 30% maximal voluntary force until exhaustion. The authors
reported that cancer patients had higher fatigue scores, a shorter time to exhaustion during the
submaximal exercise task, and greater relative evoked twitch force following exercise
compared with controls. Additionally, the relative loss in maximal voluntary force following
the submaximal exercise task was lower in the cancer patients compared with controls. These
data provide evidence to suggest that reduced sustained physical performance in the cancer
patients was related to greater central fatigue. Such findings are consistent with results from
studies examining exercise-induced fatigue in other neurological conditions [85-91].
However, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the development of
central fatigue in cancer and the association with cytokine dyregulation is unclear.

POTENTIAL MECHANISMS BY WHICH CYTOKINE DYSREGULATION

MAY INDUCE CENTRAL FATIGUE IN CANCER
Although the pathophysiology of CRF has not been clearly determined, a number of
mechanisms involving cytokine dysregulation have been proposed to account for the variety

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Cytokine Dysregulation and Cancer-related Fatigue in Exercise 143

of deleterious symptoms associated with cancer and its treatment [21, 23, 25, 27]. Such
mechanisms typically include altered serotonin metabolism, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
axis (HPA) disruption and vagal afferent nerve activation. These mechanisms have been
suggested as they are implicated in the pathophysiology of other chronic conditions that
manifest as fatigue, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia
[92, 93], the development of sickness-induced behaviours [34], and exercise-induced fatigue
processes in healthy persons [78]. The following discussion outlines these mechanisms and
describes the possible processes by which they may manifest in central fatigue in cancer. It
must be noted that these mechanisms are likely to be interrelated and changes in the
regulation of one mechanism may have downstream effects on the regulation of others.
Furthermore, it is likely that the contribution of each of these mechanisms to CRF probably
varies across time from initial diagnosis to long-term survival [23].

ALTERED SEROTONIN METABOLISM

Serotonin (5-HT) is a neurotransmitter that plays a critical role within the CNS regulating
mood and behaviour. It has been proposed that the development of CRF may be related to
increased brain 5-HT levels and/or the up-regulation of a population of 5-HT receptors
contributing to reduced somatomotor drive, HPA axis distruption, and a sensation of a
reduced capacity to perform physical work (Figure 1). Research examining exercise-induced
fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome provide evidence to suggest that altered 5-HT
metabolism may play a role in the development of central fatigue. Because serotonin is
unable to cross the blood-brain barrier, cerebral neurons are required to synthesis it locally
from its peripheral precursor tryptophan [78]. As the enzyme that synthesises tryptophan into
5-HT is not saturated under normal conditions, the transport of tryptophan from the periphery
through the blood-brain barrier is thought to be the rate limiting step in the central synthesis
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

of 5-HT [94]. At rest, tryptophan competes with branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) for
entry into the brain as they both share a common transporter system. However, during
exercise BCAA are metabolised by skeletal muscle, allowing more tryptophan to enter the
brain thus increasing the rate of 5-HT synthesis [95, 96]. Furthermore, increased
concentrations of free-fatty acids associated with prolonged exercise may displace tryptophan
from albumin in the blood, generating more free-tryptophan in the plasma available for 5-HT
synthesis [78]. In this regard, some animal studies demonstrate that concentrations of 5-HT in
the hypothalamus and brain stem increase with sustained exercise and the onset of fatigue is
associated with peak 5-HT levels [97, 98] and elevated plasma levels of free tryptophan have
been observed in chronic fatigue patients [91, 99, 100]. Furthermore, some studies [101, 102],
but not all [103, 104], report that administering selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors prior to
prolonged cycling exercise results in decreased exercise capacity in humans.
Experimental data demonstrate an association between proinflammatory cytokines and 5-
HT metabolism. Clement et al. [105] examining rats observed that the acute administration of
IL-1 and TNF- intercerebroventrically or peripherally were associated with increases in
extracellular levels of 5-HT and it‟s metabolite (5-HIAA) in the dorsal raphe nucleus,
indicating an increase in 5-HT release into the synaptic space. Under normal conditions, a
complex bi-directional relationship may exist where proinflammatory cytokines and 5-HT in

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 144 Jack Cannon

the CNS regulate each other [106]. However, this feedback loop may become dysfunctional
in cancer due to the greatly increased cytokine cascade. It is speculated that chronic
elevations in proinflammatory cytokine levels may result in augmented and self-maintained
levels of 5-HT transporter [27]. In this case, the brain may not synthesize adequate levels of
5-HT to overcome the increased transporter expression, which may result in altered
serotoninergic neurotransmission and a greater propensity for central fatigue. Although some
studies have reported that central 5-HT levels do not influence CRF [107, 108], these results
may be biased based on the issues previously discussed regarding the limitations of using
subjective questionnaires to assess CFR.
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Figure 1. Schematic representation of the possible interactions between increased proinflammatory

cytokine levels, altered serotonin metabolism, hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis disruption and vagal
afferent nerve activation and the development of cancer-related fatigue. 5-HT, serotonin; CRH,
corticotropin-releasing hormone; ACTH, adrenocorticotropin hormone.

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Cytokine Dysregulation and Cancer-related Fatigue in Exercise 145

HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL AXIS (HPA) DISRUPTION

The HPA axis is the central endocrine system that regulates the release of the stress
hormone cortisol [21]. The HPA axis disruption hypotheses suggests that cancer and its
treatment directly or indirectly impairs HPA axis function resulting in reduced cortisol levels
leading to the development of fatigue (Figure 1). Data obtained from healthy persons and
clinical populations suggest hypocortisolemia may be involved in the aetiology of fatigue.
Kumari et al. [109] reported that low waking salivary cortisol levels and a flat slope in diurnal
cortisol secretion were associated with current and future fatigue scores in community
dwelling adults. Additionally, the presence of hypocortisolemia is well documented in a
variety of clinical conditions associated with fatigue, such as chronic fatigue syndrome [92]
and fibromyalgia [110].
Lower waking cortisol levels [43] along with reduced function of the HPA axis
demonstrated through a blunted cortisol stress response [111] are reported in fatigued breast
cancer survivors with elevated proinflammatory cytokine levels. Furthermore, fatigued breast
cancer survivors have a significantly flatter diurnal cortisol slope than non-fatigued survivors
due to a less rapid decline in cortisol levels in the evening hours [112]. The use of certain
cancer treatments has been observed to directly suppress HPA function and cortisol release.
Radiation therapy and chemotherapy have been demonstrated to result in hypocortisolemia in
children [113, 114]. Additionally, Del Priore et al. [115] assessed HPA function in patients
receiving high-dose dexamethasone (DEX) as part of their chemotherapy regimen for
epithelial ovarian cancer. HPA integrity was evaluated by administering synthetic
adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and assessing cortisol levels 11-19 days after the
completion of the DEX treatment. All patients demonstrated a sufficient increase in their
plasma cortisol after ACTH stimulation, which suggests normal HPA function on the days
tested. However, the increases in plasma cortisol at 30 and 60 min become lower as the
interval from ACTH stimulation testing to the DEX regimen decreased. These data indicate
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

that glucocorticoid prescribed with chemotherapy transiently decreases HPA function for
approximately 8 days following treatment.
The mechanisms contributing to HPA axis disruption in cancer are not well known.
However, it is now well established that communication between the CNS and the immune
system is bidirectional in that endocrine changes can alter immune function and immune
responses can alter both endocrine and CNS activity [116]. In this regard, studies examining
animal models of chronic inflammatory conditions, such as adjuvant-induced arthritis,
experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, exposure to parasites, report reductions in
hypothalamic corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA expression and that the HPA
axis may be refractory to CRH during chronic stress [117-119]. In addition, down-regulation
of the CRH receptors and reduced cortisol output may also be involved [120, 121]. However,
it should be stated that the altered cortisol levels observed in cancer may be related to changes
in circadian rhythm, rather than altered HPA axis function. Sleep disturbances and variations
in rest–activity patterns are frequently reported by cancer patients and are independently
associated with fatigue symptoms [122]. Furthermore, the mechanisms by which
hypocortisolemia may induce fatigue in cancer are not known. It is well established that
cortisol levels are regulated through a reciprocal interaction between 5-HT and the HPA axis
as stimulation of 5-HT1A [123] and 5-HT2C [124] receptors signal the release of CRH and

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 146 Jack Cannon

ACTH. Therefore, under normal conditions elevated 5-HT should result in increased cortisol
levels. The change in the relationship between 5-HT and cortisol levels associated with CRF
warrants further investigation. Despite this, however, it is known that cortisol has an
inhibitory effect on cytokine production [125]. As such, hypocortisolemia may result in
increased plasma proinflammatory cytokine concentrations influencing 5-HT metabolism.

VAGAL AFFERENT NERVE ACTIVATION

The vagus nerve (cranial nerve X), consists of a large bundle of axons that transmit
afferent signals from visceral organs to the brain stem and efferent parasympathetic signals
from the brain stem to the viscera. The vagal afferent activation hypothesis proposes that the
peripheral release of neuroactive substances associated with cancer and its treatment, such as
5-HT, proinflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins, may activate populations of vagal
afferent fibres resulting in the reflex inhibition of somatic motor output [21, 25] (Figure 1).
Schweitzer and Wright [126] document the presence of a vagosomatic inhibitory reflex
reporting that electrical stimulation of the vagal afferent nerve resulted in a decrease in the
amplitude of the tendon tap reflex in dogs. Since then, Ek et al. [127] have reported that in
rats intravenously administered IL-1 increased the number of sensory neurons in the nodose
ganglion expressing the cellular activation marker c-Fos coupled with increased discharge
activity of vagal afferents arising from gastric compartments. However, this response was
attenuated in animals pretreated with indomethacin, which inhibits prostaglandin production.
These results suggest that afferent fibres of the vagus nerve express receptors to IL-1 and
that circulating IL-1 and prostaglandins stimulate vagal afferent activity. Other animal
studies demonstrate activation of populations of visceral afferent receptors in the thoracic
cavity which inhibit somatic motor output or the stepping reflex in decerebrate and
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mesencephalic cats [128, 129] an rats [130]. Additionally, DiCarlo et al. [131] reported in rats
that stimulation of vagal afferents using a 5-HT receptor during steady state exercise was
associated with decreased muscle recruitment.
Although its presence in humans is yet to be observed [132, 133], a vagosomatic
inhibitory reflex may account for the lethargy, muscle weakness, and greater perceived effort
to complete a motor task that typically accompanies cancer and its treatment. The neuroactive
substances previously described may be secreted in response to tumor growth or treatment in
locations where vagal afferent fibres terminate and inhibit somatic motor activity. However,
investigating the contribution of a vagosomatic inhibitory reflex to the development of central
fatigue associated with cancer and its treatment would be challenging.

CONCLUSION
Considerable evidence exists demonstrating that cytokine dysregulation resulting from a
chronic low grade inflammatory response is a significant consequence of cancer and its
treatment and may contribute to the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in CRF.
Although results from studies examining the association between cytokine dysregulation and
CRF are conflicting, it is likely that such discrepancies are related to bias associated with the
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Cytokine Dysregulation and Cancer-related Fatigue in Exercise 147

use of subjective recall questionnaires to assess fatigue status in cancer patients. Therefore,
exercise-induced fatigue studies may provide new insight into CRF by examining the
relationship between cytokine dysregulation and objective assessments of functional
performance and fatigue status in cancer patients. Furthermore, such studies would allow the
neurobiological mechanisms contributing to CRF to be examined, which would support or
refute hypotheses for altered serotonin metabolism, HPA axis disruption, and/or vagal
afferent nerve as pathophysiological mechanisms in the development of CRF.

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 In: Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise ISBN 978-1-61209-334-5
Editor: Frank E. Marino © 2011 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Chapter 9

AN OVERVIEW OF THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL

EVIDENCE LINKING INJURY RISK
TO FATIGUE IN SPORT: IDENTIFICATION
OF RESEARCH NEEDS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Caroline F. Finch1*, Ann Williamson2 and Brendan O‟Brien3

1
Australian Centre for Research into Injury in Sport and its Prevention (ACRISP)
Monash, Injury Research Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
2
School of Aviation, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia
3
School of Human Movement and Sport Sciences,
University of Ballarat, Mt Helen, Victoria, Australia
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

ABSTRACT
Despite the large literature on the role of fatigue and injury risk in road and
occupational settings, evidence for a direct causal link between sports injury risk and
fatigue has not previously been reported. This Chapter summarises the epidemiological
evidence linking fatigue to sport injury risk, identifies gaps in knowledge relating fatigue
and sport injury risk and examines the potential for translating fatigue research from
other injury contexts as a means of improving the knowledge base with regards to sports
injury. Drawing on the broader fatigue and injury literature linking injury risk to fatigue,
fatigue can potentially impact on sport performance/injury risk in one of two ways (or a
combination of both): from a cognitive or central fatigue view or through musculoskeletal
fatigue. In terms of cognitive-related fatigue, the likely contributors are: 1) sleep
homeostasis factors including how long since slept, length of sleep period, quality of
recent sleep; 2) circadian or time-of-day factors; and 3) task-related factors (e.g. level of
activity) inherent in sport. In terms of musculoskeletal fatigue, physiological factors
appear to be mainly associated with inhibited motor control and failure of the brakes of
excessive tension development within muscles.

