Age is just a number: How does getting older impact an endurance athlete?
Ageing is a natural process which, we hope, we will all get to experience. As we age our bodies change, some more dramatically than others. In this article Coach Denise looks at what changes we can expect and how we can accommodate them, to enable us all to keep training, and racing, for as long as we want to.
From the moment we are born our bodies are ageing. Initially this ageing process is positive, with growth; physically, mentally and emotionally. As we move through puberty into late teens and early adulthood the changes we experience lead us to become stronger and able to undertake more physically demanding activities. Even into our late thirties we can be seeing improvements in endurance and speed. However, as we get older then it can become harder and harder to see more improvements and it can sometimes feel like we are going backwards. Hard training seems harder and delivers fewer results.
So, what is happening as get past our forties to make it all seem so difficult. For men, the root cause is a reduction in testosterone. Testosterone is a sex hormone that plays an important role in the body. In men, it’s thought to regulate sex drive (libido), bone mass, fat distribution, muscle mass and strength, and the production of red blood cells and sperm. As the levels reduce then bone mass reduces, muscle mass and strength reduce and body fat levels rise.
In women the levels of oestrogen reduce, starting from the perimenopause phase until menopause, when no periods have been experienced for 12 months. There is more detail in the cause and impact of the menopause in a series of earlier blogs. In summary, the reduction in oestrogen has much the same impact on the female body as the reduction of testosterone in men: bone mass reduces, muscle mass and strength reduce and body fat levels rise. Older women in particular are at risk of osteoporosis, as bones age and become more fragile.
The indicators are true for the general public, other impacts which are of importance to athletes are a reduction in the VO2 max number, a reduction in sleep time and sleep quality (important for recovery) a reduction in the base metabolic rate and a reduction in the maximum heart rate.
As Joe Friel has put it in Fast After Fifty, none of this sounds like good news for the endurance athlete. What is encouraging though is that as we increase our understanding of what is happening in our bodies then we can work out ways to mitigate these impacts and maximise our ability to keep training and racing.
It is important to note that whatever steps we take to reduce the impact of ageing, we are still going to see impacts on our statistics. VO2 max will reduce, maximum heart rate will reduce and running, cycling and swimming speeds will decrease. Setting realistic expectations of just what our bodies can do as we age is important. In running (as well as field sports) it is useful to reference the WMA (formerly known as WAVA) Age Grade Factors, which can indicate the impact of age on performance. While this is not an exact science, it can provide a useful indicator to enable you to track performance over time. It can also help with setting realistic goals for future events.
Research in this area is, by it’s nature, difficult to undertake. Tracking ageing athletes takes time, and there are many variables to consider as well. Despite this there are some very high level guidelines which can be considered to help prolong competitive lifetime. Joe Friel has done an excellent job of collating the available research and distilling some of these aspects.
In summary, while most athletes choose to reduce the intensity of their training sessions, including more Zone 2 running and cycling, reducing the time and frequency of sessions, the research indicates that if we want to slow the reduction in VO2 max and muscle mass then shorter, intense efforts, with suitable recovery is
more effective.
A training program of short, sharp efforts to build aerobic capacity and increase lactate tolerance, alongside longer easy sessions, and including weights work, is optimal. Weight lifting is especially important for bone strength, it does not need to be with heavy weights. Body weight exercises are effective, as are large numbers of reps with lighter loads. To protect the body from injury it is also important to build the load in these sessions slowly, as well as include sufficient rest to enable the body to recover, as this does take longer as we age.
Overlying all of the above is the consideration that everyone is different, and everyone will experience the impacts of ageing differently. Working with a coach can really help to develop a training plan which can work for you. Listening to your body is crucial at all times but essential as we age. Reducing the load, adding in sufficient rest, while pushing hard at the right times, in the right sessions, will all help to maintain longevity in sport. Sharing this knowledge with your coach and using their skills and experience to build the right plan, and mindset for you, will make sure you are active for as long as you can be. After all, it’s use it or lose it.
Denise has been coaching triathletes since 2019 as a coach at her local triathlon club in West Lothian. Between 2019 and 2022, Denise was the Head coach in the club, working with a team of coaches to support and develop triathletes with a wide range of capabilities, completing her BTF Triathlon Level 2 coaching qualification in 2021.
Denise joined Tri Training Harder as a coach in 2021, building on the qualifications through the experience and knowledge passed on by the coaching team.
In 2019 Denise set up and continues to run her own Jog Scotland running group, a mixed ability group of runners who meet weekly. This delivers on her passion for helping people to do much more than they think they can.
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