Brian Connor
What Makes a Champion Athlete?
Fifty years ago the athlete did a minimal amount of training to avoid going stale and spent his time concentrating on style. Now our ideas are completely reversed. An athlete is regarded as a complex highly de- veloped physiological machine. There is daily strenuous training, diet planned for every meal, regular pulse checks and even haemoglobin estimations to assess whether or not an athlete is training too hard. It is recognised that many factors contribute towards making a champion. Not only co- ordination, reflexes and style, but heart size, pulse rate, respiratory capacity, and tem- perament are also important. Some of these factors, naturally, are relatively more important for certain events, and it is in long distance running and race walking especially that the physiology of the cardio- respiratory system is vital in maintaining oxygen supply and keeping the human machine functioning under maximum con- ditions of stress. In long distance events, e.g.-. three miles, less than a quarter of the energy supplied is by anaerobic mechan- isms and thus the body relies heavily on an adequate supply of oxygen to maintain the aerobic pathways and thus give first-grade performance.
It was with these ideas in mind that I decided to study the easiest physiological measurement in the human body—the Pulse rate, its variations in athletics and effect on performance.
SP ECULUM 1961
Do all good long distance athletes have low resting pulse rates?
Athlete
46 45 34 50 52 48 65 65 67 65 P. Strange 75
Table No. 1
From Table No. 1 it is seen that many long distance athletes do have low resting pulse rates, but this factor does not seem to be so important in other events, e.g., sprint, hurdles, discus and high jump.
To investigate this idea further, the rest- ing pulse rates of 12 competitors were taken before a Victorian 3 mile walk champion- ship. The time the athlete took to walk the distance was graphed against the resting pulse.
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N. Regos C. Ridgway R. Filshie A. Hancock J. Burke J. Hasker
H. Elliott M. Lincoln G. Watt N. Freeman D. Keane
World record holder, 1 mile and 1500m.
One Mile Runner Marathon Runner 20 Km. Walk Australian Walk
Record
Australian Junior Walk Champion Victorian Junior
Sprint Champion Victorian Hurdles
Champion Discus
Olympic High Jump Australian Pole Vault
Record Discus
Event Pulse
72
TIME IN MINS.
Fort 3 MILE RAGE 30
19
28
27
26
24
23
55 60 65 70 75 80
;VI
Put-SE BEFORE RACE seats/m«.
Although a rigid correlation could not be seen, there was a definite tendency for those athletes with lower resting pulse rates to have faster times.
What happens to the pulse rate during a race?
The experiment mentioned in the preced- ing paragraph also included the taking of every athlete's pulse as he finished the race and with two exceptions (one competitor was walking below top speed) they were all 180. Pulse rates after sprint and middle distance running events similarly rise to 180 but after the field games the rise is only about 120-130.
These findings are consistent with the fact that the normal heart must have a maxi- mum pulse rate which cannot be exceeded so that time is allowed for diastolic filling with each beat. (Respiratory rate seems to have an upper limit of about 60 after long distance events.) The advantages of a low resting pulse rate now become obvious.
The stroke volume increases with exercise but if, for the sake of argument, we assume that it is constant, the resting pulse of 45 can incre',1se to 180 with a subsequent four- fold increase in cardiac output whereas the resting pulse of 60 can only increase three times.
How soon does the pulse rate reach its maximum?
To study this, I race-walked over increas- ing distances at top speed and had my pulse taken at the start of each trial and at the end. Recovery pulse rates were also taken until they returned to resting base level.
Time
150 168 174 180 Recovery — Minutes
1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 6 7 120
126 138 150
106 120 123 108
114 102
— 114 108 96 It appears that pulse rate in a maximum effort race rises to about 180 early in the race and that differences between distances covered are reflected in the time taken for the pulse rate to return to normal. After longer distances the pulse rate takes longer to recover, as the body reserves are more depleted and it takes longer for the "oxygen debt' to be repaid. The time for recovery of pulse rate has been found to be import- ant in tests done in Adelaide, in relation to training. The pulse should return to a plateau recovery of 120 within two minutes of each training run. If it doesn't the athlete is advised to discontinue that train- ing session.
