What has become a cliché in professional sports is the giving of 110%. I hear coaches say they want 110% out of a player… I hear players state they gave 110% that game.
If I gave you 110% of my bank account- I’d be in debt. It goes that way to for physiology.
When looking at the physiological mechanisms of energy expression by an athlete- I’d prefer my athletes give 94%... that’s about the sweet spot for athletes in terms of Anaerobic Threshold (Hr) to his Vo2 Max (Hr). 94% tells me an athlete is well tuned- and ready for repeated bouts of power expression during the course of a season.
The good old car analogy works well here- it’s like saying all cylinders of the engine are running well. More than 95%- were pushing the red line on the tachometer… less than 85% we are running short on gear availability. Make sense?
The physiological base for our power athletes is something we need to consistently drive to especially in the off season. The better a base (ability to use oxygen at the muscular level) the better the athlete will recover between games- the easier it will be for him to flush lactate (IF it builds up), and the better the athlete will feel – day to day.
A well tuned engine- about 94% efficiency of oxygen use at the high end of work, is the right place to be.
110%- and you’re in the training room. 94% and you’re in the starting lineup.
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