Mark Sisson Talks About Doping In Elite Sport (With Comments From Brad About Doping In Real Life)

You’re going to love this rebroadcast of a discussion Mark Sisson and I had about the very complex issue of doping in sports.

You won’t find a more knowledgeable and free-thinking expert than Mark—he served for a long time as the Chair of the Anti-Doping commission for the sport of triathlon and this issue has continued to pervade sports till this day. It’s such a controversial subject, one that is largely misunderstood by the public, and you’ll hear us talk about major doping cases and the details of the different cases, if sports are still clean, and why the problem is more nuanced than people realize.

We also talk about the danger of taking shortcuts, how neglecting to optimize lifestyle factors can lead to your body easily converting excess testosterone into estrogen through a process called aromatization, and Mark explains the inconsistencies that exist in the testing procedures and random demarcation lines for what constitutes a performance enhancing substance (e.g., Gatorade enhances performance when you are thirsty!). We also discuss how the public perception that certain athletes cheat to gain an advantage is actually a more complex cultural issue than a true morality weakness. 

Mark offers an interesting perspective—that we might view modern pro sports as theater—a theatrical event in which athletes perform for the pleasure of fans, with big money on the line, and this is why we will always be fighting a battle (perhaps a losing one) against dopers who may remain a step ahead of the testing efforts. We also talk about the hypocrisy of a society where the use of “performance enhancing” substances (like caffeine or prescription drugs to treat ADHD) is viewed differently than an athlete trying to recover faster.

 

TIMESTAMPS:

The hot topic of performance-enhancing drugs, testosterone replacement therapy, doping and cheating are on Brad’s mind. [01:11]

Currently we see widespread use of EPO in endurance sports. [02:06]

The athlete in a drug-laden professional sport is faced with three choices. [04:29]

The use of performance enhancing drugs is pervasive. [08:08]

Hormone replacement therapy is good for advanced aged group but is filtering down to young people in their 20s. [13:41]

During Brad’s racing career, he opted to be free of any outside intervention because he wanted to feel what his current state of readiness and recovery was. [14:59]

Abuse of any drugs is dangerous. [18:10]

Brad’s aversion to outside intervention includes healing from surgeries. [20:41]

A lot of the prescription drugs and the massive profits the drug companies make comes from relief of symptoms rather than addressing the root cause of the problem. [24:46]

Exhaust all possible natural strategies before you even form the thought of bringing in outside intervention into your physiology. [27:40]

If you're training at the elite level in professional triathlon or CrossFit games like the most extreme athletes are doing, those performance enhancing drugs are possibly minimizing the adverse health consequences of the extreme regimen that you are performing. [37:27]

There is a lot of research going on looking at testosterone replacement therapy for prostate cancer patients that might prove interesting.  [40:28]

 

The only justification for someone who's not already in pretty good health and fitness level to try a hormone replacement is to give a temporary boost so that you will have the energy to start doing some exercise, start doing some resistance training, start walking in order to change your body chemistry. [44:20]

 

LINKS:

Brad Kearns.com Brad’s Shopping page The Secret Race EPO, the Drug Podcast with Shelby Houlihan Plantar Fasciitis video Testosterone Optimization Therapy Bible

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