Run, Swim, Throw, Cheat

The Science Behind Drugs in Sport

Chris Cooper

Looks at the performance of top athletes and considers the limitations of human performance
Explains how drugs work and the challenges of testing for them
Considers recent research with rats and mice to study physical limitations
Raises ethical questions for the future of sport and improving human performance

Run, Swim, Throw, Cheat

The Science Behind Drugs in Sport

Chris Cooper

Description

In the 2012 Summer Olympics, we will see athletes do extraordinary things. In most cases, their achievements can be attributed to hard work and natural talent. But some will take drugs to enhance their performance. Written by top biochemist Chris Cooper, Run, Swim, Throw, CHEAT explains how people have cheated in the past, how they cheat now, and how they will cheat in the future.

From anabolic steroids to human growth hormone and the blood booster EPO, Cooper separates the truth from the hype, revealing what works and what doesn't work. More disturbing, the book argues that science has barely touched the surface of performance enhancement; there are many, many drugs yet to be discovered. Future developments are limited only by our imagination, research funding, and, of course, ethics. Moreover, recent findings of genetic enhancements on animals show it is possible to create super animals that far outperform their peers, suggesting that the top human athletes of the future may get there via gene manipulation. Cooper also argues that drug testing is of necessity imperfect and the rules arbitrary. And it cannot succeed, as it will always fight a losing battle between doper and tester. But the alternative--free access to all chemical tools--is not necessarily desirable. Just because a war cannot be won, does not mean that surrendering will lead to better sport.

Cooper concludes that the problem of drugs in sports mirrors the problem of drugs in society--we may not like them, we may rage against them, but they are here to stay. No one should think there will ever be a time when athletes can be completely prevented from using chemistry to enhance their sports performance.

Run, Swim, Throw, Cheat

The Science Behind Drugs in Sport

Chris Cooper

Prologue: A tale of two races
1. Introduction
2. The limits of human performance
3. Stoking the fires of life: food
4. Stoking the fires of life: oxygen
5. Muscling up
6. Steroids and beyond...
7. Stimulants
8. Genetic doping
9. Catching the cheats: why?
10. Catching the cheats: how?
11. Conclusions

Run, Swim, Throw, Cheat

The Science Behind Drugs in Sport

Chris Cooper

Author Information

Chris Cooper is Head of Research, Sports and Exercise Science at the University of Essex.

Run, Swim, Throw, Cheat

The Science Behind Drugs in Sport

Chris Cooper

From Our Blog

Short answers to snappy questions about sports doping

Largely because of the furor about the Chinese swimmer, Ye Shewin, I have spent a lot of time in TV and radio studios recently. My book, Run, Swim, Throw, Cheat is really about the science of doping now and what could happen in the future. But of course I get asked a lot of more general questions as well. I thought I would indicate the most common queries and my thoughts here:

Posted on August 23, 2012

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Test Your Smarts on Dope

By Leslie Taylor Why are certain substances used? How are they detected? Do they truly have an effect on the body? Cooper explains how drugs designed to improve physical ability -- from anabolic steroids to human growth hormone and the blood booster EPO -- work and the challenges of testing for them, putting in to context whether the 'doping' methods of choice are worth the risk or the effort. Showing the basic problems of human biochemistry, physiology, and anatomy, he looks at what stops us running faster, throwing longer, or jumping higher. Using these evidence-based arguments he shows what the body can, and cannot, do.

Posted on August 3, 2012

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The science behind drugs in sport

What is cheating? What drug compounds for performance enhancement are legal and why? Why do the sports drug classification systems change all the time? If all the chemical were legal, what effect would this have on sport? Biochemist and author Chris Cooper explores the biological, moral, political, and ethical issues involved in controlling drug use in sports.

Posted on August 10, 2012

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