Mind over muscle
Samuele Marcora
Traditionally it has been assumed that highly-motivated people terminate endurance exercise because of muscle fatigue or, more recently, because of the subconscious action of a central governor that forces humans to stop before exercise can cause serious bodily damage. This talk describes an alternative psychobiological model that integrates exercise physiology with motivation psychology and cognitive neuroscience to provide a single and testable theoretical explanation for the effects of both physiological and psychological manipulations on endurance performance. The practical applications of this psychobiological model to the preparation, monitoring, and training of endurance athletes will also be discussed.