Legal Ergogenic Aids
Key Knowledge
 perceived benefits and potential harms to the athlete of
legal and illegal substances and methods that enhance
performance, including altitude training, creatine
supplementation, enhancement of oxygen transfer, gene
doping, hormones (including steroids, erythropoietin
and growth hormones), diuretics and masking agents,
stimulants, beta blockers and caffeine supplementation.
Key skills
 Compare and contrast practices designed to enhance
performance and/or speed up recovery
 Analyse and evaluate nutritional and hydration
procedures used to enhance individual performance and
recovery
 Participate in and evaluate a range of nutritional,
physiological or psychological strategies that potentially
enhance performance and aid recovery
Ergogenic aids
 Ergogenic aids are methods, devices or substances that
enhance athletic performance.
 They can be used in competition, training and recovery
Catagories of Ergogenic aids
 mechanical — devices including heart rate monitors, weights,
sports clothing and footwear, and equipment
 nutritional — food sources including caffeine, creatine and
sports drinks
 pharmacological — synthetically produced drugs including
anabolic steroids, beta blockers and amphetamines
 physiological — practices and use of naturally occurring
products including blood doping, EPO, human growth hormone
 psychological — methods including imagery, meditation,
music, relaxation
Altitude Training
 Altitude training is training at a level 1500m above sea
level to improve the bodies oxygen carrying capacity.
 It is a legal training method thought to induce changes
to the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood, increasing
the delivery to and use of oxygen by the muscles.
 It can then improve performance at sea level.
How does altitude training help?
 At altitude, there is a lower level of oxygen present in the air
and the body must adapt to this reduced oxygen level.
 Physiological changes that occur with acclimatisation include:
 Increase in natural EPO production
 increase in the number of capillaries
 increase in the production of red blood cells (RBC)
 increase in buffering capacity (especially waste removal)
 increase in the mitochondrial density,
 Increase amount of myoglobin and the activity of oxidative
enzymes.
 Increased oxidative and buffering capacity
Disadvantages of altitude training
 The increase in red blood cells makes blood thicker, reducing the
speed of blood flow
 At very high altitudes (greater than 5000 metres' elevation),
weight loss occurs, the immune system can weaken and, due to
the lower level of oxygen, the body cannot exercise as intensely
as at sea level.
 Altitude sickness (lethargy, headaches, nausea, fainting)
 Dehydration
 Decreased immune system
 Insomnia
 Decreased blood flow to brain
Altitude tents – Hypoxic Tents
 Are specially designed tents that reduce the amount of
oxygen inside the tent.
 They athletes can train or sleep inside these tents.
 “Live High, Train Low”. How does this help?
 The athletes sleeps at altitude but train at sea level. Sleeping
in this environment helps the athlete get some of the
adaptations of an altitude environment but is able to train
harder as they train where there is more oxygen.
 Therefore there isn’t the limitations of training at altitude.
Nutritional aids
 Dietary supplements are food or prepartions that are
taken in excess of normal diet to increase the nutrients
available.
 Athletes however must be careful to adhere to antidoping regulations
Caffeine Supplementation
 stimulation of release of and activity of adrenaline
 central nervous system effects
 including reduced perception of fatigue and maintaining
a longer period of optimal pacing and increased muscle
contractility
 Can help mobilize fat stores which allows for glycogen
sparing
 How much caffeine?
 Caffeine doses of 1–3 milligrams per kilogram BM or 70–200
milligrams have proven to be beneficial in prolonged
exercise lasting longer than 60 minutes.
 More than this can cause skill impairment and overarousal.
Caffeine
Food or drink
Serve
content (mg)
*The caffeine content of tea and coffee varies widely, depending on
the brand, the way that the individual makes their cup of tea or
coffee, and the size of their mug or cup.
Instant coffee
250 mL cup
60 (12–169)*
Brewed coffee
250 mL cup
80 (40–110)*
Tea
250 mL cup
27 (9–51)*
Chocolate (milk)
60 g
5–15
Chocolate (dark)
60 g
10–50
Coca Cola
375 mL can
49
Red Bull energy drink
250 mL can
80
V energy drink
250 mL can
50
Mother energy drink
500 mL can
160
PowerBar caffeinated
sports gel
40 g sachet
25
1 tablet — Australia
100
1 tablet — USA
200
No Doz
Creatine
 The use of CP is used to resynthesize ATP in short high
intensity events.
 Supplementing Creatine can increase stores within the
muscle.
 creatine supplementation will enhance performance involving
repeated sprints or bouts of high-intensity, short-duration
activity separated by short recovery intervals of less than 1
minute.
 It is also recommended for developed, elite athletes who use
resistance training to increase lean body mass, or for team
athletes who participate in intermittent sports such as
netball, football or racquet sports.
Creatine side effects
 Muscle cramps
 Tendon injury
 Weight gain
 Gastrointestinal discomfort
 Damage to liver and kidneys
 headaches
Bicarbonate
 Bicarbonate increases the body's ability to dispose of
excess hydrogen ions that are produced during
anaerobic glycolysis.
 Bicarbonate loading acts as a buffer within the muscle,
reducing the fatiguing effect of hydrogen on the
functioning of the muscle. It is relevant to highintensity events lasting between 1 and 7 minutes.
 For each of the ergogenic aids mentioned in this
section, describe:
 how they are thought to enhance performance
 how much should be consumed
 any side-effects or disadvantages
 Type of athletes that would benefit from taking the
supplement.
Protein Supplementation
 Used for muscle growth
 Allow for greater training intensity and frequency
 Increase cross sectional muscle area for greater PC
storage, greater strength and power
 Promotes glycogen resynthesis
 Facilitates nerve impulse transition, resulting in more
forceful muscular contractions.
 Read the article ‘Can caffeine improve sports
performance’ and summarise the key elements of the
article by answering the following questions.
 Why is caffeine classified as a drug?
 Where could an athlete access caffeine?
 How is caffeine thought to enhance performance?
 For each of the benefits of caffeine listed in the article,
suggest types of athletes for whom the benefit would be
particularly relevant.
 Identify reasons why athletes might choose not to use
caffeine prior to an event.