You can often tell how hard a cyclist is working by looking at their face. A toe-stub expression means they're giving it all they've got ..... or does it?
Researchers at Bangor University in Wales studied whether that ugly face of pain is voluntary or involuntary, and if voluntary, what impact it might have on performance.
Swiss triathlete Natascha Badmann was famous for smiling all the way through every race. Is it possible she won the Hawaii Ironman six times in part because she smiled all the way through every race?
The results, released in September 2010, appear to support Badmann's strategy. They found strong correlations between frowning muscle activity, leg muscle activity, and subjective ratings of effort.
The results suggest that frowning muscle activity reflects perceived effort during physical tasks.
The researchers are planning a follow up study in which subjects will be asked to consciously resist frowning. If doing so reduces perception of effort and enhances performance, they will have validated Badmann's strategy.
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Editorial Staff, sportsvisionmagazine.com
Visual, cognitive and intelligence skills for elite athletic performance
Researchers at Bangor University in Wales studied whether that ugly face of pain is voluntary or involuntary, and if voluntary, what impact it might have on performance.
Swiss triathlete Natascha Badmann was famous for smiling all the way through every race. Is it possible she won the Hawaii Ironman six times in part because she smiled all the way through every race?
The results, released in September 2010, appear to support Badmann's strategy. They found strong correlations between frowning muscle activity, leg muscle activity, and subjective ratings of effort.
The results suggest that frowning muscle activity reflects perceived effort during physical tasks.
The researchers are planning a follow up study in which subjects will be asked to consciously resist frowning. If doing so reduces perception of effort and enhances performance, they will have validated Badmann's strategy.
======================================
Editorial Staff, sportsvisionmagazine.com
Visual, cognitive and intelligence skills for elite athletic performance