*
E-mail: [email protected]
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 156 Caroline F. Finch, Ann Williamson and Brendan O‟Brien

This Chapter highlights the lack of epidemiological studies directly linking fatigue to
injury risk and where they exist, the poor conceptualisation and measurement of fatigue
which limits conclusions. Most of the published studies in this area are related to football
codes: rugby (league or union) or soccer. Fatigue is generally identified in these studies
in terms of associations between observed injury incidence patterns and the phase-of-play
or time-of-season when the injury occurred. Most importantly, whilst the epidemiological
studies may conclude that fatigue is a likely or possible risk factor for injury, no
prospective study has yet attempted to formally measure fatigue and directly relate it to
injury incidence. Overall, this Chapter highlights a need for further epidemiological
research on the role of fatigue in sports injury. In lieu of direct evidence, the Chapter
reviews the physiological basis for a link between fatigue and musculoskeletal injury risk
and discusses the evidence for effects of “cognitive” fatigue on sports performance that is
likely to raise injury risk. The Chapter then combines this fundamental evidence for
fatigue effects with aetiological models for sports injury causation to highlight key areas
where significant knowledge gaps currently exist. Finally, suggestions for a future
research agenda that adopts a truly multidisciplinary research strategy are given, for this
very important topic.

INTRODUCTION
There is strong accumulated evidence that fatigue plays a key role in the causes of
injuries that occur in settings such as workplaces and on-the-road [1, 2]. More recently, it has
been suggested that fatigue also plays a role in the aetiology of musculoskeletal injuries, such
as those sustained by athletes and other sports participants, although no strong long-term
prospective studies have yet confirmed this. Most formal evidence of a link between fatigue
and sports injury comes from experimental studies or extrapolation of animal study results
and fundamental biomechanics. The much larger body of indirect evidence comes from
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

observational studies conducted largely in team sports.

A systematic review process was undertaken to identify peer-review literature published
from 1990-2009, inclusive through an extensive electronic database search and hand
searching of tables of contents for 2000-2009 for selected relevant journals. Keywords used in
the search related to sport injury and sport injury risk, together with synonyms of physical
fatigue (i.e. fatigue, overload, exhaustion, accumulation, lethargy, tiredness), time of play (i.e.
phase, stage, quarter, period, half, season, session) and type of play (i.e., game, event, race,
tournament, competition, match, meet). Whilst lab-based, clinical-based and field-based
experimental studies were initially included as part of the background material search to
justify a link between injury risk and fatigue, they were excluded in the final review presented
here which focuses solely on epidemiological studies. To be included, studies needed to have
monitored players or athletes during sporting events, conducted some form of injury
surveillance and reporting and to have a focus on injury incidence, not adverse outcomes
following injury (such as poor recovery). From an initial 457 original research articles
relating to some aspect of fatigue in sport, only 61 were found to meet the above definition of
an epidemiological study.
Table 1 summarizes the types of sports and their particular characteristics that have been
most commonly reported to be associated with high levels of fatigue and, often inferred,
corresponding injury risk.

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 An Overview of the Epidemiological Evidence ... 157

Table 1. The sports most commonly linked to fatigue and associated increased
injury risk

Type of sport and Illustrative examples of links between fatigue and injury
sport/characteristics [refs] in these sports [refs]
Endurance sports participated in over a long time/distance
 Marathon running [3, 4]  Lower extremity (tibialis anterior, plantar fascia,
achilles) strains and tendinitis and ankle injuries [5] and
stress fractures [6] in running and endurance athletes
 Muscle fatigue of invertors or dorsiflexors can have a
significant effect on the loading rates, peak magnitudes
and ankle joint motion during running [7]
 Sailing [8]  High repetition activities of hiking, pumping, grinding
and steering are the major causes of overuse injury in
experienced sailors who are fatigued [9]
 Rowing [10]  Repetitive actions of the upper-body lead to lumbar and
thoracic injuries such as joint and ligament sprains and
tendinopathies [11]
Sports of shorter duration but with particularly repetitive sustained movements
 Cricket  Fast bowlers, in particular, have been shown to be at
 high risk of back injuries due to repetitive lumbar
hyperextension [12-16]
 Baseball and softball  Pitchers delivering large numbers of balls to
baseballers/softballers sustain serious overuse injuries
be related to high physical workload and associated
fatigue [17]
 Rotator cuff injuries arise because the internal rotators
experience high performance demand during pitching
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[17, 18]
 Dancers  Repetitive movements, and high physical loads,
experienced by dancers leads to joint and ligament
injuries related to fatigue [19]
 Gymnasts  Have repetitive movements, and high physical loads,
that lead to joint and ligament injuries related to fatigue
[20]
Sports with intense competition over a short bout
 Football codes (soccer,  The injuries most commonly reported to be related to
rugby league, rugby union, fatigue are to the lower limb and are muscle injuries or
Australian football, Gaelic joint/ligament tears [21-29]
football, etc)
 Ice hockey  Higher injury rates at the end of a tournament when
player reaction times are slower due to fatigue [30]
Sports with a long playing season, such as many team sports
 Football codes over 20+  Studies of various football codes in which injury rates
week seasons have been shown to be different at different time points
in the season [31-33]

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 158 Caroline F. Finch, Ann Williamson and Brendan O‟Brien

Table 2 summarizes the broad approaches to how fatigue was measured or assessed in the
epidemiological studies. As shown, of the studies that did include some measure of fatigue,
none included a physiological measure of fatigue. Some examples of studies under each
major category of fatigue measurement are expanded upon below for illustrative purposes.
The major limitations of the types of study are also summarised in Table 2.

Table 2. Measurement of fatigue in epidemiological sports injury studies

Type of fatigue measure

Features Study Limitations of these measures and studies based on them
examples
Objective physiological or cognitive measures
 None  No study reported use of these measures
No measures reported
Mention of fatigue  Most  Opinion only, not evidence-based
does not feature in studies  Fatigue is just mentioned as a possible explanation for the findings in
methods or results the discussion
sections of paper
Subjective measures only
Self-report  Profile of  In studies which have applied a questionnaire measure after injury, it is
questionnaire Mood not possible to tell if the fatigue scores are just the result of the current
based on States [35, injury rather than the cause of injury
psychological 39]  Studies which have only measured fatigue states at baseline may not
measures  Brunel show a fatigue effect because this would not manifest itself until later in
Mood a playing season
Scale [34]
Proxy measures only
High workload  [3, 8, 10,  The player workload, particularly the time spent in training sessions has
(particularly 15, 20, 23, been recorded
training) 36-38, 40]  Conclusions are drawn that athletes with higher training loads are more
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

at risk of injury than others and therefore this is most likely due to
fatigue resulting from excessive training loads
Short rest periods  [15, 36,  The number of rest days (or weeks) that athletes have had has been used
41, 42] to infer that players with a larger number of days of rest are less
fatigued than those without so much rest
Time-of-season  [19, 32,  Injury incidence is described according to the time in the season when
33, 43-47] they occurred
 Vast majority of these studies have been conducted in team sports,
particularly the football codes
 Association links made between higher injury rates at the end of a
season and fatigue
 No consistent time-of-season effects over a season in the same sports
 Suggestions that higher injury rates at the start of the season could
reflect lower levels of fitness in players at this stage, that would make
them more susceptible to fatigue effects and hence injury
 All conclusions drawn about injury risk and fatigue are from
observational associations patterns linking time-of-season effects and it
is not possible to link them temporally in time order to determine cause
and effect relationships
 Most important limitation is the fact that time-of-season effects,
particularly at the end of season, can be explained by many other
factors, other than fatigue;
- differences in the intensity of the competition
- players playing with recurrent or unrecovered previous injury

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 An Overview of the Epidemiological Evidence ... 159

Type of fatigue measure

Features Study examples Limitations of these measures and studies based on them
- motivational factors such as a strong desire to win and push
performance limits, to play with injury to make sure one is in a
finals‟ team or, if playing in a team that will not make the finals,
to play more recklessly or less carefully
- a combination of the above

Phase-of-play
[4, 28-30, 32, 33,  It is in inferred that differences across play phases (e.g. first quarter
43-46, 48-50] versus final quarter of a game) are indicative of fatigue levels in
players, largely because the longer players play for the more tired they
are likely to be
 Reported in both team sports (e.g. football games) and in sporting
events that occur over a large period of time, such as a marathon, with
an increased number of conditions requiring medical attention as the
competition distance increases
 Major limitation is that there are also many other possible explanations
for a higher injury rate at different stages of a game other than fatigue:
- players with pre-existing, recurrent or unrecovered previous injury
- accumulation of musculoskeletal microtrauma during a game
- intensity of a game towards the end of a match (especially when
the competition outcome is close)
- players‟ reduced skill and decision making abilities in the latter
parts of a game
- motivational factors e.g. a strong desire to win and push
performance limits, to play with injury to make sure one is in a
finals‟ team or, if playing in a team that will not win, to play more
recklessly or less carefully; or a combination of these.

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES RELATING FATIGUE

TO INJURY INCIDENCE
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Most of the 61 identified studies involved prospective surveillance of injuries over a

playing season, with a small number reporting injuries over a few years. The majority of
studies (about 70%) reported injury data that had been collected prospectively by trained data
collectors (often physicians, physiotherapists, athletic trainers, etc). The remaining studies
used a retrospective recall method through asking players/athletes to self-report their injuries.
In these latter studies, the quality of the injury data is seriously hindered.
Almost all studies failed to consider the nature of the causal pathway between fatigue and
injury and whether fatigue is a specific risk factor or injury risk effect modifier. Many studies
grouped different types of injuries which increases the numbers of injuries in a study, but may
bias the findings towards the null through a dilution of specific risk factor effects for different
types of injury. Most studies have combined acute/traumatic and chronic/overuse factors even
though their mechanisms and causal relationships with fatigue are likely to be different. A
small number of studies considered specific types of injury, e.g. anterior cruciate ligament
(ACL) injuries.

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 160 Caroline F. Finch, Ann Williamson and Brendan O‟Brien

MEASUREMENT OF FATIGUE
Subjective ratings are the only current direct measure of fatigue; however, their
subjective nature makes this measure vulnerable to various forms of bias. In studies outside
the area of sport, fatigue is usually inferred from exposures known to cause it or at least make
it more likely: factors relating to sleep (loss or poor quality), time of day and task are treated
as causes of fatigue because they have been demonstrated to consistently make people feel
tired. Ideally, studies should include both causal or „proxy‟ measures and subjective
measures.

STUDIES WITH NO FATIGUE MEASURES

The vast majority of studies (>85%) did not measure fatigue in any form but inferred its
effects post hoc. For example, a study of injuries in America‟s Cup yacht racing over periods
of varying training and sailing intensities showed injuries were most common during high
training/moderate sailing followed by moderate training/high sailing periods [8]. The authors
suggested a possible role of fatigue in injury causation due to long working days and little
recovery time between activities. Unfortunately, the study included no measure of fatigue to
substantiate this claim.

STUDIES WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASURES OF FATIGUE

A study of 845 elite athletes across all sports used a self-report 374 item health screening
questionnaire including the Brunel Mood Scale – fatigue subscale and retrospective recall of
injuries over the previous 12 months [34]. Fatigue scores were significantly higher in
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

currently-injured athletes compared to not-injured athletes, however the study was limited by
a likely recall bias affecting coding of injuries and classification of injury status.
Another study conducted prospective injury surveillance, especially of ACL injuries, over
5 years in elite ballet and modern dancers [19]. All dancers completed the Profile of Mood
States (POMS) at baseline and again at the time of injury reporting. While only a very small
number of ACL injuries (n=12) were recorded, there were no differences in baseline POMS
in ACL-injured and non-ACL injured dancers, but ACL-injured dancers had a significantly
increased POMS fatigue score between baseline and time of injury. This study also recorded
the time-of-day or season corresponding to the injury and found that nine of the 12 ACL
injuries occurred towards the middle-end of performance season, leading the authors to
suggest a possible link with fatigue. The POMS was also used in a study in varsity footballers
and rugby players [35]. No significant relationship was found between the fatigue/inertia
subscale and injury rates but fatigue was only measured at baseline or start of season so this is
not surprising, since sport-related fatigue effects are more likely to occur as the playing
season progresses.

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 An Overview of the Epidemiological Evidence ... 161

STUDIES WITH PROXY MEASURES OF FATIGUE

Workload and Rest Breaks Effects

A number of studies have attributed effects of high workload and short rest breaks on
injury to increased fatigue. When injury rates were compared over four consecutive
professional British rugby league seasons, differences were explained by the overall season
lengths and insufficient number of recovery days between games [36]. Similarly, when the
playing season was increased from 21-23 games to about 29 games per season, higher rugby
league injury incidence rates were reported [37]. Injury rates have also been reportedly higher
at the start of a pre-season training period in soccer and attributed to the rapid increase in
training workload [23].
A study of rugby union players [38] showed a relationship between injury severity during
matches which was attributed to individual differences in capacity to withstand higher
training volumes and to recover from any associated fatigue effects. Similarly, another study
found that gymnasts from clubs that practiced for >20hrs/wk had significantly higher injury
rates and cited fatigue was a major reason [20]. Further, a recent study of overuse injuries in
129 elite fast bowlers found that the impact of high workload was apparent three to four
weeks later in increased injury rates [41]. Other studies have attributed links between
workload related factors and injury to fatigue, including a review of marathon running
injuries [3], America‟s Cup yacht racing [8], and rowing injuries [10].
The effect of rest was studied in junior cricket high performance fast bowlers [15]. The
bowlers kept a daily diary of bowling workload (i.e. no. of match and training deliveries) and
injuries (validated by a physiotherapist) over a playing session. Over the season, 25 percent of
players reported an overuse injury although they were distributed equally across the playing
season suggesting there was no time-of-season effect. However, the injured bowlers had
bowled significantly more frequently than uninjured bowlers, with only 3.2 days rest on
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average since the last bowling episode compared to an average of 3.9 days for uninjured
bowlers. This led the authors to conclude that the injured bowlers were not fully rested due to
the reduced rest period and likely to still be in a fatigued state when they resumed their
bowling.
Further evidence for a role of fatigue in injury risk comes from studies of changes in
training loads. A rugby league study [40] showed that reductions in training loads reduced the
rate of training injuries, whilst at the same time improving fitness levels in players. Another
rugby league study suggested that an increased injury rate could have been influenced by a
reduced pre-season break [42].

