The Athlete's Clock: How Biology And Time Affect Performance

Description

"The Athlete's Clock" answers some of the most compelling questions in sport and exercise science. This unique book takes a broad look at the physiological clock, offering students, researchers, coaches and athletes an approach to understanding how various aspects of time affect sport performance. Readers will find information on the mechanisms by which time influences physiological function, such as running speeds and muscle activation and how those mechanisms can be used in extending the limits of motor activity. Chapter introductions and sidebars throughout present amusing or unusual examples of sport and timing within various contexts. In addition, take-home messages at the end of each chapter summarise important findings and research that readers may apply in their own lives.

Author description

Thomas W. Rowland is director of pediatric cardiology at the Baystate Medical Centre in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he established an exercise testing laboratory. Rowland is also the author of Children's Exercise Physiology and editor of the journal Pediatric Exercise Science.

Table of contents

Chapter 1. Who's in Charge Here? Setting the Race Pace; Chapter 2. Marching to the Same Drummer; Chapter 3. Dragsters, Tiger Beetles, and Usain Bolt; Chapter 4. Circadian Rhythms and Sport Performance; Chapter 5. It's All in the Timing: Keeping Your Eye on the Ball; Chapter 6. Peaks and Valleys: The Development of Athletic Skill; Chapter 7. Over The Hill: Aging and Sport Performance.