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For most recreational cyclists, this is the time to enjoy rides for the sheer pleasure. But it is worth broadening your activities. I agree that the majority of training should be endurance and that should be Z1 in a 3 zone model or Z2 in the 7 zone model and going above this can lead to fatigue so that may leave you too tired to carry out the HIIT intervals on another day in the week. A must-read... this brilliant book shows you that getting older doesn't mean getting slower! ― Alan Murchison, The Cycling chef and masters cycling champion
oxidative (sorry, aerobic) training to build endurance where the heart beats below 80% of its capacity - as hunter gatherers we evolved for many thousands of years as an endurance species, and In 2012 Cavell and Wall started the International Cyclefit Symposium ICS) – an annual and then bi-annual conference that hosted speakers from all over the world.HGH levels are glucose-sensitive, so eating less sugar will help with this as well as weight control. Eating more protein will help protect your muscle mass, and omega-3-rich fish helps heart health. Midlife Cyclist offers a gold standard road-map for the mature cyclist who aims to train, perform and even race at the highest possible level. Cycling has seen a participation uplift unprecedented in any sport, especially in the 40, 50 and 60-year-old age groups. These athletes are the first statistically significant cohort to maintain, or even begin, genuine athletic performance beyond middle-age. But, just because we can continue to tune the engine into old age, does that mean that we should? And, what do these training efforts do to the aging human chassis? This book answers those questions and offers a guide to those elongating their performance window. How important is stress/inflammation as we age and train? Is this burden different for men and women? If your heart rate is fluctuating or abnormal during training, or you get stiff hips or knees, it’s worth seeing your GP,” says Roberts.
However, the best way for cyclists to preserve muscle mass, bone density and hormone levels is through extra resistance training. In your 40s, this is a welcome addition. In your 50s, it becomes crucial enough to replace some riding.The first assumption for us to test is on the subject of ageing, and more specifically: are we young people who occasioned to get old or are we fundamentally altered on a cellular level by the maturing process? A recent study by BioMed Central found that just over a third of UK adults in their forties had two or more underlying and chronic health issues, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, arthritis and so on. In their forties! These people are so young they barely make it into the ‘midlife’ group. Lifestyle obviously plays a big role in such statistics but we also cannot escape the destiny contained in our genes and their unbroken links to our ancestors. You can still perform at a very high level as you get older,” insists Cavell. “You just need to compensate for any deficiencies.” Riders who pedal into older age will enjoy a raft of benefits, from improved cardiovascular fitness to enhanced mental health. Phil is eminently qualified to write The Midlife Cyclist. Well, he is certainly old enough.' – Fabian Cancellara, Tour de France rider and two-time Olympic champion
Cycling is actually prescribed by a lot of orthopaedic surgeons now for people with arthritis because it has such positive effects,” says Roberts. I am not sure this is different between indoor/outdoor cycling. I suspect that off-road riding is more challenging because you are moving around so much. I remember that my upper body used to be in agony after a cyclo-x race or MTB race! You may endure a loss of motivation, disrupted sleep and stress. “This impacts on performance and can lead to niggling injuries. Women also become more insulin-resistant, resulting in weight gain.” Human growth hormone (HGH) – which supports muscle mass and aerobic capacity – also drops, contributing to a decline in muscle mass of 3 to 8 per cent, per decade. Nigel is a friend, a client, and I'm a patient of his. So our relationship is quite multilayered. And he's in the book because one, he is a superb cardiologist and second, he's a superb cyclist. And thirdly, he comes out with the best pithy one-liners I've ever heard. The one you're alluding to, I think, is that we trade cardiovascular and cognitive protection for the occasional orthopaedic incident, which is just beautiful. The heart of the matter is that if you cycle hard or moderately, you're almost certainly going to be cognitively protected and have cardiovascular protection. But you are occasionally going to fall off and hurt something. That's the proposition. Alejandro Valverde, aged 41 and thriving in the pro peloton (Image: Getty)
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Hip surgeons and physios love cycling and always prescribe it because it's not traumatic on your body if your bike is set up properly. But actually, your body needs a bit of trauma. It needs a bit of micro tear to try and generate it to heal stronger. So cycling, in some senses, when you get to my age, is too kind. You need to do your base with cycling and then challenge your body a little bit differently. I think The Midlife Cyclist is an important book. One of the curses of our age is that people live for a long time but endure poor health for a large chunk of those years. Phil Cavell is trying to do something about that by showing that you can remain fit and healthy through exercise for far longer than most people think possible. The cover pitches it at racing cyclists, but I found it equally relevant to me as someone who rides a lot but doesn’t race. Much of what it contains is relevant to anyone getting older who wants to maintain good health, regardless of their sport, or even if they do no exercise at all (because this might persuade them that they should!). One of those being why midlife female athletes seem to be better protected against heart disease. Why is that? I hypothecate with the help of cardiologists, but it is still not fully known. Highly successful Spanish ex-pro rider Alejandro Valverde, who retired recently aged 42. Tim de Waele/Getty Images
Every time you go above this level, you’re having to use enzymes to break down the excess lactate. Dr Baker's coach’s eye view: ‘If you feel good on an endurance ride, go longer, not harder. Going harder is risky. Going longer is safe. It’s the same with intervals — if you feel good, do an extra rep or two, but don’t increase the power.’A Midlife Cyclist is the 3rd book written by Rachel, the other two being ‘Running For My Life’ and ‘Running For Our Lives’. Persuasively, Cavell argues for the abolition of “medium” intensity training which is (I think) what I’ve come to know as threshold training. All you need is: Female riders also face big changes. “Perimenopause is becoming menopause, so you’ve got that steep decline in oestrogen, which has effects on muscle strength and bone loss,” says Roberts.
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