Why? The Science of Athletics

CONSIDERATIONS IN RELATION TO COMPETITION 123 Medical Opinions in Relation to Staleness The sort of early fatigue of which I have just spoken does not, I feel certain, induce staleness. In my submission, staleness is traceable to mental far more than to physical strain. Dr. R. Salisbury Woods has suggested, among alternative theories, that "constantly repeated muscular fatigue without sufficient intervals for repair may be supposed to impair the tone of the muscles called upon". Dr. Adolphe Abrahams advances the proposition that "the danger that staleness may occur is the conse– quence of a succession of days which are indistinguishable in monotonous routine". Lawson Robertson, U .S.A. Olympic Chief Coach, says, "Sometimes this staleness may be due to temporary digestive disturbance. Some– times it may be due to insufficient time allowed for the muscular system to adapt itself to the increased demand upon it. For the most part, however, I think it is due to the exhaustion of the nervous system." There you have some expert opinions, and yet it may be, again as Dr. Salisbury Woods has suggested, that there is "some more subtle factor involved, such as exhaustion of the available secretion from the ductless glands. Having regard, for instance, to the part played by the secretion (adrenal-in) to the suprarenals in the mechanism of 'fright-and-flight', such a hypothesis would be to my mind by no means fantastic." Staleness may be defined as "the lifeless Symptoms of display, below his average form, produced Staleness by an over-trained athlete". The man has probably made an excellent beginning in training, but then his progress slows up, and finally be begins to go back. He cannot find anything wrong with his muscles, they do not even feel wrong, it is just that they simply will not respond and he feels horribly listless. If a man showing those symptoms tries to fight through his bad period by going on training, the probability is that his condition will become worse.