The Winter Olympic Games have changed drastically since their start in 1924. They have evolved to become faster, higher, and more dangerous than ever before. Advances in equipment and technology, along with a younger audience that has grown up watching the X- Games, have pushed the limits to beyond what is considered safe. Today, athletes have to train harder than ever in order to win their medals and still come out alive. Greg Wells, a scientist specializing in extreme human physiology, explains the science behind the Olympics and human performance.
Biathlon
Biathlon is brutal because each half of the sport has opposite effects on the body. The first part consists of intense cross-country skiing. This raises the heartbeat up to 200 beats per minute, which is beyond the maximum for most of us.
For the second part, the athlete must suddenly stop, drop, aim, and fire. Yet to be a good shooter, they have to stay perfectly still, which means controlling their breathing. The heart rate has to lower drastically; normally it takes three to five minutes, but biathletes only have 20 seconds. Their wild swings in heart rate are similar to that of cheetahs.
The heart pumps oxygen into the muscles as fast as it can and the hard-working muscles cause a build-up of lactic acid which makes the muscles burn. While their bodies are burning in pain, biathletes have to slow down and deepen their breathing.
Luge, Skeleton, Bobsleigh
The Whistler sliding track is the fastest in the world. Male skeleton athletes reach 148 km/h and bobsleighs can break 160 km/h. It might seem like fun and easy work on TV, but in reality the muscles in the athletes’ shoulders, feet, and hands are constantly steering. On top of that, because of these fast speeds, one wrong move can ruin everything.
The effect of G-force (force of gravity that pushes onto the body during the turns) is tough on these athletes. In Whistler, the G-forces are five to six times the gravity we feel on earth. Athletes’ heads can weigh up to 40 kilograms, and a 200-pound athlete will feel like 1,200 pounds during the turns. During high-speed turns, it’s normal for athletes to have blurred vision and difficulty concentrating. There are also vibrations which cause hearing loss, decreased muscle control, and muscle fatigue.
For these sliding sports, muscles create an enormous amount of power in a short time. Athletes develop “fast-twitch” muscle fibres, which are thicker and stronger than the common “slow-twitch” fibres. Regular folks have 40 per cent fast-twitch muscle, whereas sliding athletes have up to 80 per cent!
Moguls
Few sports inflict more pain than moguls, with most of the pain concentrated on the knee joint. Mogul skier quads increase by at least half in order to protect their knees from tearing apart. Their knees absorb the impact like shock absorbers when driving over the bumps. When a skier hits a “kicker,” the feeling is similar to jumping off of a two-storey building twice, seconds apart. Two thousand pounds of pressure compresses each knee joint when the athlete reaches the ground.
“Sixty moguls, two killer jumps, and a 30-degree slope of ice-packed snow. The human body wasn’t designed for this,” Wells comments.
Halfpipe Snowboard
At 22-feet-high, the new halfpipe in Whistler is the biggest ever. Snowboarders need to have strong physical skills in order to pull off spectacular tricks. They try to pick up as much speed as possible because the faster they go, the more air they get when they’re thrown off the edge. Yet, again, because of G-forces, speed has an effect on the body as they hit the next wall. It can make you feel like you’re being crushed into the wall. The faster the snowboarders are, the harder they’ll have to fight against this with their strong leg, core, and back muscles. Core strength stability, muscle power, flexibility, and balance are key.
