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Doing supplements to improve performance in club cycling: a life‐course analysis
Author(s) -
Stewart B.,
Outram S.,
Smith A.C.T.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of medicine and science in sports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.575
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1600-0838
pISSN - 0905-7188
DOI - 10.1111/sms.12090
Subject(s) - club , cycling , elite , medical education , psychology , applied psychology , gerontology , medicine , physical therapy , political science , history , archaeology , anatomy , politics , law
Using qualitative life‐course and pathway analysis, this article explores the beliefs that serious club cyclists have about performance improvement, and what they think are appropriate and inappropriate ways of achieving it. We interviewed 11 cyclists from suburban clubs in M elbourne, A ustralia, and invited them to discuss their approach to training, racing, and supplementation. We found that each of the 11 cyclists were not only committed to the sport, but also paid a keen interest in bike technology and training regimes. In addition, they believed that supplement use was integral to meeting the physical and mental demands of their sport, even at club level. They also understood that supplement use, like training regimes, followed a sequential pathway where the accumulation of capacity, know–know, and knowledge, allowed progression to the next level of performance. And, like similar studies of club cycling in E urope, this cohort of cyclists balked at using banned substances, but also believed that in order to effectively transition to the elite – that is, professional – level, some additional supplement and drug‐use was essential.