Andrew Steele is a British Olympic track and field athlete who competed in his first Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008. He used a genetic test to identify his athletic and dietary attributes as a means for customizing a strategy to optimize his performance.
Over 12 years as a professional athlete, Steele specialized in running the 400M, (1 lap of track)—a very long sprint.
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The two methods of training for the 400M are either power or endurance-biased training. To improve his time between the Beijing and London Olympics, he switched from method 2 to method 1, but this resulted in him dropping from #1 in the UK to #7 over those 4 years, and he didn’t make it to the London Olympics.
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This inspired his deep dive into physiology and genetic factors. He underwent a DNA test that highlighted his ACTN3 gene anomaly compared to 99% of Olympic athletes. This rarity is probably a big contributor to why the power sprint method didn’t work for Steele as well as the endurance method. There’s a balance to be found between working on weaknesses and playing to your strengths. Fitness genetics gives an extra layer of information to improve the likelihood of better results.
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DNAFit offers a home swab test and a support team to discuss the results, including your genetic response to foods, fitness training, etc.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach for anyone so we aim to help with the multitude of factors to be considered, from food intake to fitness to optimal methods of stress relief. If we assist with these small changes and someone sees positive feedback they’re more likely to succeed in the long run, which is why this doesn’t just apply to elite athletes but also to everyday people. Overall that can help cause a shift in our health in society.
Visit www.dnafit.com for more information on genetic testing, and free guides on how genetics affect wellbeing, fitness and nutrition. Find him on social media under the handle @AndrewSteele. Use discount code CAVEDNA on the DNAFit site to receive 30% off.
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