Powerlifting

[NickR33]

good read

went down to IE and got a pair of Do Wins on my lunch break... Metal soft suite is also on its way along with some deadlifting slippers

Markos can I work out in the Do Wins... meaning can I do assistance, pressing, rowing etc in them or should I change out of them as soon as I'm done squatting?

[TTT]

For me the heel kind of feels weird for anything other than squatting.

They won't break if that's what you mean.. lol.

[markos]

Gareth wears them for everything, including deadlifts

Go by how they feel

[markos]

PTC NEWSLETTER

# 172

HAS DRUG TESTING RUINED SPORT?

Before you start reading this, please understand these are my own personal views. I understand this is a touchy subject, and this will be the most controversial newsletter ever. I’ve never shied away from controversy and speaking my mind, so I’m not about to now. You’ve been warned.

Lance Armstrong cheated. It’s all over the news, everyone has an opinion on the subject. Here is mine. Yes, on the evidence put forward by USADA officials and team mates, Lance probably used performance enhancing drugs (PED). His sport classifies them as illegal and anyone that uses PED is a cheat. Would Lance have won without them? Possibly not. Would Lance have won if everyone was clean? I believe he would. Is everyone clean on the Tour, absolutely not.

Here is a little history on PED in sport, let’s start with the 1800’s

"The modern applications [of drug use in sports] began in the late nineteenth century, with preparations made from the coca leaf -- the source of cocaine and related alkaloids. Vin Mariani, a widely used mixture of coca leaf extract and wine, was even called 'the wine for athletes.' It was used by French cyclists and... by a champion lacrosse team. Coca and cocaine were popular because they staved off the sense of fatigue and hunger brought on by prolonged exertion."

Thomas H. Murray, PhD "The Coercive Power of Drugs in Sports," The Hastings Center Report, Aug. 1983

"In 1904 Olympics marathon runner, Thomas Hicks, was using a mixture of brandy and strychnine [a stimulant that is fatal in high doses] and nearly died. Mixtures of strychnine, heroin, cocaine, and caffeine were used widely by athletes and each coach or team developed its own unique secret formulae. This was common practice until heroin and cocaine became available only by prescription in the 1920s."

Mark S. Gold, MD Performance-Enhancing Medications and Drugs of Abuse, 1992

"The first 'effective' performance enhancing drugs, the amphetamines, which were used widely by soldiers in the Second World War, crossed over into sports in the early 1950s. These drugs -- nicknamed la bomba by Italian cyclists and atoom by Dutch cyclists -- minimize the uncomfortable sensations of fatigue during exercise."

Timothy Noakes, MD, DSc "Tainted Glory - Doping and Athletic Performance," New England Journal of Medicine, Aug. 26, 2004

1958 - The "Godfather of Steroids," Dr. John Bosley Zieglar, creates an anabolic steroid called Dianabol that is released by Ciba Pharmaceuticals with FDA approval. Dr. Zieglar noted the success of the Russian weightlifting team due to the use of testosterone in 1954 and began experimenting on US weightlifters. His creation synthesizes the strength-building properties of testosterone while minimizing the negative health effects.

Close to his death in 1983, Dr. Zieglar speaks out against his invention and says he wishes he had never created the anabolic steroid after seeing athletes abuse the drug.

Justin Peters "The Man Behind the Juice," Slate.com, Feb. 18, 2005

1960 - Danish cyclist, Knut Jensen, dies on Aug. 26, 1960 at the Summer Olympics in Rome during the 100km team time trial race. His collapse, which fractured his skull, is initially thought to be caused by the high temperatures that day. His autopsy, however, reveals traces of an amphetamine called Ronicol. Jensen is the second athlete ever to die during Olympic competition (the first was a marathon runner in 1912 who died from heat exhaustion).

NBC (National Broadcasting Corporation) "Cycling: Inside This Sport: History," www.nbcolympics.com (accessed May 13, 2009)

1967 - British cyclist Tommy Simpson, named Sports Personality of the Year by the BBC in 1965, dies during the 13th stage of the Tour de France on July 13, 1967. The cyclist, whose motto was allegedly "if it takes ten to kill you, take nine and win," consumes excess amounts of amphetamines and brandy to combat the effects of an illness and he continues to ride until his body shuts down.

Simpson's death creates pressure for sporting agencies to take action against doping.