Time-of-season Effects

Because of a postulated effect of high workload on injury rates over several weeks, one
study in cricket fast bowlers concluded that when monitoring overuse injuries, it may be more
important to monitor season effects rather than just time-of-session [41]. In another study,
match and training injuries reported in 156 semi-professional rugby league players over two
consecutive seasons [32] tended to be more common towards the end of the season and

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 162 Caroline F. Finch, Ann Williamson and Brendan O‟Brien

training injuries more common towards the start of the season, with fatigue put forward as an
explanation for both findings. Gabbett [24] reviewed injury incidence in rugby league players
and concluded that in senior amateur and semi-professionals, match injuries occurred most
commonly in the latter half of the season [32, 33], but conflicting evidence was found for
time-of-season effects for professional players [25].

A study based on 6-month injury recall by elite Gaelic footballers [31] reported 28% of
players sustained injuries in the last month of the season (June) compared to the next highest
frequency of 19% in April. The authors explained these results in terms of ground condition
changes over the season and the intensity of the competition towards the end of the season,
though neither was measured objectively. Clearly, there is no single easy explanation for the
time-of-season effect. In fact, the same evidence can be used to explain the relationship
between ground hardness and injury risk and fatigue and injury risk [47, 51]. When there is an
early-season bias in injury rates, authors have been more likely to suggest that ground
conditions could explain this [52]. Direct measures of fatigue are needed to separate these
explanations.

Phase-of-play Effects

Phase-of-play has also been linked to fatigue effects. Prospective injury surveillance was
conducted in seven Finnish hockey teams for all games over two consecutive seasons [30].
The number of injuries was significantly higher in the third (or last) period of the game and
the authors suggested that this was most likely to be related to changes in the intensity of the
game and slower player reaction times associated with game fatigue. In a review of rugby-
league injuries [24], the phase-of-play effect differed according to the level of play; in senior
amateurs, more than 70% of the injuries occurred in the second half of the match [33],
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compared to 39% in semi-professionals [32] while injury rates were similar in both halves for
professional players [25]. In one of the few studies to consider contact and non-contact
injuries separately, a higher rate of contact match injuries occurred in the second half of a
European Championship game which was attributed to reduced player focus associated with
fatigue towards the end of a game [29]. As with the time-of-season studies, all of these
conclusions are based solely on associations between injury incidence rates and time in game,
without any actual assessment of fatigue across those phases.

A MODEL FOR HOW FATIGUE AND INJURY RISK COULD BE RELATED

A number of authors have proposed multifactorial models for sports injury prevention
[53,54] largely drawn from a mechanistic perspective of sports injury aetiology. A model of
the psychological factors that impact on sports injuries included fatigue as one component of
emotional state, but did not consider either physical fatigue or other mechanistic risk factors
leading to sports injury [55]. Drawing on the Bahr and Holme [53] model, Figure 1 indicates
the potential points where fatigue could possibly mediate injury risk and impact on the chain
of events leading to sports injury.

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 An Overview of the Epidemiological Evidence ... 163

FATIGUE?
Exposure to
extrinsic risk
FATIGUE? factors
FATIGUE?

Inciting
Intrinsic Predisposed event
Susceptible INJURY
risk athlete athlete
factors

Risk factors for injury Mechanism of injury

(distant from outcome) (proximal to outcome)

FATIGUE? FATIGUE?

Figure 1. Potential points of action for fatigue effects to impact on aspects of the Bahr and Holme [53]
aetiological model for injury causation.

EVIDENCE FOR A LINK BETWEEN FATIGUE, DECREASED SPORTS

PERFORMANCE AND INCREASED INJURY RISK
The above review suggests a limited epidemiological evidence-base for the link between
fatigue and injury during sport and exercise. Most of it is speculative, as no study combined
direct measures of fatigue and investigation of factors thought to increase it. The vast
majority of conclusions are based on statistical associations only. Given this, other sources of
evidence linking fatigue to injury risk need to be considered. This section broadens the
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discussion about the putative for relationship between fatigue and injury by summarizing the
evidence for the effects of fatigue on injury risk through decreased sports performance.
There is considerable literature on the relationship between fatigue and injury in a wide
range of settings outside the field of sport (see [1] for a review). The general nature of the
relationship is conceptualised as involving one or more factors known to cause the
characteristic effects of fatigue including subjective feelings of tiredness and disinclination to
continue, lowered muscle activity, decreased alertness and increased sleepiness. The fatigue
induced by these causal factors in turn decreases the capacity to perform and it is these
changes in performance that increase the likelihood of injury. This general model is depicted
in Figure 2.

PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOMECHANICAL EVIDENCE

LINKING FATIGUE AND INJURY
Based largely on laboratory-based investigations, a number of studies have suggested
mechanisms that could link fatigue to the occurrence of musculoskeletal injuries during sport.
These include decreases in muscle strength [56, 57]; muscle fatigue itself and its impact on

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 164 Caroline F. Finch, Ann Williamson and Brendan O‟Brien

reaction time [58], impaired joint position sense [59, 60]; delayed neuromuscular responses
[59]; altered motor control strategies that then increase forces and strains on joints [61];
substantial degradation in both peripheral and central processing mechanisms [62]; reduced
decision making where poor perceptions, decisions, reactions and resultant movement
strategies may be more likely [62]; altered movement biomechanics that then impact on
muscle flexibility, muscular strength, and body mechanics [63]; changes in ground reaction
forces associated with altered running cadence, step length, and lower-extremity joint
kinematics [64]; and negative effects on dynamic stability [65].
Intense or prolonged skeletal muscle contraction in sports inevitably results in a decline
in muscle performance. It has been hypothesised that the physiological mechanisms
associated with the decline in muscle performance in a fatigued state can also predispose
athletes to injury. Unfortunately, this remains largely a hypothesis because of the difficulty in
conducting appropriate studies, due to the obvious ethical issue of inducing harm in people.
The size of the knowledge gap is further compounded as the physiological mechanisms of
fatigue are clearly task-specific and multi-factorial in nature [66]. Nonetheless, data from
several studies provide invaluable insight into likely causes of injury from exercise-induced
fatigue.
Fatigued muscle has a reduced capability to absorb energy. Rabbit extensor digitorum
muscle fatigued to 50% of its original maximal torque was compared to the contra-lateral
muscle (non-fatigued) on the ability to resist stretch before tearing [67]. Whilst both muscles
tore at the same length when stretched at three different rates, the fatigued muscle tear was
able to absorb only 69-93% of the force of the contra-lateral muscle. In a second investigation
[67], rabbit muscle tension was increased from none to 50% peak, and in other muscle,
tension was decreased from 100% to 50% peak tension before being stretched to failure.
Despite the different fatigue stimulus, the muscle tension, length and energy absorbed to
failure was similar, indicating the contractile apparatus and properties play a role in muscle
failure irrespective of fatigue mechanism.
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Another likely physiological change linking fatigue to injury is motor control loss.
People‟s ability to maintain balance on an unstable platform in synchrony with a visual
tracking task was measured before and after fatigue-inducing isokinetic stair stepping
exercise [68]. The ability to balance was significantly reduced after exercise indicating that
motor control was impaired in the fatigued state. Several researchers argue that a reduction in
motor control will increase the risk of ACL rupture, particularly in the landing phase of
jumping, as a consequence of inadequate joint stabilisation and sub-optimal muscle activation
strategy [68, 69].
The cause of the loss of motor control can reside “peripherally” or “centrally”. In vitro, a
decrease in pH reduces muscle spindle regulation of muscle stretch, resulting in greater
muscle tremor [70]. Recent research suggests that motor loss could also be “central”. In one
experiment [69], unilateral single leg jumps to fatigue resulted in more extended hip & knee
landing posture and increased landing loads in exercised and the contra-lateral leg (non-
fatigued leg). These data suggest a “cross-over effect” of fatigue from the exercised to non-
exercised leg that must be mediated within the central nervous system.
Hamstring tears constitute a significant problem for ball-sport athletes, accounting for 12-
16% of total injuries in soccer (cited in [71]). The mechanistic causes of hamstring injury
have received considerable attention, with specific focus on the ability to maintain eccentric
strength in a fatigued state [57, 71, 72]. It is hypothesised that a fatigued-induced decrease in
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 An Overview of the Epidemiological Evidence ... 165

hamstring peak eccentric torque can increase injury susceptibility. Furthermore, it is

suggested that a shift in peak eccentric torque to a shorter length may also compound injury
risk. Therefore in a lengthened state that occurs in the deceleration phase of the swing phase
of the running cycle the hamstrings may be less able to absorb force and therefore prone to
tearing [71]. Whilst the precise cause of hamstring tears is elusive, the evidence supporting
the fatigue theory is growing. Indeed after 90 minutes of performing a soccer-specific running
task, hamstring eccentric peak torque decreases more and at a shorter length than quadriceps
peak torque. Furthermore, these changes are more pronounced after “half-time” and coincide
with a greater injury frequency in the latter states of play [72].
Whilst the precise mechanisms for physical fatigue-related increases in injury
susceptibility are currently elusive, evidence is sufficient to experiment with specific injury-
prevention interventions, especially strategies to sustain balance, limb biomechanics and
hamstring peak torque.

COGNITIVE EFFECTS OF FATIGUE AND INJURY RISK

Three groups of causal factors for cognitive or central fatigue have been identified: sleep
deprivation, time-of-day and the nature of activity being undertaken. This section summarises
the evidence for the fatigue effects of each of these causal factors on sports performance with
subsequent inferred increased injury risk.

Time-of-day Effects

The effects of time-of-day on the body clock, physiological functions and performance
are well-recognised [73, 74]. Most functions show a peak in the late afternoon to early
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evening and a trough in the early morning hours between 0200hrs and 0600hrs although there
is some debate about the peak for injury [75]. The time-of-day effects relevant to sport are
mainly through the timing of competition and the effects of time-shifts/jetlag due to
competition in different time zones.
There are a number of reviews of time-of-day or circadian effects on exercise or sports
performance. Increasing need for sports to be played at times when the body is usually asleep,
such as tennis tournaments that extend into the early hours of the morning, make the
consideration of time-of-day effects increasingly important. Most, but not all, attributes of
sports performance vary with time-of-day, mirroring the circadian rhythm and peaking in the
early evening [76]. Moreover, time-of-day effects probably occur for strength, anaerobic
power and capacity, body temperature and exercise response, but are less clear for endurance
training, ratings of perceived exertion, arm exercise and self-paced exercise [77]. For
example, performance was found to vary with time-of-day in soccer players tested at 0800,
1200, 1600 and 2000hrs [78]. Self-rated alertness and fatigue were highest at 2000hrs but not
all performance measures showed time-of-day changes and the peak for different
performance measures varied.
Time-of-day effects on swim performance were found to peak between 5-7 hours before
the circadian rhythm nadir (around 2300hrs) and were poorest one hour either side of the

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 166 Caroline F. Finch, Ann Williamson and Brendan O‟Brien

nadir (around 0500hrs) indicating a circadian rhythm in laboratory-based sports performance

independent of sleep or environmental factors [79]. A comprehensive review of the evidence
argued that there is sufficient evidence that time-of-day has an effect on athletes'
performance, but the specific nature of these effects are not clear, especially what aspects of
performance are affected, or whether particular types of sports are more vulnerable [80].
One of the only sports injury-specific studies to examine time-of-day effects is a recent
study in dancers [19]. Although based on only a small number of ACL (n=12) injuries, the
authors reported that three-quarters of these injuries occurred in the evening and concluded
that the higher evening rate was a consequence of sustained activity during the day. This
finding could also be explained by the fact that, in the evenings, dancers gave professional
performances and so may have been at injury risk for other reasons.
Jetlag due to transmeridian travel is a specific type of disruption to the circadian rhythm
and most likely to produce time-of-day effects on performance [81]. One review concluded
that jetlag produced symptoms relevant to sports performance like fatigue and difficulties
with concentrating, but presented no evidence for performance effects [82]. Other studies
concluded that more research is needed to identify the effects of transmeridian travel on
performance [76] or argued that the evidence for jetlag effects is inconclusive because the
quality of the studies are too poor [80].
A significant problem with studies of time-of-day effects is that they are often the result
of both time-of-day and sleep deprivation; the tennis player playing the fourth set of an
important tournament at 0100hrs has been awake for long hours so making it difficult to draw
conclusions about the independent effects of these factors. The issue especially applies to
jetlag effects where athletes are tired due to a long journey as well as in a different time zone.

