TO BOOK OUR NEW SHOW ON THE PHYSIOLOGY & SPORTS ENGINEERING THAT MAKE AN ATHLETE A CHAMPION EMAIL US AT schools (at) sciencejunkie.co.uk

This exciting new Science Junkie Live Show uncovers the physiology and sports engineering that make an Olympic & Paralympic athlete a champion.

In this one hour show we’ll explore just how Usain Bolt’s body can unleash the explosive energy he needs to run 100m in a superhuman 9.58s, how GB’s Mo Farah trained to find the extra 1% he needed to grab the 5,000 metre world championship, and how Paula Radcliffe’s muscles are perfectly suited to marathon running.

Using a raft of sensors attached to a bike & rowing machine on stage we’ll see – live – just what happens inside your body as you exercise. We’ll see what’s going on as you start to sweat, struggle to get enough oxygen into your muscles and fight the painful build up of lactate.

Then we’ll fire up our own wind tunnel to see how sports engineers give Chris Hoy the edge over his fellow cyclists, discuss why the high-tech swim-suits have been banned for London 2012, and look at the incredible technology behind Oscar Pistorius' 'Cheetahs'.

This new show is part of The Wellcome Trust’s ‘In the Zone’ project - a major initiative linked to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. ‘In the Zone’ will engage the public with the science of how their body works during sport, activity, movement and rest. The initiative has been awarded the Inspire Mark from the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG).

'Science Junkie: In the Zone' is supported by a Wellcome People Award and is developed with the Royal Institution.

Many thanks also go to the Human Performance Unit at the University of Essex, and the Centre for Sports Engineering at Sheffield Hallam University.

BOOKINGS

‘Science Junkie: In the Zone’ will be touring science and music festivals next year and is available in a schools version too. Get in touch if you’d like the show to visit your school or festival - click on the Get In Touch box on the right, or email us: schools (at) sciencejunkie.co.uk

Image credits:
Thanks go to these guys for letting us use their cool images in our logo / banners:
Cyclist with aerodynamic flow: Centre for Sports Engineering, Sheffield Hallam University
Grid style runner : Wellcome Image Library