Exercise Scientist Critiques the Enhanced Games Flop
In a Nutshell
The Enhanced Games produced no world records or breakthroughs because prize money doesn't improve training or execution, and most top athletes already use PEDs. Performances were mediocre—9.97s in the 100m, no record deadlifts—due to the tiny talent pool compared to the Olympics. Genetics and technique dominate elite results; steroids provide only marginal gains once athletes are near their ceiling.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Mitchell Hooper attempted a 515 kg deadlift at the Enhanced Games, exceeding his previous personal record of 510 kg. The attempt fell just short of completion. Commentators noted the difficulty of the lift and the pressure of the moment. Hooper's prior best of 510 kg was already an enhanced performance, matching records previously set by athletes like Hafthor Julius Bjornsson.
Elite athletes already structure their entire careers around breaking world records. Adding a $250,000 cash prize does not meaningfully increase performance on competition day because monetary incentives cannot improve training, recovery, or execution in the moment. The prize may attract more athletes to future events but does not guarantee record-breaking performances.
Fred Curley won the men's 100 m in 9.97 seconds at the Enhanced Games. Usain Bolt's world record stands at 9.58 seconds. In the 2009 World Championships, fifth place (Richard Thompson) ran 9.93 and sixth place (Dwayne Chambers) ran 10.00. Curley's time was slower than the current boys' high school national outdoor record of 9.92 seconds set in recent years.
Elite high school sprinters already perform close to collegiate and professional levels. The smaller athlete pool at the Enhanced Games reduced the probability of including the absolute fastest individuals compared to the Olympics, which draws from vastly larger qualifying fields. Performance in sprinting is heavily determined by innate talent rather than drug use alone.
Anabolic steroids produce large increases in muscle size and leanness but provide only marginal improvements in speed and power output once an athlete is already near their genetic ceiling. Most Olympic sprinters already use performance-enhancing drugs, so the Enhanced Games did not create a new drug-allowed environment; it merely created a smaller sample of already-enhanced athletes.
Increased muscularity from steroids reduces buoyancy in swimming, causing athletes to sit lower in the water. Swimming performance depends primarily on technique, fiber-type distribution, and power-to-weight ratio rather than absolute muscle mass. One swimmer who underwent two years of supervised doping placed last in both the 50 m and 100 m freestyle events.
In strength sports, steroids may add roughly 10% to performance. At Dr. Mike's body weight, world-record deadlifts range from 850–950 lb while his best remains around 600 lb for multiple reps. Even with a year of dedicated training and full enhancement, reaching 750–800 lb remains unrealistic for non-elite genetic profiles.
Tristan Evelyn, competing drug-free, won the women's 100 m in 11.25 seconds. Hunter Armstrong, also drug-free, won the men's 50 m backstroke. Christian Glen recorded an unofficial 50 m freestyle time of 20.81 seconds while using both permitted drugs and a banned full-body swimsuit; the mark is not recognized by official governing bodies.
The Enhanced Games featured a total number of athletes comparable to a single sport at the Summer Olympics. The smaller scale inherently limits the likelihood of record-breaking performances. Most Olympic records already reflect enhanced athletes, meaning the Enhanced Games largely replicated existing conditions with a narrower talent pool.
Genetics remain the dominant factor in elite sport performance. Enhancement improves an athlete's existing genetic potential but cannot close large gaps between good and exceptional talent. Training hard maximizes results within one's genetic limits; enhancement provides additional but secondary gains.
Keep Renaissance Periodization in your library
Save the videos and channels worth coming back to, and find them again in one place.