What changes occur as the pulse rate in- creases?
Major biochemical changes occur with rise in level of blood lactate from 10-20mg.
per cent. to 100-200 mg. per cent. Mixed venous blood oxygen is reduced from 14 cc per cent. to 3 cc per cent. and the oxygen consumption of muscles increased thirty- fold. The pulse rate increase is due to in- hibition of vagal tone, impulses from higher centres, adrenaline secretion; excess CO2,
deficiency in 02, and raised hydrogenion concentration in blood, and higher body temperature. The last four factors help
SPECULUM 1961
100 metres 210 metres 310 metres 415 metres Distance
22.2 sec.
50.2 sec lm. 13.6sec.
lm. 39.0sec.
Pulse Before
108 96 102 90
Pulse After
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maintain the raised pulse rate during recov- ery stage.
How does an athlete develop a slow pulse rate?
Some athletes seem to have a naturally slow pulse rate but others can reduce it by training. The circulation, particularly that of the muscles, becomes more efficient.
There may be increased vagal tone and par- tial heart block. The creatine and glucose reserve stores in the muscles increase and the body becomes more accustomed to working under strain.
However, many well-trained athletes cannot get their pulse rate below 50. Does this mean that they must train even harder or that it is impossible, for example, be- cause of some genetic factor, to reduce their pulse rates any further and that this fact could stop them from becoming world record breakers?
Conclusion
We know that many top sportsmen have very low pulse rates and yet are not cham- pion runners, but it seems that to be a long-distance champion a low resting pulse rate is needed. This, however, is only one of many other attributes including the right psychological make-up which helps to break world records.
Here we see a very superficial aspect of medical research in sport. This is a com- paratively new field but a very important one if we are to continue breaking records.
The Russians are leading the field at the moment with research, nation-wide surveys for likely future champions, and organized medical examination and laboratory testing of many top sportsmen.
"Sport tests the functional reserves of the body in much the same way as disease. The main difference is that the stress of sport is Intermittent and voluntary." (R. G.
Bannister.)
Hear about the woman who named her children Innocence, Accidence and Negli- gence.
The portly god strides in, the flock is silent, Collapse of sound and laughter warm and
young;
The frowning glance, the snap of note-book open,
With pallid silence now the air is hung.
The heavy air stirs restlessly in wait, Once more the glance 'neath temple cold
and round,
The hem of cough, the indrawn breath of self;
Then mouths the oracle, while taut wrists pound.
Today he brings not bones nor plastic lung, For juvenile diversion, peg of sight
On which to hang the wandering gaze, but words,
Stale echoes of the text-book's musty rite.
Some lads slump flaccid, others restive stir, Who know the ritual, sullen, pompous, flat:
Time-honoured travesty of ancient oath:
Students in trance upon the master's mat.
A door cracks sharply, painted latchets creak,
The dreamer wakens in horrific dread, The brow swells ruddy as a figure moves And surging apex beat distils to lead.
The sudden summons of Olympus' giant, The query repartee then ruffled bane—
The click of empty steps fill corridor, And stifled slumber grips the flock again.
Who dares to change one atom in that shrine,
A molecule of wit, a charge of doubt?
No, sluggish circulation pumps and breath With stagnant ventilation struggles out.
The monotone expires, the pencils slump, The god strides out to morning scones and
tea,
And mortals hum to life as puppets bidden To coffee wend their way, drawn ennui.
J.P.
* *
"Stop."
"I won't."
"Well, at least I resisted."
* *
Which do you prefer—wine or women?
It depends on the vintage.
* * *
Girl in Skin Clinic with an itch between her toes.
Student: "Between which toes, dear?"
Girl: "Big ones."
*
SPECULUM 1961
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