Is there a genetically determined limit to athletic performance?
Former Member
In his autobiographical book The Naturalist, E. O. Wilson suggests that there is a genetically determined limit to an individual's athletic performance which cannot be overcome regardless of the amount of training. Using himself as an example, he describes how he became a serious runner several years after graduating college. The gap between his times and those of the top runners in his age group (expressed as a percentage) remained what it was in college.
I looked at my current times (three years after joining USMS) and found that I am 12% behind in the 1000 and 15% behind in the 500. These percentages are exactly the same as they were in 1978, the last year I swam in college. I know there are exceptions within the ranks of USMS, but I wonder how valid this "rule" really is.
I believe there are certain genetic preferences for certain sports. I think that being able to throw, or hit a 95 MPH fastball is one of them. For the majority of sports (running and swimming included) I think the primary factor is desire.
Don't look for excuses,
Most champion's stories are those of extreme adversity and incomprehensible human suffering during training. They all tell of a crossroads where they choose to win at all costs to everything going on around them. At this point they sacrafice most everything else that is important to them; work, relationships, anything that gets in the way of their ultimate goal.
I think in most circumstances it is this person that gets the gold.
Someone told the scrawny Jeremy Wariner NO to football. That lit a fire in his belly so he decided to win the NCAA indoor/outdoor, Olympic and World Championships instead at age 20.
I believe there are certain genetic preferences for certain sports. I think that being able to throw, or hit a 95 MPH fastball is one of them. For the majority of sports (running and swimming included) I think the primary factor is desire.
Don't look for excuses,
Most champion's stories are those of extreme adversity and incomprehensible human suffering during training. They all tell of a crossroads where they choose to win at all costs to everything going on around them. At this point they sacrafice most everything else that is important to them; work, relationships, anything that gets in the way of their ultimate goal.
I think in most circumstances it is this person that gets the gold.
Someone told the scrawny Jeremy Wariner NO to football. That lit a fire in his belly so he decided to win the NCAA indoor/outdoor, Olympic and World Championships instead at age 20.
