Creatine in Sports.

Creatine in Sports. One of the primary things athletes will do is put supplements into their body. These supplements range from protein shakes to illegal anabolic steroids. Some sports supplements are incredibly safe and effective, yet others work for a while and then fizzle out, while others still work well but do more damage than good in the long run. In the past, athletes had to turn to such things as anabolic steroids or blood doping (the process of taking out blood and adding oxygen to it and putting it back into your body in order to increase a persons endurance); however, these procedures have many downsides. Mainly, they are illegal and the athletes may be suspended from playing their perspective sport for using them, also they have many long term and short-term side effects. Athletes want every advantage they can receive and it is becoming harder and harder to compete at a higher level not using any supplements. One of the most popular and effective sports supplements on the market today is Creatine Monohydrate. A supplement company called Experimental and Applied Sciences first introduced creatine in 1993. Since that time it has become one of the most demanded and controversial items on the market. Creatine is a nutrient that is found in many foods. It is most highly concentrated in lean red meat. A half-pound of red meat contains about two grams of creatine. Every

  • Word count: 1345
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
Access this essay

Sport psychology is practiced by psychologists specializing in the domain of sport psychology and by sport scientists specializing in psychological aspects of sport and the athlete.

INTRODUCTION Sport psychology is practiced by psychologists specializing in the domain of sport psychology and by sport scientists specializing in psychological aspects of sport and the athlete. It concerns itself with the maximization of sporting performance by developing the mental strength and addressing the general psychological well being of athletes. Sports psychologists from both backgrounds, have most often worked with athletes on mental or psychological skills training, which deals with topics such as motivation, confidence, arousal control, concentration, mental rehearsal, and life skills; usually addressed through an educational approach. Additionally, psychologists have become involved in a range of clinical issues with athletes and interpersonal issues between members of a team or between coaches and athletes. However, intuition and clinical experience are also drawn upon, especially when there is no document theory of significant research findings to guide invention. From a psychological perspective, athletes are best considered first as the same as non-athletes. Athletes have the same amount of psychological problems as non-athletes, although they do tend to have certain problems (e.g. eating disorders) a little more than the general population, while a slightly lower rate of chronic mental health problems (e.g. schizophrenia). PERSONALITY Definitions *

  • Word count: 6844
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
Access this essay

Are professional sport stars paid too much?

Are professional sport stars paid too much? So are professional sports stars paid too much? This question crops up a lot in every day conversation. Sports stars become great role models for our children and are people we look up to, almost god-like. In Florence outside Fiorentina's Artemo Franchi stadium stands a statue for former player Gabrielle Batistuta. More to the point do you agree with the ridiculous salaries these players are on? I don't as these stars are doing something that they enjoy and are getting paid huge amounts for it. They get paid more than our emergency services, which is unbelievable considering they save lives. Soccer players, American football players, hockey and baseball players all get paid huge amounts of money; some are in excess of £100,000 per week. During the summer two years ago Sol Campbell indicated he would be leaving Tottenham Hotspur on the Bosman Ruling and before signing for Arsenal, Italian giants Inter Milan offered him £100,000 per week tax free. In the National Football League (NFL) Alex Rodriguez of Texas Rangers is on $22 million each year and in Major League Baseball (MLB) Mammy Ramirez of the New York Yankees signed a contract recently worth $25.2 million a year for 8 years. However don't fool yourself that all footballers or baseball players get paid that much because most don't. Only a small percentage do. These sports

  • Word count: 1451
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
Access this essay

Does counter-movement effect jump performance and does using the arms further this improvement when performing a vertical jump?

