Table Of ContentFatigue in Sport and Exercise
Fatigue is an important concern for all athletes, sportspeople and coaches,
and in clinical exercise science. There remains considerable debate about the
definition of fatigue, what causes it, what its impact is during different forms
of exercise, and what the best methods are to combat fatigue and improve
performance. This is the first student-focused book to survey the contemporary
research evidence into exercise-induced fatigue and to discuss how knowledge
of fatigue can be applied in sport and exercise contexts.
The book examines the different ‘types’ of fatigue and the difficulties
of identifying which types are prevalent during different types of exercise. It
introduces the fundamental science of fatigue, focusing predominantly on
physiological and neuromuscular aspects, and explores key topics in detail,
such as energy depletion, lactic acid, dehydration, electrolytes and minerals,
and the perception of fatigue. Every chapter includes real case studies from
sport and exercise, as well as useful features to aid learning and understanding,
such as definitions of key terms, guides to further reading, discussion questions,
and principles for training and applied practice. Fatigue in Sport and Exercise
is an invaluable companion for any degree-level course in sport and exercise
physiology, fitness and training, or strength and conditioning.
Shaun Phillips is Lecturer in Sport, Physical Education, and Health Sciences
(Sports Physiology) at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. His research
interests include perceptual and self-regulation of exercise performance,
fatigue mechanisms in short-duration and endurance exercise, and the impact
of novel exercise interventions for improving mental health. Shaun is an
invited reviewer for a number of international peer-reviewed journals, and
has provided research and consultancy services for numerous elite and
professional sport and health organizations.
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Fatigue in Sport and
Exercise
Shaun Phillips
First published 2015
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2015 S. Phillips
The right of S. Phillips to be identified as the author of this volume
has been asserted in accordance with Sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means,
now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording,
or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice:Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Phillips, Shaun (Shaun Martyn)
Fatigue in sport and exercise / Shaun Phillips.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Exercise – Physiological aspects. 2. Sports – Physiological aspects.
3. Fatigue. I. Title.
QP321.P477 2015
612.7′6 – dc23
2014037639
ISBN: 978-0-415-74222-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-81485-8 (ebk)
Typeset in Goudy
by Florence Production Limited, Stoodleigh, Devon, UK
To Jody, for her patience and support.
To my parents, for everything.
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Contents
List of illustrations ix
Preface xii
PART I
What is fatigue? 1
1 Defining and measuring fatigue in sport and exercise 3
PART II
What causes (and what does not cause) fatigue in
sport and exercise? 29
2 Energy depletion 31
3 Metabolic acidosis 57
4 Dehydration and hyperthermia 78
5 Potassium and calcium 110
6 Central fatigue and central regulation of performance 139
PART III
Fatigue: is it the same for everyone? 179
7 Factors influencing the causes of fatigue 181
viii Contents
PART IV
Summary: where next? 237
8 Conclusion 239
Index 249
Illustrations
Figures
1.1 A schematic of the cardiovascular/anaerobic/catastrophic
model of exercise performance 8
1.2 A person preparing to undertake a maximal voluntary
contraction of the quadriceps muscles 14
1.3 Surface electromyography of the quadriceps muscles 17
1.4 Electromyography activity during repeated quadriceps
contractions at 30% of initial maximal voluntary contraction
in relation to the maximal voluntary contraction force 18
1.5 Antecubital venous blood sampling and capillary earlobe
sampling 20
2.1 Adenosine triphosphate, the most important source of
chemical energy in the body 32
2.2 Relative energy system contribution to ATP resynthesis, as
a percentage of total energy, during sprints of different
durations 35
2.3 Exercise duration at a set work rate on a cycle ergometer
following ingestion of one of three different diets (high
protein and fat, mixed macronutrient, high carbohydrate) 38
2.4 Muscle glycogen concentration at rest and various stages of
prolonged cycling exercise and muscle ATP concentration
at the same points during the same exercise bout 41
2.5 Schematic of a muscle sarcomere and surrounding
membranes 42
2.6 Contribution of the four primary energy sources to energy
expenditure during moderate-intensity exercise of increasing
duration 43
3.1 The chemical structure of lactic acid and lactate 61
3.2 A simplified view of glycolysis 62
3.3 A hydrogen atom 63
