In this episode, I talk with Prof Samuele Marcora about how the brain regulates performance, and what we can do about this to go Faster.

Prof Marcora is well known in the world of sports science and considered an expert in this subject.

He has a Bachelor in Physical Education from the Higher Institute of Physical Education of Lombardy (Italy). A MSc in Human Performance at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (USA), and a PhD in Exercise Physiology at the University of Wales-Bangor (UK). He has taught at the Bangor University (UK) and the University of Kent (UK) , where he was made an honorary Professor.

Prof Marcora's research integrates exercise physiology with motivation psychology and cognitive neuroscience to better understand fatigue, endurance performance and physical activity behaviour. He is the author of Sport and the Brain: The science of preparing, enduring and winning, and has over 185 scientific articles, being cited over 10,000 times. He has been a consultant for many organisations including British Ministry of Defence, Juventus, MAPEI Sport and ASICS, and in 2018 he began his post at the University of Bologna, where he teaches applied physiology and training methodology.

What we cover in depth

• How the brain regulates performance
• What is the difference between pain and fatigue
• How his model differs from the classic understanding of fatigue, e.g central governor theory 
• What’s going on ‘inside’ when we are racing at the limit and we ‘hear’ the voice inside saying counter productive messages
• Recommendations for masters rowers to prepare to do their best in a maximum test/race
• Interventions to maintain/increase performance when feeling fatigued
• How would you incorporate the application and training plan design
• How to integrate brain endurance training with traditional training sessions
• Advice to masters rowers looking to integrate this... a lot of science
• How brain endurance ties into recovery strategy, role of sleep and the role of meditation
• The most effective primers to ward off fatigue
• Recommended visual and audible cues
• Fatigue mediation/mitigation strategies, any good stories from power/endurance sports?

Samuele recommends the following books

• Endure by Alex Hutchinson
• Sport and the Brain: The science of preparing, enduring and winning