
RAISE THE INTENSITY
"WORKOUT DURATION, INTENSITY AND FREQUENCY ARE THREE ELEMENTS OF TRAINING THAT CAN BE MANIPULATED TO PRODUCE FITNESS"
These are the words of top cycling coach Joe Friel, who is 80 and still riding strong. "As we age there's a tendency to increase duration at the expense of intensity. Workouts become longer and slower as weekly volume becomes the focus of training.
"But the ageing athlete needs to do the opposite. Workouts over 80% of max heart rate should be the basis of your training, around 2-3 times per week. This change results in shorter training sessions but a higher weekly average intensity."
The reason for this is down to maintaining a solid aerobic capacity. Many of us know that maximum HR declines with age. Hence, the parochial method of calculating your maximum heart rate - 220 minus your age.
A lower heart rate reduces cardiac output, which is the amount of blood pumped by the heart each minute. Throw in a less efficient lung function and your VO2 max could go into freefall. But research shows that, as Friel says, raising the intensity of sessions slows the decline.
CHANGE YOUR NUTRITION
"OLDER ADULTS MAY HAVE GREATER DEMANDS FOR SOME MICRONUTRIENTS"
Another component of recovery and training is nutrition, and small tweaks are needed as you age. "Although differences in metabolism and physiological function occur with ageing, the nutrition associated with exercise and sport remains similar between younger and older adults," says James Carter, senior director at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute.
Esta historia es de la edición November 2023 de Cycling Plus UK.
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Esta historia es de la edición November 2023 de Cycling Plus UK.
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GANARY A COALMINE
The James Brown tune 'It's a Man's Man's Man's World' comes on the radio, filling the coach, and does nothing for my pre-event nerves as I sit surrounded by serious-looking, wiry, tanned men in Lycra. It's 6.30am, pitch black outside and I'm feeling very out of my depth as a relative newcomer to the world of clipless pedals and hurting for fun. Last night's stress dream involved being very unprepared to get married and being handed my great-grandmother-in-law-to-be's hideous silver dress with lace trim to wear minutes before the ceremony was due to start. I'll let you psychoanalyse that one.

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