Forget all the gym crap, strava etc. Don't train, ride for fun.
Don't do anything that risks joint injury.
Don't eat shit food, and remember that beer gives you tits.
Ride a singlespeed because it tones the entire body so you don't need to waste riding time doing "exercises".
Lift your riding position so you can enjoy the views.
Try to knock off a 200km audax every few months.
That's the advice my 73 year old self would give my 40 year old self.
And I have the advantage of knowing it works. 🙂
Ok you win! Although the beer thing....?
I'd suggest that generally the same principles apply for healthy eating and exercise at any age, but I think weight training is a good idea for older cyclists. I definitely notice my muscle mass and strength decreasing in the last few years.
The good news is that the decline is manageable and not inevitably catastrophic. I was riding a 600km Audax recently, in a fairly brisk group, and one older gentleman was consistently giving us a hard time and powering away on the climbs. He turned out to be 62, lives near Rosedale Chimney, and rides up it every day!
Ride a singlespeed because it tones the entire body so you don’t need to waste riding time doing “exercises”.
I have to disagree.
I'm 57 and I'm finding its all about rationing out energy and recovery. If I only cycled and devoted all my training energy and recovery to that then I'm a decent cyclist able to finish in the first third of sportives regardless of age group. However I do other things like hill walking and life in general which require resistance to impact and upper body strength both of which I do not get from cycling so in order to do a hard days hillwalking and not have my legs screwed for three days afterwards or being able to do a days gardening without aching the next day I have to do some running and gym work as well as cycling. I don't now have the energy and, more importantly, the recovery to do all that without something suffering so I've accepted that I have to let my cycling performance slip a bit in order to do the other training which lets me do the other stuff that's important in my life.
Seriously....life’s too short to worry about it.
Eat healthy (ish)
Exercise (which you probably already do)
Have fun doing what you love.
Middle age....sorted.
Thanks all.
I think some of my problems come from the fact I did lots of sports previously and picked up injuries which were never properly addressed. I also kept up the rugby binge drinking sessions for too long.
In terms of energy levels, much of this is also probably to do with just being very busy in terms of work and family. I've noticed it does return when I go on holiday.
The lifestyle changes are early days so hopefully I will start seeing some results - I will update this thread accordingly. Cheers, handybar.
Things I've noticed:
One you've lost your speed, its a lot, lot harder to get it back - make sure you do some maximal effort stuff now and again, even if it's just blasting hills on your regular rides.
Recovery - doing back-to-back 'hard' days is far tougher - take an easy day after a hard one.
Be realistic about your weaknesses and do something about it - riding a bike lots won't fix a weak core.
Ride with younger people as it'll work you harder.
For me the tricks that seem to be working are:
Focus on getting good core strength - the most important thing - every time you move it is working off your core.
Look after your back...once to 'do it in' it will never be the same again and will be a weak point forever. So trying to lift up the washing machine by yourself is something you might have got away with twenty years ago...but not now.
Prevent or stop doing anything explosive....work colleagues of mine of a similar age still playing football, playing squash or anything like that are now dropping with busted achilles...if they wait for them to heal then go back then they bust them again. It's your body telling you something....explosive sports are for youths.
Stay flexible, especially the lower back
Warm up and cool down before any exercise with emphasis on warm up.
Keep mobile..do as much exercise as often as possible. I aim to do something every day..even if it is a 30 min gym session or a stiff walk at lunchtime at work...fast enough to get a little out of breath.
Stay young in your mind and outlook. As soon as your mind starts giving in to old age then the next thing you know you'll be looking at adverts for those fur lined, ankle high shoes with zips up the front and thinking "They look comfortable, I'll get a pair".
66.
Ride bikes a lot and get a power kite for a decent workout of legs and upper body.
On the roadie (which is my sole form of exercise at the moment) I've been concentrating on quality rather than quantity, so for exampe driving out to ride thus missing the boring 10 miles I've ridden a hundred times and starting the best bit with fresh legs. So the tour of the Bowland fells with a climb of The Trough becomes 35 miles of enjoyable cruise without the 15-20 miles of trudging out and back. I do car-borne trips to The Dales and I'm planning a trip up to Penrith soon to ride Hartside Summit and the access road to Cross Fell, short but better done on fresh legs. This way I enjoy the rides and don't find them an exhausting pain in the arse.
no quick cure for your ills..... I just hit the gym as much as I can and also get out on my bike as much as I can, I don't take supplements at all, but I try to eat sensibly (notice I never mentioned healthy), and I am 61 and still feel the lactic burn of a heavy workout or bike ride...
