Masters athletes, usually defined as individuals 35 years of age and over, are a growing population. As the US population ages, masters competitions are increasing in popularity across the spectrum of sports. Depending on the sport, it is not uncommon to see younger masters age-group athletes (35-45 years of age) do quite well in national and international events competing against much younger athletes. Powerlifting has a long tradition of masters athletes winning in open competition. Absolutely nothing prevents a middle-aged trainee from getting stronger, bigger, and more powerful but their own attitudes about training and age.
As humans advance beyond middle-age, some significant changes occur. Sarcopenia (loss of muscle cells), increased body fat, performance loss, and reduced flexibility are normal effects of aging. This is largely due to the fact that the average adult has a greatly reduced activity level which leads to a loss in muscle mass (atrophy), and in the totally inactive older adult this loss is compounded by sarcopenia. The loss of functional muscle causes a loss of performance. It has been demonstrated that about 15% of performance capacity can be lost per decade with inactivity. The logical extension of this accumulating loss in performance is ultimately the loss of functional mobility.
The loss of muscle also means the loss of metabolic machinery; muscles burn most of the calories a healthy person burns daily, meaning smaller muscles burn fewer calories. Most people don't reduce the amount of food they consume as activity diminishes and the result is an average increase in body fat of 2.5 – 3% per decade.
The loss of muscle mass has another insidious effect that becomes more perceptible at an advanced age: a loss of proprioception and balance. The ability to process information the body receives about its position in space is important for performance for an athlete, and in an older adult it is crucial for safety. It is developed and maintained with exercise that requires balance and coordination, and barbell training fits this description perfectly.
In fact, barbell training is the best prescription for the prevention of all of these age-related problems. Staying in the gym slows the decay in muscle mass pushing the onset of atrophy back for decades. Even in the 60-90 year-old range, training reduces the loss of muscle mass to less than 5% per decade. Several studies have shown that 80 year-olds who were inactive but began training with weights actually gained muscle mass, improved their strength, proprioception, and balance. This affect was directly related to the amount of leg work included in the program and the resulting improvements in leg strength. Leg strength was also responsible for improving the ability to walk faster in older people. Twelve weeks of strength training increased walking endurance by 38%, something walking by itself fails to do. Squats really can be good for geriatrics.
Less obvious to those unfamiliar with weight training is the fact that lifting weights alone will improve flexibility. Moving through a complete range-of-motion serves as a wonderful dynamic stretch, while at the same time serving as a strength stimulus. This is most useful for older trainees with marked loss of range-of-motion. Osteoarthritis is a clinical condition caused by degenerative changes in joints and a loss of joint function. Patients with arthritis typically reduce their activity level to eliminate discomfort, which actually exacerbates the condition. Several studies have shown that increasing the strength of the musculature around an affected joint decreases pain and improves function significantly. A number of these studies used squats to reduce knee pain.
Figure 9-3. Older adults are not necessarily weak adults. Regular training can lead to a lifetime of strength. This 402lb deadlift by 72 year-old Darrell Gallenberger, was the result of perseverance and good training habits.
Joint pain is a major concern for masters athletes, since it often affects the ability to actually perform a workout. Joint pain is part and parcel of masters athletics, and there are very few masters athletes in any sport that can train and compete without pain. Recently developed supplements may provide some relief of chronic joint pain, depending on its cause and location. In the early 1990's a physician with an interest in Chinese herbal medicine found that a prepared cartilage and connective tissue supplement had an analgesic effect on older patients with joint pain from arthritis. Further research determined that the active ingredients in this preparation were glucosamine, an amino-sugar precursor of glycosaminoglycans, and chondroitin sulfate, a sugar-containing protein called a proteoglycan, both components of the extra-cellular matrix and connective tissues. Both of these compounds, affect growth factor availability, absorb shock, and stabilize cell membrane structure during stress.
When supplemented, glucosamine and chondroitin: (1) are taken up and incorporated into cartilage in about four hours, (2) stimulate proteoglycan synthesis – a subtype of growth factor regulatory sugared proteins, (3) can reduce pain by up to about 70% in as little as 7 days, (4) is more effective than ibuprofen with chronic use, (5) has a persistent effect that lasts up to 30 days after cessation of supplementation, and (6) is thought to slow joint erosion and/or augment connective tissue repair processes. All of these positive effects work to the advantage of masters trainees, and can promote better adherence to training programs by making the pain of training tolerable. In fact, any hard-training athlete might similarly benefit from such supplementation.
A significant consideration for the masters athlete is the reduction in recovery capacity over the years. For serious masters competitors periodization of training is even more important, and periods of off-loading should be longer and more pronounced than for younger athletes. When using monthly programming models, the week of recovery should have a larger percentage of intensity reduction than for younger age groups, 10-15% rather than the 5% frequently used in OSFTSB models. If using the HFM, the 8 week model should be used with the older athlete and a smaller volume of training should be used during the two weeks of maximal work. A volume reduction of 5% per decade past 30 years of age is recommended.
When novice masters trainees are started on a program, the process is the same for that of a younger novice; all the same rules apply, within the framework of reduced recovery ability and the initial physical condition of the trainee. The principles of stress and adaptation still apply, and will as long as basic health remains intact.
The bottom line is that unless a person has significant pathology (is terribly sick) or is post-geriatric (no longer living), that person can benefit from a program of weight training of a design similar to those used with younger populations at the same level of training advancement.