Is there a place for sports in old age

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Do you want to be energetic, having exchanged the eighth decade? No problem. In any case, you have a chance to look good and inspire young people with your look at old age. If you heed the advice of Joe Friel, who devoted a lot of effort to maintaining excellent physical shape at any age, then this will almost certainly happen. We read his reflections on the topic “I'm not old, but superstar” in the next publication.

As recently as February, 59-year-old Ned Overend, aka Lightweight and Dead Man Nedley, took first place at the National Fat Bike Championship held in Ogden, Ohio. If now you imagine a certain funny scene with grandpa, sluggishly moving on a retro bike across the plain, then you are mistaken: the man got his nicknames for a reason.

Ned, an honorary member of all kinds of competitions, did not quit racing even after retiring from professional sports in 1996. Today he is the captain of the Specialized pro riders team, and it is still not an easy task to beat him on the track. This is how it is with the strong in spirit and dedicated to their work!

Ned's life is as interesting as the story of a seasoned sailor. The son of an American diplomat, he was born in Taipei, People's Republic of China. He began to ride a mountain bike at about the age of thirty, in the early 80s, and already in 1988 he became the hero of the world's first mountain bike movie, which its creators, as pioneers of filming bicycle rides in the mountains, without hesitation, called "Great cycling in the mountains ".

But let's go back to our days. The discipline that Overend had to win is race on. This is not even a Tour de France, but a serious test for the coolest guys (and everyone is much younger than our champion): a 19-mile race on bicycles with hefty wheels among the mountains and forests of the 45th US state. And this is all in winter, in February.

The temptation to attribute Ned's victories to unprecedented genetic endurance is great: not all of us really compare with him. He has succeeded in almost every cycling discipline that he has been active in since the early 90s, from cross-country to off-road triathlon.

Why? Even among all those who were endowed with rare physical data by Mother Nature, Overend is the toughest nut to crack. His superpower is longevity. For this reason, he, along with a dozen other veteran athletes, got on the pages of Joe Friel's book "", which became part of a growing project dedicated to the sports elite of the guards - seasoned, racing on two wheels for a good half century.

Surely many are worried about the question: "What will happen when old age pats me on the shoulder, when I overcome the line beyond which maturity ends and childhood is remembered as a good fairy tale?" Probably, you will have to come to terms with your fate, get used to complaining about the change in the weather and more and more often catch yourself thinking: “People are beginning to recognize me in pharmacies”.

On the other hand, many people spend their entire adult life very actively: skiing or snowboarding, surfing the waves on kites and surfing, doing martial arts and yoga. So why change your habits, especially such useful ones, for a destructive calmness?

If you search, you can find a number of books in which the authors reflect on this very topic: "Older, Faster, Stronger" by Margaret Webb, "Second Wind" by Lee Bergquist, "Youth" by Bill Gifford (Bill Gifford).

All of the above things are written in an inspiring language and are quite informative, they provide examples of successful athletes to this day who have left behind more than a dozen years. Joe Friel was the one who noticed that there are certain patterns in this issue, by studying which you can develop an action plan to combat the barriers to aging.

A few years ago, at the age of 71, Friel, a respected trainer and author of the famous series of books, "" noticed that his own indicators - speed and endurance when cycling - were gradually getting worse.

Members of the age group he trained began to make their uphill mentor, something that had rarely happened before. Perplexed, Friel was forced to turn to scientific sources to find out for sure if there was a way to defeat the merciless time.

What we managed to learn can both please and upset. The good news: with the loss of performance, it is still possible to do something.

We cannot stop the hands of the clock, but it is a real task to slow down the aging process and maintain a sufficient level of the forces we need.

The bad news is that the human body, whatever one may say, over the years wears out and grows decrepit, whether we like it or not: this is how everything in our world works.

Based on the inspiring part of scientific facts, Friel began work on his plan for competitive survival in the world of sports for those over 50. The writer understood that the influence of some factors of aging could not be avoided: flexibility disappears over the years, excess weight appears, muscles become flabby, and we are less active. It's sad, but, as they say, it's a fact.

But let's not catch up with old age. Friel is convinced that our behavior, view of things and phenomena - lifestyle, in a word, is our most powerful weapon against aging.

Joe Friel trainer and author of the acclaimed Exercise Bible series

There are reasons to believe that the main reason most athletes tend to lose performance as they age is parenting. Nature itself plays only a small role in this. If we consider ourselves old, we will eventually feel ourselves to be them.

According to Friel, if you are already 50 or even more, it does not matter, because at least 70% of your former life capacities still serve you faithfully. So the nose is higher!

But what about the pep, the thirst for struggle and the constant striving for victory? How to release your inner Hulk?

And here our coach has an answer: the key to your inner resources lies in the regularity of physical activity. If the car has to drive and not gather dust in the garage, then the heart has to beat. And not always measured.

