Enjoying Sweat Science, but craving a deeper dive? The ideas discussed in the column have spawned two books, the newest of which鈥斺攚ill be published in February 2018.
Endure is my attempt to answer the most basic question of all: What is endurance? A wave of recent (and controversial) research has called into question the traditional view that our limits are determined by our hearts, lungs, and muscles. Instead, the limits we perceive as physical often originate in the brain鈥攖hough it鈥檚 too simplistic to say that endurance is 鈥渁ll in your head.鈥
Over the past decade, I鈥檝e visited labs around the world, interviewed hundreds of scientists, and followed some of the most remarkable athletes in the world in an attempt to decode the mysteries of endurance. I鈥檝e tried out a cutting-edge brain endurance training plan, and I鈥檝e even run electric current through my motor cortex to see if it would make me faster.
The answer? It鈥檚 more complicated than I expected, and the nature of your limits depends on the context:聽whether you鈥檙e trekking across the Antarctic, freediving hundreds of feet below the surface of the ocean, or trying to run a two-hour marathon. But in every case, it鈥檚 neither the brain nor the body alone that matters鈥攊t鈥檚 both.
Here鈥檚 a peek at the table of contents from the proofs (the final version will have page numbers, I promise):
My previous book, published in 2011, is called . Yes, it鈥檚 a mouthful (and no, I didn鈥檛 choose the title!). This one is a more straightforward guide to the science of fitness. It takes on 111 common fitness questions, ranging from basic (How long does it take to get into shape? What鈥檚 the best way to breathe during exercise?) to technical (Does lactic acid cause muscle fatigue?) to obscure (Does pumping my arms make me run faster? Does competing in front of a crowd improve performance?).
Sometimes there are clear answers; other times there are only a few studies with conflicting conclusions. Either way, the goal is simply to assemble and present the existing scientific evidence as clearly as possible.