Introduction
Sports Science Is the scientific study and research of the human condition when performing at a high level in sports and exercise, this enables us to get a better understanding of how the body works and it's response to certain stimuli when performing in either sports and exercise.
This research incorporates areas such as how sports and physical health aid in performance, Injury and recovery, training and exercise, mental strength, biomechanics, bio kinetics and nutrition. From these criteria’s it is possible to compose the best ways of optimising the human conditioning in that of their chosen sport.
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Where did it start?
Sports can be traced all the way back to ancient Olympia Greece 776 BC where people would gather around to watch competitors compete in various sports such as javelin, strongman and wrestling during, these periods humans have been trying to figure out ways to get an overall advantage over their competitors thus sports science was born.
During the 2nd century an Ancient Greek physicians known as Galen was determined to find the best possible ways to enhance the physical limitations of the human body. He composed essays upon essays on Nutrition, aerobic training and muscle strengthening. Galen is also known for the research and revolutionisation of various muscle training through the usage of halters which were an ancient form of what we call today as dumbbells.
During the 6th century a famous wrestler known as Milos of Croton created the very first resistance training method. His training method involved carrying a new-born calf on his back every day until it was fully grown although it seemed like a simple routine this basic exercise laid the foundation for centuries of research on performance training thus giving a better understanding on how one can improve their condition but it wasn't until the 20th century were the development of sports science really took off.
Why is nutritional research important for athletic performance important?
For centuries there has been a huge emphasis on the food intake and what foods is needed for the body. Thanks to advance modern day research through chemistry and the further overall development of science we have a greater understanding of how nutrition can benefit and aid in athletic performance When it come to the physical input and work ethic needed to perform on a high level nutrition is a very important fundamental and the most controversial aspect of sports science.
In terms of athletic performance there is a high demand in competition, strength, speed, agility, plyometric and conditioning training throughout a rigorous schedule. Nutrition is important because it emphasizes on the source of energy required for the body for high level performance. The food that a person consumes throughout the later of their day has an impact on their strength, training performance and recovery. The study on multiple food groups gives us a better understanding of what should be considerable for overall health and performance.
Food groups such as: Carbohydrates are the most efficient source of energy for performance. Study has found that complex carbs provide the energy that fuels muscle contraction, delays fatigue during performance and supports recovery. Once eaten, carbohydrates break down into smaller sugars know as glucose, fructose and galactose that gets absorbed and used for energy.
Proteins are an also a well-known food group. Their primarily function is to repair and rebuild muscle that is broken down during exercise which help optimizes carbohydrates storage in the form of glycogen. Studies show that the daily protein intake should range from 1.2 to 1.7 grams per kg body weight in order for muscle strengthening and recovery.
Many other food groups like healthy Fats which is another source of energy, are beneficial for performance Vitamins, minerals and water are vital for the internal organs and overall health. And found in foods such as fruits and nuts seeds. Energy drinks are also beneficial, although it contains caffeine and sugars which can be unhealthy it can also contains electrolytes which are electrical charges that are responsible for stimulating the muscle and nerves.
Banned substances
Although bio chemistry has help we further our understanding in the research and development of chemicals in which it helps us aid our performance such as protein shakes, pre workout, creatine, Multivitamins tablets etc there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the biochemistry part of sports in recent years.
Performance enhancing drugs and any other drug performance enhancers are banned worldwide in all competitions and sports. Banned substances such as Erythropoietin, Growth hormones, Steroids, Diuretics are all illegal and regularly taken in the sports world. The most popular drug amongst them is Anabolic Steroids.
Anabolic steroids are commonly used in sports such as Bodybuilding and strongman contest, when taken it helps enhances testosterone levels in the body by breaking them down into smaller molecules that can enter cells and bind to a structure called androgen receptor causing the body to produce more proteins this process is called “Anabolism“. Cells in the skeleton muscle starts to replicate the overall muscle mass of the body leading to a 38% increase in strength for men and a 42% increase for women,
Anabolic steroids also aid in the recovery of muscle by shorting catabolism which is the process in which proteins are broken down into amino acids. Although there are pros to steroids, there are also negative side effects. Side effects include:
- Male pattern baldness in both men and women
- Acne
- High blood pressure
- Decrease sperm count
- Testicular cancer
Although anabolic steroids are used in sports such as body building, there are also ways in which an endurance athlete can enhance their physical performance through illegal substances. This method is referred to as blood doping.
The goal of blood doping is to increase the amount of oxygen carrying red blood cells in the blood this can either be done using blood transfusion in which a person exchanges their blood with high oxygenated blood or by injecting oneself with erythropoietin which is a molecule that stimulates the production of more red blood cells,
Studies show that doping increases endurance by 38% another studies show that a person who blood doped ran 8km on a treadmill 44 seconds faster than their previous record. Overall blood doping is very dangerous. It can lead to:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Cerebral
- Pulmonary embolism
- Death
A notable figure in sports is a man called Lance Armstrong who was stripped of his 7 Tour de France medals and was banned from the sport entirely after being caught using erythropoietin in January 2013.
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