Reading task 13

Limits of the human body

In the second millennium, one frequently asked question is: What are the limits of the human body? Is there a point at which it is physically impossible to do something?
'One thing we've all learned in the last 30 years or so is that just about anything is humanly possible,' says Dr. Jack Wilmore, from Texas A&M University and author of The Physiology of Sport and Exercise, part of which examines the limits of the human body.
'As the new millennium progresses, I think you'll see more records continue to fall in every sport. The talent pool is better than ever. Never before have so many good athletes competed, and not just in this country, but all over the world. With more people involved and competing, records will fall and new standards will be set.'
Many believed it was physically impossible for a human to run a mile in under four minutes, but Roger Bannister proved that theory wrong with a three minute, 59 second mile (1.609 kilometres) in 1954. Today, sub four-minute miles are considered routine even in high school. And Bob Beamon stretched human performance in the1968 Olympics with his historic long jump of 8.9027 metres. In an event in which a record is usually broken by mere inches, he shattered the previous jump by 0.6096 metres, but even his record was broken in 1991.
'We've all seen reports of people doing superhuman feats of strength under duress, such as a man lifting a car off a child,' Wilmore adds. 'So we know that the human body can do things that go far beyond normal activity. That's why it's foolish to say any record can't be broken. Who's to say it won't happen?'
One additional factor is just now becoming more understood and heavily emphasised: sports psychology. Getting inside the athlete's head can be as effective as training and long workouts. According to Wilmore, the psychological aspect of sports should not be discounted because we now know that what makes the athlete tick mentally can be all-important. He points out that 'most professional teams have hired sports psychologists for their players. It's just another way of tapping into a human's full potential.'
'In addition, every aspect of athletics - training, nutrition, injury treatment - is far better than it's ever been. Better coaching, training techniques, equipment and other factors all contribute to make today's athlete more competitive than ever,' he believes. 'Children today tend to specialize in one or two sports instead of competing in several as was common twenty-five years ago,' Wilmore says. 'That means they start concentrating on a sport much earlier and more intensely, and they become much better at it'.
Wilmore also says that the chances of women achieving new heights in athletics could be greater than men, as more women are now involved in sports than at any other time and they are starting at about the same age as boys, meaning they are more skilled than the previous generation of girls. 'Plus, women are taller and stronger than ever. It used to be rare to see a girl who towered above you. Now it seems like you see them every day.'
'There's a lot we don't know yet about the human body,' he adds. 'And one of those things is the full range of human potential. It can be foolish to try and put limits on what the human body can do.'

	There will always be limits to what the human body can achieve.
	It will become more and more difficult for athletes to break records.
	Athletics will become one of the most popular forms of exercise.
	Athletes will continue to surprise us with what they can achieve.

	demonstrate the effect their determination to win had on them.
	prove that even their amazing achievements can be bettered.
	exemplify what athletes can achieve under stressful conditions.
	demonstrate how accurately we can measure what athletes are capable of.

	coaches have begun to realise the importance of more intensive training.
	experts have begun to highlight the need for more unusual workouts.
	athletes are now being given mental as well as physical training by experts.
	coaches now encourage athletes to unwind between training sessions.

	They participate in far more sports.
	They begin sports at a much earlier age.
	They become more proficient in their chosen sports.
	They are more likely to become professional athletes.

	have physically developed and advanced over the years.
	perform equally well whether they are tall or short.
	now have the same chance as boys of realising their potential.
	are beginning to play sports at a much younger age than boys.

	We try to push the human body to its limits at our peril.
	We must congratulate ourselves on what athletes have achieved so far.
	We need to do more research into what the human body is capable of.
	We should not prejudge what might be beyond our physical capabilities.