The brain regulates performance (3/6)
The central governor model is probably one of the most important contributions Timothy Noakes made to initiate a paradigms shift in exercise science. Slowly the scientific community is respecting him for his research work. The generally accepted paradigm claimed that oxygen consumption (VO2 max) limits exercise. This proposition asserted that when athletes experience complete exhaustion an oxygen plateau is reached and oxygen consumption cannot rise anymore. As a consequence exercise is stopped. Noakes was not able to make this observation of a plateau. His conclusion was that there must be some other cause that makes us stop exercise. This is how the brain became part of the equation.
The central governor model is probably one of the most important contributions Timothy Noakes made to initiate a paradigms shift in exercise science. Slowly the scientific community is respecting him for his research work. The generally accepted paradigm claimed that oxygen consumption (VO2 max) limits exercise. This proposition asserted that when athletes experience complete exhaustion an oxygen plateau is reached and oxygen consumption cannot rise anymore. As a consequence exercise is stopped. Noakes was not able to make this observation of a plateau. His conclusion was that there must be some other cause that makes us stop exercise. This is how the brain became part of the equation.