According to an article in The Economist, Russia has been using xenon as a performance-enhancer for a few years now. A 2010 document produced by the State Research Institute of the Ministry of Defence advises on how to use the gas. Before competition it can help with listlessness and sleep disruption, and afterwards it can improve recovery.
The manual recommends a 50:50 mixture of xenon and oxygen, inhaled for a few minutes, ideally before going to bed. The gas’s action continues for 48 to 72 hours, so it should be repeated every few days.
Xenon doesn’t just stimulate EPO production. Because it works by activating production of a protein called Hif-1 alpha, which in turn causes production of other hormones as well as EPO, the manual claims its benefits include increasing heart and lung capacity, preventing muscle fatigue, boosting testosterone and improving an athlete’s mood.
According to Danish media jp.dk, experiments have been made with elite swimmers. I cannot find a source in English, but then there is this in the Economist article:
And the gas appears to have been used in past Olympics. The website of Atom Medical Centre, a Russian medical-xenon producer, cites national honours the company received for its efforts in preparing athletes for the 2004 summer Olympics and the 2006 winter games.
BTW, inhaling Xenon has an interesting (short time) effect on your voice
Summer holidays are the ideal opportunity to enjoy some time on the beach, lapping up the ocean waves and sea breeze. However, an idyllic summer break can be spoilt if you are unfortunate enough to be taken ill, with one of the most common afflictions being swimmer’s ear.
What is swimmer’s ear?
Swimmer’s ear is an infection in the outer ear canal and is often brought on by water trapped in the ear after swimming. This water creates a moist environment for bacterial growth and can lead to an infection, creating a range of unpleasant symptoms.
“Swimmer’s ear is more common in water with higher bacterial counts, which generally include lakes or other un-chlorinated bodies of water,” says Dr. Green, a columnist for Parenting Magazine.
Two years of training led Ruby Sherlund to this moment.
The 81-year-old gripped the side of the pool with manicured fingers on Sunday as she waited for the race to start. Her wheelchair sat empty on the pool deck at Mesquite Grove Aquatic Center in Chandler.
At the sound of the buzzer, she and two other competitors shoved off the wall for the 50-yard backstroke race in the Arizona Senior Olympics swimming competition.
Being in a wheelchair has not stopped this young spirit to stay active, and she’s currently training hard to compete in the 2014 Senior Olympics in Chandler.
Collegiate and Masters Swim Coach Doug Alban, MEd, CSCS explains and Swimmer Kyle Williams demonstrates the double entry swimming drill for freestyle swimmers and triathletes.
Learn how to strengthen and improve freestyle swimming for triathlon and open water from US Olympian Alex Meyer. He integrates time-efficient power based dryland swim-specific training on Vasa Trainers and Vasa Swim Ergometers. He relies on using the popular swim benches to connect better, more powerfully with the water, to sustain proper high elbow catch freestyle and prevent fatigue in races. This video will help any triathlete or swimmer who is time-crunched, can’t get to the pool often enough, or who wants to improve Freestyle swimming technique, sustained power, and endurance to swim better, faster, with greater confidence.
Thousands of semi-naked men clad only in brief loincloths took part in the biggest ‘naked festival’ in Japan, the Hadaka Matsuri, in the city of Okayama on Saturday night.
As British swimmers leapt from the London 2012 starting blocks, they should have been doing so in full confidence.
But their performance was one of the few lowlights of 2012, with the team securing three medals instead of UK Sport’s target of at least five.
“We put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” said Rebecca Adlington, who won two of those medals. “And there is always this fear that if we don’t perform, we will get our funding cut.”
British Swimming’s funding was, indeed, cut by £4m. But it is not just at the elite level swimming has suffered.
Since 2008, grassroots participation has fallen from 3.2 million to 2.9 million a week, while the Amateur Swimming Association says 51% of children aged seven to 11 cannot swim 25m.
For Once You Have Been A Camper, Something Is Here To Stay, Deep In Your Heart Forever, Which Nothing Can Take Away
Here are some campers explaining their 50 mile swim
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