The Masters Athlete: peak performance for those of us 50+

I have been looking at some materials on ageing, especially on biological ageing. There is no slowing down of the clock- I’m 54 years old and heading to 55 in October and no number of barbell thrusters, burpees or box squats is going to change that fact. The hands of time move on unfailingly.

But, biological ageing is a different matter altogether. There is a lot that can be done to turn back or speed up (note speeding up in this context is not a good thing- it is bad, very bad) the biological clock. My Garmin tells me I’m closer to 44 than 54. A few tests I’ve done online tell me similar- they age me somewhere in the vicinity of 40 years of age. One gave me a reading of 20. I can tell you that was my fave by far!

Seriously, though, biological age has a lot of science to back it up. The scientists working in this area are making some amazing inroads. That said, some of the wisdom about ageing is age old (apologies for the pun). 

Let me quote Socrates again regarding ageing: “Besides, it is a disgrace to grow old through sheer carelessness before seeing what manner of man you may become by developing your bodily strength and beauty to their highest limit.” This is an excerpt from Socrates’ dialogue with Epigenes, who the story suggests was clearly overweight and in poor condition for a young man. As Socrates argues: “The fit are healthy and strong” and he explains in this dialogue the benefits of being so. It is worthwhile reading for anyone who has any doubts about why they should exercise, eat well and generally take good care of their physical health. For those of us who do, it is still an affirming read.

As Socrates argues, ageing can be accelerated or decelerated by the actions we take. We cannot stop the chronological clock. However, we have a lot of control over how quickly or not we age. There is a lot of research that indicates that thinking and living as if one was an athlete is a very effective way to optimise a person’s quality of life.

The aim of the remainder of this short blog and the ones to come is to provide a definition and to offer a guide on how to become and remain a Masters Athlete. While a lot has been written and said on on ageing well, there isn't a huge amount out there on how to maximise performance, in sport or in life as a masters athlete. My aim over coming weeks is to find out as much as I can about whether a masters athlete needs to train differently than a younger competitor and if so, how.

Who and what is the Masters Athlete?

In the gym world today, the use of the term athlete has become quite common. This is a positive move, I think, as in many ways it implies that all of us should aim for athletic outcomes. I strongly support this proposition. I believe we all should be emulating athletes in the care for ourselves. Athletes are careful about what they eat and drink, they ensure they sleep well, and they exercise with purpose. As CrossFit argues, the needs of elite athletes and the rest of the population differ in degree not in substance. If we all started to think this way, they'd likely be less lifestyle diseases, lots less obesity, diabetes, sarcopenia and osteoporosis.

But, while getting gen. pop. more active is a really important mission for THW, this blog is not about the “everyday athlete”, it is about older people who decide to take up an activity or sport competitively. And, while the lessons learned in regards to how, and how often, the elite masters athlete should be training will transfer over to everyone else in that age group, my focus is going to be on "older" people competing for glory.

There is little doubt that the older competitive athlete is a growing phenomenon. The increasing numbers of older people taking up competitive, or semi-competitive activities post 35 years of age, is a result of some convergent aspects of our contemporary world, especially in industrialised, and post-industrialised, countries, where there has been a coincidence of longer lifespans, affluence and forms of community that revolve around group exercise and sport. The internet and spread of information possibly play a part as well. However, I’ve not come across a compelling case that it has.

Typically, the older athlete has passed their prime. There are often masters divisions for the 35+ age group. While those continuing to compete into their late 30s are excellent examples of the masters athlete, and there is some information about how their training habits should change, my interest lies in the 50+ age group.

An obvious reason for this interest in 50+ athletes is that I am one myself. Another, is that from the age of 50 or so, the body goes through some changes that have an impact on a person’s capacity to exercise. I have felt it and quite a few of the men, and some women, I have spoken to have also experienced changes that hit them at about age 50. These changes really begin once a person hits their 30s. Aerobic capacity declines at 1% a year from the age of 34. The decline in testosterone for men is another key change that begins about the age of 30 and cumulatively, I think it is fair to say, really becomes apparent sometime a man hits his late 40s or early 50s. By age 50, testosterone levels of a healthy male will be anywhere from 30-50% less than what they were two decades earlier. These figures are worse for men who smoke, are overweight, sedentary, and generally in poor condition. The obesity epidemic in countries like the US has been reported to also be responsible for a crisis of testosterone in men leading to erectile dysfunction, depression, etc., in higher numbers than ever before amongst men in their 40s and 50s. Australia, too has a problem of this kind.

The decline in testosterone, in women as well, has an impact on strength, muscle mass, energy, bone density and mood which are all key components that an athlete requires to compete at any level. Remaining athletic is one way to reduce the impact of falling testosterone.

The most basic of all recommendations for improving testosterone levels are sleep, exercise, and nutrition.

·      Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep a night.

·      Lift weights to induce the release of testosterone. Studies have shown that heavy deadlifts increase testosterone (and Human Growth Hormone) levels more than any other exercise.

·      Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet with enough protein to fuel muscle growth and also ensure that there are some monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in your diet.

Foods such as olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fish all contain “healthy” fats so adding these to your diet if you don’t already consume them regularly will make a difference.

·      Limit calories consumed of sugary, high carb and fried foods. Once a week, or less, of these types of foods is the right frequency for un-nutritious foods noted for spiking blood insulin levels and increasing the amount of fat the body stores.

·      Stop smoking and keep alcohol consumption to the recommended intake. In Australia, it is 10 standard units a week and no more than 4 units on any one day. In Canada, the recommendation is now 2 standard drinks a week. Whatever the recommendation, low consumption of alcohol will have a positive impact on testosterone levels, physical performance and general well-being.

There are some foods that studies have shown to have a positive impact on testosterone levels. The most reliable of these are:

·      Tuna

·      Garlic for its cortisol lowering properties.

·      Milk

·      Eggs

·      Almonds

·      Lean red meat (in moderation)

·      Spinach (most likely Popeye had bulging biceps due to his high T-levels)

·      Chia seeds.

No doubt, keeping up testosterone levels for all men and women aged 50+ will contribute to a better, less diseased life. Higher levels of testosterone will also aid masters’ athletes’ performance both in training and in competition.

But regardless, of how well a person of 50 or over can manage the hormonal changes, ageing will produce a decline in physical capabilities that must be factored into training and competing.  Maintaining aerobic capacity, continuing to maintain or build muscle mass, spending more time mobility training and focusing on stimulating fast twitch muscle fibres especially type 11b fibres, are all part of fighting the good fight against ageing. One other battle that the ageing athlete must overcome is the mental one of coming to terms with the fact of life that regardless of how fit, healthy and strong they might be, with age comes some decline.

Next week’s entry will delve into training advice for masters’ athletes. In doing so, I hope to reveal to the best of my ability, for myself and others, how often, and in what ways, a person in their 50s and beyond should train. And, how differently from their younger counterparts should training be for the older athlete to reach their peak performance.

Until next week, be Herculean.