Matt Slater "Gene Doping - Sport's Next Big Challenge," bbc.co.uk, June 12, 2008

1967 - Partly in reaction to Tommy Simpson's death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) establishes the Medical Commission to fight against doping in sports. The Commission is given three guiding principles: protection of the health of athletes, respect for medical and sport ethics, and equality for all competing athletes.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) "The Medical Commission," www.olympic.org (accessed June 3, 2009)

1968 - "The IOC instituted its first compulsory doping controls at the Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France in 1968 and again at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City in the same year. At that time the list of banned substances issued in 1967 included narcotic analgesics and stimulants, which comprised sympathomimetic amines, psychomotor stimulants and miscellaneous central nervous system stimulants [including alcohol]. Although it was suspected that androgenic anabolic steroids were being used at this time, testing methods were insufficiently developed to warrant the inclusion of anabolic steroids in the list of banned substances."

David R. Mottram, PhD Michele Verroken, MA "Doping Control in Sport," Doping in Sports, 2005

I hope you bothered to read all that. Athletes have been trying to get an edge from Day One. That’s the nature of the athlete. I know some will say it’s cheating, that using PED in drug tested sports to win is not in the spirit of sport. I agree 100%. So let’s not test. Clearly it does not stop an athlete from trying to find the substance that gives him the edge. Nothing scares them, not death, not jail, not humiliation. Nothing scares them, not death, not jail, not humiliation. Nothing scares them, not death, not jail, not humiliation. History tells us that, but we don’t learn from history so were doomed to repeat it, that’s why I kept repeating myself.

So if we test, hoping to stop athletes from using PED’s, and they’re still using, what have we accomplished with the billions of dollars used by drug testing agencies around the world? Not much. I say let’s put those dollars into education about drugs, not PED, recreational drugs, the ones that actually harm society. Lance has harmed no one, but everyone knows his name and what he’s done, he took PED in a sport they’re not allowed, and won by beating others who also used and tested positive to the same PED. Let’s string him up.

I pay money to watch sport. An athlete that takes PED to give me a better show, if caught, will be banned and humiliated. An athlete that takes performance reducing drugs (PRD), like tobacco and alcohol, is free to do as he likes, robbing me of watching the best a human can achieve, and he is not reprimanded in any way, in some cases he is lauded as one of the boys. Think of Carlton 1979 – 1982 AFL teams.

Does this not seem wrong? I know it’s because governments make billions of dollars from taxes on the these PRD, then gives the dollars to agencies to try and catch those using PED, strange. So effectively, the local footballer at the pub getting smashed is funding ASADA to catch the AFL star that uses PED. I know who I’d rather pay to go and watch.

I’m of the opinion, if we can’t catch everyone, let’s not catch anyone. If we can’t create a level playing field, let’s not tamper at all. AFL boss Ange Demetriou summed it up perfectly this week in regards to the AFL draw. Those outside the sport may not know, but we have 18 teams and 22 games, so some teams meet twice during the year. Not perfect or level, by a long way. But the best 4 teams seem to play in the Preliminary final every year, the best 2 teams always seem to meet in the Grand Final. It’s very odd, but you know what, the best will always be the best, no matter what.

Lance is the best. Ben Johnson was the best. Ben Johnson won the “dirtiest” race in Olympic History, where 7 of the 8 athletes later tested positive to PED, including the podium, Linford Christie and Carl Lewis, yet he is the best known “cheat”. I don’t like that word at all.

So we are under no illusion that the best athletes in the sport would still be the best, regardless of testing. So why test?

I know some say it’s for the athlete’s heath. Really? Lets jab a player with pain killing injections at every break, just so he can win the game for us, his health is of little concern as he continues to damage that knee as he can’t feel any pain. Athlete’s health, what a joke. I listened to an interview with a Tour rider who confessed to using PED. He was asked if he thinks they’ve caused damage to his health, he said not as much as crashing his bike has. Sport is dangerous, it’s why we enjoy playing and watching. I watched a video recently where a powerlifter bench pressing dropped a bar on his chest, and he died. I watched a documentary on a college kid playing gridiron, an innocuous tackle has left him a quadriplegic. Everyone knows sport is dangerous.

If PED were legal, athletes could take them under the supervision of medical experts. If we allow 18 year old kids to drink and smoke, using the two biggest killers (drugs) in society without medical supervision, surely our athletes can use PED under supervision with minimal risks.

