Max Testing at UWA. Hill climb on the treadmill for 3 minute intervals with 1 minute recovery.Science
The Iceman
The phone rings... nothing unusual about that.
The female voice on the other end says she would like to refer me a client... nothing unusual about that.
Then she says, "I have a client who needs your help because he is walking to the North Pole – on his own".
The female voice was that of a dietitian, I am a Clinical Exercise Physiologist and the client was Tom Smitheringale... The Ice Man.
With such an opening I had no hesitation in accepting the referral. The guy was clearly a one off and this was confirmed when a 200cm, 115kg male with 14% body fat came through, or should I say under, the door of the clinic.
This was clearly going to be something special. It was special because of the physiological requirements of such an epic as well as the psychological aspects of spending 70 + days on the ice, unaided, pulling your life support system in a 160kg sled in -40C temperatures. All the ingredients were there for an amazing process to unfold and we wanted to be part of it.
The scientific data on such epics is limited. We had to build a physiological picture of The Ice Man and develop some physiological parameters for the journey. We tested his Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) to see how many calories he would need just to stay alive. We tested his maximal capacities in an attempt to ascertain what would happen (physiologically) if he was pushed to his physical limits. The large gap in between these two extreme measures contained a significant amount of data and helped us formulate a plan of action for the Epic. We are testing the plan at the moment.
We knew we had to increase both his weight and body fat levels, without him losing his strength. Quite a task for such a big bloke. We calculated the volume and type of food that needed to be consumed and it was becoming evident that we were moving into unchartered physiological waters. All our calculations were based on great scientific evidence so we were confident of our plan. The food bill however was becoming enormous.
We also needed to work out how much water or fluid would be required over the Epic. Hydration level on these epics is crucial to its success. Our challenge again was that we did not have many reference points for sweat rates and rehydration protocols - particularly in -40C, pulling a 160 kg sled. The management and balance of food and fluid intake are critical to The Ice Man's success. Poor management of these two ingredients can prove disastrous. Failure is not an option for us - we have to get it right. Calculating sweat rates in an environment where sweating only occurs in the undergarments or micro climate, means the sweat is not getting exposed to the cold - bonus - but it still needs to be replaced. Think of drinking in cold weather compared to hot weather. It is a vastly different but there is no choice. The more fluid required means the more energy needed to burn the ice, which means a greater load to be carried...quite a conundrum. The sled and pulling the sled poses a raft of additional physiological challenges to do with strength and power. This sled is the lifeline of the Ice Man so it all has to work.
Forty years ago man walked on the moon with technology we now have in our mobile phone and I am from the home of The Dish - Parkes NSW, that played such a significant part in the Moon Walk. I have spent the last 40 years trying to get man to walk on earth and now I have the opportunity to be involved with another epic walk - this time to the North Pole. When science is brought into play with this type of epic one feels somewhat like the NASA team must have felt 40 years ago. Rather coincidentally The Ice Man will be the third person to walk to the North Pole unaided and by using all the science that we can muster he will return to us with a great tale to tell... just like the Moon Men.
Graeme Wright
Clinical Exercise Physiologist
www.optimumhms.com.au
Some more detailed scientific facts can be found under the ‘Schools’ tab.