Ergogenic Aids

Ergogenic Aids

1. An external influence used to improve performance

   • Enhance physical power
     • Protein loading
   • Enchance mental strength
     • Visualisation/mental rehearsal
   • Enhance mechanical edge
     • Pulleys and Parachutes
   • Delay onset of fatigue
     • Ice baths,ice vests,compression clothing

2. Carbohydrate loading

   • Stage 1
     • 'stress'
       • Little or no carb intake
       • Maintain high training load
       • 4-7 days before competition
   • Stage 2
     • 'Super compensation'
       • Increase carb intake
       • Little or no training
       • 24-48 hours before competition
   • Used by marathon runners,triathalons and cyclists
   • Advantages
     • Increase in glycogen stores
     • More energy
     • Improve edurance perfomers
   • Disadvantages
     • Risk of overweight
     • Effects sleeping pattern

3. Ice baths

   • Different approaches into the ice bath depending on nature of sport eg rugby
     • 10 mins at 1 degrees in bath, 6 minute is key min
       • Blood rush- cleans out waste from body
     • Rugby player uses all parts of body
     • Footballer uses mainly the legs
   • Advantages
     • Reduces DOMS
     • Reduces injury after training
     • Repairs microscopic tears
   • Disadvantages
     • Painful-may put perfomer off ice baths
     • Possibly medically dangerous as could lead to hyperthermia
     • Doesn't permanently get rid of muscle pain/soreness

4. Pulleys and parachutes

   • Pulleys
     • Swimmer
       • Makes training specific
   • Parachutes
     • Sprinter
       • Refining technique
   • Advantages
     • Development of type 2B muscle fibres
     • Improve neuromuscular
     • Hyertrophy increase
   • Disadvantages
     • Not suitable for aerobic perfomers
     • DOMS
     • Microscopic tears

5. Ice vest

   • Pre cooling
     • Aims to reduce skin temp and core body temp
     • Between 5 and 16 degrees celcius,maintain body temp at 37 degrees
     • Advisable before prolonged exercise in hot temp as it helps to sustain intensity and speed,reduces thermal strain,allows for different pacing strategies and increases excerice intensuty towards the end of performance
   • Post cooling
     • Used as part of recovery,can be used for acute(sudden) and chronic(overuse) injuries
     • RICE, ice reduces swelling and blood leakages into the tissue
   • Advantages
     • Increases rate of recovery
     • Drop in skin temperature
   • Disadvantages
     • Quite heavy
     • Can become uncomfortbable
   • Athletes in Olympic games which are in hotter countries than they are used to
     • England football team during world cup

6. Creatine loading

   • Stage 1:Loading
     • 20g taken daily for 5-7 days
   • Stage 2:Maintenance
     • 5g taken dailylasts 3-4 weeks
   • Stage 3:Rest period
     • None taken for 4 weeks
   • Advantages
     • Increase muscular hypertrophy
     • Higher glycogen levels-speeding up chemical reactions in the body
     • Helps increase overall workout intensity
   • Disadvantages
     • Causes cramping and dehydration
     • May cause liver and kidney damage
     • May lead to weight gain
   • Used by athletes that will utilise the PC system

7. Pre and Post meals

   • Used by endurance athletes to maximise the storage of glycogen in the muscle and liver
   • Pre meal
     • Should eat foods with a low to medium GI before match as wont have time to break in down
     • Consuming carbohydrate at least an hour before the start allows any hormonal imbalance to return to normal
     • low GI foods include; pasta,rice,milk,oatmeal
     • Disadvantages
       • May not have enough time to do it
       • Bloated,stitch,interdigestion,nausea,low energy
     • Advantages
       • Increases glycogen stores,therefore increases endurance and capacity
       • Increases liver glycogen stores prior to the event
   • Post meal
     • A large high-carbohydrate meal should be eaten within two hours of the finish e.g bananas and dried fruit,lucozade
     • Main meal several hours later consists of bread pasta etc and some sugar foods
     • Important that endurance athletes replenish stores as quickly as possible
     • Advantages
       • Replenishes depleted glycogen stores,increasing recovery
       • Carbohydrate stores used up during short-duration exercise can be replenished in a few hours
     • Disadvantages
       • Doesn't work if you miss the pre meal as you lose the energy that you needed
       • Don't have the correct food groups in the house

8. Blood doping

   • Is the injection of oxygenated blood into an athlete's body before an event in an illegal attempt to enhance an athletes performance
     • Increases number of red blood cells
       • Replaces effects of altitude training
   • Process
     • Removal of 2 units several weeks prior to comp
     • Frozen until 1-2 days before comp
     • Thawed and injected back into the body
   • Advantages
     • Provides oxygen depletion and lactic acid formation
     • Increase in endurance level as theres more red blood cells
     • Allows extra oxygen to be transported to the working muscles
   • Disadvantages
     • Suffer from hypertension
     • Increased blood viscosity (thickness)
     • Very hard to detect
   • Used by endurance athletes,cyclists,skiers

9. Gene doping

   • illegal-impossible to detect
     • Lance Armstrong:Cyclist
   • Aims
     • Aerobic
       • Erythopoietin
         • Increases production of red blood cells
       • Vascular endothelial growth factor
         • A protein that increases the productivity of the body thereby the productivity of blood cell production
     • Anaerobic
       • Myostatin
         • Inhibits muscle growth,this is removed to increase muscle hypertrophy
       • Insulin-liike growth factor 1
         • Stimulates muscle cell growth
   • Advantages
     • Increased muscle mass
     • Masks injury
     • Quicker recovery
   • Disadvantages
     • Risk of heart attack and stroke
     • Not human tested poses risk
     • not guaranteed to work

10. Sports drinks

    • The electrolytes in sports drinks ensure an acid to alkali balance
    • Needed to replace the fluids and electrolytes lost through sweating
    • Isotonic
      • Contain similar concentrations of salt and sugar as in the body
      • Team sports ,long distance runners, powerade
    • Hypertonic
      • Contain higher concentration of sugar and salt than the body
      • Used to replenish the body after high intensive work outs
        • Consumed post work out
      • Ultra distance events, ironmans,fruit juice
    • Hypotonic
      • Quickly replace fluids lost by sweating
      • Contain a lower concentration of carbohydrate,salt and sugar than the body
      • Good for hydration but not for long periods of excercise/carbohydrate boost
      • Dancers,Gymnasts,Hockey, Lucozade sport light
    • Advantages
      • Helps to replace lost fluids
      • Replacement of electrolytes,prevents dizziness,cramps,sickness
      • Replenishment of carbohydrates-primary fuel source of body
    • Disadvantages
      • Water is a better alternative
      • Upset stomach
      • Carbohydrates in acidic environment cause erosion and dental cavities