Masters

The role of aerobic exercise in the veteran endurance athlete Reaching the age of 40 is a minor milestone for many people, but it has a special significance for endurance athletes; from this point, maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) begins a steady decline, dropping by as much as 10% per decade. This is particularly worrying for […]

The bad news is that speed declines with age; the good news is that you can arrest, even reverse, this degenerative process Of all the physiological variables, speed seems to get written off most quickly as we age. Football pundits make jokes about outfield players being ‘a few yards slower’ and goalkeepers diving in ‘instalments’ […]

How your age should affect your running style Older runners are biomechanically different in their running style from younger ones and in need of increased protection from injury, according to an important new study from The Netherlands. The researchers compared lower limb kinematics and ground reaction forces in 16 older (aged 55-65) and 13 younger […]

What goes first in the ageing stakes? A fascinating US study based on world record statistics has made it clear that ageing diminishes muscle power considerably sooner and more dramatically than endurance in both men and women. The researchers compared age-related changes in athletic performance, as reflected in world records for stationary rowing and power-lifting, […]

How master athletes can reduce the decline of their endurance levels A University of Florida study completed a number of years years ago supported those traditional ideas about ageing. The Florida research, which followed regional and national champion track athletes over a 20 year period as they matured from 50 to 70 years of age, […]

Is ageing inevitable – or simply the result of  ‘detraining’? A leading question to ask senior citizens, or those nearing seniority, is: ‘how old would you think you were if you didn’t know how old you are?’ I would predict that the disparity between theory and fact in the answer would give an indication of […]

The best foods and supplements to protect your joints from age-related degeneration There’s good and bad news for veteran athletes. The good news is that, if training intensity can be maintained, age-related performance decrements are actually quite minimal; the bad news is that recovery from hard training sessions takes longer, while the cumulative effects of […]

“I am now running, at 59, the sort of times I was running as a 19-year-old National Serviceman” I can remember the time when a boxer was considered old at 28, over the top at 30. The prejudices against grown men taking sport seriously take a long time to disappear. In America sport stops when […]

To limit the effects of time,you must choose the right workouts While a canny nutritional programme, plenty of rest, and adequate recovery between workouts are all important for preserving fitness as you get older, certain key workouts are also necessary to keep you as fit as possible. For example, if you have yet to reach […]

As you get older, there will be some changes in how your body processes nutrients, and your need for particular nutrients may alter Of particular relevance to the veteran athlete are: possible diminishing calorie requirements; the need to ensure an adequate intake of calcium and iron; and finally, an age-related change in the thirst response, […]