Whilst more prevelant in America, proper male TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) is available privately in the UK and there are a few clinics about.
I know a number of people over 40 and 50+ who this has been life changing for in both physical and mental health.
sync - does that then affect race entries? Pushing into drug assisted performance surely.
46 here, just ride my bike. Mix up local rides, sometimes short, sometimes long. MTB and a little CX. Just did my first "road" (CX bike with slicks Inc pave) ride this year = 163.41 miles / 9000' / 13hrs and finished in reasonable condition, so pleased with that.
I get that strength work would probably help, but time constraints mean I'm looking to start some yoga sometime soon.
Cyclings a good sport for an aging body to participate in
Keep the intensity and reduce the volume, cycling and swimming are ok but really two sides of the same coin.
55 here and training to do a handstand atm, really love my calisthenics and recently nailed the muscle up on the Olympic rings. New challenges is the key and plenty of recovery time. Another main area is mobility and would recommend working on this every day, it's surprising how rejuvenated you can feel after stretching.
I plan on going down fighting, just keep the excuses at bay and last but not least, STOP EATING CRAP.
Yeh stretching,must remember to do more of that.Does a chicken dinner at my local greasy spoon count as junk food or good food.I would have no idea.
50 and fitter than I have ever been. Always cycled, always been relatively slim (179 cm and <75 kg). Started competitive cycling at 45 and have trained and improved since. Retained 2nd cat license this year with first win. Sadly for my racing, I'm really designed for endurance not sprinting, and placed 11th in the National 12hr TT. I find I do not have the top end short interval power the young riders have, but can hang on in flatter races. As soon as they put down 600 watts for a minute up a hill, I'm gone.
So racing E12 with kids my son's age gets me interval training, vets racing is pure entertainment, long-distance racing for fitness. Recovery may take longer, but I have little to compare with as 10 years ago I was playing village cricket.
Volume matters, but you need to hurt yourself sometimes. Cycling is low impact compared with other exercises, I don't plan on ever stopping.
I don’t know about middle age stuff, because I’m way beyond that now. However, what I find hard to come to terms with is the fact that I can’t help but compare myself now with the person that I was twenty years ago (when I was middle aged, I suppose...) and those comparisons are usually unfavourable.
If I limit this to bike riding then I can console myself with the fact that I’m riding stuff now that I wouldn’t have considered ten years ago - only because I made it some sort of personal mission to ride stuff that previously I’d walked down and thought “oh, to be able to ride this”. And there never was any real reason that I couldn’t - I used to be a pretty reasonable trials rider, after all. Once I was much past 50 though, I had a period of telling myself that I was too old for this or that and that was what stopped me - I could visualise myself cleaning a particular rocky chute but couldn’t quite overcome my demons and just do it.
Now I’m constantly mourning lost years and lost opportunities - to ride more big descents in big mountains. If only I had a good friend or two to do this stuff with.....but I don’t, not where there are big mountains anyway. So, at the age of 66, I content myself with riding a rigid singlespeed 90% of the time and telling myself that I enjoy riding alone (actually, tbh, a lot of the time I do) and that I prefer my Hummingbird singlespeed to my Liteville 301. In many ways I do, too.
What I’m really getting at is to embrace “middle age” (whatever it is) and set yourself new challenges right now, don’t leave it as late as I did, because new skills are sadly wasted on a useless old **** like me.
Gunz
I have to disagree.
Why?
Do you think it hasn't worked for me?
Andy R
...Once I was much past 50 though, I had a period of telling myself that I was too old for this or that and that was what stopped me – I could visualise myself cleaning a particular rocky chute but couldn’t quite overcome my demons and just do it...
That's common sense kicking in, not fear. I have a few years on you, and I've seen too many friends try to hang on to their heroic youth.
Most of the time it works, but then one day a reaction is a millisecond slower than it used to be, and when that happens the potential price paid can stop you riding forever. Young folk do the rubber ball bounce, older folk do the dead cat bounce.
The reality of the Hunter S Thomson quote is you don't broadside into the grave fully used up.
First you cripple yoursel, Then you spend years of inactivity with life closing in around you and your circle of friends evaporating as your grumpiness and inactivity removes the common ground.
They all do turn up for the funeral though, and say nice words about what a great guy you used to be and what a shame about the last 15 years of your life. Then your bloated body gets tipped into the grave, and your family breathes a guilty sigh of relief.
Far better to still be riding for that 15 years...
https://mobile.twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1020322584070680577/video/1
Just incase you haven't seen it. DMCs 900. Just do whatever it is he dose to keep going!