Sleep Deprivation Effects

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Sleep deprivation is one of the most obvious reasons for experiencing fatigue. There is
good evidence from many studies that reduced quantity or quality of sleep or more time
awake produces sleep debt and a homeostatic need for sleep [83]. This produces decrements
in alertness and performance and increases the likelihood of injury (see Figure 2). In sport,
these effects can occur where external influences disrupt sleep such as sleeping in unfamiliar
quarters or due to jetlag or where shortened sleep occurs due to early morning starts or late
bedtimes due to competing demands of exercise, work, social and family life.
A recent review of the effects of sleep loss concluded that the behavioural and biological
effects of sleep loss are well-recognised in many settings and this should also apply to sport
[78]. The authors argue that the consequences of sleep-loss related errors in performance
could be as important for sports activities involving physical contact as for aviation or in
industrial settings.
A few studies have examined the effects of acute sleep loss on exercise performance.
Weightlifting performance was compared after 24 hours without sleep and one night of
normal sleep [84]; the former had increased self-ratings of fatigue but no performance effects.
The authors concluded that acute sleep deprivation could have adverse effects on performance
due to psychological or motivational influences.

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 An Overview of the Epidemiological Evidence ... 167

Figure 2. The theoretical relationship between the primary causes of fatigue, the experience of fatigue
and performance and injury outcomes.

Other studies of total sleep deprivation showed no or only moderate effects on exercise
performance. Over 42 hours of sleep deprivation, naval seaman reported feeling fatigued but
showed only small decrements in naval tasks requiring gross motor activity [85]. Exercise
performance decrements were found over a longer period without sleep where players in an
endurance soccer match lasting nearly 92 hours showed significant reductions in activity and
exercise heart rate [86]. In contrast, a laboratory study comparing runners and volleyball
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players over a period of 25-30 hours without sleep to rested controls showed that sleep loss
reduced: exercise minute ventilation, resting carbon dioxide production in both groups, time
to exercise exhaustion in volleyballers, and resting oxygen uptake in runners [87]. Another
study found that the amount of habitual exercise had little effect on individual differences in
subjective and physical performance after one night without sleep, with effects only for
subjective mood states [88].
There is some evidence of the effects of partial sleep loss on exercise performance.
Studies of endurance exercise such as solo Atlantic crossings (84) and adventure racing (85)
showed significant increases in state anxiety and fatigue with increasing sleep deprivation.
Laboratory studies of the effects of reduced sleep on dart throwing and weight lifting also
increasing fatigue ratings and performance decrements [89]. The importance of adequate
sleep can also be inferred from studies of napping. A study of the effects of a post-lunch nap
after a night of shortened sleep [90] showed higher alertness and better sprint times indicating
the importance of sleep for performance. The relationship between sleep loss and exercise
may not be entirely straightforward. There is evidence of a reciprocal effect between sleep
and exercise. While decreased sleep can produce decreased exercise performance on at least
some dimensions, there is also evidence that physical activity and exercise can overcome the
effects of sleep deprivation, at least over short periods. For example, during 30 hours of sleep

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 168 Caroline F. Finch, Ann Williamson and Brendan O‟Brien

deprivation reaction times were significantly faster where participants engaged in intermittent
physical exercise than if they had simply rested [91].

Task-related Effects

The third major cause of fatigue comprises a range of task-related factors including the
duration, intensity and frequency of exercise. Again, these factors are argued to cause fatigue
with subsequent effects on performance and injury risk. A number of studies (e.g. [34, 92])
showed that psychological state, including fatigue, predicted athlete injury although often the
assessment of fatigue was retrospective, so weakening the argument of a predictive
relationship.
There is considerable laboratory research on the effect of fatigue caused by a single
episode of high-intensity exercise on subsequent exercise performance. Much of this research
focused on the effects of fatigue on specific functions of the lower limb, especially the knee.
For example, pre/post exercise comparisons showed decreased maximal knee extension
position and decreased stride rate [93], decreases in knee flexor strength [94, 95] and force
[96] and reduced pre-activation of hamstrings and gastrocnemius muscles [97]. Similarly,
exercise-induced fatigue has been shown to decrease motor control capacity as shown by
measures of balance [68] which persisted for up to ten minutes [98]. A conclusion common to
many of these studies was that the performance decrements signal increased injury risk.
There is some evidence that performance can be modified when fatigued, to mitigate the
effects of high-intensity or long duration exercise which might increase injury risk. Changes
like decreased knee flexion after an exhaustive running exercise [95] and impairment in
voluntary peak flexion and faster neuromuscular response of the knee joint after maximal
static exercise [96] have been interpreted as an effort to protect the knee from injury.
Similarly the finding that compared to non-athletes, athletes were able to regulate inter-limb
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joint stiffness in a single-legged hopping protocol following fatigue-inducing repeated sprints

[99] was attributed to training and would reduce athletes‟ injury risk. Clearly, more research
is needed to determine whether the fatigue-related changes in neuromuscular function can
reduce injury risk and whether training can enhance this effect.
Many of these studies do not take into account the way fatigue is induced. Many studies
used a cardiovascular task or specific exercise protocol which would have produced both
local muscular fatigue and general body fatigue (e.g. 63,92,98,99) whereas others induced
only localised fatigue using non-cardiovascular exercise [96, 100]. The latter produces much
lower effects of local fatigue and is unlikely to have effects on general or central fatigue.
These studies therefore may not reflect real-world exercise conditions and the likelihood of
injury.
It is also important to distinguish the fatiguing effects of exercise involving only a local
anatomical area and fatigue with a more general effect due to the differences in the
motivational and effort-related influences. One of the important characteristics of general or
central fatigue is a disinclination to continue or to exert more effort [101] which is much less
likely to occur when fatigue is localised to a particular muscle region where the muscle can be
tired, but the incentive to continue to exert effort remains high. Declining effort will have
enormous impact on exercise performance and can also reduce any attempts to protect against
injury due to local fatigue effects. Studies of the effect of fatigue on performance and injury
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 An Overview of the Epidemiological Evidence ... 169

risk must attempt to control for these influences or at the least to measure their effects. The
role of motivation and effort must be included in studies of the effects of fatigue on exercise
performance.

CONCLUSION
While the above text has treated physiological fatigue and each of the three major causes
of cognitive fatigue as independent factors, in the real-world context of sports performance
these factors rarely occur in isolation. High performance athletes faced with long duration or
high intensity blocks of exercise are often also fatigued because they could not sleep the
previous night or because they had to cross a number of time zones to participate in the
competition. It is almost certain that sleep and time-of-day effects on fatigue are
accumulative. The question of how these factors interact with task-related factors has hardly
been asked. There is clearly much opportunity for further research on these questions.

Table 3. Research priorities and directions for future epidemiological studies linking
fatigue and its sports performance deficits to injury risk

Research Theme/topic
Questions that need answering Sub-questions/comparisons/ approaches
Injury types
 Is it meaningful to combine all injury types in one study? (e.g.  different body regions/tissues may
end of season effects disappear when only looking at respond to fatigue inputs and effects
hamstring injuries [102] differently
 Is the role of fatigue likely to be the same for all injury  acute/traumatic versus chronic/overuse
mechanisms?
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Measurement of fatigue
 Could an injury criterion be developed that rates the likelihood  e.g. very likely to be related to fatigue;
of injury risk to fatigue? possibly related to fatigue; unlikely to be
related to fatigue; unknown
 How could measures of fatigue be incorporated?  as baseline measures
 How good are the proxy measures of fatigue in prospective  as factors measured over time
epidemiological studies and could they be improved?  without confounding of the cause/effect
 How good are subjective measures of fatigue in prospective of injury
epidemiological sports injury studies and could they be
improved?
Risk factors
 Do time-of-season and phase-of-play effects really reflect  time of season
fatigue?  phase of play
 At what point/s in the injury chain is fatigue likely to operate?  workload effects, including delayed
Does this differ by type of injury or injury mechanism? effects
 How can the independent effect of fatigue be assessed in  accumulated workload, overload
relation to other possible risk factors?

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 170 Caroline F. Finch, Ann Williamson and Brendan O‟Brien

Table 3. (Continued)

Analysis of fatigue measures

 What is the relationship between objective, subjective and  all studies have looked at proxy or other
proxy measures of fatigue? measures of fatigue uni-variably (i.e.
without adjustment for other factors)
 How does fatigue relate to, or act in combination with, the  independent effect (adjusting for other
other possible factors leading to injury? factors)
 covariate (one of many factors)
 effect modifier (factor modifying effect
of others)
 How, and which, novel statistical approaches towards  structural equation modelling
analysing sports injury data be used?  including time-variant covariates in
regression models as baseline measures
 generalised estimating equations,
accounting for structural clustering

Overall, there is good evidence that lack of sleep for a variety of reasons can have
adverse effects on exercise performance, which are likely to increase injury risk. Further
research is needed to explore the critical characteristics of sleep loss that are important and
the nature of the performance decrement and links with injury for particular types of exercise.
In general, task-related factors can clearly influence exercise performance in a number of
complex ways. It is not clear, however, whether these changes reflect adverse effects on
performance or are attempts to counteract the effects of fatigue on performance which are
precursors to injury or increase injury risk. It is also not clear whether a bout of exercise could
be used to overcome the effects of fatigue. We need the answers to these questions, but
studies with much better designs are needed to clarify how task-related fatigue, exercise
performance and injury risk are related. As stated by Brooks et al. [43], even though the
pattern of injuries according to phase (or time)-of-play might suggest fatigue as a possible
contributing factor “it is difficult to identify specific central or peripheral causes”. Until
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epidemiological studies formally measure both fatigue and these other factors over time and
link them with high quality protective injury surveillance, any causal relationships with
fatigue will be at best speculative.
This Chapter has shown that there is accumulating evidence from the experimental
literature about the effect of fatigue on performance in sport, with implications of this for
injury risk. There is also a large international literature about the role of fatigue and sleep
deprivation in injury risk in broader injury contexts that could be used to inform further
research in sports fatigue and injury risk studies. To date, no prospective epidemiological
sports injury study published in the peer-reviewed literature has explored the potential link
between fatigue and sports injury risk properly. When fatigue has been identified as a factor
in sports injury risk, it is generally solely in terms of an association between observed injury
incidence patterns and the phase-of-play or time-of-season when the injury occurred. Most
importantly, whilst epidemiological studies may state or conclude that fatigue is a likely or
possible injury risk factor, no study has yet adequately measured fatigue and directly related
these measures to injury incidence.
Overall, this Chapter highlights a need to conduct further epidemiological research in this
area, especially as there is evidence for underlying cognitive and physiological mechanisms
of fatigue having an impact of injury outcomes in athletes. Specific suggestions for a future

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 An Overview of the Epidemiological Evidence ... 171

research agenda, adopting a truly multidisciplinary research strategy in epidemiologically-

focussed studies, are outlined in Table 3.
Taken together, the evidence presented in this Chapter suggests that fatigue does increase
injury risk in sport. However, we need many more studies using optimal study designs such
as prospective cohort studies to be sure. These studies will also be necessary to more
confidently define when and why fatigue-related sports injuries occur.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Caroline Finch was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council
(NHMRC) Principal Research Fellowship and Ann Williamson was supported by an
NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship. The authors would like to thank Lucy Millar for
providing research assistance support in identifying studies for including in this review. The
Australian Centre for Research into Injury in Sport and its Prevention (ACRISP) is one of the
International Research Centres for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health
supported by the Internatonal Olympic Committee (IOC).

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 In: Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise ISBN 978-1-61209-334-5
Editor: Frank E. Marino © 2011 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

Chapter 10

FATIGUE – INSIGHTS FROM INDIVIDUAL

AND TEAM SPORTS

David B. Pyne*, David T. Martin

Australian Institute of Sport, Department of Physiology, PO Box 176
Belconnen ACT 2616, Australia

ABSTRACT
Many different aspects of fatigue in sport have been researched, discussed and
written about. However, the sport science practitioner can often find it difficult to access
relevant and meaningful scientific evidence when it comes to managing training loads
and fatigue effectively. Should training programs proceed as planned, be modified or
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cease altogether? These decisions are difficult and often left to the coach who may have
many years of experience associated with managing fatigue in a productive way. This
chapter addresses fatigue from a practical perspective and published research in this
complex area. Fatigue in individual and team sports can present different challenges that
have encouraged different approaches. There are certainly as many questions as answers
when it comes to optimally managing a “fatigued” athlete. Continual research exploring
the relationship between training patterns and performance ability is certainly warranted.
The exciting area of recovery and fatigue dissipation is yielding many interesting and
relevant findings. Fatigue induced by training – is most likely a pre-requisite for success
in elite sport. However, the merits of excessive fatigue remain to be clarified.
Practitioners working daily with elite athletes have the potential to guide important
research for effective diagnosis and management of fatigue.

