Older Runners and Cyclists Need Consistency, Intensity, and Recovery

If you are over 50, the best way to improve your performance as a cyclist or runner is through consistency, intensity, and recovery.?

Regardless of how much time you have to train, if you can be consistent in your training, make sure you get the right blend of intensity and endurance, and take enough time to recover, you can make gains in your performance.?

But finding that blend can be a challenge, especially if you are limited in your training time.?

The key for cyclists and runners over 50 is to maximize their training to meet their fitness goals and become more durable athletes.

One of my heroes is a 78-year-old Milwaukee man who continues to race cyclocross!?

Consistency is the key to improving your performance

Regardless of your age, consistency in training is critical, but especially if you are a cyclist or runner over 50.

Your body has to have regular training in order for the body’s systems to start adapting to the training load and therefore get stronger.?

Doing shorter training sessions four days a week is typically better than a long session once a week.?

With one workout, your body thinks it’s a one-off situation, makes you sorry you did all that work, and then reverts back to the original state.?

Yet if you continue to stress the body, it will start to change and get stronger in order to adapt to the increased stress.?

Older athletes need intensity to increase their performance

If you are a cyclist or runner over 50, it’s more important than ever to include intensity in your training if you want to improve your performance.

The most important reason is muscular.?

That is, as we age, we lose muscle strength.?

High-intensity training forces the muscle fibers to work harder and therefore become stronger.?

Additionally, some research suggests high-intensity intervals can improve VO2 max, which decreases as we age.?

Volume matters?

However, doing all high-intensity training can lead to injury and/or burnout, especially in runners or cyclists over 50 since we need more recovery.

Your body still needs a steady diet of endurance training to at least maintain your fitness.?

Regardless of your age, regular endurance training still leads to increased mitochondria and an increased number of capillaries.?

Even if your time is limited, getting out for a long run or long ride at least once a week is important.?

Managing your fatigue with volume and intensity is important.?

Strength training is more important than ever

Strength training is critical for older cyclists and runners for three reasons:

1. Muscular strength decreases with age and decreases more rapidly the older we get. Doing big-weight strength training not only builds muscle but increases hormone activation.?

2. Lifting weights helps prevent bone density loss. While running helps maintain bone density, strength training really forces the bones to be healthier in order to support muscle growth.?

3. Finally, when older cyclists and runners commit to a regular strength training plan, they typically have fewer injuries because their body is strong enough to withstand training and racing stress.?

I recommend focusing on full-body strength training that includes core work.?

Recovery ties everything back together

One of the hardest parts of getting older was admitting that it simply takes me longer to recover from hard efforts!

I can’t simply go all the time!?

Regular sleep and good nutrition are the keys to good recovery for runners and cyclists over 50.

Getting 7:30 to 9 hours of sleep, eating lots of protein, and consuming less processed food and sugars all contribute to improving the quality of your recovery.?

Only during sleep do we make the adaptation and gains from our training!?

Plus, a good recovery plan helps your mental health as well.?

How do you structure training?

Obviously, your training is different throughout the year.?

Generally, if you are an older cyclist or runner who is still competing, I would include at least one long, slow day, at least two hard interval days, two strength training days, and several yoga sessions.?

The yoga sessions can be strength, mobility, or recovery times, depending on the time and the specific poses you choose.?

Blending the pieces together, especially if you have limited time, can be a challenge!

And while we continue to focus on target events and races, we want to continue focusing on the process of training to understand how to monitor fatigue and performance.?

Want to know more about what you can achieve??

This is a lot of information in a short article.?

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I help a limited number of cyclists and runners achieve their goals with more strength, endurance, and mobility.?

Contact me or sign up for Virtual Coffee so we can discuss your goals, ask questions, and talk about making your endurance training more effective, fun, and Simple.

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Paul Warloski is a USA Cycling Level 3 Coach; RRCA Running Coach; Training Peaks Level 2 Coach; RYT-200 Yoga Instructor; Certified Personal Trainer