News
Gyms that make you sick and not fit
Pic by Anuradha Bandara
Gymnasiums claiming to hold the secret to quick muscle building are allegedly pumping injurious drugs into young men and women, experts in the sports industry charge.
Unscrupulous gymnasium owners are liberally using anabolic steroids and testosterone banned by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) to boost their businesses. Consequently, youth who patronise gymnasiums develop muscle bulges in as short a time as less than three weeks, they alleged.
Sports experts told the Sunday Times that this is because of the steroids added to nutrient supplements sold to sportsmen. Some parents who are impressed with the quick results are spending huge sums on nutrient supplements showcased in the shelves of these gymnasiums. They said gullible parents even request their children to be injected with steroids to increase their stamina for sports performance.
Dr. Himan de Silva of the Sports Medicine Unit of the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle confirmed that steroids and testosterone are being given to sportsmen. He said even fitness freaks are encouraged to take this nutrient supplements and impressionable youth are taking this to get a macho look.
Anabolic steroids is a natural substance produced in the human body that helps to build up muscles and reduce fat which is advantageous to sportsmen. Excess steroid in the body is a well known reason for many Olympic contestants, being stripped of their medals, he said.
Steroids and testosterone have been restricted under prescription drugs. However the gyms get their supply from unknown markets and deliberately contaminate them with whey protein. Coaches and instructors advocate sportsmen to take whey protein, Dr. Himan said adding that some parents complain that their children make shakes and consume this supplement several times a day.
Dr. Himan said whey protein is only a hydrose concentrate and does not have any magic effect.
Dr. Asanga Wijeratne, specialist in human kinetics and sports substantiated the claims and said that gyms sell a packet of whey protein between Rs.7500 and Rs.10,000. Steroid injections are sold at Rs.5000 a dose. A package of steroid injections that lasts a season (eight weeks) costs around Rs. 50,000, he charged.
Many gyms are also known to contract professional players to advocate the product among ruggerrites, cricketers, athletes and swimmers, he said.
Dr. Wijeratne explaining one of the side effects said players who stop taking the supplement after consuming it for years can suffer hormone imbalance. Their metabolism slows down resulting in muscle shrinking and loss of strength. They can develop nervous and muscular disorders and even cause cancer and infertility.
Those who are not into sports could be afflicted by blood pressure, low pulse and even heart attacks. “The excess protein in the blood attacks the kidneys,” he warned.
School rugby teams preparing for national championships spend large sums on protein supplements. One school spends 15% of the Rs.30 million budget allocation, annually while another spends 20% of a Rs. five million budget on these supplements, the Sunday Times learns.
Dr. Wijeratne said coaches should be held responsible and they should be penalised as It is their recommendation that misleads sportsmen.
Gregory De Silva, Secretary, National Champions of Sri Lanka athletics said it was important to grade gyms according to the needs of people so that fitness freaks and schoolchildren have separate centres. “There should be gyms for sportsmen, health centres for fitness freaks and gaming centres for schoolchildren,” he said. “Bowlers need muscles but those who want to gain weight should use light fitness training equipment,” he added.
He said it was important to set up a regulating body to register all gymnasiums in the country. They should be registered and issued licences renewable every year,” he added.
It is also essential that gymnasiums employ qualified sports instructors. He also said a gymnasium should be easily accessible. “Some gyms are situated on the third floor of buildings which can be a problem to patrons who do strenuous workouts. We need to improve the service in gyms and at present we are holding talks with the Director General of Sports Ministry,” he added.
Meanwhile the owner of Power World Gym, that has many fitness centres appeared to be in disagreement with the idea of regulating gyms. The owner T.F. Alailima believes gyms should be allowed to run as businesses but said the standards in the industry need to be looked into. “There is a need for qualified trainers,” he said.
He said people from all walks of life patronise the 27 Power World gymnasiums in the Western Province, with a majority being engaged in fitness exercises. ‘My clients range between 20 to 70 years,” he said.
He said schoolboys who play basketball and foot ball come for fitness exercises.Sometimes the schools send the players for workouts.
He was insistent that Power World gyms only advocated nutritious food including meat and fish and did not sell any nutrient supplements. However, he said, he believed sportsmen should take additional nutrition and recommended whey protein.
He also acknowledged that unscrupulous elements in the industry were deliberately adding steroids in to it. “They are even injecting kids with steroids. They use the gyms as fronts and indulge in irregular practices that could destroy these youth,” he said.
He said it was important to investigate these unscrupulous practices to cleanup the industry “Around 30 -40 people are involved in this racket,” he charged.
Mr. Alailima said that parents should be vigilant over their children who are addicted to supplements merely to look good. “The adverse effects of the steroids will show up only when they are in their 30s (and they could even die when they reached 40.
The Sri Lanka Anti doping Agency said they were looking at ways and means to regulate gyms and educate parents of youth who use gyms. Chairman SLADA Dr. Seevali Jayawickrema said that the National Sports Science Institute is conducting Diplomas and Certificate courses for gym instructors while they were looking at introducing a grading system for gyms.
With regard to nutrient supplements he said that the SLADA was working with the Immigration, Customs and Narcotics Bureau to bring in new legislation. He said monitoring was difficult as supplements did not come under the categories of nutriceutical or pharmaceutical and did not get registered. In addition testosterones were legal and is recommended by doctors for problems of impotency and pre-ejaculation,” he said.