I only really started getting fit in my 30s so at least I don't have a 20-25 year old target in my head.
Staying fit isn't that difficult but, as has already been said, lost fitness is really hard to restore. Injuries and illness have hit me this year and I know I'll have to really work hard. Most of my riding is done with folk that are around 20 years younger then me. Sometimes I just have to let them go.
OTOH I ran my first marathon today, with little actual running train. 4:36 isn't exactly setting the heather on fire but as a 59 year old I'll take that gladly.
Well done on the marathon Colin never managed a road marathon myself.
Thanks Bob. Never again though. If folk think that cycling the canal between Gairlochy and Banavie is interminably boring then they really need to try it on foot 🙂 Leanachan Forest was lovely though.
The reality of the Hunter S Thomson quote is you don’t broadside into the grave fully used up...
Ah thanks, I was wondering how to put it and that does it nicely. Some folks really can run until they burn out in a blaze ofglory but most of us by 50 already know if that's our style, and if it isn't then the trick is to find the maximum peace that allows you to keep going without damaging anything
For me it's mostly mental (I think). I'm losing fitness because I don't ride so much and I don't ride so much because after a while you start to lose enthusiasm. Changing things around seems to help though, so riding on your drop bar bike on worries you would normally have the mtb on can help as can just setting aside time to ride stuff further afield
And new bikes. New bikes always help
leffeboy
...And new bikes. New bikes always help...
Changed it slightly for you...
And different bikes. Different bikes always help. 🙂
Hence my recent excursions into wrong places on rod-brake roadsters.
scotroutes
Well done on the marathon Colin.
Great thread, my 10 pence worth , is that as you get older you should embrace the fact that you are still able to ride tricky techy descents on that 2 hr Sunday afternoon ride , whilst most people of your age and type are in the pub drinking ale and never having any back wheel slide outs that you catch , and make you feel alive!
You will never compete with the fit 25 year old you, but just enjoy what cycling gives you , and set new goals.
Interesting thread. For me, fitness, or fitness as I want it to be for me, is a bit of a struggle. I used to run and ride as I pleased. I'd never be lighting up strava but stuff like that is of no interest to me anyway. I used to run and ride alone with the odd social ride with one or two others. Now, after a prolonged bout of metatarsalgia that took a while to control I find myself at 42 with a 2 year old boy, another little one on the way, an old house that needs constant tlc and a 24/7 constantly varying shift pattern and precious little free time to do any exercise (I have precious little free time for anything, I don't go out, I don't socialise, my other hobby of bird watching, not done that since the wee man came along and I only really get the chance to indulge my inner DezB in the car but I'm digressing). Tiredness from family life and work led to stress and anxiety and a shocking diet. A two year overdue wellman check up at the doc's however returned a bill of health to be proud of and it gave me the kick up the arse I needed. A new pair of running shoes were invested in and I now use my downtime at work (I often get downtime of 2.5 hours plus) to get changed and go for a run. It doesn't always work out, some shifts and locations don't allow for it so I might go a week or whatever without managing a run but every little helps and it beats sitting on my backside filling my face with crap. I just have to remember I'm lucky to be able to indulge myself and that I'm lucky to have been able to pick up not where I left off but at a reasonable level rather than trying to discover my fitness all over again. I dread to think how off the pace I'd be on a bike though...
Oh, and another "nice one" from me too, Colin. Fair play to you.
Gunz
I have to disagree.
Why?
Do you think it hasn’t worked for me?
I just can't see how solely riding a single speed can entirely replace a more varied exercise regime for the whole body.
If it works for you though, good luck, I hope I'm still as active as you at your age.
I'm 61 ride for fun ..and always have .
I'm also very fortunate to have a bunch of mates ( all over 50 and some over 70 ) with years of mtb experience who get out most Saturdays at different places across the North of England & Scottish Borders..
I gave up Squash aged 39 when the knees started to hurt ..that's when I started mountain biking ..I had a 5 year flirtation with badminton ( used to play regularly in my late teens ) in my mid 50's ..and packed in completely when joints in arms & legs started to hurt again ..and I couldn't play to a certain level anymore .
But as I mentioned earlier in this thread don't start acting middle aged ..keep a young outlook on life ..I've seen too many people my age just waiting to die ..years before their time ( and Ive absolutely no sympathy for their plight which is mainly self inflicted ) ..
