Ergogenic Aids for Exercise and Sports Performance

Anabolic Steroids, HGH and EPO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvKQ2kVBwTU

Aim: To introduce students to the effects and implications of using ergogenic aids for exercise and

sports performance

Objectives:By the end of this session students should be able to:

• Name 3 different banned ergogenic aids

• Describe the positive performance effects of the 3 different ergogenic aids

• Identify 1 sport that benefits from 1 particular ergogenic aid

• Evaluate the negative health implications of using these banned ergogenic aids

Androgenic Anabolic Steroids (AAS)

• What are (AAS)?

• (AAS) are drugs that resemble androgenic hormones

• Androgenic Hormones (Male Hormones)

• Male hormones are responsible for creating Testosterone

Human Growth Hormone (HGH)

• Is a peptide hormone that occurs naturally in the body

• Stimulates muscle growth through increases in testosterone production and cell reproduction

• Has similar performance benefits to that of (AAS)

What Does Testosterone do?

• It is responsible for increased androgenic and anabolic development (Fahey, 1998)

• Androgenic (effects sexual characteristics, penis growth, hair growth, aggressiveness)

• Anabolic (accelerated muscle and bone growth and red blood cell development)

How Does this improve sporting performance?

• Increased Muscle Growth

• Enhanced Strength and Power

• Anti- Catabolic

• Improves Recovery after intense exercise and helps fat loss

• Increased Red blood cell count

• Enhanced endurance and recovery from exercise

Which Sports Benefit from these Physiological enhancements?

• Power Lifting

• Sprinting

• Wrestling

• Boxing

• Bodybuilding

• Rugby

What is EPO?

• Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone that is produced by the kidneys

• It is injected under the skin

• Increases red blood cell count

Blood Doping

• Most commonly involves the removal of 2 units of healthy blood weeks before competition

• The blood is then frozen up until 1-2 days prior to competition, where it is thawed and injected back into the athlete

• Red blood cell count is maximised and not lost through blood becoming toxic from the stresses of training

What do Red Blood cells do?

• More Red Blood cells means more haemoglobin

• Haemoglobin binds to oxygen and carries it from the lungs to the muscles

• EPO supplementation therefore allows extra oxygen to be transported to the working muscles

Effects of (EPO) and Blood doping on performance

• Increases the amount of oxygenated blood carried to the muscles

• Therefore an athletes VO2 Max is greatly increased

• A larger supply of oxygenated blood means waste products like lactic acid can be removed quicker after exercise

• Improves Recovery and performance in endurance events

Which Sports Benefit?

• Cycling

• Distance Running

• Triathlon

• Cross Country Skiing

• Football

• Rugby

• Crossfit

• Boxing

TASK 1

1. Describe the physiological adaptations that occur to the body after supplementing with (AAS), HGH, (EPO) and Blood Doping

2. Explain how each one improves performance

3. Identify a specific sport that would benefit

from these performance improvements

The Implications of Ergogenic Aids use in Sport

• What do we mean by Implications?

• Implications are effects or consequences that may happen in the future

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbTyCe2dbRk

(AAS) and (HGH)

• Hypertrophy of the heart, increased risk of Heart failure and cardiovascular disease

• Increased growth to organs can cause organ failure

• Acromelagy – Excessive tissue growth, particularly effecting bones and joints

(EPO) and Blood Doping

• These methods increase red blood cell count to abnormally high amounts

• This Causes a thickening of the blood

• Which puts pressure on the heart, as it has to pump harder to circulate the blood around the body

• This can lead to serious cardiovascular disease, Blood Clots, Heart Attacks and Stroke