15 - Ergogenic Aids

Question 1

What is an ergogenic aid?

Answer 1

Something that aids
(enhances) athletic
performance.

Question 2

What are different types of ergogenic aids?

Answer 2

Mechanical—lightweight running shoes, aerodynamic bicycle, etc.

Psychological—treatments from a sport psychologist, mental imaging, etc.

Physiological—blood doping, PH buffering with alkaline salts

Pharmacological—drugs, herbs, and other botanicals

Nutritional—special diets, foods, food components, and nutrients

Question 3

What ergogenic aid can affect mental and physiological functions shortly after consumption?

Answer 3

caffeine.

Question 4

When taken over a period of weeks in conjunction with training, ergogenic aids like __________, can enhance strength and muscle mass adaptations to certain types of strength training

Answer 4

creatine

Question 5

What is a conditional ergogenic aid?

Answer 5

Something that only works under certain conditions. Like a hydration supplement specifically for hot weather, won’t work as well at cooler temps

Question 6

What is an ergolytic substance?

Answer 6

Any substance that has been shown to be detrimental to exercise performance.

Question 7

Give an example of Conditional Ergolytic Effects?

Answer 7

carb loading for an endurance event would be beneficial, but not for sprinting as the runner would be bloated.

Question 8

What happens if a healthy nutrient is taken at excessively high dosages?

Answer 8

Could harm health or cause toxicity

Question 9

What percentage of increase for protein should vegetarian diets follow?

Answer 9

10% additional protein

Question 10

What does the research say about amino acid intake?

Answer 10

The research is mixed.

Question 11

Is arginine a good supplement to take?

Answer 11

Limited research indicates it’s does not improve performance.

Question 12

What is Serotonin?

Answer 12

A neurotransmitter in the modulation of anger, aggression, body temperature, mood, sleep, sexuality, appetite, and metabolism

Question 13

Is glutamine effective to take?

Answer 13

May help athletes recover major efforts and reduce the risk of colds\flus. Consuming desired protein goal will include enough of glutamine.

Question 14

Which amino acid is typically lowest in the body and should be supplemented (esp. vegans).

Answer 14

Lysine.

Question 15

What vitamin taken in excess can cause bone fractures?

Answer 15

vitamin A. Should be capped around 2,333 IU for men and 3,000 for women.

Question 16

What is the absolute upper limit for vitamin D intake?

Answer 16

10,000 IU

Question 17

Which mineral is typically low in athletes, especially women and girls?

Answer 17

iron

Question 18

Daily iron needs are ___ times higher and daily zinc needs ___ times greater for vegetarians since neither is absorbed as efficiently from plant foods as it is from animal foods

Answer 18

1.8, 1.5

Question 19

What is the Female athlete triad?

Answer 19

A syndrome identified by the combination of eating disorders, amenorrhoea, and decreased bone mineral density.

Question 20

What is an Amenorrheic athletes?

Answer 20

Female athletes with the absence of a menstrual period during reproductive ages

Question 21

When is creatine used by the body?

Answer 21

high intensity muscular efforts for up to about 10 seconds

Question 22

Does creatine cause bloating?

Answer 22

Initially yes as it pulls water into the muscles along with increased muscle protein synethesis.

Question 23

What are the benefits of beta-alanine?

Answer 23

buffering capacity is increased, which allows an athlete to stave off soreness and continue working harder \ longer. IE more volume in strength training. Seems very beneficial for HIIT

Question 24

What can increased nitric oxide production in the body and what is a good natural source?

Answer 24

improves times to exhaustion, time trial performance and reduction in oxygen performance

beets

Question 25

When is caffeine the most effective?

Answer 25

For endurance athletes.

Question 26

What might leucine be able to do (with more confirmed studies)?

Answer 26

have anti-catabolic effects that benefit recovery from exercise and promote muscle growth.

Question 27

What does blood doping and EPO do?

Answer 27

increase VO2 max unnaturally