No More Olympic World Records?

Following the close of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, many Performance drug free supplement researchers are pondering whether it is physically possible to best any standing world records. In fact, in the past 20 years, world records set during Olympic events have drastically decreased. Have we created such strong athletes that the bar can be raised no further?

A study performed by the National Institute of Sport and Physical Education in Paris recently revealed that prior to 1988, world records were being set at a fast pace during every Olympics competition. Advances in technology and a better understanding of physiology and sports nutrition allowed trainers to use the information to produce ultimate performance in elite endurance athletes. What was once a gradual progression beginning in the early years of the Olympics accelerated to reach a peak in the 70s and 80s.

Back in the early days, Olympic competitors performed in their various events but rarely outside of the international arena. Modern endurance athletes go about training and competing as a full-time job. This continual stress on the body and mind results in a glass ceiling in terms of performance.

Another factor is the type of sport. Fast-twitch muscle fibers enable an athlete to respond with ultimate power for short-term activity. Conversely, endurance athletes rely on slow-twitch muscles that allow them to retain stamina over the long run. The most common ways to increase performance in the endurance athlete involve constant training or chemical manipulation. Note: the research cited here does not take into account the fantastic results experienced with a drug-free supplement like Extreme Endurance which was clearly not a factor in the British Medical Bulletin report relating these findings.

In years past, many elite athletes turned to artificial enhancements provided by performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). When the International Olympic Committee instituted anti-doping testing in the 1970s, several notable athletes attempted to beat the system, resulting in the revocation of their medals. This was also a period of a high rate of world records being set.

So without the ability to use PEDs can the performance of Olympic athletes ever hope to top those previous world record times? The makers of Extreme Endurance believe that modern, drug free supplements are the key to enhancing performance and increasing the ability to achieve newer, greater heights in endurance sports. Short of genetic manipulation, this is the only way to attain optimum performance levels that once again wow the world.

The Role of Carbs in Endurance Sports

While the majority of people are consistently being warned about the dangers of eating too many carbohydrates and the negative effect on a spreading waistline, endurance athletes are a different breed.

Carbs fuel the body’s muscles. They are a vital part of an athlete’s diet, no matter if he or she specializes in weightlifting, strength training, or marathon running. The key to making carbohydrates work with your performance goals instead of against them is choosing the right foods and the right time to ingest them.

Everyone is undoubtedly aware that there are good carbs, and there are bad carbs. Endurance athletes can’t choose donuts and potato chips before a competition and expect to perform optimally. Grains, rice, and pasta starches along with beans and fruits provide the best form of fuel for the body. But even yogurt, soy products, and milk contain some carbs.

After digestion these carbohydrates are turned into glucose and enter the bloodstream. The liver and muscles store any glucose not immediately needed, turning it into glycogen. Obviously this is important for an endurance athlete to maintain long-term performance levels during a sport. Without sufficient glycogen levels, a competitor is bound to lose dexterity, precision, and hand-eye coordination essential to optimal functioning. The longer an event, the higher the number of carbohydrates that must be consumed.

Timing is a critical component. Of course, eating a high number of carbs right before competing is never a good idea. Instead, a nutrient-rich meal needs the proper time to digest and provide the muscles with necessary glycogen throughout the event. This means that three to four hours prior to competition is best for a large meal, followed by a carb-rich snack in the hour or two preceding the event’s start.

After competition performance, an energy drink that provides protein and carbohydrates will help the body recover quickly. Wait for a half hour but no longer than 60 minutes after exertion to best refuel glycogen starved organs.

The proper diet in conjunction with Extreme Endurance drug free supplements will result in optimum performance levels by buffering acid. Don’t forget to add the appropriate amount of carbohydrates to your training day meals.

Testing for Athletic Ability

In a previous post, we mentioned that a particular gene variant has been identified that provides an endurance athlete with the unique ability to perform at optimum levels over long periods of time. This exciting development has now been taken one step further. Atlas Gene Sports, a genetic testing company, provides a test that can determine if a budding young sports fanatic or an established athlete has the ACTN3 variant in his DNA makeup.

Unlike the NRF2 which provides long-lasting energy and anti-inflammatory effects, the ACTN3 gene relates the presence of fast-twitch muscle fibers; the variant shows the opposite. Fast-twitch muscle fibers allow for the greatest speed and quicker reaction while slow-twitch muscle fibers allow an athlete to endure over the long run.

Consequently, the presence of the NRF2 variant in two copies of the gene means that someone who enjoys athletics is more likely to achieve success in endurance sports. Because long distance and long duration activities require less power but more stamina, slow-twitch muscle fibers are better suited to these types of competitive sports.

President of Atlas Gene Sports Kevin Reilly stresses that the test does not determine which youngster will turn into a great athlete. Slow-twitch muscle fibers are not enough to achieve success; desire and motivation play strong roles in the development of an elite endurance athlete. The purpose of genetic testing is currently geared more toward the professional who wants the information to build an appropriate training regimen.

DNA testing costs $169 and can be performed on an individual as young as a year old. Hopefully, over-eager parents won’t be tempted to use the test in order to push their children into endurance sports they have no desire to participate in. However, as an aid for the elite athlete who wants to take their training to the next level, it could provide extremely important information.

Even Endurance Athletes Count Calories

Most people conceptualize endurance athletes as being a part of the general population that has no need to restrict their caloric intake. After all, they reason, these elite runners, swimmers, and cyclists burn through calories to the point where they need excesses of the normal RDA to fuel their bodies.

The reality is far different from this common misconception. According to a study of endurance athletes performed in 2009 and published by The Annals of Behavioral Medicine, a whopping 74% of them reported that they were “concerned” about their weight while 54% claimed to be “dissatisfied”.

While these results may be surprising to the average person, endurance athletes know that excess weight and body fat are the enemies when it comes to performance. In fact, aerobic capacity is at its optimum only when the body carries the lowest percentage of fat. This is due to muscles experiencing decreased competition from fat tissue for the precious fuel and oxygen supplied during extreme activity levels. Even an added five percent of overall body weight makes a difference; it can result in a correlating five percent decrease in performance. The more pounds a runner carries, for instance, the harder he or she must work to achieve the same speed as others of lower weight.

This does not mean that an endurance athlete should go on a diet; rather they should think about their caloric intake differently. A diet of lean proteins in low percentage, grains, fruits, and vegetables is vital for providing the body with necessary fuel while decreasing the amount of fat. As ETF Wellness Corp. states in their blog Pre and Post Workout Nutrition, “endurance athletes…whose primary concerns do not include increasing muscle mass” should be more concerned with protein ratio.

This is where the Extreme Endurance dietary supplement comes into play. By providing natural ingredients that help to prevent the buildup of acid during extreme activity, it works with a lean, mean body to increase performance. So just as food is fuel for the body, this drug free supplement is a fuel additive that helps diet work optimally.