An old but true saying ..age is just a number
An old but true saying ..age is just a number
The point of this thread though is that that isn't quite true. You have to approach things differently as that number goes up otherwise you will hurt yourself, be disappointed in how poorly you ride or end up permanently exhausted. The good news is that a lot of this is avoidable but only by changing how you do things (unless of course your regime was already appropriate)
I wonder if the reason then singlespeed works so well for epicyclo is that you get a lot of the resistance work that you tend to avoid as you get older through having to crank up hills in a gear that is larger than you would normally use
Gunz
I just can’t see how solely riding a single speed can entirely replace a more varied exercise regime for the whole body.
If it works for you though, good luck, I hope I’m still as active as you at your age.
I get your point now. You're right.
However the realities are that only highly disciplined people do keep up an exercise schedule of fitness for long. Lazy people like me don't. 🙂
My post was worded as advice I'd give myself and based on the nature of the beast.
It's easy to jump on a singlespeed bike and go for an ad hoc ride and get most of the benefits of a core workout simply by having a bit of fun.
A proper core workout in a gym would be even better but...
I suppose my point is that doing activities where the purpose is enjoyment, and the exercise is a by-product, is more likely to keep the average person functional and fit than a schedule of exercise that requires a disciplined approach.
BTW I'd add to my original post - get a big dog that needs a decent walk every day. That gets you off your couch in even the foulest of weather, and walking the dog always turns out to be fun regardless, and running with it is even better.
And I'm pretty sure my lazy man's approach to exercise means I'm fitter than most of my contemporaries as a result.
I wonder if the reason then singlespeed works so well for epicyclo is that you get a lot of the resistance work that you tend to avoid as you get older through having to crank up hills in a gear that is larger than you would normally use
It's not really resistance except in relative strength terms - if you held, say 40rpm for five minutes, that would be a notional 200 reps. If you did 200 reps of a resistance exercise, you would actually just be developing localised muscular endurance. More likely the benefit is from high intensity on climbs and a certain amount of core stabilisation at the same time.
So better than a geared bike in the sense that it will probably be more intense on climbs, but not really strength training in the strict sense. But if it works, it works. It's better to do something than nothing. And better to do something more than less intense.
Edit: and pretty much what Epi himself says above. It all depends on how focussed and motivated you are. The Friel book is slanted towards folk who've always been quite structured and intense in the way they approach training I guess, but it's still excellent on the general principles of age-related deterioration and how you can work to minimise the impact.
44 here and probably just a hair less than the fittest I have ever been in my life, the slight drop being the move overseas and not hitting the gym five times a week. Mind you, I am cycling to work every day, so I get more cardio in than I used to and i am still lifting weights twice a week.
But... My body is pretty ruined. Years of martial arts and other stupidity (including a lot of running) are making themselves felt with ropey knees, elbows and other problems, so I have to rely of ignoring problems to carry on. When i get a long ride in, it does take a while to recover and the last really heavy leg day I put in at the gym took four days to get over.
I think the best thing i can do is just keep cycling to work and keep hitting the gym a couple of times a week. It seems to hurt less if I do that.
Its not a just a number unfortunately. As a keen runner who's enthusiasm to train and race hard hasnt diminished at 53 I simply cannot run as hard or as frequently as even 10 yrs ago. Recovery is slower and top end sprinting speed has almost totally disappeared. Its about managing the decline, being bloody minded and setting your sights on runners who are in the same age group.
Going slightly OT with the single speed discussion but I've found it's the tension in your upper body, both core and shoulders/arms, that you need when you have to put in the extra effort required on hills. It comes from needing something to push/pull against when you are basically overgeared. Not as targeted as specific gym exercises but pretty effective nonetheless.
I'm doing the French Divide next weekend (well that and the two weeks following) and being France you need a doctor's note/certificate to participate. Went down to surgery and the receptionist pulls up my details: "Hmm, not sure how to go with this, you haven't been here to see a doctor in five years". "Well there's been nothing wrong with me!" (The last visit was the one where I was referred for a hip replacement.)
General thread summary:
Don't worry about age or comparing yourself against a younger you, or worse, some random youngster
Keep trying to do what you want to do.
Mix things up: do HIIT as well as cardio
Be positive
Anything else?
I don’t know what the real reason is, but the singlespeed thing seems to work for me - in fact, I credit riding one for the last ten years as being what’s kept me motivated to keep riding at all. It must just suit my physiology/mindset/whatever. All I know is that my small (but select) group of friends say that I ride a singlespeed better than they’ve seen me ride anything else and that if I turn up on it they know not to expect a particularly gentle ride....
So maybe the answer is to play to your strengths (and pick your battles).
