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.
Originally posted by GoRedFoxes
I remember attending Phillips 66 Outdoor National Championship, and what really caught my eye, were the shape of the wet footprints around the deck. The mass majority were made from flat feet, these wide oblongs all over the place. I always remind my parents on how they limited my swimming potential by fitting me with corrective shoes when I was young, to fix my flat feet. They told me they did it, to keep me eligible for the military draft. LOL.
Hyper-extending elbows (backstrokers) and knees (breaststrokers) also add greatly to physiological advantages.
We had a guy on my college team, probably one of the hardest worker on the team. The guy did everything right, but he never got better, actually, he stunk. LOL. never went sub 1:12 100 YARD ***, couldn't break a minute 100 free. We all respected him for his work ethic, but the kid just could not swim.
Geez, I have flat feet, hyper-extended elbows and knees, and will never be anywhere near top 10!
Originally posted by GoRedFoxes
I remember attending Phillips 66 Outdoor National Championship, and what really caught my eye, were the shape of the wet footprints around the deck. The mass majority were made from flat feet, these wide oblongs all over the place. I always remind my parents on how they limited my swimming potential by fitting me with corrective shoes when I was young, to fix my flat feet. They told me they did it, to keep me eligible for the military draft. LOL.
Hyper-extending elbows (backstrokers) and knees (breaststrokers) also add greatly to physiological advantages.
We had a guy on my college team, probably one of the hardest worker on the team. The guy did everything right, but he never got better, actually, he stunk. LOL. never went sub 1:12 100 YARD ***, couldn't break a minute 100 free. We all respected him for his work ethic, but the kid just could not swim.
Geez, I have flat feet, hyper-extended elbows and knees, and will never be anywhere near top 10!
