Run, Swim, Throw, Cheat: The science behind drugs in sport

This book is a rare breed, in that it is both a story and a science book in one fantastic amalgamation of what one would want from a sports book.I read this book as I wanted to understand how drugs work. This book explains the effects in reasonable scientific detail without getting bogged down too much. The author weaves a good intermittent web of story and science. For example a brief history of testosterone use in sport, from testicles to modern day is covered, followed by chemical structural differentiations between nandrolone and testosterone. A great number of drugs are covered including amphetamines, testosterone, cortisone, HGH etc.This is not just for those interested in sports and drugs but any person looking to improve their sporting performance. You will certainly find new information here of use. The sections on muscle growth covering myostatin and other protein functions etc are quite good.I am sure the author could easily expand this book to be much longer if it were not a `restrictive subject'. However the conclusions would ultimately remain the same - drugs help, but so does self-belief.

Excellent, accessible book on the physiological basis of doping. Having some background in bioscience would help a reader, but Cooper breaks down his approach to make anyone understand why doping works the way it does, why certain drugs are used in certain sports and how some are so hard to detect. Illustrated with many case studies, this is a fascinating study for anyone wanting to understand more of the hard science behind these doping scandals hitting the news, or why, for example, it is much easier to make a difference with doping in the 100m than the 10,000m races.

Well written. Interesting & insightful. Enjoyed reading.Disclaimer-I’m a doctor with formal sports medicine training. Not sure how easy it would be to read as a lay person.

As someone who is researching performance-enhancing drugs in sport, I found this book very interesting and will use it in the future as a reference tool. It is, without doubt, quite complicated, but certainly worth reading through the heavy science parts. I do not come from a science background, but I did want to know some of the scientific details on how testing is done, how drugs work etc. This book worked well for me in that regard.

Useful as a sportsman to understand training, nutrition and the ways you can supercharge your performance (legally) - it's also a very good primer on how doing works and what really is its potential, effects and later consequences. If you love sports and science, it's a must read!