Effects of Training and Genetics on Elite Athletes Essay

Every elite athlete makes it look easy. Splashing through the water or striding gracefully down the track making it look effortless. Some people assume they are â€Å"naturals,† that their perfect DNA sequence is what has brought them to this level. Others argue that hard work and drive is what has made the difference, separating the elite from the average. These thoughts are the ones that give rise to the age-old nature vs. nurture debate. Countless hours of studies and research has concluded: it’s both. High performance sports consultant Ross Tucker puts it this way, â€Å"The science of success is about the coming together of dozens, perhaps hundreds of factors† (1). The relationship of such factors, including genetics, types and lengths of†¦show more content†¦In fact, there is a high probability that there isn’t one at all (4). More than likely, there is a group of genes that interact with each other in just the right way to produce a h igh-level unique athlete (4). A person’s genes are ultimately determined by their parents. Each person has two copies of a specific gene, one from their mother and one from their father. Even though both of the genes received are technically for the same trait, they can be alleles (or variants) of the gene (Chakraborty 1). This explains why all people look and act differently, even though we ultimately have the same basic genetic structure. Each unique allele that a person has will determine the type of athlete they can become, as well as their abilities (1). Tom Brutsaert and Esteban Parra, anthropologists and co-authors of â€Å"Genetics and Sports: Nature versus Nurture in Determining Athletic Ability† identify things like muscle strength and power, aerobic capacity, muscle fiber types, response to training, and body size and composition as decidedly heritable factors (11). However, simply having specific genes does not necessarily mean that they will be expresse d in any certain positive outcome (Chakraborty 2). Combinations of genes are important in determining which will be expressed and which will not, as some genes will only function in congruence with others (2). Therefore, even possessing the correct geneShow MoreRelatedWhat Makes An Elite Athlete Become Highly Competent And Possess Higher Level Of Performance Than Other Individuals1711 Words   |  7 Pagesgroups, tribes, and individuals. Today, elite athletes participate in a wide variety of athletic pursuits, competing in differing events throughout the world. What makes an elite athlete become highly competent and possess a higher level of performance than other individuals? This is the essential question that has driven multiple specialists to explore individual’s athletic ability thru a look into the genetic disposition of those individuals. For while training, exercising, planning, nutrition, motivationRead MoreAdoption : Nature Vs Nurture1216 Words   |  5 PagesEric Fraley 4th hour English 3 Mrs. Laluzerne Jan, 12, 2016 Adoption Nature vs Nurture What makes someone an unique individual? Centuries of ancestors, genetics, evolution and heredity, or is what makes someone who they are based simply on how they were raised and what sort of environment they were raised in? The idea of Nature vs Nurture was created in 1869 in a book called Hereditary Genius by Francis Galton. In his book, he explains his findings on his exploration of the inheritance andRead MoreAthleticism : Nature Or Nurture?1634 Words   |  7 PagesWhen an individual grows up to be an athlete, we question them on why they are so talented. There are two factors that are taken into account on this topic, and that is their genetic features or their biocultural characteristics. After long studies, philosophers finally agreed that human development is comprised of two factors: nature and nurture. People argue about this because they believe it is what determines our personality and behavior. Nature is the genetics that determines the result, and nurtureRead MoreNa ture vs. Nurture in Sport 1248 Words   |  5 PagesWhat makes a good athlete? What separates a person on the 1st line up from a bench warmer? Where does athleticism come from? Is it from our genes, or is it a product of the environment we live in? These are the types of questions that arise in the nature vs. nurture debate pertaining about athletic ability. In 1582, British educator, Richard Mulcaster wrote that†¨Nature makes the boy toward, nurture sees him forward, he gave the world†¨a euphonious name for an opposition that has been debated everRead MoreAfrican Ancestry : Black Athletes1458 Words   |  6 Pages28 of the last 38 world record holders in the men s 100-meter dash have been black athletes.(Rowan,2010) Of course, there are successful white athletes, but, overall, black dominance on the race track is very apparent. Athletes of African ancestry hold genetic advantages in the sport of running.Of the top 200 official times at the 100 meter dash, not one has be en run by a white athlete. Only black sprinters have (officially) run under 10 seconds in the 100 meter dash.(Lindsey 2000) Every winnerRead MoreThe Problem With Mental Toughness Essay1413 Words   |  6 PagesMental toughness is not a new concept in sport, but is generally misunderstood. 