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Updated: Aug 20, 2026

Force and Position Control in Humans - The Role of Augmented Feedback
Published on: June 19, 2016
Evidence for complex system integration and dynamic neural regulation of skeletal muscle recruitment during exercise
A St Clair Gibson1, T D Noakes
1Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, University of Cape Town, Newlands, South Africa. Agibson@sports.uct.ac.za <Agibson@sports.uct.ac.za>
Abstract:
A model is proposed in which the development of physical exhaustion is a relative rather than an absolute event and the sensation of fatigue is the sensory representation of the underlying neural integrative processes. Furthermore, activity is controlled as part of a pacing strategy involving active neural calculations in a "governor" region of the brain, which integrates internal sensory signals and information from the environment to produce a homoeostatically acceptable exercise intensity. The end point of the exercise bout is the controlling variable. This is an example of a complex, non-linear, dynamic system in which physiological systems interact to regulate activity before, during, and after the exercise bout.
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