One of the Olympic sports is athletics which includes running, race walking, all-around, running, cross-country, and technical events. Athletics is often called the queen of sports because it is one of the most popular sports, and it is the discipline that has always won the most medals at the Olympics.
History
The ancient Greeks called all physical activity athletics, which in turn was usually divided into “light” and “heavy.” They considered athletics to be exercises that developed agility and endurance (running, jumping, archery, swimming, etc.). Accordingly, all exercises that developed strength were classified as “weight” athletics. Koroibos (776 BC) is considered the first Olympic champion of athletics, a date widely accepted as the beginning of the history of athletics. The modern history of athletics began in 1837, when students in Rugby, UK, began participating in the 2 km event. Later events included running shorter distances, hurdles, weight throw, long jump, and high jump. In 1865, the Athletics Club of London was formed to promote athletics. In 1880, the Amateur Athletics Association was formed, uniting all athletics organizations in the British Empire. The rapid development of athletics is associated with the Olympic Games (1896), in which it gained its greatest place.
Cross-country athletics is usually divided into several stages: qualification;
- ¼ final;
- ½ finals;
- final.
The number of participants is determined by race rules, with men and women not participating in the overall start.
Top 5 supplements used by athletes
The fashion of being healthy and having a great body has made it super popular, and many people like to do sports that include cardio and strength training. At the same time, it is customary to deal with body architecture and maintain the form so as not to impair but to maximize health and quality of life and to increase its duration. This explains the popularity of supplements for heart and blood vessels.
1. Coenzyme Q10
The undisputed leaders of the top 5 supplements for heart and blood vessels are sports nutrition products with coenzyme Q10. And this is not by chance. The importance of this substance for health, discovered in 1955, was confirmed by awarding the Nobel Prize in 1978 for scientific work that described the Q-cycle of ATP synthesis.
Coenzyme Q10 or ubiquinone is a fat-soluble substance, similar in its molecular structure to vitamins E and K, present in all tissues and fluids of the human body. However, the greatest amount of it is found in the continuously working heart muscle, and here’s why. To function, cells need energy, which is produced by the breakdown of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Well, to build ATP molecules, the 12 mitochondrial genes need four substances: coenzyme Q10, phenylalanine and tyrosine derivatives, and mevalonic acid.
When the body undergoes intense physical exertion and/or psycho-emotional stress, there is a deficiency of ubiquinone. Supplementation with coenzyme Q10 easily covers it and contributes to:
- Prevention of atherosclerosis, hypertension, cardiomyopathy, and other heart and coronary diseases;
- Increase myocardial and skeletal muscle susceptibility to aerobic exercise;
- Inhibition of the process of cellular aging;
- Maintain the immune system.
2. Viagra
There is a possibility that Viagra makes athletes run faster.
Athletes can take Viagra without fear of being detected and therefore taken out of competition. This has been made clear by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
Many athletes are actively using this drug and so far with impunity to improve their performance.
You can find it in pharmacies, for example, Sterkereu.com
Anthony Batch, director of the University of California Olympic Analytical Laboratory, says, “Viagra is good for the heart muscle, dilates blood vessels, and promotes better blood circulation.” Studies have shown that cyclists who use this drug improve their results by 40%.
3. Taurine
Taurine or aminoethanesulfonic acid is present in the blood and in intracellular depots of all varieties of muscle tissue, including heart muscle, as well as in myocytes located in the walls of blood vessels and airways. For the heart and blood vessels, taurine supplementation is:
- Regulation of potassium and sodium levels;
- optimization of lipid metabolism;
- Restoration of tissue respiration by improving the performance of mitochondria;
- Optimization of energy intracellular processes and stimulation of ATP production;
- Slowing down inflammatory processes and improving the elasticity of the walls of all kinds of blood vessels;
- Lowering blood levels of triglycerides and preventing the progression of atherosclerosis;
- Reducing blood pressure by inhibiting pathological processes in the walls of peripheral arteries and capillaries, as well as by reducing the number of nerve impulses transmitted to the brain, which force these vessels to narrow and increase blood pressure.
A supplement with taurine for heart and blood vessels is especially useful for men and women in the 40+ age group. According to WHO statistics, people with high levels of taurine in their blood are several times less likely to go to GPs and cardiologists with problems due to cardiac arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, or myocardiodystrophy. It has also been documented that taurine reduces the risk of death from these diseases as well as from sudden cardiac arrest.