When do you start to get too old to improve?
Discussion
I know everyone is different but I was wondering when the body starts to throw in the towel?
I started cycling about 2 years ago and have improved dramatically over that time. I am 41 this summer.
All things being equal (number of rides per week etc.) how many years of improvement do I have till age starts to counter the gains?
Steve
I started cycling about 2 years ago and have improved dramatically over that time. I am 41 this summer.
All things being equal (number of rides per week etc.) how many years of improvement do I have till age starts to counter the gains?
Steve
You are fine I reckon, one of the strongest in my club is 52, hes quicker than the young guys, he puts lots of rides in though.
Depends on genetics, lifestyle and diet (not nec in that order)
Im coming up to 32 and never felt fitter, I recover so much quicker than my 20s/teens and can push a lot harder than when i was younger.
I also find the older you get the wiser you get, so you can work and train smarter not harder which is very beneficial
Depends on genetics, lifestyle and diet (not nec in that order)
Im coming up to 32 and never felt fitter, I recover so much quicker than my 20s/teens and can push a lot harder than when i was younger.
I also find the older you get the wiser you get, so you can work and train smarter not harder which is very beneficial
Steve vRS said:
I am probably fitter than I've ever been.
My diet is a bit crap - not catastrophic- but I do like beer and chocolate however I work on the principle that as long as miles pedalled>food chomped, I am OK!
Steve
I follow the same principle.My diet is a bit crap - not catastrophic- but I do like beer and chocolate however I work on the principle that as long as miles pedalled>food chomped, I am OK!
Steve
However - the last couple of weeks I have upped the mileage (to 150miles per week) without increasing the food in and my weight has gone up by about 2kg (to 73Kg)...
I'm nearly 44 and have never felt fitter.
I am 41 and probably the fittest I have been since my mid 20's when I lived in the gym, did loads of MTB-ing and ran 1/2 marathons!
I am beginning to wonder the same thing though, I am still setting PB's etc but they seem much harder to achieve than a couple of years ago - at some point I am sure I will start to plateau then decline..........I just hope it is a good 10 years off yet!
I am beginning to wonder the same thing though, I am still setting PB's etc but they seem much harder to achieve than a couple of years ago - at some point I am sure I will start to plateau then decline..........I just hope it is a good 10 years off yet!
Wacky Racer said:
So have you been back out on a bike since?In answer to the OP's question, it totally depends on your starting point!
Chris Hoy isn't going to be faster at 50 than he was at 30. The average couch potato, however, could be faster at 70 than they were at 30 if they decide to get off their arses and do something about it.
Your maximum potential will start to decline from your mid twenties to mid thirties (depending on the type of exertion), but that's only relevant if you ever actually reached your maximum potential in the first place.
Chris Hoy isn't going to be faster at 50 than he was at 30. The average couch potato, however, could be faster at 70 than they were at 30 if they decide to get off their arses and do something about it.
Your maximum potential will start to decline from your mid twenties to mid thirties (depending on the type of exertion), but that's only relevant if you ever actually reached your maximum potential in the first place.
Kermit power said:
In answer to the OP's question, it totally depends on your starting point!
Chris Hoy isn't going to be faster at 50 than he was at 30. The average couch potato, however, could be faster at 70 than they were at 30 if they decide to get off their arses and do something about it.
Your maximum potential will start to decline from your mid twenties to mid thirties (depending on the type of exertion), but that's only relevant if you ever actually reached your maximum potential in the first place.
Dam, beat me to it. - this.Chris Hoy isn't going to be faster at 50 than he was at 30. The average couch potato, however, could be faster at 70 than they were at 30 if they decide to get off their arses and do something about it.
Your maximum potential will start to decline from your mid twenties to mid thirties (depending on the type of exertion), but that's only relevant if you ever actually reached your maximum potential in the first place.
It's very easy to look at Pro sportsmen who are usually hanging up their spurs in their early 30's (although Peaty will be 40 soon and is faster than ever) and assume you've peaked in your mid 20's and after that you're using your experience to over-come a rapidly decomposing body, but as Kermit says, there's usually a huge gulf between potential fitness and fitness.
For us mere mortals it's probably nearer 60 give or take when our cells just aren't being replaced quickly enough or well enough to maintain a level.
I think your abilities change over time. There's no way I'll beat a twenty year old in a sprint but if the challenge is endurance I seem to be able to ride for a long time.
I'll be doing a century in April and I'm fifty next birthday. There's no way I was fit enough to do that in my twenties.
I know a bloke in his sixties, regularly rides about 1MPH behind me over a Strava hour.
I'll be doing a century in April and I'm fifty next birthday. There's no way I was fit enough to do that in my twenties.
I know a bloke in his sixties, regularly rides about 1MPH behind me over a Strava hour.
You might find it fun to have a look here:
http://www.vtta.org.uk/information/records.php
Some of these veterans are tough nuts & when I was timetrialling I couldn`t beat one of them who was in his 70`s & I was 44.
I especially like the 10 mile record of under 30 mins by a 91 year old!
http://www.vtta.org.uk/information/records.php
Some of these veterans are tough nuts & when I was timetrialling I couldn`t beat one of them who was in his 70`s & I was 44.
I especially like the 10 mile record of under 30 mins by a 91 year old!
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