__________________________
Email: [email protected]

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 178 David B. Pyne and David T. Martin

INTRODUCTION
Fatigue is an everyday issue for coaches, athletes and sports scientists in both individual
and team sports. A colloquial expression holds that “training hard and managing fatigue on a
daily basis is all part of being a highly trained athlete”. Fatigue can be categorised as either
short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic) depending on its duration and severity. A holistic
model of fatigue is most commonly employed that accounts for both physiological and non-
physiological factors in highly trained athletes. Technology and science evolve quickly but
conditioning practices and philosophies in sport are often based on long-standing cultures and
traditions. The historical approach for monitoring fatigue has been to quantify training loads
(training demands) and a range of physiological and non-physiological parameters (responses
to training). Quantifying training loads is more straightforward in individual sports, and user-
created or commercially-available software is often used to capture, collate, analyse and
report training data. In team sports, assessing training loads is more challenging given the
diverse range of training activities commonly employed (e.g. general conditioning, resistance
training, interval training and skill-based conditioning). Although the underlying
physiological and psycho-physiological explanations for pacing, fatigue and regulation of
exercise performance remain controversial [1-3], and require further investigation, it is clear
that athletes, coaches and team personnel are seeking guidance on how to limit the negative
aspects of fatigue on training and competitive performance.
Sport science evaluation of athletes has traditionally taken the form of routine
(prospective) monitoring of physiological, non-physiological and performance measures.
Routine testing generally involves measures taken at rest (baseline), and during and/or after
laboratory testing, routine training or in competition settings [4]. Most sports scientists,
coaches and athletes have experienced the traditional form of testing. Another approach is use
of functional challenges (primarily administered in the laboratory or training settings) where
athletes are exposed to repeated bouts of exercise to quantify responses and rates of recovery
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[5]. In many sports simple self-reported measures of well-being including fatigue, muscle
soreness, patterns of sleep, mood state, quality of training, and resting heart rate, are used to
monitor athletes [6]. The issue of social facilitation in team and individual sports relating to
training loads, coping skills, and adaptive responses is also an important consideration. The
issues of psychological and social factors, and their interaction with physiological processes
and performance in the context of fatigue, require further multi-disciplinary research.

DEFINING FATIGUE
In a comprehensive scientific review of fatigue, St. Clair Gibson and colleagues [7] note
that definitions of fatigue vary between fields of medicine, exercise physiology,
neurophysiology and psychology. For example, most exercise physiologists recognise fatigue
as, “... an acute impairment of exercise performance, which leads to an eventual inability to
produce maximal force output as a consequence of metabolite accumulation or substrate
depletion” [7]. With athletes, fatigue can be categorised by referencing the fatigue-inducing
task (e.g., high frequency fatigue, eccentric contraction related fatigue, counter-movement
jump fatigue, sustained endurance exercise fatigue). Fatigue can also be linked to the
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Fatigue – Insights from Individual and Team Sports 179

suspected anatomical location where the mechanism of fatigue is located [8, 9]. The term
“central fatigue” refers to functional limitations originating from the brain, whereas peripheral
fatigue is frequently used to describe the inability of a muscle to produce force due to
perturbed intracellular environments such as glycogen depletion, hydrogen ion accumulation
or an imbalance between intracellular sodium and potassium concentrations [10]. Although
coaches and athletes may have a passing interest in mechanisms responsible for fatigue, most
are more concerned with the magnitude, duration and consequences of fatigue on
performance.
From a sport science perspective the inability to complete a task that was once achievable
within a recent time frame is a practical definition of fatigue that coaches and athletes easily
relate to. For instance, if an athlete‟s ability to perform pull ups is reduced from 20 to 10
following three sets of 15 pull-ups, then the reduced pull-up performance could be attributed
to fatigue. In contrast, if an athlete was capable of 20 pull-ups two years ago but can only
currently complete 15 pull-ups, fatigue is not necessarily the cause of the problem since the
performance standard (20 pull-ups) was not achieved “within a recent time frame”. In some
cases, when an athlete fails to perform at an expected high standard, the athlete is not
fatigued, but merely unfit, unwell, injured or unmotivated. It is also possible that adverse
environmental conditions (e.g. heat, humidity, and altitude) are to blame for a lack-lustre
performance. In these cases, it is inappropriate to assume fatigue was responsible for the less
than personal best performance.
The magnitude of fatigue can often be quantified as a percent reduction in a standard
performance task. For example, if an athlete can bench press 100kg but after a heavy week of
training is only capable of lifting 80kg then the magnitude of fatigue is 20%. Assuming there
was a similar “maximal effort” produced by the athlete before and after the heavy lifting, then
residual fatigue in the execution of the bench press has been identified. The magnitude of
fatigue is most likely task-specific. In the case of the bench press example, there could be a
20% reduction in the maximal mass that can be lifted but only a 10% reduction in the mass
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that can be lifted for 3 sets of 10 repetitions. Similarly, the average power output (i.e. a
combination of contraction velocity and mass) for 2 lifts at 95kg might be reduced by 30%
demonstrating how task specific the magnitude of fatigue may be. Techniques are now
emerging that allow velocity-specific fatigue to be quantified during actual competition in
international sprint cycling competition [11]. A sport-specific, contraction velocity-specific
quantification of fatigue may provide insights into effective treatment and management
approaches. Although conceptually quite simple, estimations of the magnitude of fatigue can
quickly become complicated as it is often difficult to distinguish whether the explanation for
an inadequate performance is a loss of fitness and/or accumulation of fatigue [12].
Initially, quantifying the duration of fatigue seems simple enough. After a heavy training
phase or a particularly rigorous training session, an athlete could periodically attempt a
standard performance task. The coach or scientist can then evaluate how long it takes before
fatigue dissipates and performance reaches or exceeds a previous reference value. Fatigue
lasting less than 24-48 hours is “short-term”, whereas fatigue persisting for more than two
days can be categorised as “long-term” fatigue. Unfortunately, using maximal performance
tests to quantify magnitude and persistence of fatigue can introduce further fatigue [13]. Thus,
the tests used to identify and quantify fatigue could confound the monitoring or understanding
of the recovery process. Maximal performance tests can be difficult to perform consistently
even when athletes are fresh and motivated. Consider the task of asking an extremely fatigued
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 180 David B. Pyne and David T. Martin

and irritable athlete to perform a maximal 1500m run every week following a very heavy 4
week training block. Longitudinal testing of maximal performance can be challenging in both
logistic and psychological terms.
In response to the challenge of identifying fatigue in highly trained athletes, some
researchers have developed submaximal tests in both laboratory and field settings. Heart Rate
- Perception of Effort [14] and Lactate – Perception of Effort [15] indices at a given
submaximal workload have been proposed as physiological indicators of fatigue. Tired
athletes may have a reduced heart rate but an elevated rating of perceived exertion as they
complete a graded exercise test. Similarly tired endurance athletes may display suppressed
lactate levels but elevated perception of effort after rigorous training phases. Heavy training
can influence these psycho – physiological indices but further work is required to establish
how useful these ratios are for monitoring fatigue and guiding training loads in a manner that
improves performance capabilities.
Fatigue can also be categorised retrospectively based on the performance outcome once
the athlete is fully recovered from a block of heavy exercise. The consequences of fatigue can
simplistically be categorised as “non-adaptive” or “adaptive” based on whether the athlete
demonstrates a rebound in performance [16]. Distinguishing between heavy fatigue and
inappropriate recovery can be a challenge, but assuming the athlete has followed
contemporary recommendations for recovery (i.e., adequate nutrition and sleep, reduced
training volume and adequate recovery duration between intense training sessions) it is
possible to establish whether the fatigue-inducing training produced an “adaptive” or “non-
adaptive” response. Numerous coaches have trained endurance athletes very hard for 2-3
weeks and then observed a poor performance at a competition following a 1-week taper.
Surprisingly, there are examples of athletes who have recorded a personal best time 2-3
weeks after the disappointing result following one week of recovery. In this case, it would be
inappropriate to categorise the fatigue as “non-adaptive” because the athlete responded to
training; it just took longer than expected. Thus, the athlete mistimed the recovery process
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which is quite different from engaging in training that induces “non-adaptive” fatigue where
there is no subsequent improvement in performance.
Many terms for fatigue have been published in the scientific literature including:
overtraining, overreaching, unexplained underperformance, underperformance syndrome,
fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, persistent fatigue, non-functional over-reaching, functional
over-reaching, tired, and burn out [9]. However, coaches and athletes tend to think about
fatigue from a practical perspective. The magnitude (percent reduction in performance
ability), duration (how long will performance impairment last) and nature of fatigue (adaptive
fatigue refers to an improvement in performance following recovery whereas non-adaptive
fatigue reflects no apparent improvement in performance following a heavy block of training)
become important aspects of fatigue that can influence training programs. Researchers are
currently working to establish physiological indicators that accurately reflect the severity of
fatigue without requiring the athlete to perform a maximal physical challenge. At this stage,
the best way to understand fatigue in an athlete may be to quantify their perceptions and
sensations of fatigue as well as evaluate performance associated with “maximal” exertion [4,
7, 17, 18].

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Fatigue – Insights from Individual and Team Sports 181

TEAM SPORTS
A key question in team sports research related to fatigue is the choice of dependent
(outcome) measures. Traditionally this work has focused on the changes in physiological
factors such as heart rate, blood lactate, sprint ability, or movement patterns quantified via
time-motion analysis, or more recently global positioning system (GPS) tracking. The focus
of future investigations will be on relationships between physiological factors, movement
patterns and performance indicators. A fourth factor is the strategies and tactics employed by
coaches to limit the effects of fatigue, or impose greater fatigue on opposition players and
teams. It is apparent that social facilitation and psychosocial factors influence relationships
between fatigue and performance in team sports. Some intriguing work in the fields of pain
management [19] and wound healing [20] has shown important links between psychological
and social factors and the time course for tissue repair. This line of investigation offers
promise for management of fatigue in team sports from the perspective of both individual
player and team performance.
In team sports, the most useful indicators of fatigue are decrements in performance,
physiological measures and skill indicators. We conducted a study on the effects of fatigue on
decision making and shooting skill-performance in water polo players to explore these
relationships [21]. Fourteen junior elite male players completed four sets of eight maximal
effort repetitions (~18 s per repetition) of a water polo-specific drill. A video-based
temporally occluded decision making task or a goal shooting test was performed after each
set. At very high levels of fatigue, decision-making accuracy was 18 ± 22% (mean ± 95%
confidence limits) better than at low fatigue. Shooting accuracy and velocity were unaffected
by fatigue, however skill proficiency (technique) decreased by 43 ± 24% after high-fatigue
conditions. Incremental increases in fatigue differentially influenced decision making
(improved) relative to the technical performance (declined), accuracy and speed of the ball
(unchanged) of a water polo shot. These data indicate that fatigue can influence technical and
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

performance tasks in different ways.

An imbalance between training loads and recovery can manifest as an increased risk of
fatigue, injury and/or illness in team sport players depending on individual circumstances.
Management of fatigue in team sports includes monitoring of the individual and team
performance indicators, training loads, physiological and psychological measures, and
psycho-physiological measures such as mood state, session rating of perceived exertion
(RPE) and sport-specific questionnaires for athletes [22-24]. Although questionnaires are
widely used, issues with validity, compliance and the degree the results are actually used to
revise or modify training programs, often limit their usefulness. Short-term use of
questionnaires is often more practical as athletes often tire of completing a daily questionnaire
for long periods. The quality and timing of feedback for athletes is critical.

INDIVIDUAL SPORTS
In individual sports such as athletics, cycling, swimming, and triathlon, high training
loads often leave athletes feeling fatigued. Management of fatigue centres primarily on
careful prescription and periodisation of both short- and long-term training loads.
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 182 David B. Pyne and David T. Martin

