Profile English
Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Anatomy
University Professor for Anatomy,
Basic Neurosciences and Chronobiology - scientific focus since 35 years
Competitive athlete since 45 years: decathlon, basketball, cycling, duathlon, triathlon
Triathlon:
Profil deutsch:
Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Institut für Anatomie
Universitätsprofessor für Anatomie
Grundlagen der Neurowissenschaften und Chronobiologie wissenschaftlicher Schwerpunkt seit 35 Jahren
Leistungssportler seit 45 Jahren: Zehnkampf, Basketball, Radsport, Duathlon, Triathlon
Triathlon
https://www.uni-frankfurt.de/59293186/Zur_Person
Time-of-day-dependent cognitive and physical performance are crucially determined by an individual’s chronotype (“lark”: early rise, early bedtime; “owl”: late rise, late bedtime). The chronotype is genetically encrypted and governed by an endogenous circadian (circa: about; dies: day) clock, which can be shifted to a certain degree by appropriate measures. Specifically, (competitive) athletes need to align their individual performance peak (and also trough) with the time of day at which the competition takes place. Variation in performance caused by the biorhythm throughout the day may easily outweigh differences between the competition winner and subsequent placements, meaning that adequately time-adjusted athletes could have achieved a better placement if their performance maximum had been matched to the appropriate time. It makes hence sense to analyze an athlete’s chronotype in order to shift subsequently their endogenous clock to a competition’s start time and/or time zone. In my talk, I will provide insights into the importance of the human circadian clock system and review current knowledge on the link between ‘chronotype’ and ‘sports performance’. I will explain my strategy to match athletes’ maximum performance with the competition’s start time by timed interventions in order to optimize and maximize both top and age-group athletes’ outcome.