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However, the nurture side of the debate says, the cause for an individual’s behavior is because of environmentalRead MoreElite Athletes and Performance Enhancing Drugs1817 Words   |  7 PagesElite Athletes: An Asset or Liability to Sports? Many elite athletes are under great pressure to perform exceptionally well they often times resort to using performance-enhancing drugs to stay competitive. The path to success as an athlete is not an easy track; it is fierce! The fame and the fortune one can attain from being an athlete is only unimaginable to some; it is something worth going the extra mile to reach, for some, there is no limit to the extra mile. After all, in today’s society theRead MoreDiscuss the Relationship Between the Principles of Training, Physiological Adaptations and Improved Performance1317 Words   |  6 PagesDiscuss the relationship between the principles of training, physiological adaptations and improved performance The relationship between the principles of training and physiological adaptations has a significant impact on performance. Many factors need to be addressed in a training program to make it a successful one for a particular athlete and thus improve their performance. The first principles are warm up and cool down. The purpose of any warm up and cool down is to reduce the risk of injuryRead MoreChronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Essay1267 Words   |  6 Pagesthe size and speed of today’s athletes, the sports of football and hockey have become more exciting, fast paced, wide open, and fun to watch. However, there is another consequence of these ever growing athletes on their sports. They have made the collisions in them increasingly more violent. The velocity that these athletes hurl themselves through the air has created an atmosphere that could not have been imagined when these sports were created. Although the athletes’ bodies have become stronger and

Elderly Populations Case Study - 968 Words

One in six Canadians have a chronic disease, with these chronic diseases being especially prevalent in the elderly population, individuals 55 years of age or older. Elderly populations have four times the rate of chronic disease compared to the overall population (Government of Canada, 2017). In fact, population aging was stated as one of the three most prominent elemental determinants of chronic disease development, along with globalization and urbanization, by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2005. One major form of chronic disease is osteoporosis, with related expenditures totaling over $2.3 billion per year (Tarride et al., 2012), contributing to the ever-increasing health care costs in Canada. However, many chronic diseases such†¦show more content†¦Aerobic exercise is an endurance activity which lasts longer than one minute and utilizes large muscle groups, using oxidative phosphorylation to extract energy from ATP (Chamari Padulo, 2015). Anaerobic exercise is a short duration activity that uses glycolysis and fermentation to extract energy from ATP (patel et al., 2017). Cardio exercise refers to aerobic exercise that lasts ten minutes or more and causes the heart to beat faster and breathing rate to increase (Pate et al., 1995). Resistance training utilizes both anaerobic and aerobic forms of exercise, depending on intensity and intervals of activity, and stimulates muscle synthesis while simultaneously increasing muscle breakdown (Kerksick et al., 2005). Currently, only 20% of Canadians are meeting the recommended 150 minutes of PA a week, with this number decreasing to 12% of adults over 60 years of age (Government of Canada, 2015). Sedentary activity later in life may be contributing to the rate of chronic disease being 4 times that of overall population in elderly individuals (Government of Canada, 2017). Yet, PA is a no cost, easily implemented, preventative measure and treatment for many chronic diseases and conditions, including osteoporosis. Increasing PA in at risk populations, such as seniors, could decrease the rate of chronic illness in these populations. Skeletal Health Osteoporosis-related fractures are more common than the rates of heart attack, stroke, and breast cancer combinedShow MoreRelatedA Shocking Case Of Elderly Abuse1250 Words   |  5 PagesLast summer, local headlines read, Authorities raid Alzheimer’s personal care home and More Than a Dozen in Custody Following Elder Abuse Investigation. A shocking case of elderly abuse occurred in my own backyard; in a small town just minutes down the road. In the end, the owner and twenty employees of the Alzheimer s Care of Commerce were arrested. Some of the alleged abuse included patients being tied down with bed sheets, being double diapered so that they would not have to be changed asRead MorePreventing Falls Among The Elderly Population1390 Words   |  6 Pagesproblem among the elderly population. The incidence rates of falls among the Hong Kong’s community-living elderly stood at 26 percent, while the incidence of new fallers stands at 198 falls per 1000 individuals per y ear. Whereas, one-year prevalence level of falls was identified to be 19 percent with the mean number of falls annually for a faller being 1.4 falls. Forty-seven of the falls in a year were identified occur indoors while the rest outdoors. Around a third of the elderly population aged over 64Read MoreAgeism, By Robert M. Butler1589 Words   |  7 Pagesresource themselves†, this being a common interpretation many have on elderly because of Ageism (Irving, 2015, p. 72). The term â€Å"Ageism† was developed in 1969 by Robert M. 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From Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the Americas, Africa and Australia, the attitudes expressed by the community towards older people are very different when compared to one another. An `attitude can be defined as `a mental view or disposition (Wilkes Krebs, 1987), or if the content is used in has a psychological basis ` the learned, relative stableRead MoreIntroduction . There Are Several Different Types Of Crimes1620 Words   |  7 Pagesagainst the elderly. A person is usually defined as elderly when he or she turns sixty-five or retires. The elderly population makes up a significant part of the United States population. Also, the population is expanding as the baby boomer generation began to retire. The baby boomer generation has raised some concern, because it is suspected that the baby boomer generation will be wealthier than in the past. This could lead to an increase in crimes committed against the elderly. 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An Idiot In An Apron Does Not A Muffin Make free essay sample

