What are the nutritional ergogenic aids?
- bicarbonate
- caffeine
- creatine
- nitrates
- hydration
- composition and timing of meals
- glycogen loading
What do nitrates do?
- Converted to nitric oxide under anaerobic conditions
- aids vasodilation
- More blood can be transported around to working muscles
What are the benefits and risks of nitrates?
benefits: -vasodilation -reduced blood pressure -increase blood flow to respiring tissue -reduce oxygen cost of exercise Risks: -carcinogenic -headaches and diziness
What are the benefits to taking caffeine and what type of athlete would best benefit?
- increased metabolism of fats
- so glycogen is preserved
- suitable for endurance performers like a marathon runner because it saves the glycogen stores for faster parts of the race
What are the risks of taking caffeine?
- diuretic so can lead to dehydration
- can increase anxiety
- gastrointestinal problems
Which sports performers would take bicarbonate and why?
- 400m-1500m runners
- Acts as a buffer to neutralize acidity in the blood from lactic acid
- ergo delays effects of OBLA
- athlete can exercise at higher intensities for longer
What are the drawbacks of bicarbonate?
- bad tase
- causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea
What sports performers would use creatine and what is its benefits?
- increase PC stores
- Increased fuel for high intensity activity
- increased intensity of exercise and duration of exercises
- therefore increased maximum strength and power
What are the risks of taking creatine?
- Increased weight gain
- Increased water retention
- Can cause muscle cramps
- gastrointestinal problems
What are the three types of sports drinks?
- hypotonic, contains lower concentration of glucose and salts than in the blood
- isotonic, contains the same concentrations as in the blood
- hypertonic, contains higher concentrations than in the blood
What can dehydration cause?
- increased temperature
- increased blood viscosity
- increased HR
- increased fatigue
- decreased cognitive function
What performers are likely to glycogen load and why?
Endurance performers e.g. marathon runner
it can result in up to 50% higher glycogen stores in the muscle and liver which enables the performer to exercise for longer.
Describe the protocol for glycogen loading
Day 1: glycogen-depleting bout of exercise
Day 2+3: high protein high fat diet
Day 4: glycogen depleting exercise
Day5-7: high carb diet whilst training is tapered or reduced to rest
What are the negative side effects of glycogen loading?
- hypoglycemia during depletion phase
- lethargy during depletion phase
- gastrointestinal problems and bloating
What is the recommended carbohydrate intake for an athlete training intensely (4 hours a day)?
10-12g of carbohydrates per kg of body mass, per day
What is the recommended consumption of carbohydrates per kg of body mass per day for a moderately trained athlete?
5-7g of carbs per kg of body mass per day
What would an endurance performer eat around 3 hours before performance?
A slow digesting, carbohydrate meal, such as porridge oats or beans and green vegetables. This allows the glycogen stores to be high whilst making sure blood sugar does not spike
What would a performer eat 1-2 hours before the event?
A smaller, fast-digesting carbohydrate meal, such as honey on a bagel or energy bar should be eaten to top up glycogen stores and maintain blood glucose levels.
What are the physiological ergogenic aids?
- intermittent hypoxic training
- blood doping
- cooling aids
What are the benefits and drawbacks of IHT?
- increases hematocrit
- increases oxygen carrying capacity
- increases aerobic capacity
- adaptations are lost quickly
- hard to reach normal work rates under these conditions
- decreased immune functions
- dehydration
Describe Intermittent Hypoxic Training (IHT)
A mask supplying air with a lower ppO2 than at sea level is worn by the performer during aerobic exercise in intervals
Describe blood doping and what athletes would do it?
Blood is removed from the performer around 3-4 weeks prior to performance and frozen
The blood is then injected back into the athlete two hours before performance
What are the physiological benefits of blood doping?
- increases haematocrit
- increases O2 carrying capacity
- increases V02max
- improves endurance performance
What are the problems associated with blood doping?
- illegal
- blood clotting
- heart failure
- transfusion complications
