"Performance enhancing" drugs -used widely by public?
Discussion
having recently read "The Secret Race" by Tyler Hamilton and found it quite fascinating and surprising (having a very passing interest in cycle racing), it started me wondering firstly about other professional sports and secondly about amateurs & Joe Public.
I'm assuming that there is extensive use of various substances across any professional (and maybe amateur) sport that benefits from a good physical condition or quick recovery.
Is this also common amongst Joe Public who are into just 'going to the gym'? I see quite a few young lads wandering about with apparently very pumped-up upper bodies and what appear to be disproportionately small legs (possibly an illusion added to be those trousers that look as if the crotch and rear pockets are somewhere around the knees!). It looks unnatural.
-If this is the case, and they are not having 'good medical advice', what are they doing to their health?
From a strength and fitness point of view, I can't see why somebody would pump up their upper body and not work on their legs.
I'm assuming that there is extensive use of various substances across any professional (and maybe amateur) sport that benefits from a good physical condition or quick recovery.
Is this also common amongst Joe Public who are into just 'going to the gym'? I see quite a few young lads wandering about with apparently very pumped-up upper bodies and what appear to be disproportionately small legs (possibly an illusion added to be those trousers that look as if the crotch and rear pockets are somewhere around the knees!). It looks unnatural.
-If this is the case, and they are not having 'good medical advice', what are they doing to their health?
From a strength and fitness point of view, I can't see why somebody would pump up their upper body and not work on their legs.
Form over function, any athlete will be shaped by the demands and the type of activity their chosen sport demands.
I believe genuinely that performance enhancing drug use in Sport at amature levels is very limited, it's only when the consequences become greater is there an additional motivation (or ultimatum) to cheat. At an age group level no parent would risk the health of their children to this extent, and at an adult level if your not at an elite/pro level your doing this for other reasons than it being a binary win at all costs situation.
Performance enhancing physiques in the gym is a completely different matter, go to any gym especially the under the railway arches types and you'll see and hear of those dealing in this stuff, some even have fridge full of the stuff at hand.
The area I think the abuse generally takes in amature sport (wittingly or unwittingly) is in the over-the-counter remedy market, so caffine, cough medicines, painkillers and day to day prescribed medcines. Not sure if this is still the case in swimming, but you tended to find a lot of over use of asma inhalers, mainly because swimming is seen as a good sport for asma suffers and secondly the first thing an asma suffer is going to do if they feel a bit short of breath is take a steriod puff whether they actually need to or not, the last thing they want is a full on attack.
I believe genuinely that performance enhancing drug use in Sport at amature levels is very limited, it's only when the consequences become greater is there an additional motivation (or ultimatum) to cheat. At an age group level no parent would risk the health of their children to this extent, and at an adult level if your not at an elite/pro level your doing this for other reasons than it being a binary win at all costs situation.
Performance enhancing physiques in the gym is a completely different matter, go to any gym especially the under the railway arches types and you'll see and hear of those dealing in this stuff, some even have fridge full of the stuff at hand.
The area I think the abuse generally takes in amature sport (wittingly or unwittingly) is in the over-the-counter remedy market, so caffine, cough medicines, painkillers and day to day prescribed medcines. Not sure if this is still the case in swimming, but you tended to find a lot of over use of asma inhalers, mainly because swimming is seen as a good sport for asma suffers and secondly the first thing an asma suffer is going to do if they feel a bit short of breath is take a steriod puff whether they actually need to or not, the last thing they want is a full on attack.
My brother reckoned that a large number of those who took sport seriously at Bath uni a few years ago were on the juice.
A friend of his has just been signed by a Super League club. The told him to go away and put 2 stone of muscle on before the season started and before he was registered for them.
A few friends of mine own gyms and say they make more money from selling juice than everything else put together.
It's pretty rife I suspect in the 18-24 bracket.
A friend of his has just been signed by a Super League club. The told him to go away and put 2 stone of muscle on before the season started and before he was registered for them.
A few friends of mine own gyms and say they make more money from selling juice than everything else put together.
It's pretty rife I suspect in the 18-24 bracket.
Interesting. Rugby seems a likely candidate for muscle building and recovery assistance.
Gym owners making more money from flogging supplements is intriguing, but not that surprising given the presumably large profit margin.
Are these chaps doing themselves long term harm by the use of these things?
I wonder if many serious, but amateur endurance athletes dabble in EPO, blood bags etc?
Gym owners making more money from flogging supplements is intriguing, but not that surprising given the presumably large profit margin.
Are these chaps doing themselves long term harm by the use of these things?
I wonder if many serious, but amateur endurance athletes dabble in EPO, blood bags etc?
Edited by MC Bodge on Thursday 16th January 13:33
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