Why? The Science of Athletics

IOO WHY!'-THE SCIENCE OF ATHLETICS is that the supply of oxygen should be ample, because it is a provable contention that lack of oxygen constitutes a main cause of fatigue. The muscles themselves are living cells of chemical c;:onstitution and there is reason to believe that excite– ment of the muscle causes it to rearrange its .molecules in some fashion which materially affects its efficiency, just as india-rubber exhibits a crystalline structure when it is stretched. The uses of certain chemical substances found in the muscfes is not yet known, but, meantime, they contain protein-a substance made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen-salts, water and fat-like materials. Most important of all, they possess a sub– stance called glycogen, which is the fuel that muscles use for their work. It is a vitally important asset, for without it a man would not be able to be active at all. Glycogen is Muscle Fuel More than once in this work reference has been made to the fact that the arteries carry food-stuffs to the muscles, and the present mention of glycogen leads us to a somewhat more detailed consideration of this matter, which will be discussed again and even more fully in a later chapter. In the first place it may be stated that the diet of an ordinary person comprises proteins, carbohydrates, salts, vitamins, fats and water. The proteins, such as meat, eggs and fish, have long constituted the staple part of the athlete's menu, because they supply energy and replace tissue-wastage, but an excess of proteins places an undue strain upon the liver and kidneys. The carbohydrates, or starchy foods, are easily absorbed and assimilated and probably produce the maximum energy in the minimum time, on account of their sugar values. , Fatty foods are more slowly assimilated, but serve to provide reserve stores of energy. Sugar, as such, does not contain all the special qualities of the proteins, but is, none the less, a most excellent muscle-food when a big call is to be made