Does counter-movement effect jump performance and does using the arms further this improvement when performing a vertical jump? Introduction: Vertical jumping contributes to performance in almost all sports, obviously some sports such as basketball use it a lot more that other sports such as tennis. When performing a motor task such as jumping, human beings typically start with countermovement (CM), CM can be described as a quick bend of the knees during which the body's centre of mass drops before being propelled upwards (Harman et al, 1990). There is evidence to support that task performance is improved with CM, for instance, it has been shown that subjects achieve a greater jump height with CM than without. This is because subjects are able to produce more work and/or use the work more effectively in a countermovement jump (CMJ) than a non-CMJ (Bobbert et al, 1996). Researchers to date have proposed different theories as to why CM has a positive effect on vertical jump performance. Enoka (1988) cited in Harman (1990) proposed the performance enhancing effects of the countermovement is that concentric contraction immediately following an eccentric stretch begins with the muscle already under considerable tension, making more chemical energy available for generation of force. A later study conducted by Harman et al (1990) proposed that CM use's the stretch-shortening

  • Word count: 2704
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
Access this essay

Athlete Burnout

Athlete 'Burnout' is increasingly becoming a major factor that negatively influences high level performance across a diverse num,ber of sporting disciplines. Introduction The psychological term 'burnout' first started to appear in the media in the 1970's, early research focused particularly on burnout within professions such as nursing and law enforcement. Since that time burnout is now recognized as a growing problem in professional sport, with an increasing number of games and competitions in this now multi-million pound industry, the pressure to succeed is greater than ever before. This essay will examine burnout within a sporting context, early research in sport focused on the overtraining syndrome which primarily looked at the associated physical signs and symptoms, however it is now recognized that overtraining can be linked to a complex interaction of physiological and psychological stresses leading to a state known as burnout (Cresswell and Eklund, 2003; Weinberg and Gould, 2003). In order for an individual to function optimally, it requires an ability to balance physical and mental stresses in equilibrium; if an individual has an overload in either it can severely affect the other state leaving the individual more susceptible to burnout. Figure 1-Factors of Burnout Theoretical explanation of Athletic Burnout Burnout is a complex multi-dimensional concept which

  • Word count: 2668
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
Access this essay

A Critical evaluation of how my learning experiences from the module; Participation and Challenge in Games across the Inclusion Spectrum might impact on my future professional practice.

A Critical evaluation of how my learning experiences from the module; Participation and Challenge in Games across the Inclusion Spectrum might impact on my future professional practice. Word count: 1498 Contents Report Evidence booklet 2 Driving up participation 3-4 games and young performers 5-10 mini team games 2-13 success indicators 4-15 zone hockey and badminton 7-19 learning from eachother 20 experiencing and reflecting on adapted games 23 - 25 wheelchair basketball 27 an international perspective 36-39 blind cricket and goal ball Benefits of sports participation The Disability survey (2000) explains the effects that sport can have on young people; 'Participation in sport has the potential to promote the social inclusion of disabled young people and increase their self-esteem. Sport and exercise offer the possibility of overcoming the stigma often associated with disability. Participation can provide the context within which young people exceed the expectations associated with their disability through demonstrations of physical skills or fitness, so emphasising an alternative, more positive, picture of the body and the self.' (www.sportengland.org.uk) Throughout the module I have learnt and experienced a variety of methods when modifying and using adapted games which are developed to cater for a vast audience of participants including wheelchair

  • Word count: 1821
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
Access this essay

Cardiorespiratory Exercise Program.

Brad Crane Professor Josey Lifetime Fitness December 13, 2002 Cardiorespiratory Exercise Program I. Obtain Medical Clearance - I am under the age of 40. I have no signs of Cardiocascular diseases. I have had a physical within the last year and I do not smoke. To my knowledge there has been no problems with hypertension or bloodpressure in my family. Also, none of my family members smoke, therefore I am medically clear to proceed with my cardiorespiratory exercise program. II. Assess Overall Fitness - In class we tested all five of the health components of fitness: Cardiorespiratory endurance, Muscular strength, Muscular endurance, Flexibility, and Body Composition. To test Cardiorespiratory endurance we did the 12 minute run/walk in the gym. I ran 29 laps, which is about 1 3/4 miles. This is a respectable amount in the time given. To test Muscular endurance we did as many sit-ups that we could do in a minute. I did 45, which is good for my age (18). For the Muscular strength test we did as many push-ups that we could do in a row. I did 40 which is slightly below the average for someone my age. We did the sit and reach to test Flexibility. I reached 17 inches. This was good and one of the farthest in my class. To test our Body composition we used the Body mass index. I scored a 20, which is good for my age. III. Set a Goal

