Seminar 1: Self Care | Part 1: Sarcopenia

Coach Patrick

Presented by John Culberson (Profile Here)

• More info, downloads, etc. to be posted here shortly. 
• View the Seminar online here. 
• Download the Sarcopenia Slides here, or view them below.

Please put your questions, etc, related to this section of the seminar in this thread. 

John Culberson

The key to successful aging (and racing): Keep it Rolling at TRP... and go long ;-)

https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Pages/ArticleViewer.aspx?year=2016&issue=03000&article=00017&type=Fulltext

Alicia Chase

@John Culberson You mentioned HIIT training for older athletes to help maintain (or slow the decline of) muscle mass. Any idea what the ideal amount/dosage is? Great seminar. I was on vacation and wasn’t able to attend—so bummed, but glad @Coach Patrick recorded.

John Culberson

@Alicia Chase The amount of HIIT required to maintain muscle mass is relatively small, compared to the work required to gain speed. The strides included in the training plans are adequate for running, because hard running provides poor ROI. The ability to recover from HIIT really drops off in ones 60’ and 70’s. Swimming and biking are less traumatic, and the the same individual can recover from a day or two of intensity each week. Many serious athletes are used to 3-4/week. Years in sport and weight determine your personal optimal... which will decrease with age. More muscular men (the guys that push big watts and swim quick 50’s) require more time to recover. I believe that most older athletes do more HIIT than is necessary or optimal. Maintaining muscle requires consistent stimulation... NOT training for speed. I also believe that many of us are shying away from real HIIT due to fear of injury. Adjusting the dose will allow us to remain healthy... and consistent.

Alicia Chase

Thanks @John Culberson I agree with your opinion on hard running. Too many injuries to risk it. I live in hill country, and I find that's enough of a pounding for my legs, though I will do the strides if I manage a flat run somewhere. I also do a HIIT class (mostly body weight, with some lighter hand weights) once a week. And I'm assuming the bike FTP and VO2 workouts in the OS plan each week would qualify? I don't find individual sessions to be too fatiguing, but rather, the accumulation of several weeks of training without much recovery does take a toll. I need to get better at planned recovery!

John Culberson

@Alicia Chase We need to clarify the difference between training to get faster and training to keep from getting slower. The later requires small doses of appropriate intensity... and patience, far less than most of us are willing to mix with a solid aerobic load. The last 5-10% of race performance speed (ie FTP/VO2max) requires pushing up against the recovery limit. Muscle inbalances and life stress (along with the occassional stellar Zwift ride) can result in a setback. The risk is greater with age, and may not be the most appropriate course... particularly for those “going long.” The concept of periodization and race specific training may apply less to experienced older athletes. Keeping small doses of HIITT (25-50yd swim, 30/30-1/1 bike, and strides on the run) in the mix year-round, staying healthy, and consistent may not get you a shiny new Vo2 max or FTP, but may move you up in your age-group. Like an IM marathon, those who slow down the least will be standing on the podium. Smaller, more flexible athletes will be able to handle more intensity... but how much is a question that only you and Coach P can answer.

Alicia Chase

Thanks for the clarification @John Culberson I really wasn’t looking at it that way. I’m still in the “wanting to get faster” group on the bike, where pushing hard is less likely to lead to injury—but definitely adds to accumulated fatigue. I’ve decided to not do any speed work on the run this year. Tired of getting injured and it always seems to happen when I start doing speed. Can’t get faster if you can’t run at all!

John Culberson

@Alicia Chase There are plenty of older athletes able to continue getting faster! Older individuals come from very different backgrounds. I did my most successful racing at the Olympic distance back in the mid-80’s, and I weighed 185lbs at the time. The training that I did back then is not working for me right now... then again, my genes say “short course athlete,” but if I work this right, I can still PR at IM in M60-64!