Periodisation of training remains an art as much as a science. The training programs adopted
by elite athletes are commonly refined through trial and error over a period of time and are
typically based on individual needs.
Training-induced fatigue concepts proposed in the 1980‟s by Dr. Eric Banister have
influenced many endurance coaches and scientists in a variety of sports. Banister‟s ideas were
both simple and intuitively appealing. In his early papers, Banister and co-workers presented
performance as an outcome variable influenced by both fitness and fatigue [25]. Banister
characterised fitness as a positive influence on performance that was slow to both develop and
dissipate once training ceased. Fatigue on the other hand was characterised with a much
shorter time constant reflecting a trait that could accumulate and dissipate quickly. These
straight forward concepts seemed to reflect what many coaches were seeing in the field -
heavy training was required for developing fitness and managing fatigue through recovery
and prolonged tapers was essential to elicit quality performances. In Banister‟s model, fatigue
can be assessed indirectly by accurately quantifying fitness linked to training load and
performance. Sporting performance can be monitored reasonably accurately assuming
consistent conditions and maximal effort. However, two challenges faced by those adopting
Banister‟s model are how should training load be quantified and what time constants should
be used for fitness and fatigue [12]. The training impulse (TRIMP) was initially proposed as
the best indicator of training load. This load unit, similar to many other load units, is a
combination of exercise duration and intensity [26]. Once daily training load is quantified it is
then possible to mathematically evaluate the relationship between training load, performance
and fatigue [12]. If an athlete‟s best performances are occurring much sooner after a loading
block than the model predicts then it is possible to decrease the time constant for fatigue or
essentially “tune” the model. Despite many iterations of the Banister model, coaches and
athletes are only recently using software and the modelling approach to refine training
management. Although creative and innovative training structures are a hallmark of the more
successful training programs, simply giving more rest and recovery to athletes may be equally
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

as important. Many different performance tests have evolved to monitor submaximal and
maximal performance capacities in individual athletes [5]. There is ongoing debate on the
merits of different exercise protocols that might be useful for diagnostic purposes.
To highlight some of issues in quantifying load we present an example in the sport of
road cycling. Quantification of training load ranges from the simple (e.g. how many
kilometres a cyclists rides) to the refined and complex (e.g. training impulse, sessional RPE
and Training Stress ScoreTM). The question often asked is, “What is the best way to quantify
training load?” and most experienced sports scientists tend to reply, “It depends”. The key
question is what outcome measure the athlete or coach is interested in predicting or
understanding. For those interested in injury quantifying a load unit that captures novel high
tension loading has merit. Similarly, training volume, travel and emotional stress can increase
the risk of illness. The ability to cope with heavy training loads (e.g. 1400km of riding per
week) is best predicted by understanding progressions in training volume. In contrast,
maximal power that can be produced for 4:15 min:sec (individual pursuit) is best understood
by quantifying the amount of time the athlete produces high quality cycling power output
(400-600W).
The advent of the portable heart rate monitor has been instrumental in establishing a
number of “internal load” metrics including the Training Impulse defined by Banister and
colleagues [25]. However, more recent advancements in miniaturised smart sensor
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Fatigue – Insights from Individual and Team Sports 183

technologies that allow movement speed and cycling power output to be quantified have
increased interest in “external load” units. Cycling power output can now be converted to a
Training Stress ScoreTM (TSSTM) by commercially available software. These load units are
then used to understand patterns in training and predict periods when the athlete is likely to
produce personal best performances. Only recently have researchers adopted the TSSTM load
unit which is based entirely on power output profiles produced during cycling as a unit of
training load in scientific publications [27].
Many discussions and arguments have focused on whether internal load units are superior
to external load units or vice versa. It may be the case that effective understanding of the
athlete will come when both internal and external load units are monitored daily. The
diagnostic relevance of monitoring two dimensions of training load appears to have merit.
High power output (external load) with a low heart rate (internal load) may reflect a very
different fatigue status than an athlete at the same power output but with a high heart rate. A
combination of external and internal load units is probably required to reliably differentiate
between fit and fresh vs. fit and tired.
Substantial efforts have been made to identify useful biomarkers for managing fatigue,
health and performance of athletes [6, 28-30]. However, at present no single biomarker has
sufficient sensitivity and specificity to effectively quantify the degree of acute and residual
fatigue on a daily basis. Routine testing of biochemical, haematological, endocrinological and
immunological parameters can be invasive and costly, and often yields little value in
otherwise healthy individuals [31]. The search for gold standard biomarkers has proved
elusive, and multivariate modelling is more likely to yield useful results than single measures
alone [7, 9, 32]. However the time and expense of a multivariate approach is problematic for
most sports. Both clinical/practical experience, and the results of observational and controlled
experimental research, is needed to develop practical guidelines for managing fatigue in the
field.
Historically, training sensations tend to be left in the realm of sport psychology. Recent
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

research indicates that adaptations to training may be influenced by not only the internal and
external load but the emotional state of the athlete when they engage in training [7, 33].
Quantification of training load may be refined and become more meaningful from a
performance prediction perspective by understanding when an athlete is “hopeless” vs.
“hopeful”.

TRAINING PRESCRIPTION AND MANAGEMENT OF FATIGUE

While there are many studies on the acute effects of exercise and chronic effects of
training the science of training prescription is less well described. Our experience with
Australian athletes highlights the following key considerations: most individual and team
sport athletes benefit from a well developed background of general fitness derived from
volume-oriented training, small increments in training intensity and load limit the risk of
short-term overreaching; shorter more frequent sessions are well tolerated by sprint-oriented
athletes; skill-based conditioning is an effective way of developing both skills and fitness
attributes; interval-based conditioning is the corner stone of developing high levels of fitness;
nutrition and refuelling are important in supporting both training and competition; recovery

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 184 David B. Pyne and David T. Martin

practices need to be more comprehensive and aggressive with higher training loads, and short
active off-seasons are recommended to limit detraining and fatigue at the commencement of
the following season.
The increasing availability of funding and human resources, and emerging digital
technology, is generating very large data sets in both team and individual sports. Sports-
specific examples include data generated by SRM and power cranks in cycling, digital video
of team sports, and the rapid expansion of GPS monitoring. In the past, most of the routine
monitoring has been interpreted subjectively in the field, and more rigorous analysis has been
left to experimental research of group data. However recent approaches have emerged for
more detailed and meaningful evaluation of individual athlete data in a case study format. A
systems-based approach that integrates well chosen diagnostic tests, with smart sensor
technology, and a real-time database and data management system is the future for fatigue
management. Practical/clinical significance with magnitude-based inferences and precision of
estimation involving sports-specific reference or threshold values, observed changes or
differences, typical error of measurement and a probabilistic approach, are emerging in the
sports science literature [34, 35]. There are also approaches available to quantify the degree or
magnitude of the (true) individual response to an intervention or fatigue that is free of
measurement error [36]. A magnitude-based approach using sports-specific reference values
yields valuable research insights, but also puts the results of routine athlete testing and
controlled research in a more practical light for coaches, athletes and team personnel.
The management of fatigue centres on unloading the athlete, ensuring adequate rest,
recovery and nutrition, application of various recovery interventions, and a graded return to
full training. In most cases, athletes with short-term (acute) fatigue are ready to train at
normal levels within 24-48 hours. In cases of more severe fatigue, a graded return involving a
longer recovery period and sequential increases in training volume/duration, frequency, and
intensity, is indicated. The time course of return to full training will depend on the severity
and underlying cause(s) of fatigue. Premature resumption of full training can overload the
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

athlete and lead to recurrence and/or persistence of fatigue. The most common recovery
strategies include massage, stretching, compression garments, cryotherapy [37] , nutrition,
aerobic exercise, and hydrotherapy [38]. Coaches of elite athletes recognise that the emotional
state of the athlete may be equally as important as managing structural components of training
and recovery. Perfect preparation isn‟t always going to lead to athletic success. However a
carefully planned and executed training management strategy that minimises the effects of
fatigue on training and competition should be a high priority for coaches and athletes.
Researchers in sport science should welcome the opportunity to give careful and evidence-
based advice for elite athletes as they prepare for important competition. The physical,
psychological and nutritional influences that lead to truly exceptional performances are of
interest to athletes, coaches and scientists.

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Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 INDEX
allergy, 148
A alters, 52, 70, 176
A.V. Hill model, 8, 10, 11, 18, 81, 82, 84, 87, 88, 89, amino, 143, 152, 153
90, 91, 93, 96 amino acid, 143, 152, 153
accelerator, 79, 83, 84 amphetamines, 17, 19
access, 17, 130, 177 amphibia, 21, 99
acclimatization, 99 amplitude, 30, 66, 146
accounting, 164, 170 anaerobiosis, 1, 5, 6, 79, 80, 85, 87, 88, 89, 107
acetylcholine, 154 anemia, 151
acid, 1, 5, 6, 7, 21, 42, 43, 45, 47, 48, 54, 56, 57, 58, angina, 85, 86, 90
59, 60, 89, 96, 99 anhydrase, 47
acidic, 6, 49, 50, 60 anoxia, 49
acidosis, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 50, 53, 54, 55, anterior cingulate cortex, 108
56, 57, 58, 59 anterior cruciate, 159, 172
ACL, 159, 160, 164, 166, 174 anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), 159
ACL injury, 174 anxiety, 167, 173
ACTH, 144, 145, 146 Argentina, 173
action potential, 50, 57, 65, 69 arousal, 28, 31, 32, 112
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

acute myeloid leukemia, 140, 150 artery, 90

adaptation, 20, 21, 72, 76, 98 arthritis, 145
adaptations, 58, 99, 114, 116, 183 assessment, 57, 138, 142, 147, 148, 162, 168, 173
adductor, 59, 66 assessment techniques, 142
adjustment, 51, 56, 110, 129, 170 athletes, 4, 7, 13, 14, 15, 23, 26, 30, 31, 32, 83, 96,
ADP, 45, 46, 59 97, 107, 112, 117, 118, 119, 122, 123, 124, 126,
adrenaline, 2 127, 128, 134, 135, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 164,
adrenocorticotropic hormone, 145 166, 168, 169, 170, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177,
adults, 145 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186
advancements, 56, 119, 182 atoms, 51
adverse effects, 167, 170 ATP, 42, 43, 45, 46, 47, 49, 52, 57, 60, 76, 82, 83,
aerobic capacity, 22 84, 111
aerobic exercise, 35, 38, 184, 186 atrophy, 73
aetiology, 145, 156, 162, 171 audit, 172, 173
afferent nerve, 137, 143, 144, 146, 147 auditory stimuli, 30
Africa, 1, 21, 79, 97 Australian athletes, 183
age, 99 avoidance, 24, 135
agonist, 67 axons, 64, 65, 68, 70, 73, 75, 142, 146
AIDS, 59
albumin, 143
alertness, 163, 165, 166, 167
alkalosis, 45, 48, 58, 59

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 188 Index

calcium, 20, 74, 83, 84, 116

B caliber, 175
calibration, 24
bacillus, 17
cancer, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145,
base, 45, 47, 48, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 155, 163
146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151
behavior modification, 13, 16
Cannon-Bard Theory, 111
beneficial effect, 48, 133
capillary, 42, 48
benefits, 30, 32
carbohydrate, 17, 25, 106, 107, 110, 114, 115, 123,
bias, 87, 141, 146, 159, 160, 162
124, 127
bicarbonate, 45, 47, 48, 59, 124
carbohydrates, 110
biceps brachii, 69, 71
carbon, 97, 167
biceps femoris, 92
carbon dioxide, 97, 167
biochemistry, 10, 44
carboxylic acid, 43
biological processes, 131
cardiac output, 2, 3, 7, 9, 25, 79, 81, 85, 86, 87, 88,
biomarkers, 138, 150, 183
89, 90, 91, 98, 99, 105
biomechanics, 156, 164, 165
cardiovascular function, 81, 86, 99
biopsy, 49, 114, 123
cardiovascular physiology, 10, 11
biosynthesis, 152
cardiovascular system, 11, 80, 83, 124
birds, 104
cardiovascular/anaerobic/catastrophic (CAC), 6, 84
blame, 42, 179
case study, 134, 184
blood, 5, 7, 22, 29, 33, 42, 43, 45, 48, 54, 55, 64, 71,
catabolism, 41, 44, 55, 56
81, 83, 86, 89, 90, 91, 96, 97, 99, 111, 124, 125,
catastrophic failure, 5, 10, 14, 15, 28
126, 128, 133, 134, 143, 149, 150, 181
catecholamines, 20
blood flow, 7, 22, 48, 64, 71, 86, 89, 97, 99
cation, 41, 44, 56
blood supply, 5
causal relationship, 159, 170
blood-brain barrier, 143
causation, 41, 156, 160, 163, 174
body composition, 134
Central Governor Model, v, 1, 10, 12, 13, 14, 84, 91,
body fat, 168
92
body fluid, 54
central nervous system, 10, 13, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23,
bone, 149
36, 37, 49, 82, 83, 84, 91, 98, 113, 142, 152, 164,
bone marrow, 149
174
bone marrow transplant, 149
Copyright © 2013. Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

cerebral blood flow, 108

bones, 172
cerebral hypoxia, 9
brachial plexus, 69
challenges, 20, 37, 177, 178, 182
brachioradialis, 32
changing environment, 118
brain, 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24,
chemical, 5, 6, 7, 9, 44, 51, 54, 56, 57, 76
27, 28, 37, 38, 57, 79, 82, 83, 84, 90, 91, 96, 97,
chemicals, 2
100, 103, 108, 110, 111, 115, 116, 136, 143, 144,
chemotherapy, 138, 139, 145, 149, 153
146, 149, 152, 179
children, 145
brain activity, 24, 28, 37, 116
chronic fatigue syndrome, 142, 143, 145, 152, 154
brain size, 14
circadian rhythm, 145, 165, 166, 175
brain stem, 143, 146
circulation, 9, 42, 43, 82, 83, 110, 115
breast cancer, 139, 140, 141, 145, 150, 151, 153
clarity, 22, 98, 115
breast carcinoma, 147, 151
classification, 160
Britain, 113
clustering, 170
burn, 180
CNS, 142, 143, 144, 145
burnout, 29
CO2, 54
by-products, 142
coaches, 118, 171, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 184
coding, 120, 160
C coefficient of variation, 106
cognition, 116
Ca2+, 59 cognitive dysfunction, 139
caffeine, 23 cognitive function, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 34, 38

