Metabolic Limits of Elite Athletes
Even for elite athletes, the body's metabolism has its limits. Ultra-endurance athletes can achieve huge energy spurts, but overall, they top out at 2.5 times the metabolic rate needed for basic body functions.
Scientists studied a group of 14 elite, highly trained athletes over the course of a year to clarify the upper limits of human energy expenditure. The results, published in Current Biology, suggest that the body's biology sets a ceiling that cannot be beaten.
though the spirit may be willing, the body just can't beat biology
Biological anthropologist Drew Best and his colleagues view the athletes as a "natural experiment" to understand human metabolic limits.
Author's Summary
Elite athletes' metabolic rates have a ceiling of 2.5 times the basic rate.
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