Why? The Science of Athletics

CONSIDERATIONS IN RELATION TO COMPETITION 129 observation by all kinds of scientists, many tests have been made and invaluable results have been recorded. In this connection it is interesting to note that at the Olympic Games at Amsterdam in 1928 and at the World's Students Championships at Darmstadt, Germany, in 1930, such observations were made. It was then found that both Percy Williams, Canada, who won the Olympic IOO and 200 metres titles, and J. Simpson, Great Britain, who won the World's Students 400 metres low hurdles championship in record time, showed lower viscosity than any of the other athletes who subrp.itted themselves to tests. This circumstance indicated that both men had a faster "pick-up" and so were able to establish top speed more rapidly than their rivals. As pointed out in an earlier chapter, a muscle fibre is a thin, jelly-like thread, about I j5ooth of an inch in diameter, and, a muscle being made up of bundles of these fibres, it follows that the whole muscle-substance is somewhat gelatinous; and again-and the fact is so obvious as hardly to need pointing out .any form of jelly becomes more solid, or viscous, at a low temperature, and proportionately less solid, or viscous, at a high tempera– ture. That is why ordinary table jelly, prepared for human consumption, so often will not "set" in summer time. The analogy, where muscles are concerned, is obvious. A stiff, cold muscle will not work quickly; that is why our fingers are so awkward on a wintry day. Therefore it is necessary to get the muscle thoroughly warm, by limbering-up, if we want it to give us its best service in cornpetition. The increase in the temperature of the big muscles may, at first sight, seem to be but small ; and yet even our big muscles soon get stiff if we stand about on a cold day thinly clad ; but small, superficial muscles, all of which play 1heir part in the production of a perfect athletic performance, are readily responsive to the changes in temperature produced by the limbering-up process of informal movements. I