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Index 189

cognitive tasks, 32 cycling, 15, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33, 37, 42,
collisions, 30 45, 49, 68, 71, 74, 91, 92, 104, 106, 108, 110,
color, iv 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 128, 131, 135, 143, 179,
colorectal cancer, 149 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186
communication, 10, 145 cytokine dysregulation, 137, 138, 139, 142, 146
community, 145, 153, 176 cytokines, 139, 140, 143, 146, 148, 149, 150, 154
competition, 13, 24, 50, 105, 117, 120, 122, 130,
131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 156, 157, 158, 159, 162,
165, 169, 171, 173, 178, 179, 180, 183, 184 D
competitive sport, 1
daily living, 138
competitors, 171
damages, iv
complexity, 2, 19, 26, 31, 37, 131
dancers, 157, 160, 166, 172
compliance, 181
Darwin, Charles, 111
complications, 23
data collection, 124, 128, 130
composition, 134
data processing, 51
compression, 184
data set, 184
computer, 120
database, 60, 156, 184
conceptual model, 84
decay, 36
conditioning, 70, 127, 132, 178, 183
deficiency, 7
conference, 7, 16, 20
deficit, 6
conflict, 20
degradation, 31, 32, 35, 36, 164, 174
conscious awareness, 129
dehydration, 19, 25, 125
conscious perception, 100, 131, 185
demonstrations, 96
consensus, 28
depression, 17, 102, 138, 150, 152, 153, 186
constant load, 23, 25, 101, 105, 107, 108, 111, 116
deprivation, 166, 167, 168, 175
construct validity, 151
detachment, 50
consumption, 6, 79, 105, 125
detectable, 85
control group, 35, 147
diagnostic criteria, 138
control motivation, 57
diaphragm, 65, 67, 74
controlled research, 184
dichotomy, 103
controversial, 178
diet, 25, 59, 106, 107, 111
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convulsion, 17
direct measure, 160, 163
cooling, 36, 127, 128, 132, 135
disease progression, 139
coordination, 31, 32, 34, 36
disequilibrium, 48
coronary arteries, 9
disorder, 152, 185
correlation, 41, 45, 150
dissociation, 29, 54, 56
correlations, 140, 141, 149
distribution, 108, 120
cortex, 24, 32, 39, 57, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 70, 71, 72,
dogs, 146
73, 74, 75, 77, 79, 90, 100, 103, 108, 115, 142
dominance, 108
corticotropin, 144, 154
dopamine, 112, 116
cortisol, 29, 33, 145, 153, 154
dopaminergic, 57
cost, 175
down-regulation, 127, 128, 145
cranial nerve, 146
drug testing, 17
creatine, 45, 46, 52, 53, 60
drugs, 1, 13, 17
critical period, 120
dystonia, 75
critical state, 5
crowds, 29
CRP, 141, 149 E
cryotherapy, 184
CSF, 149 editors, iv, 38, 114
cues, 27, 134 electricity, 102
cycles, 83, 175 electrolyte, 134
electromagnetic, 80

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 190 Index

electromyography, 92 101, 106, 107, 108, 110, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117,
emergency, 36 126, 127, 134, 135, 153, 167, 168, 169, 170, 178,
emergency response, 36 185, 186
EMG, 15, 32, 66, 67, 69, 70, 92, 93, 94, 109, 112 exercise physiology, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 22,
EMG activity, 15, 93, 94, 110 98, 105, 107, 178
emotion, 2, 38, 97, 116 exertion, 17, 22, 23, 25, 28, 29, 32, 33, 37, 107, 108,
emotional state, 111, 162, 183, 184 111, 115, 116, 127, 129, 134, 165, 180, 181, 185
encephalomyelitis, 145, 154 expertise, 10, 11
encouragement, 103 exposure, 14, 35, 38, 145
endocrine, 110, 135, 145 extensor, 71, 73, 74, 75, 164
endocrine system, 145 extensor digitorum, 164
endurance, 4, 7, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, 37, 83, 98, 105, external environment, 129
113, 114, 118, 134, 157, 165, 167, 175, 178, 180, external influences, 166
182, 186 external validity, 49
energy, 9, 13, 14, 30, 37, 41, 44, 47, 54, 55, 56, 58, extinction, 14
60, 101, 104, 105, 107, 110, 112, 122, 124, 134,
142, 164
energy consumption, 110 F
energy expenditure, 105, 112, 134
families, 14
energy supply, 134
family life, 166
enlargement, 98
fascia, 157
environment, 57, 114, 116, 128, 129, 130
fatty acids, 124, 143
environmental conditions, 9, 17, 23, 24, 115, 118,
feelings, 30, 37, 163
125, 127, 179
fiber, 3, 50, 56, 93
environmental factors, 166
fibers, 1, 3, 7, 16, 49, 54, 59, 84, 93, 123
environmental issues, 28
fibromyalgia, 143, 145, 152, 153, 180
environmental stress, 28, 30, 31, 32, 36
fidelity, 32
environmental temperatures, 126
field tests, 133
enzyme, 49, 143
fine tuning, 102
epidemiology, 171, 172
Finland, 172
epithelial ovarian cancer, 145
fitness, 28, 30, 31, 123, 133, 134, 158, 161, 172, 179,
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equilibrium, 58
182, 183
equipment, 119
flexibility, 164
etiology, 29
flexor, 65, 66, 67, 71, 73, 74, 75, 168, 176
event-related potential, 30
fluctuations, 22, 39, 117, 118, 135
everyday life, 147
fluid, 106, 114, 125
evidence, vii, 1, 9, 14, 17, 18, 19, 23, 29, 30, 41, 44,
food, 14
45, 47, 48, 54, 57, 59, 72, 80, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88,
football, 121, 123, 130, 131, 132, 134, 135, 156, 157,
89, 90, 97, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 110, 112,
158, 159, 172, 173, 176
117, 118, 119, 121, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 130,
Football, 120, 121, 122, 124, 127, 132, 157, 172, 176
137, 139, 142, 143, 146, 152, 155, 156, 158, 161,
force, 2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 17, 32, 36, 39, 49, 50, 54, 57, 59,
162, 163, 165, 166, 167, 168, 170, 171, 175, 177,
60, 63, 64, 66, 67, 68, 71, 72, 82, 91, 93, 100,
184
102, 103, 110, 125, 126, 142, 164, 165, 168, 178
evoked potential, 69, 70, 152
forecasting, 109
evolution, 5, 10, 22
formation, 7, 42, 56, 57
excitability, 54, 58, 69, 70, 71, 72, 74, 76, 110, 142,
formula, 65, 66
151, 152
foundations, 38
excitation, 64, 68
fractures, 17, 23
execution, 34, 179
Frank-Starling effect, 3
executive function, 30
functional MRI, 76
exercise performance, 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14,
funding, 184
16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 28, 29, 37, 38, 45,
48, 58, 59, 79, 83, 84, 89, 93, 96, 97, 98, 100,

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Index 191

hybrid, 48
G hydrocortisone, 154
hydrogen, 54, 179
GABA, 76
hydrolysis, 58
ganglion, 146
hyperpyrexia, 109
gastrocnemius, 42, 47, 51, 72, 75, 92, 99, 168
hyperthermia, 9, 24, 31, 32, 37, 64, 135
gene expression, 149
hypertonic saline, 71
Germany, 47, 173
hypertrophy, 48
glucose, 2, 19, 64, 107, 110, 115, 124
hyperventilation, 45
glycogen, 19, 25, 56, 106, 107, 111, 114, 116, 123,
hypotension, 9
124, 126, 128, 179
hypothalamus, 143, 144
glycolysis, 43, 45, 47, 49, 56, 59
hypothesis, 32, 37, 106, 137, 146, 164
God, 17
hypoxia, 15, 19, 25, 45, 47, 89, 90, 98, 99, 100, 109
governor, 9, 10, 17, 21, 22, 85, 89, 98, 113, 185
GPS, 119, 120, 125, 130, 132, 133, 181, 184
growth, 67 I
guidance, 178
guidelines, 147, 183 identification, 148
gymnasts, 161 IL-8, 139, 140, 149
illusion, 20
image, 51, 52, 119
H immersion, 38, 186
immune function, 145
habituation, 38
immune response, 145
hamstring, 164, 165, 169, 172, 174, 176
immune system, 145
hardness, 162, 173
impairments, 34, 73
health, 9, 30, 107, 138, 160, 183
improvements, 32, 120
health care, 138
in vitro, 45, 49, 50, 57
heart failure, 9
in vivo, 49, 50, 57, 60
heart rate, 29, 32, 85, 90, 105, 108, 111, 124, 134,
incidence, 156, 158, 161, 162, 170, 171, 173
167, 178, 180, 181, 182, 183
individual character, 28
heat illness, 125
individual characteristics, 28
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heat stroke, 17
individual differences, 161, 167
height, 125
individuals, 43, 99, 107, 183
hemisphere, 108
inertia, 160
high school, 173
infancy, 130
history, 4
infection, 17
homeostasis, 1, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 84, 97, 155
inferences, 184, 186
hominids, 14
inflammation, 139, 140, 141, 148, 149
Hong Kong, 34
information processing, 30, 32, 38, 136
hormone, 145, 154
ingestion, 19, 23, 48, 59, 60, 110, 114
hormones, 2, 154
inhibition, 49, 61, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 75, 76, 116,
host, 13, 101, 140
129, 142, 146, 154
HPA axis, 143, 145, 147
inhibitor, 112, 152, 153
human, vii, 2, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 19, 22, 24, 29,
initiation, 31
31, 38, 42, 45, 48, 54, 57, 58, 60, 61, 72, 73, 74,
injections, 154
75, 76, 79, 83, 84, 98, 99, 100, 102, 103, 105,
injuries, 156, 157, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 166,
113, 115, 116, 151, 154, 176, 184, 186
169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176
human body, 10, 19, 115
injury, iv, 30, 109, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160,
human resources, 184
161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170,
human subjects, 54
171, 172, 173, 174, 176, 181, 182
humidity, 112, 179
injury mechanisms, 169
hunter-gatherers, 22
injury prevention, 162, 172
hunting, 14, 22
insulin, 2
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 192 Index

integration, 19, 31, 36, 111, 136

integrity, 145
M
intelligent systems, 2, 19
magnet, 51, 52
interference, 49, 50
magnetic field, 51, 52, 70
interferon, 140, 153
magnetic resonance, 45, 110
interferon-γ, 153
magnets, 51, 52
internship, 2
magnitude, 3, 81, 109, 179, 180, 184
intervention, 23, 106, 127, 184
majority, 7, 105, 122, 158, 159, 160, 163
intervention strategies, 106
malaise, 139
intravenously, 146
mammals, 5
ions, 47
man, 58, 59, 60, 74, 111, 114, 116, 151, 152
irony, 2
management, 147, 173, 177, 179, 181, 182, 184, 185
irradiation, 149, 153
manipulation, 30, 35, 59, 108, 115
ischemia, 71, 75, 107
mapping, 32
isolation, 120, 169
Maryland, 60
Israel, 148
mass, 115, 124, 179, 186
issues, 29, 47, 131, 144, 178, 181, 182
masseter, 65
mastoid, 68
J matter, iv, 109
measurement, 6, 36, 67, 73, 79, 93, 102, 103, 118,
joints, 164 120, 124, 133, 141, 151, 156, 158, 184
measurements, 19, 42, 53, 73
meat, 14
K median, 121
medical, 2, 17, 19, 118, 159, 172, 173
K+, 47, 48, 50, 56, 58 medical science, 2
kill, 14 medicine, 178, 186
kinetics, 25, 57, 58, 59, 60, 115, 174, 176 memory, 140
kyphosis, 23 mental activity, 28
mental health, 28, 30, 37
L mental impairment, 31
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messenger ribonucleic acid, 154

labeling, 57 Metabolic, v, 37, 41, 45, 51, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 132
laboratory studies, 117, 124 metabolic acidosis, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 51, 53, 54, 56,
lactate dehydrogenase, 41, 42, 43, 58 57
lactate level, 32, 180 metabolic alkalosis, 59
lactic acid, 1, 5, 6, 7, 21, 41, 43, 49, 60, 76, 85, 88, metabolic changes, 64, 104
96, 98, 100, 113 metabolism, 2, 13, 24, 45, 54, 56, 58, 59, 60, 82, 83,
latency, 30, 70 89, 100, 114, 134, 137, 143, 144, 146, 147, 152,
lead, 2, 17, 50, 57, 107, 111, 112, 120, 157, 184 153
learning, 35 metabolites, 48, 52, 54, 56, 71, 80, 96, 126, 128, 133
learning process, 35 metal complexes, 60
legs, 102 metatarsal, 171
lethargy, 139, 146, 156 methodology, 50
ligament, 157, 159, 172 Mexico, 41
light, vii, 2, 20, 128, 184 MFI, 151
linear function, 93, 94 military, 19
locomotor, 23, 39, 99, 100, 115 mitochondria, 47
logistics, 124, 130 modelling, 170, 182, 183
loss of appetite, 139 models, vii, 5, 12, 20, 28, 45, 60, 84, 98, 99, 113,
lung cancer, 139, 140, 148, 149, 150 114, 145, 156, 162
lung disease, 9 moderators, 151
lymphoma, 150 modifications, 10, 99
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Index 193