This is the main benefit of a workout - you train yourself to move regularly so that everything in your body works. Do not think that aging will take away all your strength, there is still a lot to fight for.

Ned Overend Honorary Member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, participant in all kinds of cycling competitions

Training with an emphasis on high intensity intervals has been my favorite way to prepare for racing throughout my career. I have found that by shortening the duration of my workout, I still benefit from short but explosive cycles. In addition, fatigue does not have time to accumulate quickly, and this is also an obvious plus.

Friel is also not discouraged: his reasoning on the same topic is supported by the results of a classic study of the 70s, which was carried out by specialists from the Institute for the Study of Aerobics in Dallas, Texas. A team of scientists led by Michael Pollock monitored 24 athlete-runners aged 42 to 59 years.

The study lasted 10 years. Thirteen test subjects stopped training, although they had always overcome long marathons. And 11 people were trained according to the system of intensive crosses.

Both groups ran the same mileage during the week, but the members of the "intensive" group noted that their maximum oxygen consumption increased by at least 1.6%. Further observations have successfully confirmed this.

Endurance and intensity training are equally important in order to maintain fitness at any age, but intensity training is more important.

Joe Friel

The concept of "intensity" is associated primarily with stress - a consequence of the body's adaptation to physical activity. You can, for example, use this stress to your advantage to try to improve your athletic performance - Gifford wrote about this in his book, which we talked about today.

Gifford mentions Todd Becker, a chemist also known as "the most meticulous guy." Becker maintains a blog on health and fitness, which he called "Getting Stronger", and is a supporter of hormesis (from the Greek hórmēsis, fast movement, striving) - stimulating the body with any external influences that are not capable of doing harm.

The blogger ate his dog during cold water douches, intense workout sessions, strength training and sprints, as well as other ways to mock himself in order to achieve positive changes.

According to Gifford, this is similar to the effect of the vaccine that people get against all kinds of dangerous diseases: a small dose of the virus placed in the body causes it to produce antibodies to fight the threat, and thus the defense system is strengthened.

By stimulating your body with moderate doses of stress, followed by adequate rest during recovery periods, you will become stronger. In the world of professional athletes, this is a whole separate science. Of course, this philosophy is mentioned by all authors who have wished to speak on the topic that we raised today. It's not enough just to know what you can if you want to. We must both want and do.

Of course, the advice to give all the best should be used wisely, nothing else. Especially considering the considerable number of fatal cases when the heart could not stand it is a common practice, unfortunately, so yes, the fears of the majority on this score are understandable.

If you really decide to do it seriously, then objectively take into account the level of your physical fitness and state of health. Better yet, consult an experienced physiologist.

One way or another, intense training is not deadly, but on the contrary, if you follow all the necessary recommendations.

A good half of his book, Friel scrupulously delves into the intricacies and features of the methods he offers, emphasizing that you will make the ideal training scheme yourself, listening to your feelings.

It is worth making a reservation: the author primarily refers to experienced professionals who are 100% aware of what they are doing. Once again, this is not a beginner's guide, although under the guidance of an experienced trainer, you can try them as well.

For those familiar with the Training Bible, the strategy will probably sound familiar: Define a goal, such as a certain distance, that you overcome from time to time in training, you will achieve the desired indicator in time.

Friel talks about this in great detail in his manual: it is important to find the right balance between "not enough" and "too much." This is simply a prerequisite for achieving results.

And here's what else you need to do:

Do weightlifting

“When you train with significant weights for several weeks, you train your muscles,” Friel writes. - Weightlifting stimulates the production of hormones responsible for muscle growth. Testosterone, insulin and other products of the chemical factory of the human body come into play.

Eat More Protein

Modern researchers insist: with age, we need more and more protein, which is rich in protein foods. However, in this case, a lot depends on a number of factors: although a lot of protein is required, the body is able to take only a certain amount of it from each meal. The rest is simply not digestible.

Get enough sleep

“Sleep is undoubtedly a key component of vigor at any age, especially at an older age,” explains Friel. - How much sleep do you need? If you wake up on an alarm, you are not getting enough sleep, keep in mind.

Create the right conditions for relaxation

If active rest means a bike ride, light jogging or workout session, then restorative rest is a completely different story. With age, according to Friel's research, this aspect needs to be given more attention. In general, this is true for training at any age.

Skipping a day or two if you feel you need it will even be helpful. A massage, sauna or steam bath is a great way to relax.

Be prudent

In spite of everything, think soberly. At an older age, there are certain restrictions that should not be neglected: it takes more and more time to recover, and injuries also take longer. Measure and awareness should be in everything, then you have more chances for longevity and great health.

Summing up, I want to say the following: age is a number, not old age. We are young as long as we ourselves want to be young. The main thing is to never give up, no matter how usual it sounds. Believe in yourself and light it up for the joy and example of others!

P. S. Personally, I would like to spend my old age in the spirit of the video for the song Always Loved A Film by the wonderful British band Underworld. Watch and get inspired!