Marginal Gains (unexpected small gains)
Technology is clear way where marginal gains are trying to get that edge to enable victory.
What
is less obvious is the all the other bits which can help the athlete
improve. They far more subtle with some long term goals. It doesn’t help
that by being human
it is very personal to us, what works for one person may not work for
another. Below are a couple of examples
- Altitude training
- The right Pillow
Altitude training
Altitude, the higher up we are the less atmosphere we have. It gets thinner until there is none left and we hit space.
If
we just teleported into space our lungs, like the doll, will explode.
But it is possible for humans to survive and live at high altitudes like the Andean Altiplano.
These communities have learnt to live in normality.
Yet
whenever a presenter goes to do a documentary on them they often
struggle (). This is because the presenter’s body hasn’t adapted to
the surroundings. The key
difference between the two is the number of red blood cells in their
bloodstream.
The Andean Altiplano has a higher concentration of cell to compensate the reduce
lack of Oxygen in the air ([1]). When the presenter comes back down to
sea level they can feel
elated and ecstatic.
This
is because there higher concentration of oxygen, couple that with the
higher blood cell count, means the body is receiving more oxygen and can
do more.
So let’s say for numbers sake, altitude training with you improves your performance by 0.1%.
The correct pillow
This
has been briefly mentioned in news reports for the British cycling team [2] and with no better reference this is my interpretation of this
action.
After
a good night sleep we often feel invigorated and ready to take on the
world [3], ideal if you are an athlete. Generally this occurs at home
in your own bed with
comfortable surroundings [4]. With athletes competing all over the
world at different locations, it can be hard to get the same good
night’s sleep.
As it is a touch impractical to transport your house to every location, however it is possible to take your pillow.
The
physiological benefit is there as it is a known by taking something
comforting it helps someone to go to sleep. It certainly helps with
young children on long distance
strange car journeys.
The
physical benefit is there as by using the same pillow your body is used
to it and you are less likely to wake up with sore neck from sleeping
badly [5].
By taking a pillow with you improves your performance by 0.1%.
Ok
so each of these points may lead to a tiny potential increase in
performance we said 0.1% for each point that is a total that is 0.2%
increase in performance. Now
put some numbers to this and look at the difference between 1st and 2nd place in the Chris Hoys winning time at the Kerin Olympics.
1st 10.30
2nd half a wheel behind