molecules, 51, 52, 54 null, 159

mood states, 167 nutrient, 134
motivation, 13, 19, 29, 32, 112, 125, 169 nutrition, 45, 180, 183, 184
motor activity, 146, 167
motor control, 110, 155, 164, 168, 174
Motor cortical cells, 64 O
motor neurons, 142
occupational health, 30
motor skills, 27, 28, 34, 36
officials, 120
motor task, 38, 146
omission, 83
mRNA, 145, 154
open loop model, 105, 107
muscle biopsy, 48, 49
opportunities, 185
muscle mass, 45, 100
optimal performance, 128
muscle performance, 49, 50, 58, 164
organ, 3, 9, 11, 19, 68
muscle relaxation, 1, 7, 85, 88
organism, 27, 31, 104, 105
muscle strain, 174
ovarian cancer, 153
muscle strength, 73, 163, 174
overtraining, 29, 38, 151, 180, 185, 186
muscles, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, 17, 19, 28, 32, 52,
oxidation, 58, 59
57, 59, 60, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75,
oxygen, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 15, 21, 22, 25, 47, 51, 52, 58,
79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 86, 87, 89, 90, 91, 94, 96, 102,
64, 79, 80, 81, 83, 85, 86, 87, 89, 90, 91, 97, 98,
103, 151, 155, 164, 168
99, 100, 105, 107, 109, 111, 112, 113, 114, 167
music, 19, 23
oxygen consumption, 4, 6, 22, 79, 80, 81, 85, 98,
myocardial ischemia, 9, 85, 107
105, 113
myocardium, 96
myosin, 2, 3, 20, 57, 83
P
N
pacing, 1, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, 71, 108,
+ 110, 111, 112, 119, 122, 123, 127, 128, 129, 131,
Na , 45, 47, 48, 56
134, 135, 136, 178, 185, 186
NAD, 42, 43
paclitaxel, 139, 149
nausea, 43, 138
pain, 57, 60, 71, 77, 138, 139, 181, 185
necrosis, 153
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palliative, 140, 142, 148

negative effects, 124, 164
parallel, 109
nerve, 57, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 73, 146
paralysis, 14, 73
nervous system, 9, 63, 64, 67, 102
parasites, 145
neural network, 110
paroxetine, 152, 153
neural networks, 110
participants, 109, 111, 112, 118, 142, 156, 168, 175
neuroendocrine system, 153
pathogenesis, 137
neuroimaging, 36
pathophysiological, 137, 138, 139, 142, 146
neurons, 57, 143, 146
pathophysiology, 138, 142
neurophysiology, 10, 178
pathways, 29, 75, 108, 110, 111, 124, 138, 149
neuroscience, 38, 111
pattern recognition, 29, 31
neurosecretory, 154
Paxil, 153
neurotransmission, 144, 153
peer review, 56
neurotransmitter, 143
peptide, 154
neurotransmitters, 151, 185
performance indicator, 128, 181
neutral, 29, 33
performance measurement, 132
New England, 85
perfusion, 9
New South Wales, 63, 155
pericardium, 7, 83
nitric oxide, 149
peripheral nervous system, 83
nitrogen, 5
permeability, 50
NMR, 57, 60
permission, 33, 34, 35
Nobel Prize, 5
permit, 110, 112, 120, 141
nucleus, 143, 153
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 194 Index

petroleum, 36 psychosocial stress, 29

pH, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, putative cause, 107
54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 123, 124, 164, 174
phosphate, 45, 46, 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 59, 116
phosphocreatine, 60, 134 Q
phosphorus, 60
quadriceps, 71, 73, 165, 174
phosphorylation, 2, 20, 45, 46
quality of life, 137, 138, 140, 150
physical activity, 30, 58, 123, 129, 141, 151, 168,
quantification, 53, 60, 118, 120, 125, 179
175
questionnaire, 141, 142, 158, 160, 181
physical exercise, 38, 39, 168
physical fitness, 19
physical stressors, 36 R
physicians, 159
Physiological, 72, 84, 99, 114, 123, 126, 132, 133, race, 15, 16, 83, 84, 108, 156
134, 135, 136, 163, 175 racing, 17, 59, 79, 83, 84, 160, 161, 167, 171
physiological factors, 80, 81, 155, 178, 181 radiation, 138, 140, 150
physiological mechanisms, 118, 119, 142, 164, 170 Radiation, 145
physiology, 4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 20, 22, 28, 37, radiation therapy, 138, 140, 150
45, 56, 87, 98, 105, 107, 119, 130, 134, 175, 178 radiotherapy, 140, 150
pilot study, 172 ramp, 21, 35, 98
placebo, 23, 45, 110, 112, 114, 174 Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), 1
plantar flexion, 47, 52, 74 reaction time, 31, 34, 38, 157, 162, 164, 168
plasma levels, 140, 143, 149 reactions, 54, 55, 56, 164
platform, 164 realism, 32
playing, 121, 132, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 166, 173 reality, 85, 96
PM, 153 recall, 141, 147, 159, 160, 162
pools, 23, 71, 75 receptors, 60, 64, 70, 110, 141, 143, 145, 146, 149,
poor performance, 180 154
population, 7, 30, 86, 143 recognition, 54
positive correlation, 111 recommendations, 171, 180
potassium, 58, 179 recovery, 32, 41, 43, 44, 46, 49, 53, 54, 57, 58, 59,
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power generation, 93 71, 72, 116, 119, 121, 128, 129, 134, 135, 156,
predictability, 107 160, 161, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184,
preparation, 184, 185 186
preservation, 32, 99, 123 recovery process, 179, 180
prevention, 149, 165, 186 recreational, 135
priming, 32 recruiting, 3
professionals, 162 rectal temperature, 17, 19, 109, 112, 175
Profile of Mood States (POMS), 160 rectus femoris, 92
prognosis, 149 recurrence, 184
pro-inflammatory, 154 referees, 133
project, 172 reflexes, 71
propagation, 50, 57, 73 regeneration, 42, 43, 49
prostaglandins, 146 regression, 141, 170
prostate cancer, 140, 149, 150 regression model, 170
prostatectomy, 150 rehydration, 135
protection, 16, 18, 84, 129, 135 relaxation, 7, 49, 68, 71, 74, 102
proteins, 48, 58 relevance, 14, 22, 86, 128, 183
protons, 54 reliability, 105, 119, 130, 132, 133
psychological distress, 150 remediation, 47
psychology, 30, 31, 178, 183 repair, 181
psychometric properties, 141 repetitions, 27, 32, 179, 181
psychosocial factors, 181 replication, 119

Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Index 195

requirements, 123, 124 showing, 14, 43, 54, 80, 82, 90, 95, 96, 106
researchers, 2, 4, 90, 106, 164, 180, 183 signalling, 25, 110, 116
reserves, 13, 14, 19 signals, 31, 51, 104, 105, 108, 110, 111, 116, 146
resilience, 6 signs, 122
resistance, 178 simulation, 29, 33
resolution, 49, 52, 53, 117, 130 simulations, 119
resource allocation, 31 Singapore, 175
resources, 31, 38 skeletal muscle, 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17,
respiration, 45, 60, 82, 83, 115 18, 19, 22, 25, 41, 43, 51, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59,
respiratory rate, 111 60, 74, 76, 79, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90, 91,
response, 11, 12, 13, 20, 21, 25, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 102, 103, 109,
38, 45, 53, 54, 59, 65, 69, 70, 71, 73, 76, 80, 85, 110, 115, 136, 143, 164
88, 90, 98, 102, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 111, skeletal muscle recruitment, 3, 9, 12, 13, 16, 17, 22,
126, 129, 132, 135, 138, 139, 140, 141, 145, 146, 25, 79, 82, 83, 84, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97,
149, 150, 151, 165, 168, 175, 180, 184 98, 99, 109, 115, 136
response time, 30, 31 skills training, 38
reticulum, 49, 59, 74, 83, 84 skin, 60, 127
rheumatoid arthritis, 143 sleep deprivation, 165, 166, 167, 170, 175
rhythm, 153, 166 sleep disturbance, 138
risk, 17, 30, 125, 138, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 161, soccer, 25, 29, 30, 33, 38, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124,
162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 156, 157, 161, 164, 165,
173, 174, 175, 181, 182, 183 167, 172, 174, 175, 176, 186
risk factors, 162, 169, 172 social behavior, 38
risks, 30 social support, 173
routines, 130 sodium, 48, 59, 179
rowing, 161 software, 178, 182, 183
Royal Society, 113 soleus, 59, 75, 76
rugby, 34, 35, 120, 124, 132, 134, 156, 157, 160, solution, 54, 110
161, 162, 172, 173 somatomotor, 143
rules, 135 South Africa, 1, 79
species, 45, 84
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speculation, 129
S spinal cord, 71, 73, 75
spindle, 68, 75, 164
safety, 30, 171
spine, 23
scaling, 116
sprains, 157
schizophrenia, 17
Sprint, 104
school, 112
stability, 39, 60, 164
science, 4, 10, 20, 84, 95, 172, 177, 178, 179, 182,
stabilization, 174
183, 184, 186
state, 13, 19, 38, 45, 56, 95, 102, 111, 123, 124, 125,
scientific publications, 183
126, 127, 129, 146, 161, 164, 167, 168, 170, 173,
scope, 107
178, 181
Second World, 19
states, 158, 165, 176
secretion, 145, 153
statistics, 10, 186
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, 143
stenosis, 90
sensation, 6, 29, 100, 102, 103, 131, 143, 185
steroids, 153
sensations, 29, 71, 180, 183
stimulus, 30, 31, 34, 65, 66, 67, 70, 102, 164
sensing, 24, 112, 116
stoichiometry, 41, 42, 44, 47
sensitivity, 60, 71, 183
storage, 22, 109, 112, 116
serotonin, 37, 137, 143, 144, 147, 153
storage media, 22, 116
serum, 149, 150, 152
strategy use, 104
sex, 99
shock, 17, 23
shock therapy, 17, 23
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 196 Index

stress, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 36, 37, 38, 45, 101, thoughts, 39
109, 126, 129, 135, 145, 152, 153, 154, 157, 171, thrombomodulin, 140
173, 176, 182, 185 tibialis anterior, 157
stress fracture, 157, 171 time frame, 179
stressors, 31 tissue, 7, 42, 49, 54, 58, 77, 140, 149, 181
stretching, 184 tissue plasminogen activator, 140
stroke, 2, 7, 83, 85, 89, 105 TNF, 139, 140, 141, 143, 149
stroke volume, 2, 7, 83, 85, 89, 105 TNF-alpha, 149
structure, 51 toxicity, 138
subgroups, 148 traditions, 178
substrate, 56, 110, 111, 112, 123, 124, 142, 152, 178 training, 2, 7, 10, 20, 21, 27, 28, 30, 35, 36, 38, 43,
Sun, 149 48, 58, 106, 124, 127, 132, 133, 134, 135, 158,
supplementation, 106, 134 160, 161, 165, 168, 172, 173, 176, 177, 178, 179,
suppression, 20, 125, 128 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186
surveillance, 156, 159, 160, 162, 170, 172 training block, 180
survival, 34, 84, 115, 143 training programs, 36, 177, 180, 181, 182
survivors, 140, 141, 145, 147, 148, 150, 153 transformation, 45
susceptibility, 138, 165, 174 transmission, 142
sweat, 126, 127, 134 transplant, 2, 149
symptoms, 6, 85, 137, 138, 139, 141, 143, 145, 151, transport, 22, 36, 43, 47, 48, 56, 58, 80, 98, 143
166 treatment, 17, 54, 105, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 143,
synchronization, 32, 36 145, 146, 148, 150, 151, 179, 185, 186
syndrome, 148, 152, 180, 185, 186 tremor, 164
synthesis, 37, 114, 143 trial, 15, 23, 24, 25, 35, 71, 104, 106, 107, 109, 110,
systemic arterial circulation, 9 112, 114, 115, 149, 173, 182
systemic change, 63 triceps, 57, 71, 74
triggers, 27, 37, 80, 97
triglycerides, 124
T tryptophan, 143, 152
tumor, 146, 149, 153
tactics, 130, 181
tumor growth, 146
target, 67
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tumor necrosis factor, 153

task performance, 28, 30, 34
turnover, 42, 43, 47, 54, 57
team sports, 32, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 124,
tyrosine, 153
125, 126, 127, 128, 130, 132, 136, 156, 157, 158,
159, 177, 178, 181, 184
teams, 162, 181 U
techniques, 25, 45, 100, 132, 135, 137
technologies, 183 UK, 115
technology, 36, 117, 119, 120, 130, 184 underlying mechanisms, 117, 126, 131
temperature, 14, 25, 26, 28, 36, 38, 39, 49, 50, 57, United, 147
60, 105, 106, 108, 109, 112, 115, 123, 125, 126, United States, 147
127, 128, 132, 133, 135, 153, 165, 175 universities, 120
tendinitis, 157 USA, 41
tendon, 68, 146 uterine cancer, 140
tension, 155, 164, 182
testicular cancer, 141, 150
testing, 6, 7, 12, 13, 21, 48, 49, 79, 87, 92, 94, 142, V
145, 178, 180, 183, 184
vagus, 146, 154
tetanus, 17, 23
vagus nerve, 146
textbook, 3, 93, 95
validation, 49
textbooks, 7
variables, 54, 109, 121, 125, 141, 148
therapy, 23, 140, 141, 145, 148, 149, 150, 154
variations, 145
thermoregulation, 25, 101, 114, 135, 186
Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,
 Index 197

vascular system, 47 walking, 80, 122

vasoconstriction, 97 water, 30, 32, 38, 39, 56, 181, 186
vastus lateralis, 42, 49, 74, 92 weakness, 1, 73, 79, 130, 139, 146
vastus medialis, 92 well-being, 178
velocity, 21, 32, 49, 50, 59, 80, 105, 109, 128, 130, workers, 182
179, 181, 185 workload, 33, 38, 80, 84, 105, 127, 157, 158, 161,
ventilation, 97, 167 169, 172, 176, 180
Viking, vii wound healing, 181, 186
viscera, 146
volleyball, 167, 174, 175
Y

W yield, 183

waking, 145
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Regulation of Fatigue in Exercise, edited by Frank E. Marino, Nova Science Publishers, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest Ebook Central,