So why don’t we? If an athlete wrecks his ACL, he is out of the game for a year. He suffers, his team suffers, the game suffers, the fan suffers. Why not allow him to take PED under medical supervision to speed recovery, even making sure he can’t play again till the drugs are out of his system. Is that cheating, is it really enhancing his performance?

Recently a young local footballer purchased a pre game stimulant over the counter from a health food shop, legally. Not knowing it contained a substance banned by ASADA, he tested positive and was kicked out of the game for 12 months. “Spud” was devastated, he has put on weight, got depressed and may not play again. For what? For using a stimulant that had the effect of a couple of cups of double strength coffee. Doesn’t seem fair, does it? My lifters were using the exact same compound at the time, but they don’t lift in a drug tested sport.

Earlier this year a neighbour ruptured his Achilles heel. He was booked to go on a holiday, but his leg was in plaster and he was on crutches. He came over and he asked if I knew any exercises that could speed his recovery. I told him he should consider using anabolic steroids for their intended use, therapy. I gave him some information, he did his research, and began steroid therapy, a tiny dose.

Three weeks later the plaster and crutches are gone, he’s off to Bali, his doctor reckons it’s a miracle. He never told his doctor the miracle is called Testosterone and Deca. The neighbour is so happy. He is actually a local sportsman, and he asks me why footballers don’t use them when they get injured. Stupid isn’t it?

Now closer to home, my sport, powerlifting, has been torn apart because of drug testing. Once upon a time there was one Fed, all over the World, in the mid 80’s that Fed introduced drug testing. There were lifters who weren’t happy, so they started another Fed, and another, and another. There are over 50 Feds worldwide, we can no longer have a World Champion, but at least we have, well, at our recent Worlds, 250 lifters got Gold Medals. Not too bad, thats just one Fed, in November another 4-5 Feds are holding their Worlds in Las Vegas, should be a couple of thousand lifters with Gold Medals this year in powerlifting. Awesome.

Drug testing has absolutely destroyed my sport, in Australia, right up to 1990, we had one Fed. I watched as our Nationals in 1990 were covered on the news with a story of a Tasmanian lifter who was coming to the South Side Six in Moorabbin to beat Adam Coe at the 1990 Nationals. Never happened, but drug testers burst into the venue and our sport has never been the same again in Australia.

Solution? I believe every sport should have a tested Fed and a non tested Fed, give athletes and fans a choice. Make tested amateur and non tested pro, no incentive to cheat now.

If Lance had the same choice, the media would have nothing to talk about.

Sadly, this will never happen, no money in it, and that drives everything.

Markos Markopoulos

[TTT]

where can I get roids to fix my sore shoulder, elbow, back, knees and vagina?

[NickR33]

For me the heel kind of feels weird for anything other than squatting.

They won't break if that's what you mean.. lol.

haha no I just didn't want to create any weird muscle imbalances... they feel great, I don't even notice the raised sole

what pisses me off most about drugs in sport is now there's so much skeptisism... everyone just assumes that if you do something spectacular you must be taking drugs... I guess it isn't a big deal but it must annoy the shit out of the top guys who have achieved greatness without doping... and all the 'roids' comments from uneducated fckwits any time someone performs exceptionally drives me mad

so if you were Armstrong would you take say 1 Tour victory that stood forever or 7 that were then stripped years later? I'd take the 1 but then hindsight is good like that;)

[markos]

The big question is, has anyone ever ridden a 10 speed in France that wasnt on the juice lol

[R31Nismoid]

Interesting article Markos. I wouldn't say controversial though, logical if anything realistically.

What is your void on steroids overall though however? I think that's where more of the distinction is made for most people with the old for/against/indifferent

[markos]

I'm pro choice

[markos]

As for my use, I lifted for 16 years before I tried them, after I tore my pec.

Nowdays a lifter trains for 16 minutes and he feels he's paid his dues.

I was 34yo

[R31Nismoid]

I'm pro choice

Write an article around that then if you want to be controversial

[Birds]

I have for a long time said to open the gates for athletes to do whatever they want. If someone is willing to risk their health for their sport, I say they just wanted the victory more. Athletes do this anyway, devoting their lives and sacrificing their health for what they do - I think if you asked an elite athlete whether they would use PEDs, personal health would be far down the list of their considerations. People risk their lives doing dangerous maneuvers in racing, why not other sports?

