Physiology of Peak Performance – How do I get there? How do I stay there?
By Sarah Willis PhD.
When we think of our best performances, what comes to mind? At least for me, these are moments from my life in which I had great fitness, I was in a solid state of mind and felt good about myself, and I had confidence in what my body could do. If we break that down, it includes both physiological and mental components.
So, what does it take to achieve our best performances? Let’s start by acknowledging that this requires an optimal interplay between many physiological systems (cardiovascular, muscular, and nervous systems, in particular). Reaching our maximum potential on a given day or period of the season will suggest that our bodies are fine-tuned for optimal energy utilization, muscle recruitment, and oxygen delivery, while maintaining neuromuscular coordination and minimizing fatigue. It should be noted that there is a combination of effort and contribution from our genetics, our training adaptations, and our recovery strategies, as these are all part of what brings out the best version of ourselves regarding performance.
Going deeper into these different systems will allow us to understand more about this special combination and how much of a unique and intricate puzzle it is. Beginning with the cardiovascular system, we know by now that we need to have a great engine and the ability to bring in as much oxygen as possible for our system to pump to our muscles and organs. Large factors here include a high maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) and an efficient system to improve our ability to deliver blood to our vessels and muscles with each heartbeat (increased stroke volume). The adaptations our bodies make to training will greatly influence and improve these parameters making our cardiovascular system more efficient.
As part of our cardiovascular system, we can discuss the metabolic contributions for energy production and utilization. We utilize carbohydrates, fats, and proteins for energy production, where we also realize that there is an influence from how our body produces ATP (energy) from aerobic and anaerobic metabolism (please refer to a previous article on cellular respiration for details here). There is valuable insight from knowing and training in correspondence to the lactate threshold, as a point where we begin producing more blood lactate as a by-product of anaerobic glycolysis. It is vital to our best performances to have proper pacing with an importance placed on how one builds up lactate without going too fast, as well as understanding the rate of blood lactate removal from our system (both during and after a session or race).
Further, we must recognize the great importance of the muscular system in that our fiber types (type II for speed and power; type I for endurance) along with the readily available energy in our glycogen stores bring us the ability to move our skeleton and produce force for movement. In addition, we also have an ideal level of coordination required to create efficient movements involving strength, stability, and agility. Coordination will showcase a connection between our nervous system and our muscles, and it is important to keep them both recovered and sharp for best functioning.
The nervous system gives us a fascinating way to connect our bodies with our mind. It allows us to focus on the task at hand, while working on minimizing distractions, and both to reach and to stay in the ‘zone’ or in the ‘flow’ (more on that in a moment). Our nervous system is responsible for our motor control, all the fine-tuned and precise motions, and brings us in coordination with our muscles. In addition, there are psychological factors connected: motivation, confidence, and mental resilience (to name a few).
Have you experienced being in the ‘zone’ or in a ‘flow’ state? If so, think about what it took for you to reach it? How could you stay there for some time?
Let’s talk about flow. ‘Flow’ is an optimal state of consciousness where our view of self disappears, where time flies, and where all aspects of performance go through the roof. Cool! This state occurs from a huge alteration in normal brain function, where the attention rises and the slower and energy-expensive extrinsic system (conscious processing) is exchanged for the waaay faster and more efficient processing of the subconscious, intrinsic system. It appears we are trading energy usually used for higher cognitive functions for heightened attention and 
awareness. Sounds like a beautiful place to me. This happens in our prefrontal cortex, the part of our brain which houses our higher cognitive functions. So, it feels more ‘flowy’ as the part of the brain which normally deters us from rapid-fire decision-making is literally shut off. Wow!
In fact, a study in 2008 with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) examined the brains of improv jazz musicians when in a flow state. The researchers found that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain best known for self-monitoring was deactivated. This is incredible, as self-monitoring is the voice of doubt, that defeatist mentality, and our inner critic. When this part of the brain goes quiet, the second guessing gets cut off at the source. This is freedom and we act and feel without any hesitation. Creativity gives us a free-flowing feeling, risk taking is less frightening, and the combination lets us flow quicker. This also involves a special combination of the hormones such as norepinephrine, dopamine, anandamide, and serotonin which are performance-enhancing, pleasure-inducing neurochemicals. These increase all things including muscle reaction times, attention, pattern recognition, and lateral thinking…while we become super speed problem-solvers.
Reaching our best performance comes from dedicated and focused time spent on training, nutrition, recovery, and mental health/strategies. Recognizing that each of us are different from one another, and even our individual variations fluctuate throughout a given period. Furthermore, life circumstances, stress, and overtraining, along with environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and altitude will all affect this journey of becoming our best.
We all know that there are times when it is great and we are on top of our game, and that there are times when it really gets difficult, and performance is hard to find. I want to give you permission to give yourself grace through it all, knowing that it can’t be 100% all the time, and trusting that we are in the process of improving. This process, like many others in life, is not linear. In fact, that is the beauty of it.
Maybe this is a moment to really think about what your own definition is of peak performance…how do YOU define that – what does it mean to you to perform your best?
I would like to challenge you to include in your definition that optimal performance is relative to the current you (body, fitness, life, age); that you have realistic and attainable goals; and that you are not placing inappropriate expectations on yourself. I believe this will really help you progress and achieve your best performance!