For a lot of people retirement means taking it easy, which in turn leads to a gradual decline in fitness and health. I'm planning to retire in 18 months to 2 years and do more walking, more cycling, more skiing and ski touring and even some rowing.
My elderly neighbour was reasonably fit and used to play a round or two of golf a week until he had a knee replacement, when he stopped. He is now completely sedentary and very unwell; it's amazing how quickly he went downhill when he stopped taking regular exercise.
That was something I worried about when my step-father had a knee replacement. He's a keen walker and having to stop that would have been a big impact to his life. Luckily the first knee seems to have taken and he is back walking on it decent distances and is looking to get the other one done too. Fingers crossed that one works as well.
As others have said, age is largely a state of mind. I'm 52 next week and have a mentally "younger" outlook than many of my peers. Fitness and diet is important. I try and eat well and run 3 or 4 times a week and do a high intensity circuits class every Monday night. I've got my first ever marathon in October and to be honest I am very nervous about it.
I never use age as an excuse for not doing something. In fact I never factor age into any of my plans. What's the quote, something about not stopping playing when you get old but getting old when you stop playing.
Keep positive!
54 here, no different from 44, apart from injuries take longer to heal, so don't get injured.
Probably not quite as fit as I was 10 years ago, but I used to play football. Would still do if circumstances allowed.
State of mind innit.
I have a copy of Friel's book somewhere. I'm sure it's very good if you are a focussed and competitive person who has a base of fitness and has already got the training habits and wants to get that last few % out of their body.
If not I reckon that you'll quickly get fed up of the regime and diet and give it up - and really that's most of us.
Certainly I never even started to follow any of it because I reckoned it was a route to injury for an older rider.
I would have no hesitation in recommending it to someone in their early 30s though.
The whole process of fitness seems to be about punishing yourself and pushing yourself beyond your limits. I reckon that's why most people do not persist. If it leaves you crippled for a few days, then why are you doing it? Have you a gold medal at stake?
It's like weight weenying your bike, you can get a nice light bike for a reasonable amount of money, but to get it that 3% lighter is going to cost heaps.
It's the same with exercise IMO, you can get a perfectly adequate level of fitness by doing stuff that is fun and not 'exercise', and you'll keep wanting to do it. To get to winner standard you have to beast yourself.
For example, I mentioned if you had a dog, you'd probably end up enjoying running with it. Today I was out with my wolfhound. I haven't let her run for a few weeks now because the weather has been hot and I didn't want her overheating. Today was cool and slightly damp and she was frisky, so I ran with her - according to my iPhone 5.5km - around the lower part of the 'Puffer course. There is a decent bit of climb in that, but because I'm not trying to run at a race pace, it was comfortable. I'm sure a proper runner would find my pace slow, but the point is I can run 5.5km on a hilly course without discomfort, thanks to enjoying my walks with my dog.
Maybe I should write a book "Trick Yourself into Fitness Without Punishing Yourself - by a Lazy Bastard and His Dog". 🙂
All I need is a publisher...
it’s amazing how quickly he went downhill when he stopped taking regular exercise
To quote the Dogtown skater/surfer Jay Adams:
"You didn't quit skateboarding because you got old, you got old because you quit skateboarding"
If necessary substitute 'skateboarding' with your chosen hobby/pursuit
Use it or lose it ... I'm now 50 but cycling & snowboarding more than ever.
I've found my reaction times aren't quite as sharp and I can't be as reckless when it comes to jumps and drops etc anymore as injury recovery takes longer but I think I'm having more fun than ever! 🙂
47 here and stronger and more flexibly than I was when 20. Not sure about fitter as I don't do much aerobic sport any more, just weightlifting and gymnastics.....
The only thing I really notice other than hairs growing out of every orifice at an alarming rate is my eyesight / ability to change focal range is deteriorating (normal at that age). Other than that, very happy with how things are going physically...
NB We went on an Alpine hut to hut trek last month and the fittest person in the group was a 57 year old woman from NZ, who set a cracking pace on the climbs (and I'm no slouch when it comes to slogging up hill). So, age is no barrier to fitness.
@epicyclo - to some extent I agree. When I was young "training" was about getting good enough to beat your mates, do well at county, national level. (I used to race cross-country running when at school).
After school it was climbing and wanting to be as good as possible. By the time I got to forty the serious side of the routes I tended to go for began to get to me.
Fell running and I'd be in the top third to quarter at most races despite being closer to fifty than forty.
I'm now at the long end of my fifties and I've kept my fitness but there's no "got to be better than xxx" so training isn't about bothering the top ten in races but ensuring there's a bit of oomph when required on rides.
