-1548519532.jpg?x-oss-process=style/thumbnail_tiny)
When you’re working out and think you just can’t push any further, that’s likely just your mind trying to shelter itself from all the physical pain and discomfort. Any professional athlete will tell you that the biggest obstacle that stands between you and your goals is your own mind. But even the world’s fittest athletes eventually hit a brick wall — the physical limitation of our bodies. A new study sheds light on exactly what this limit is: according to the findings, humans can only burn calories at 2.5 times their resting metabolic rate.
人们运动锻炼时是否会有时觉得自己再无法坚持下去。出现这一现象，说明自己大脑试图保护自己肉体免受痛苦折磨。任何一个职业运动员都深深感受到，自身追求目标最大障碍是自己大脑。即使世界上最棒运动员也会遇到瓶颈——身体极限。最近一项研究揭开了这一极限的秘密：运动锻炼时燃烧的卡路里不能超出静息（基础）新陈代谢率2.5倍。
Limitless mind but limited gut
有雄心大志，但力不从心
According to Herman Pontzer, an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University, “this defines the realm of what’s possible for humans.” He adds that from his experience and studies of the world’s foremost athletes, no one has been able to cross this limit.
杜克大学（Duke University）进化人类学副教授Herman Pontzer说：“这个极限规定了我们人所能达到的领域。“他接着又补充说，通过世界著名运动员生涯的研究发现，没有人能够跨过这个极限。
