Transcript A2 Physical Education

A2 Physical Education
Ergogenic aids
Ergogenic aids
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An ergogenic aid is any substance that
aids performance.
Not a new concept:
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Athletes have been taking substances to
improve their performance from the very first
days of sport.
Ancient Greeks ate mushrooms and the
Aztecs ate human hearts!
Carbo-loading
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This process involves the muscles ‘ super-compensating’ and
increasing glycogen stores.
Is used by marathon runners, and other ultra distance
competitors.
Designed to maximise the use of the energy resources of the
athlete.
A week before event athlete goes on a long run which depletes
energy stores.
Taper training over next few days allowing them to recover
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However diet will be rich in protein and not in Carbohydrates.
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By midweek they will change their diet to include high levels of
Carbohydrate
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To completely fill their energy stores in preparation for the race.
In the days preceding the race the athlete will go to a ‘pasta party’
and will consume vast amounts of carbohydrates.
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Therefore energy stores will remain low
The idea is to fool the body’s system into retaining excessive amounts
of Carbohydrate because they have been on low doses of this nutrient.
The aim is to store as much Carbohydrate as possible, which will in
turn will increase the glycogen stores in the liver and the muscles,
ready for the race.
Pre-event meals
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Meals high in CHO should be eaten 3 days prior to
competition o ensure muscle glycogen levels are high.
Pre-event meals eaten 2-4 hours before will ensure that
liver glycogen stores are high.
Glucose can be eaten immediately before exercise
(approx. 5 mins) if the athlete is comfortable doing so.
Who benefits?
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Athletes who rely on the breakdown of glucose for energy
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Games players & any aerobic athletes.
Potential risks?
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Can possibly have a detrimental effect if consumed between 1545 mins before exercise, as the large amount of blood glucose
stimulates insulin to remove the glucose and a condition known
as hypoglycaemia can occur, causing early exhaustion.
Post-event meals
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Liver glycogen stores are readily replaced within
hours after a CHO-rich meal.
Muscle glycogen stores are much harder to
replace and can take several days after a longduration event such as a marathon.
The best time to consume a post-event meal is
as soon as is possible after the event.
The rate of muscle glycogen replacement is
significantly quicker during the first two hours
after exercise.
Fluid Intake
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Research has found that consuming small
amounts of CHO during an event greater than
45mins in duration can have beneficial effect by
maintaining blood glucose levels.
Dehydration is one of the greatest causes of
fatigue. Unfortunately the body’s sense of thirst
is a poor indicator of levels of dehydration.
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It only becomes thirsty after dehydration has begun.
Water vs ‘Sports drinks’
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3 types of sports drink:
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Hypertonic
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Isotonic
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Contain less CHO
Large quantities of CHO in the solution can help prevent fatigue,
but may feel quite uncomfortable in the stomach.
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Contain approx. the
same amount of CHO as contained in blood.
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Hypotonic
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Contain relatively large amounts of CHO to provide energy.
May also increase dehydration by diverting the water to the
intestines.
Water is excellent for preventing/reducing dehydration, but the
addition of a small amount of CHO may improve water uptake
from the intestine.
Creatine
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Creatine supplements have
been readily available for many
years in different forms.
By increasing the amount of
creatine in the diet, the athlete
can maximise the amount of
phosphocreatine stored in the
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muscles.
High intensity athletes such as
100m sprinters benefit as the
greater amount of PC allows
the athlete to perform for
longer in the PC system and
maintains high power output.
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Potential risks
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The increase in creatine has
been seen to put strain on
organs such as the liver.
Some studies also show that it
had a negative effect by
increasing dehydration.
Blood doping
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Prohibited method used to increase the oxygen-carrying
capacity of the haemoglobin in the blood.
After a period of training carried out at high altitude,
blood can be taken from the athlete, and stored.
 Up to 2 pints.
The body quickly recovers and the normal eight pints is
soon restored.
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Before competition the stored blood is put back into the
athlete’s bloodstream
 Can increase performance by as much as 20%
Only in certain cases can this process be detected.
But the risks are great, if blood is taken from another
person, of getting an infectious disease (HIV, hepatitis B)
or a severe reaction affecting the kidneys if the wrong
typed blood is used. There is also the risk of overloading
the circulatory system and going into metabolic shock
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EPO
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Erythropoietin used to treat people
with anaemia.
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Erythropoietin (EPO)
Increases the production of red blood cells
Increases the amount of haemoglobin
available to take up oxygen.
Increases aerobic capacity.
Blood test was introduced for the Sydney
Olympics.
Side effects
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Increase in blood viscosity (thickens the
blood), which also happens because of
dehydration
The result is that it is much more difficult
for blood to pass through small capillaries
Increasing the risk of heart attack or
stroke.
Caffeine
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Can help improve mental alertness,
concentration & reaction time.
Has been proven to reduce the feeling of
fatigue
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Allowing exercise at higher intensities for
longer.
Proven to increase the ability to utilise
fat as a fuel and increase aerobic
capacity.
Potential risks
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Can increase the sensation of nervousness,
anxiety & restlessness.
Sleep can be disturbed
Risk of dehydration is increased.
It is also addictive.
Alcohol
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Thought to have no beneficial effects on sports
performance
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May make the performer feel more relaxed and
self-confident, but actually impairs psychomotor
performance
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Is banned in some sports where it may be used as a
sedative, e.g. shooting or archery.
Or when it is considered a safety risk,as it impairs
judgement & slows reaction time, e.g. motor racing
The performer just doesn’t notice!
Speeds up dehydration
Long term effects of alcohol include liver
damage known as cirrhosis.
Anabolic steroids
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Most common drugs used to enhance sports
performance.
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Mimic the male hormone testosterone
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Testosterone, stanozonal, nandrolone and bodlenone.
Increase musclewww.business2000.ie
mass and develop bone growth.
Therefore increase strength
Also allow you to train harder.
Increases aggression
Side effects
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Deepen the voice & cause the growth of facial hair.
Mood swings and aggression
Increased risk of CHD’s.
Hormones
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This type of drug is often used to produce the same
effects as anabolic steroids.
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Increase muscle growth, to assist in recovery from injury &
heavy training, & to increase the number of red blood cells
Synthetically produced hormones such as hGH & EPO
which when taken in large doses can have performance
enhancing effects.
HGH
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Human growth hormone is now used by some athletes to
increase muscle development.
Thought to be fewer side effects than steroids.
No urine test for hGH, but can be detected through a blood test.