Discuss the Use of Science to Enhance Athletic Performance
Discuss the use of science to enhance athletic performance
The enhancement of performance must be extremely important to all athletes no matter what their sport. I will cover three main bodies in this essay. Firstly the use of supplements and diet to enhance performance, and how that might have changed. Secondly how training of actually athletes has changed with science. Thirdly the science on both sides of performance enhancing substances and the effect it might have on not just those who choose to use but also those that choose not to.
Athletes are performing at arguably the highest level ever. They are the strongest, fastest and most powerful than at any other time in recorded history. Science has played a big part in the advancement of sporting ability and performance. Today, not only are the coaches and trainers extremely open to the benefits that science can bring, but so are the athletes as they look to gain the edge over their competitors, in some cases where being a few hundredths of a second faster can be the difference between international fame and glory and not to mention highly lucrative sponsorship and paydays and being an also ran.
Science has brought huge benefits but also some negatives and perhaps almost surely some if not many injustices. Firstly lets look at the role science plays in dietary supplementation. A favourite amongst many athletes are branch chain amino acids (BCAAs). BCAAs are believed to enhance everything from muscle building to high intensity endurance training to an added benefit to mood enhancement and mental function. According to Charles Poliquin, one of the world’s foremost strength coaches “studies show that individuals with a higher BCAA intake in their diets have lower rates of obesity, lower body weight and better body composition” whilst body composition is important for all athletes not just those in weight divisions, it is as important that athletes do not loose muscle that has allowed them to perform
The enhancement of performance must be extremely important to all athletes no matter what their sport. I will cover three main bodies in this essay. Firstly the use of supplements and diet to enhance performance, and how that might have changed. Secondly how training of actually athletes has changed with science. Thirdly the science on both sides of performance enhancing substances and the effect it might have on not just those who choose to use but also those that choose not to.
Athletes are performing at arguably the highest level ever. They are the strongest, fastest and most powerful than at any other time in recorded history. Science has played a big part in the advancement of sporting ability and performance. Today, not only are the coaches and trainers extremely open to the benefits that science can bring, but so are the athletes as they look to gain the edge over their competitors, in some cases where being a few hundredths of a second faster can be the difference between international fame and glory and not to mention highly lucrative sponsorship and paydays and being an also ran.
Science has brought huge benefits but also some negatives and perhaps almost surely some if not many injustices. Firstly lets look at the role science plays in dietary supplementation. A favourite amongst many athletes are branch chain amino acids (BCAAs). BCAAs are believed to enhance everything from muscle building to high intensity endurance training to an added benefit to mood enhancement and mental function. According to Charles Poliquin, one of the world’s foremost strength coaches “studies show that individuals with a higher BCAA intake in their diets have lower rates of obesity, lower body weight and better body composition” whilst body composition is important for all athletes not just those in weight divisions, it is as important that athletes do not loose muscle that has allowed them to perform
References: Bishop. D (2010) “Dietary supplements and team sport” Sports Med 40,12 pp995-1017 Poliquin. C (2012) “Don’t erase your hard work” Peak Performance Issue 412 pg 12 Ruddock.A (2010) “Even more dash for less cash” Peak performance Issue 294 pg 10 Fynn & Whitcher (2011) “ Arsenal. The making of a modern super club” Pg 38-57