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New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

Performance enhancing drugs

I can name the major performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) and identify the positive and negative effects on sporting performance and performer lifestyle.

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New
New
Year 10
Edexcel

Performance enhancing drugs

I can name the major performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) and identify the positive and negative effects on sporting performance and performer lifestyle.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Anabolic steroids and growth hormones help to increase muscle mass and power output.
  2. Beta blockers reduce heart rate and help calm a performer but also cause an increased risk of heart attack.
  3. Diuretics help reduce body weight by increasing fluid loss which helps to meet weight categories.
  4. Narcotic analgesics mask pain to enable athletes to keep training/performing but risk damage to the underlying injury.
  5. EPO and blood doping all help with aerobic performance but put strain on the cardiovascular system.

Keywords

  • Anabolic steroids - synthetic hormones that promote muscle growth and enhance performance

  • Beta blockers - medications that reduce blood pressure by blocking the effects of adrenaline

  • Diuretics - medication that increases urine production, helping to remove excess fluid from the body

  • Narcotic analgesics - pain-relief drugs that act on the central nervous system, often opioids

  • Stimulants - substances that increase alertness, energy and activity by boosting nervous system activity

Common misconception

All performance enhancing drugs are illegal/banned/negative.

The use of some PEDs to enhance performance is perfectly acceptable. Many sportspeople use narcotic analgesics to get through an event or drink caffeine for its stimulating effect. WADA is responsible for determining which PEDs are allowed.


To help you plan your year 10 physical education lesson on: Performance enhancing drugs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Each PED has a one slide summary in the slide deck which could be printed and used as a guidebook or possibly form a wall diplay.
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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these statements is correct?
all drugs are banned in sport
all drugs are allowed to be used in sport
Correct answer: some drugs are banned in sport and others are allowed to be used
Q2.
The phrase 'performance enhancing' suggests what?
stopping athletes from getting injured
improving an athlete's ability to relax
Correct answer: making an athlete's performance better
helping an athlete stay on track for their goals
Q3.
What is a reason why the use of some drugs is banned in sport?
Correct answer: it gives athletes an unfair advantage
they are expensive
they make the performance better
they make the sport more fun
Q4.
Match the sport or physical activity to the reason to use a drug.
Correct Answer:power lifting,the drug allows you to recover quicker from heavy weight training
tick

the drug allows you to recover quicker from heavy weight training

Correct Answer:archery,the drug keeps you calm and reduces adrenaline
tick

the drug keeps you calm and reduces adrenaline

Correct Answer:marathon,the drug helps to improve cardiovascular endurance
tick

the drug helps to improve cardiovascular endurance

Correct Answer:horse racing jockey,the drug helps you to lose weight quickly before you perform
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the drug helps you to lose weight quickly before you perform

Q5.
Which of these drinks contain the stimulating substance called caffeine?
Correct answer: tea
Correct answer: coffee
orange juice
Correct answer: energy drink
Correct answer: cola
Q6.
A drug used in sports which require strength and power is called anabolic...
Correct Answer: steroids, steroid

6 Questions

Q1.
Match the PED to its description.
Correct Answer:anabolic steroids,synthetic hormones that promote muscle growth
tick

synthetic hormones that promote muscle growth

Correct Answer:beta blockers,medications that reduce heart rate
tick

medications that reduce heart rate

Correct Answer:stimulants,substances that increase alertness, energy and alertness
tick

substances that increase alertness, energy and alertness

Correct Answer:diuretics,medication that increases urine production
tick

medication that increases urine production

Q2.
Increased heart rate and blood pressure, risk of heart attack, anxiety, aggression, poor sleep and dehydration are potential negative side effects of which PED?
beta blockers
Correct answer: stimulants
narcotic analgesics
growth hormone
diuretics
Q3.
Which of these is a risk of using narcotic analgesics?
high blood pressure
dehyration
Correct answer: making an injury worse
dizziness
poor sleep
Q4.
Put these stages of blood doping in order.
1 - athlete has some of their own blood removed
2 - the blood is put into storage
3 - the athlete's body naturally replenishes blood supply
4 - prior to competition the stored blood is returned to athlete's body
5 - the blood now has a higher number of red blood cells than normal
Q5.
In which of these sports might athletes risk using erythropoietin (EPO) to enhance their performance?
Correct answer: triathlon
Correct answer: 10,000m running
400m hurdles
Correct answer: tour cycling
javelin
Q6.
Which word means something is not morally acceptable behaviour?
Correct Answer: unethical