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.