The beep fitness test should not be taken lightly. It is a maximal test, which means the participants are required to go as hard as they can for as long as they can (though they do not always do this). This was highlighted recently when 27 year old Welsh man Adam Rumming died while performing the bleep test as part of an army fitness test at the Sandhurst Academy where elite British Army officers are trained. He is believed to have had an undiagnosed heart problem, which is often the case for sudden death during exercise in seemingly healthy young people. If you are ever in charge of conducting fitness testing, particularly exhausting tests, you should exclude anyone with a fever or other risky medical condition, or even better get them to complete a PAR-Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire).
Rob's Sports, Fitness & Science Blog
Entries Tagged as 'Sports Medicine'
The Beep Test Can Kill
January 30th, 2011 · No Comments · Fitness, Rugby Union, Sports Medicine
Tags: beep test
A New Drug
October 3rd, 2008 · No Comments · Olympic Games, Sports Medicine
When any athlete beats their opposition by a large margin at the international level, there are always suspicions that an artificial aid has been used. I have always thought that when something is too good to be true, it often is. At the Olympic Games there were two athletes that dominated the opposition and surprised many: Bolt and Phelps. Why has the questions not been asked? As in many of these cases, time will tell, and then people may be saying ‘why did we not see it? It was right in front of my eyes”.
Related Pages: Doping in Sports, Michael Phelps Profile,
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Lance Armstrong Returns from the Dead
October 2nd, 2008 · No Comments · Cycling, Sports Medicine, Tour de France
Like Jesus, Lance Armstrong is set to rise again. The champion seven time winner of the Tour de France, he made a comeback from testicular cancer. After he retired from cycling, he tried resurrecting his sporting career as a marathon runner. He completed a few races over the last few years, though not spectacularly. He has now set his comeback on the bike for the Australian Tour Down Under early next year. At 36 years of age, can we expect him to perform as he has shown he can in the past? This is a time that can catch out an athlete, with the pressure to perform in an aging body, he may be drawn back to the world of drug taking to prime his body for the exertions of professional cycling. Don’t slip up Lance, as all the accolades from your successful career can be permanently tainted from a positive doping test.
Related Pages: Tour de France, cycling, Lance Armstrong profile
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Marion Jones – Catch me if you can
October 7th, 2007 · No Comments · Olympic Games, Sports Medicine, Track & Field
Marion Jones has found out that no matter how fast you are, you cannot run away from the truth. In hardly a surprise for many people, USA Sprinter Marion Jones admitted yesterday that she was a drug cheat. She had taken the designer steroid THG, which was also known as “the clear” by the BALCO laboratory. She had vehemently denied any wrong doing for a long time, under mounting evidence. I don’t know how she had remained clear for so long. Even the head of Balco, Victor Conte, who has repeatedly and publicly accused Jones of using drugs, was her personal “nutritionist” at the Sydney Olympics. Now and rightly so her reputation is in tatters, and she is apparently broke. She will lose many of her records and the medals she won at the Sydney Olympic Games. I have no sympathy for her. It makes me angry that I have to give these athletes the benefit of the doubt, when all the anecdotal evidence and rumours paint a dirty picture, but unfortunately the drug tests have failed to find any evidence, and they deny all the allegations. It make me think of the saying that “When something is too good to be true, it probably is”. When I watched her sprint away from the rest of the field in the 2000 Sydney Olympics 100 metre sprint, my first thought was that in such a competitive event that someone cannot be that much better than the next best sprinter in the world. And now it is shown that no one was, naturally. Even the second placegetter has subsequently been done for drugs, and who knows which other athletes in that field also had artificial enhancement. As I have said before, it is hard to enjoy watching some sports when my first thought is always whether the winner had taken drugs to get there. This applies at the least to cycling, track and field, and weight lifting.
Related Pages: Doping in Sports, Track & Field, Marion Jones profile, 2000 Olympic Games
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Drug Tests for Golfers
August 10th, 2007 · No Comments · Golf, Sports Medicine
Can golfers benefit from taking illicit drugs? One the surface many people would not believe that it could make much difference. Golf is a game of skill, and by the look of many golfers physical fitness is not a great factor. However, Tiger Woods, the best golfer at the moment and maybe the best ever, has led the way with his high level of fitness. Many young players may see that by artificially increasing their own fitness some of the riches of golf may be available to them.
There are a few areas in which some artificial enhancement could have an effect. Anabolic steroids can provide an advantage by increasing muscle strength. The stronger you are, the more acceleration you can generate in your swing and the further you can hit the ball. When you reach the putting green, another substance could be of assistance. Beta blockers can help the player relax or reduce tremors, and enable more control with your putting.
There has been talk of instigating drug testing for elite golfers. They should stop talking about it and do it now, as most major sports of the world already do. There does not need to be a major scandal for them to take action, which will only harm the sport. Putting a testing procedure in place will show the world that they are serious about the problem of drugs in sport, and show that all sports not immune to it.
Related Pages: golf, doping in sports, Tiger Woods profile
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Was Thorpe drug assisted?
March 30th, 2007 · 5 Comments · Sports Medicine, Swimming
Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe is arguably one of the greatest swimmers the world has ever seen. In November last year he announced his retirement from swimming after 10 years on the Australian team, citing that he has lost the desire. Today the news is that just prior to his announcement he may have tested positive for testosterone, and this has made people think that it may be related. French newspaper L’Equipe has reported that he showed abnormally high readings for testosterone and luteinizing hormone in 2006, and international swimming body FINA has appealed for a fresh investigation into that test. This could be a big reality check for swimming fans who think that the sport is clean. Everyone is human, and even “squeaky clean†Ian Thorpe could possibly succumb to the pressures to perform. We are yet to hear all the details, but hopefully such reports will keep both the drug testers and drug cheats on their toes and continue the cleaning up of drug use in sports.
Related Pages: Ian Thorpe, Swimming
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