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Ergogenic aids are substances or techniques that enhance athletic performance, including biological substances, high-tech materials, psychological aids, and specific training methods. Pharmacological aids, such as anabolic steroids and human growth hormone, are the most well-known, but they are prohibited at sporting events and can have negative health effects. Blood doping and stimulants are also considered ergogenic aids but can be dangerous. Psychological aids, such as relaxation techniques and imagery, are safer alternatives.
Ergogenic aids are a general category of performance-enhancing substances, and this generally refers to athletic performance. This may refer to biological substances that enhance endurance, or it may refer to high-tech materials that are believed to increase speed, such as a specific type of material that would help a swimmer run faster. Ergogenic aids can also include psychological aids, which may include relaxation techniques before an event or imagery that allows for better performance. This can also refer to a specific training method.
The best known ergogenic aids are pharmacological substances. Many of these aids are prohibited at sporting events, and athletes must have blood tests to ensure they have not taken these substances. The most commonly abused ergogenic aids are anabolic steroids, which are basically male hormones. These steroids build muscle and greatly increase muscle strength.
Other pharmacological ergogenic aids include human growth hormone. This hormone is naturally produced in the body and tends to decline as a person ages, and its loss has been associated with naturally occurring muscle atrophy during a person’s lifetime. At very high levels, this hormone can increase muscle size and strength.
Blood doping is another prohibited practice that is considered an ergogenic aid. This refers to practices that increase the red blood cell count and therefore increase the endurance of an athlete. Blood doping can involve the actual injection of red blood cells, or it can involve taking erythropoietin (Epo), a molecule that increases red blood cell production. Another way to increase your red blood cell count is to train at high altitude, which is an acceptable practice.
Ergogenic psychological aids can include relaxation practices or motivational training. Imagery is another technique in which an athlete mentally visualizes how they would ideally like to perform in their event. Breathing or meditation practices can also be considered ergogenic aids.
Stimulants can also be considered ergogenic aids. This can include legal stimulants like caffeine or dangerous substances like the Chinese herb ephedra. Ephedra is an herb used in traditional Chinese medicine in small doses, but it is often used in dangerously high doses in illegal stimulant substances.
In addition to being unethical because they give an athlete unfair strength advantages, many pharmacological aids are also dangerous to health. Anabolic steroids are well known for their negative effects, including increased risk of tumors, high blood pressure, low sperm count, and psychosis. Human growth hormone also has negative effects at high levels, including the development of insulin resistance and heart disease. High doses of the stimulant ephedra have been associated with several deaths from heart attack or stroke. Blood doping, whether by injection of Epo or red blood cells, is very dangerous because a buildup of red blood cells can thicken the blood and lead to heart failure.
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