To have a ban on steroids is, to me, like drawing a line at a random point in some very grey sand. Are man made proteins and other supplementation part of cheating too? Same deal with nitrous oxide...people say its cheating because it's a cheap gateway to big power gains...as if turbos, superchargers, E85, meth injection aren't.

Banning PEDs also supports the idea of capitalist sport, where only those with the money to do it can afford to bribe people or pay for things that pass current tests.

And a closing question: what's to stop an athlete from getting on juice and getting off just in time to pass tests? I'm sure a lot do this anyway. Surely you wouldn't lose all your gains from being on it and then stopping, coming up to on-season. So what do tests reveal exactly?

[markos]

The last part, random testing was introduced the day Flo Jo retired, coincidence lol

Her 100m WR will NEVER be touched. Marion Jones didnt get close and she was on the squirt

Steve Pritchard gets tested over a dozen times a year out of competition, and they arent going to Altona for the views

[Mitcho_7]

I think the two different governing bodies for a sport wouldn't be a bad idea, one with drugs and one without, but the expense of it will prevent it from happening.

I'd really like to see how far the human body can be pushed with PEDs.

In terms of steroid use for bodybuilding and powerlifting, I think they should only become an option when you have reached your genetic limit.

[R31Nismoid]

How would the expense prevent it?

It would greatly reduce the policing costs, not eliminate as people would still try and cheat in the clean leagues, but just factor into the contracts 400k payments if caught with a list of banned substances, would soon fix that shit right up and make sure the people that are clean - stay clean.

[Mitcho_7]

Well I'm just imaging it's expensive to run a professional league with all the associated costs and is the market big enough for two sports that are the exact same to make both leagues sustainable over the long term?

Edited October 24, 2012 by Mitcho_7

[Nee-san]

The big question is, has anyone ever ridden a 10 speed in France that wasnt on the juice lol

No.

You really have to define what a "level playing field" actually means.

if you think about it, is it fair play if one player or team finds a training method that gives them a clear performance advantage, is that not in the spirit of competition ?

Why do we merely restrict it to the pharmaceutical side of training ?

One thing I will say is that cycling is has long been the whipping boy of the PED debate.

One could argue that PED's are banned so that competitors don't HAVE to use them to win, this would not be the case with a completely free market/open slather interpretation of that "sporting chance" really means.

Let us not forget that many of these drugs can and are harmful to your health, and of course open to misuse and abuse.

Birds, to answer your question, in many cases there was nothing to stop you from using PED in your training previous to major events.

This is no longer the case with very thorough random screening systems in and out of off season.

For example, I believe cyclist must declare their intentions to return to competition at least 6 months out from the entry date.

This is so they can be monitored and returned into the testing schedule to prevent the situation you have described.

Now, for the drugs themselves, Obviously as you would know through your studies many have various chemical half lives or "glow time" as it is called.

This is the time the drug is detectable within your system/piss.

Using cycling as an example, I know that the testing for synthetic EPO has become much more advanced even over the last 10 years, but still teams found a way around it (as with US Postal and their microdosing technique)

It's also interesting to note that the drawing and re-infusion of blood samples is completely undetectable, how the hell can you ever prevent this ?

Where is Terry in all of this ? he would be the man to ask.

[NickR33]

Interesting point about Flo Jo... I actually think drug use is potentially more harmful in women's sport... those that use PED's to increase their testosterone are almost unbeatable by women training clean... the gap is MUCH wider than in men's sport

did you see some of the 'women' weightlifters at the olympics... you don't need drug testing to know that something wasn't right there lol

[Birds]

You can just sense that in some of those countries the parents have fed their kid testosterone from age 6 lol.

[markos]

I dont think Jamaica has a drug testing agency such as ASADA or USADA meaning WADA have to send officials there for testing, someone can research that.

Lots of the Eastern European countries dont test athletes year round

I know a guy who took an injection of IGF-1 and passed ASADA's drug test the next day, some compounds still dont show up on tests

Australia possibly has the toughest testing procedures

The 2 leagues thing. The best players would gravitate to the non tested one as thats where the dollars and fans will be.

I love football, but for $10,000,000 I couldnt name the 2 teams that played in the Amatuers Grand final in 2012 or ANY year.

Ash is correct in that all the money we pour into testing could be used better.

If there is no money in the tested amatuer division, why cheat, no one will even know you won, or care

If the MCG had the non tested $1,000,000 100m final and over the road was the tested amatuer 100m final, where do you think the crowd will be?