Exercise and Stimulants - Regulation

Regulation

The use of many stimulants during training or competition is highly regulated, and many are banned outright in most sports, though regulations vary. In certain sports they are only banned in competition and not out of competition. The use of stimulants during training or competition is considered by many experts (including sports physicians) to be very dangerous; however, evidence surrounding these claims remain disputed. Those who make the decision to use stimulants during training activities must be aware of the above considerations to avoid serious injury or death, and most importantly must be aware of the contraindicators for stimulant use such as other drugs (especially cocaine), genetic heart defects, and high blood pressure. If an individual does choose to use a stimulant of any kind during a training or exercise routine, a tendency to avoid working muscles, or the body as a whole, extremely close to failure, especially in very strenuous conditions, may tend to avoid overtaxing the muscular, circulatory, or temperature-regulation systems of the body due to the causes described above. However, this does not completely mitigate the risks involved; one must ultimately consider if stimulants offer any benefit at all (aside from weight loss) as most sports ban and test for them.