SPS211/FSRUiTM

Ergogenic Aids & Performance

SPS211/FSRUiTM

Ergogenic Aids

• Defined as work producing substances or phenomena believed to increased performance (Powers, S.K., & Howley E.T., 2007).

• EA include nutrients, drugs, warm up exercises, hypnosis, stress management, blood doping, O2 breathing, music & extrinsic biomechanical aids.

Ergolytic Substance

• Any substance that able to impair performance

SPS211/FSRUiTM

Research Design Concerns on Ergogenic Aids

• Amount – dose

• Subjects – trained, untrained

• Task – power, endurance

• Use – acute, long term

SPS211/FSRUiTM

Research Design Concerns

Confounding factors are controlled by– Placebo

• Placebo is an inert / inactive substance (look-alike substance) usually provided in a manner identical to an active substance.

• typically to test for real effect versus imagined effect or to control for any subjective reaction to the substance being tested.

– Double blind RCT research design• Subjects nor the researcher knows who is receiving placebo or

investigation substance• Reduce bias - subject or researcher

SPS211/FSRUiTM

Proposed Ergogenic Aids

Category of Aid Proposed AidPharmacological Alcohol

AmphetaminesBeta BlockersCaffeineCocaine & MarijuanaDiureticsNicotine

SPS211/FSRUiTM

Proposed Ergogenic AidsCategory of Aid

Proposed Aid

Hormones Anabolic SteroidsHuman Growth HormoneOral Contraceptives

Physiological agents

Blood dopingErythropoietin – RBC OxygenWarm up & temperature variation

SPS211/FSRUiTM

Proposed Ergogenic Aids

Category of Aid

Proposed Aid

Physiological agents

Aspartic acids saltsBicarbonate loadingPhosphate loading

Nutritional agents & substances

Carbs, Protein, Fats, vitamin & mineral, water & special beverages

SPS211/FSRUiTM

Proposed Ergogenic Aids

Category of Aid Proposed AidPsychological phenomena

HypnosisCovert rehearsal Stress management

Mechanical factors ClothingEquipmentEnvironment – structures & surfaces

SPS211/FSRUiTM

Aerobic Performance• Hyperbaric chamber• Breathing of oxygen enriched mixtures

– Before or after exercise – little or no effect on performance– During exercise – improves endurance performance

• Blood doping– Reinfusion of RBC in order to increasing the [hemoglobin] and O2

carrying capacity of the blood– Blood boosting, blood packing, induced erythrocythemia.– Effective in improving VO2max & endurance performance

• Erythropoietin (EPO)– The use of erythropoietin is to stimulate erythrocyte (RBC) production. – The increased of RBC volume will increase the blood’s oxygen-

carrying capacity thus increased VO2max and increased time to exhaustion. (Improve endurance performance)

SPS211/FSRUiTM

Anaerobic Performance

• Blood buffers– Sodium bicarbonate improves performance one to ten

minutes duration or repeated bouts of high intensity exercise

SPS211/FSRUiTM

Drugs

• Amphetamines– enhance speed, power, endurance, concentration & fine motor

coordination.– increased strength, acceleration, time to exhaustion, maximum HR

and peak lactate responses during exhaustive exercise.– elevate both HR & BP and can trigger cardiac arrhythmias.

Excessive use of these drugs has been blame for some deaths, and the drugs can be both psychologically & physically addictive.

• Caffeine– Improve performance at the muscle & CNS or in delivery of fuel for

muscular work– Elevate blood glucose & increase fat utilization– Less pronounced in subjects who are daily users of caffeine

SPS211/FSRUiTM

Drugs• Clenbuterol

– Treat airway disease such as asthma– 10-20% increase in muscle mass– Potentially useful in treatment of conditions that result in muscle

wasting (e.g., aging, spinal cord injury)– No evidence increase in performance for athletes

• Beta blockers – block transmissions of neural impulses from the SNS (block the beta-

adrenergic receptors, preventing binding of neurotransmitter and decreases the effects of SNS activity).

– slow the RHR (advantage for shooters - who try to release the arrow or squeeze the trigger between heartbeats to minimize the slight tremor associated with each beat. Increased accuracy in shooting sports).

– impair endurance performance, reducing VO2max in highly trained athletes because Q is reduced (SV cannot fully compensate for the reduced HR).

SPS211/FSRUiTM

Drugs

• Cocaine– Powerful stimulator of CV & CNS– Provides a sense of euphoria & feeling of increased mental &

physical power– Psychologically addictive & potentially deadly

• Nicotine– Varied effects depending on whether PNS or SNS is stimulated– Smoking: cancers, heart & lungs disease– Smokeless tobacco (chewed, dipped): dental caries, gum

disease & oral cancer

SPS211/FSRUiTM

Alcohol• used by athletes primarily for its psychological effects. • improve self-confidence, calm the nerves, and increase mental

alertness. • a good carbohydrate source. • means for reducing pain and muscle tremor. • Its depressant effects on the CNS dull pain sensation, but pain indicates

injury and physical activity while injured always carries a great risk of increasing the extent of injury.

• Alcohol suppresses the release of ADH, causing the body excretes more water in the urine and leads to dehydration. Impair performance, especially in the hot environments.

SPS211/FSRUiTM

Hormone: Anabolic Steroids

• Androgenic-anabolic steroids • Increase muscle mass, strength,

power• Endurance capacity, facilitate

recovery – not proven• Risks – personality changes, “roid

rage”, testicular atrophy, reduced sperm count, breast enlargement in men, masculinization in women, liver damage & CHD

Steroid Monster