  • Word count: 500
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
Access this essay

To become the best one must follow a path of hard work and dedication. Most people follow the quickest or easiest path. Many people take short cuts in life looking for an easy way out. When things get hard, they quit

Sanjay Iyer College Writing Quote Paper "You wanted this case, well you've got it. It isn't easy saving the world even one case at a time, but you stick with it. You might have a knack for it. Don't do what I did. Don't quit." To become the best one must follow a path of hard work and dedication. Most people follow the quickest or easiest path. Many people take short cuts in life looking for an easy way out. When things get hard, they quit. Then they find an excuse or someone to blame for their misfortune. It can be difficult to stay motivated when work becomes a grueling every day task. Those who are dedicated persevere through the hard times and succeed. Whatever you want to be the best at, three things you must have are a good work ethic, focused mindset, and a detailed plan. Some people are natural athletes. They've always been the fastest sprinters or the highest jumpers. However many of these people become slackers on teams because they don't feel the need to practice as hard as the other players. Over time those less talented with a strong work ethic will surpass the others in skill. To truly become the best, one must workout everyday. When everyone else is out partying, you are working out. The most important thing to remember is to practice at game speed. Many people workout at a half-assed speed. Then these people wonder why they played so bad come game time.

  • Word count: 638
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
Access this essay

Continued study in the field of Sports and Exercise Science will be a challenge that I look forward to as I am determined to further develop

While studying Physical Education and Human Biology at A level, my passion in sport and its relation with the human body has continued to grow and develop. As a keen sportsman I want to develop a career in the sports industry, using the knowledge gained through study to enhance my opportunities in this exciting area. I have also become more and more interested in the multiple factors influencing the performance of a person engaged in sport, from an occasional participant, through to club level and onto elite level athletes. These are factors that we have been investigating in detail through A level Physical Education. Studying Chemistry and Human Biology at A Level has developed my practical skills further, as a result of the many and varied experiments conducted in the laboratory. Additionally, I have gained valuable analysis and evaluation skills through this practical work, due to the need to analyse and evaluate the data retrieved from experiments, and interpreting this data into a meaningful conclusion. Human Biology has allowed me to expand my knowledge of the human body in many different ways, including how the human body operates, the factors which can influence it, and the way it responds to exercise. Of particular interest to me are the different aspects of sport science, for example, how performance is influenced by external factors such as nutrition and

  • Word count: 578
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
Access this essay

Forces Applied to Swimming

Contents Introduction 5 Form Drag 5 Surface Drag 5 Wave Drag 6 Forces Applied to Swimming 6 Conclusion 9 Bibliography 10 Introduction This project report will show a description of three types of drag. There are three types of drag, this has been supported by McMaster, "They include form drag, wave drag, and frictional drag.". Once they have been described they will be explained. Once explained they will be applied to a sporting situation, The sport that they will be applied to is swimming. This is because the three types of drag that will be explained are most commonly found in a sport like swimming. This report will show how drag occurs in swimming, it will also show how you can reduce the three types of drag to your advantage. Form Drag Form drag is determined by the shape or size of the athlete or object. It can also be called shape drag, profile drag, or pressure drag. This has been supported by Carr, G, "Form drag, also called shape drag, profile drag, and pressure drag, is produced by the shape and size of an athlete or an object." The quicker that you travel, the more form drag is formed. To stop this athletes will streamline themselves, so that the air travels around them. "An area of

  • Word count: 1398
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
Access this essay