Edwards, A.M., and Polman, Remco (2014) The central mechanisms of pacing and performance. In: Edwards, Andrew, and Leicht, Anthony, (eds.) Science of Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity in the Tropics. Sports and Athletics Preparation, Performance and Psychology . Nova Science Publishers, New York, NY, USA, pp. 29-34.

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Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide a contemporary perspective on the role of brain regulatory control of paced performances in response to exercise challenges. There has been considerable recent conjecture as to the role of the brain during exercise and it is now broadly accepted that fatigue does not occur without brain involvement and also that all voluntary activity is likely to be paced at some level by the brain according to individualised priorities and knowledge of personal capabilities. This paper examines the role of pacing in managing and distributing effort to successfully accomplish physical tasks, while extending existing theories on the role of the brain as a central controller of performance. The opinion proposed in this paper is that a central regulator operates to control exercise performance but achieves this without the requirement of an intelligent central governor located in the subconscious brain. It seems likely that brain regulation operates at different levels of awareness such that minor homeostatic challenges are addressed automatically without conscious awareness, while larger metabolic disturbances attract conscious awareness and evoke a behavioural response. This supports the view that the brain regulates exercise performance but that the interpretation of the mechanisms underlying this effect have not yet been fully elucidated.

Item ID:	33976
Item Type:	Book Chapter (Research - B1)
ISBN:	978-1-63117-737-8
Date Deposited:	16 Sep 2014 06:26
FoR Codes:	11 MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES > 1106 Human Movement and Sports Science > 110602 Exercise Physiology @ 70% 17 PSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITIVE SCIENCES > 1701 Psychology > 170114 Sport and Exercise Psychology @ 30%
SEO Codes:	92 HEALTH > 9299 Other Health > 929999 Health not elsewhere classified @ 100%
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