The women in my family cook. When I say cook, I mean three courses, complete with sprigs of parsley and some lemon sorbet to cleanse the palate. My Grams would verbally slay the woman who thought that cooking meant tossing the kids a Lean Cuisine and running out the door so she could have that brief on the boss’s desk by nine. Admittedly, the women of my clan may not be the perfect models of a modern homemaker, but by God, can we cook. Of course, by â€Å"we,† I mean every woman (plus my brother) in the family but me. I can not cook. I can not bake. I can not! I will not! Not with a mouse, or in a house, or on a train, or in a plane! My rather explosive problem (we’ll get to the â€Å"explosive† part later) has drawn attention from all of the folk in my family, but Grams is the one who is most vocal about it. * â€Å"Sarah,† sighed Grams as she pulled out a perfectly baked two-layer chocolate cake that she had just whipped up from scratch, â€Å"It’s simply directions! If you can just pay attention and follow†¦Ã¢â‚¬  By that time, I was completely mesmerized by the shiny aluminum foil behind her and didn’t quite hear the next 15 minutes or so of her speech. However, the point of this quote was not to illustrate my remarkably short attention span, but instead to highlight the importance of cooking to my female kin (and my brother). Using â€Å"bonding time† as a clever ruse to draw me into her kitchen, Grams handed me a spoon, pointed me towards the stove top, and told me to make the icing, assuring me that the icing I made would undoubtedly be the crown jewel of the cake. Holding the spoon as though it were a carcass of a diseased rodent, I gingerly placed the utensil on the counter and backed away slowly before fleeing for my life. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love open flames as much as the next guy, but there are just some things I refuse to do with fire and confectioner’s sugar. *Except Dad, but he’s generally more vocal about the various small fires, damages done to the kitchen, and bowel obstructions that resulted from my concoctions. I’m sure you are thinking, â€Å"Well, that’s silly. There has to be something she can cook.† That, my friend, is where you are wrong. Horribly, horribly wrong. Unless pouring milk and cereal into the same bowl counts as cooking (I make a mean Fruit Loops, although my specialty is Honey Bunches of Oats), I have failed at even the simplest culinary tasks. Take, for example, hot apple cider. All that is required is to pour the cider out of the carton and into a pan and let the cider heat until it boils. You’d be astonished at how much smoke a little cup of cider makes. Enough to fill at least 5 rooms on the bottom floor, and still have enough to make the top floor a little smoggy. Did you know that the fire department in Pittsburgh has a 5-minute response time? Pretty darn quick, I’d say. Of course, there was once a carefree time in my youth when I loved to cook (and I use the word â€Å"cook† very loosely). It was the time of scoop and bake cookies, when a naive youngster could eat as much dough as she baked. I made an excellent sugar cookie, but my chocolate chip cookies were famous ‘round the block. People would come to my lemonade stand for the top-notch lemonade (I ran a quality joint), but they stayed for the Pillsbury cookies. But, as I said, it was a time of naivete and false hopes. After a traumatizing incident involving noodles that I would really rather not discuss, my love of baking and talent in the kitchen was shattered irreparably. Needless to say, that particular chapter of my life is now closed. I have been reduced to scavenging the baked goods of others. After three months of painful rehab, I have only just now shaken free of my addiction to Betty Crocker’s Mixed Berry Muffins (only three minutes from pouch to oven!). My inability to produce a decent meal that did not originate from a box and dependency upon the pre-made meals from the grocery store is a constant source of shame for my family. To the cooking aficionados that are my family, the words â€Å"order out† are considered just as shameful and dirty as any cuss word. â€Å"Good gracious, Crash,† My aunt never calls me anything but Crash, for reasons that are irrelevant to this particular anecdote, â€Å"you were just made for college. Now, stop eating the Chinese right out of the box and help me broil the Creme Brule.† â€Å"Jack!† My brother thinks it’s funny to call me Jack, also for reasons that are irrelevant to this story, â€Å"Heavens to Betsy*, all you eat are those muffins. You need to learn to make something of substance. Come here and we’ll whip up a nice chuck roast real quick.† â€Å"I swear, Rosie,† My mama really only calls me Rosie, â€Å"All of that Domino’s is going to be the death of you. Why don’t we make a Brunswick stew?† *My beloved brother’s language choice has been altered to enhance your literary experience. See? There’s no escaping from my family’s skill with the spatula. At times, it’s hard to be the only one who is completely useless with a ladle (and it is also unpleasant to be on clean-up duty since I don’t help with the cooking). But on the other paw, I can’t deny that I don’t enjoy some of the benefits of having a culinarily adept family. Whatever cunning plots and devious tricks they plan on using in the future in order to get me to try and cook, I will endure. After all, they’re my family. And they make a positively scrumptious chicken pot pie.