Ken’s comment on:
The limits of human performance
Are we approaching or have we surpassed them?
The limits of human performance provide fascination for many sport and exercise scientists, whether it’s to understand what makes great champions, to optimise athletic preparation and training, to understand the physiological limits of discrete biological systems, or to make advances in healthcare and medicine. Even for those not involved in research, the limits of human performance also capture the imagination of just how far we can reach in sport and exploration.
Of course the dark side of this fascination was epitomised in the recent World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Independent Commission’s report into the allegations made by the German television channel ARD in the documentary ‘The secrets of Doping: How Russia makes its winners?’ The findings and recommendations revealed systematic doping practices and violations at a state level, implicating the Russian Athletics Federation (ARAF) and the Russian anti-doping agency (RUSADA) that resulted in a provisional ban on Russia competing in international athletics competition. Perhaps more worrying are the indications and pending case against the International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) for corruption and concealment of these and other international doping violations. So just where do the limits of human performance lie? Are the feats of athletic endeavour we see on the track, the pitch or in the pool really the pinnacle of athletic endeavour or are they in fact an unpalatable human experiment of drugs in sport?
Despite last month’s report and the dark days of professional cycling that have been extensively reported, should we be cynical of extraordinary sporting performances? I believe not. High performance sport by its very nature attracts extreme phenotypes and the outliers of the human species. If we want to see what normal people can do then we need only watch weekend fun runs or recreational footballers... all very wholesome, but perhaps not quite so interesting! We therefore shouldn’t be suspicious every time we see a new world record being broken. As scientists, we will always be drawn to scrutinising performances and data, and will ask critical questions, but we shouldn’t let this breed a culture of unhealthy cynicism and negativity to the detriment of our enjoyment of sport and celebration of remarkable human performances.
At the GSK Human Performance Lab, we’re privileged to work with some of the best athletes in the world. We’re committed to applying scientific innovation to support their performance, and in turn translate the insights we gain to a broader healthcare agenda. One such athlete is Chris Froome, the double Tour de France winner and Olympic Bronze Medallist. Chris came to the GSK HPL to undertake comprehensive laboratory physiological assessments, including his lactate response to exercise, V̇O2max, peak power output and tolerance to hot and humid environmental conditions. Chris has of course had his doubters and critics – clearly shown by the acts of some supporters and journalists during this year’s Tour de France. Chris’s motivation to undertake this physiological assessment was in part to better understand and share what enables him to achieve his exceptional performances. Chris has recently published his results in Esquire and we’ll be submitting this (and other) data for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal in due course. In the meantime, further insights and analysis of Chris’s physiological assessment can be found here.
In the meantime, further insights and analysis of Chris’s physiological assessment can be found here.
