• csolisr@hub.azkware.net
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    1 day ago

    Oh, and furthermore: jacking up a la Broly is actually a terrible idea for swimming specifically, because the extra bulging muscle is actually inefficient for hydrodynamic drag.

    • SamuraiBeandog@lemmy.world
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      18 hours ago

      I read an article a little while ago about one of the swimmers who was training for these games and it talked about exactly this, how the changes to his body shape and composition were bigger drawbacks than the added strength from the enhancements.

      If this event ends up going for a while and has enough interest I would expect people to figure out an optimal way to dope to find the balance.

      • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
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        2 hours ago

        Steroids that make you bigger are the main public understanding of PEDs, but there are plenty of other types that increase stamina or speed recovery from individual races. 10% more blood flow would be huge for a long swimming event than more muscle mass.

      • JcbAzPx@lemmy.world
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        13 hours ago

        The advancements will be to the suit. It will become more like speed submarining than swimming.

    • nomecks@lemmy.wtf
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      17 hours ago

      That’s just them taking the wrong performance enhancing drugs. I would imagine that something that would lead to huge swelling of the hands and feet might be good for increasing how much water they can push against.

      • optimisticturtle@lemmy.world
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        15 hours ago

        something that would lead to huge swelling of the hands and feet might be good for increasing how much water they can push against.

        HGH does that.

      • csolisr@hub.azkware.net
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        1 day ago

        Yes, generally, but at a certain point, the amount of energy gained from sheer muscle is unfortunately negated by the amount of drag from the muscle’s additional volume. That’s why most swimmers are relatively lean, with good core muscles.

          • csolisr@hub.azkware.net
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            1 day ago

            Yeah, an energy boosting substance should be more apt for quick sprints. Again, as I mentioned above, most of the “enhanced” athletes are coming back from retirement - giving 120% from a degraded muscle can (and here, did) give less of a payback than giving 100% from a muscle in its prime.

            • SamuraiBeandog@lemmy.world
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              18 hours ago

              Yeah, an energy boosting substance should be more apt for quick sprints.

              The opposite I think, meth doesn’t magically make you stronger or faster (it just feels like it does) but it keeps you going for longer.

              • NannerBanner@literature.cafe
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                14 hours ago

                but it keeps you going for longer.

                Specifically, mentally going. The majority of olympic level athletes are not ‘flagging’ due to not being able to keep their mental focus while pushing through pain/fatigue, it’s due to actual physiological reasons as your energy stores deplete and muscles suffer damage.