Pacing and Awareness: Brain Regulation of Physical Activity

Abstract

The aim of this current opinion article 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 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 article 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 article 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.

Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race: Performance, Pacing and Tactics Between 1890 and 2014

“…An obvious difficulty of commencing the race too fast is the issue of sustaining pace to the finish line. [6,30] and therefore the results of the study provide additional evidence to suggest that athletes balance between choosing an energetically optimal profile and the tactical benefits that play a role in head to head competition in a specific sport, as previously demonstrated in short track speed skating. [15][16] Although establishing an early lead appears the optimal strategy for the race, there remains a positional advantage late in the race for crews on the Middlesex station if they are in the leading position at Barnes Bridge (checkpoint 4; 83.1% of total race distance).…”

“…[13][14] During the race, the athletes must respond to events dynamically as they unfold, 4 while still being aware of their physical capabilities, the demands of the event, their opponents' actions, [15][16] tactical considerations, and the level of physical discomfort they are prepared to endure. [6] In comparison to cycling and running, rowing has received comparatively little scientific research on pacing and performance [17][18][19][20] and the unique form of head to head competition of two teams directly racing against each other in the Boat Race has thus far remained unexplored. The present study will use a unique longitudinal dataset available on performance, pacing and tactical profiles of athletes competing in a head to head team competition, to provide insight on how performance, performance characteristics, pacing and tactics have developed throughout the late nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries.…”

“…For example, the ability to sustain physical work for prolonged periods underpins successful performance in many endurance sports, most of which have been deliberately designed to maximally tax the physical limits of the participants. [4][5][6] To be able to perform races faster, changes to training techniques, diet, technology, and competitor characteristics have all evolved over time and undoubtedly contribute to improved performance. [7][8][9] Anecdotal evidence also indicates the physical characteristics of the respective crews are likely to have changed although this has not yet been documented in the scientific literature.…”

“…[10][11][12] Crews may win or lose the race depending on the pacing strategy they employ and how they tactically address the event. [6] Pacing is therefore an important process of decision-making over how and when to invest energy in the knowledge of the duration, the race circumstances and the competitors' physical capabilities. [13][14] During the race, the athletes must respond to events dynamically as they unfold, while still being aware of their physical capabilities, the demands of the event, their opponents' actions, [15][16] tactical considerations, and the level of physical discomfort they are prepared to endure.…”

“…Such large changes to performance and body mass of the crews are in contrast to the pacing strategies employed by the crews, which seem largely unaltered across decades (Figure 4a). It is evident that all crews (n=228) employed a fast start pacing strategy, [6,10] with normal distribution tending to support an opening pace in the first sector of the race to the Mile Post ~10-15% faster than the average race pace. This is a strategy also common to shorter distance (2000m) Olympic multi-lane style rowing racing, [17][18] but is in contrast to most exercises lasting longer than 2 min.…”