Australian Mountain Bike – August 01, 2019

FITNESS

-Sleepisthegoldenkeytorecovery,soput
intopracticea bedtimethatallowsmaximal
rest(ie:avoidingscreens,caffeineandalcohol
beforebed,usingblackoutcurtains,goingto
bedearlyenoughtogettheoptimalamountof
sleepforthefollowingdays’session).

2

STRENGTH
Testosterone declines gradually in
men at a rate of around 1% a year after
age 30 in the general population. Women, too,
have testosterone (at a marginal level compared
to male counterparts) which plays a significant
role in strength and recovery, which gradually
declines around menopause.
What does this mean? Testosterone
increases muscle protein synthesis, causing
muscular growth (or reduction in decline),
allows fatigue resistance and speeds and
improves the recovery process: all processes
that decline with age.
In addition to this, women, in particular
are at risk of loss of bone density as they age,
called osteopenia and osteoporosis. By adding
strength-based training and dynamic activities
into training, you can reduce the rate of bone-
mineral decline.

TRAINING HACKS

• For mountain bike riding, strength
  endurance or muscular endurance (low
  cadence/high gear) efforts are key, as no matter
  the discipline mountain biking involves a range
  of high force-low velocity pedaling.


• Both HIIT (high intensity interval training)
  and resistance training (ie: Heavy weight
  training) both increase testosterone levels, and
  can also aid in reducing injuries: add weight-
  based and high intensity into your training to
  mitigate natural testosterone decline.


• Ensure you meet your energy requirements.
  Long-term energy restriction has been found
  to reduce testosterone levels, while Zinc and
  Vitamin D are linked to healthy testosterone

levels.It’ssafetosayif you’reunderfuellingin

thenameofmaking‘raceweight’,it’spossible

yourenergyneedsaren’tbeingmettoperform

duringyoursessions,andyou’remissing

outonessentialmicronutrientsthatsupport

testosteroneandstrengthmaintenance.

3

AEROBICDECLINES

Unfortunately,asweageourbodies

losetheabilitytouseoxygenas

effectivelyaswhenwewerelivingina share

housewithfourotherpeopleandlivingon

two-minutenoodles.Forthelayperson,VO2

max,ormaximaloxygenuptakecandeclineby

asmuchas10%perdecadeaftertheageof30,

butwithtrainingthatnumbercanlessenedto

a 5%loss/decade^5. Thisis,inpartbecauseof

thereductioninmaximalheartrateandstroke

volumeoftheheartasweage.

TRAININGHACKS

Thankfully,cyclingisa largelyaerobicsport

andbygettingoutonthebikeyouarealready

aheadofthebellcurveofaerobicdecline.

Howeverbyincorporatingshort,hardefforts

likeVO2basedtrainingorHIITaswellas

enduranceridesyouarereallygivingyourself

thebestshotatmaintainingthatvitalaerobic

capacitythatissointegraltomountainbiking

success!

4

FITTINGITALLIN

Hereit is,theelephantintheroom

oftrainingmastersathletes:time(or

lackofit).Thoughtheymaybethroughthe

otherendofthattoughcareer-buildingstage,

andthroughthepitfallsandperilsofthebaby

stageofparenting,mostmastersathletesstill

havea wholehostofresponsibilitiestowork

around.I liketocallthis‘life’.

Fearnot!Therearemanywaystomake

5 https://theconversation.com/how-does-aging-affect-

athletic-performance-36051

a busy calendar compatible with training

aspirations!

TRAINING HACKS

• Embrace the commute. If you are within a
  reasonable distance there’s no better way to
  optimise your fitness by involving a commute to
  and from work. Rather than just trundle along,
  a short commute is a great time to introduce
  some sprints, short and hard efforts or even
  just a time-trial one way, with the return
  journey (or vice versa) a recovery ride.


• Get in the shed and embrace the trainer.
  The training gains from a short HIIT or VO2-
  based session can be enormous from a session
  as short as 40 minutes! While it does take a
  whole lot of motivation to train inside, it’s never
  been a better time to embrace trainer life, with
  the advent of trainer apps including Zwift and
  TrainerRoad.


• Emphasise quality over quantity. Many
  masters riders will avoid the ‘hard’ work of high
  intensity work, instead focusing on endurance.
  But this ‘hard’ training is central to slowing
  the physical decline of age, plus is an efficient
  way to get good bang-for-buck for the time-
  strapped athlete


• Give and take. Your loved ones are much
  more likely to be supportive of your mountain
  biking passion if you can work it into every
  day life, and this may mean forfeiting the two
  4 hour sessions you had planned with your
  mates on the weekend for a single long ride
  and potentially a short stint in the shed, or
  family ride on the trails. As much as scheduling
  training time is important, remember that
  emphasis on recovery and balance is key for the
  masters athlete, and as a plus will buy some
  brownie points when needed.
  If you are a masters rider, there is no denying
  that there are some physical declines that
  occur with each lap around the sun. However,
  by looking at the key physiological changes and
  mitigating by implementing strength training,
  increasing the emphasis on recovery protocols,
  an emphasis on aerobic fitness and work-life
  balance, there is no reason why you can’t
  continue to ride and race at a cracking pace
  throughout the decades.

ANNA BECK

Anna Beck is a Level 2 cycling coach

and 2018 XCM National Champion,

and coaches a range of athletes.

annabeckcoaching.com.au

http://www.ambmag.com.au - 111