Training Considerations for the Masters Athlete
Coach Troy Jacobson
Triathlon participation in all distances is growing by leaps and bounds, especially in the 'masters' divisions of 40 years plus. As the sport matures, more and more experienced athletes 'age up'; making the older age groups more competitive than ever.
As the endurance athlete ages, there needs to be a slight shift in their approach to training and their training plan development. A greater emphasis needs to be placed on areas like resistance training, high intensity training and recovery in order to maximize performance. Research has shown that a key component to maintaining strength and muscle mass in older adults is high intensity training. It seems that the basic profile of the aging athlete's muscle stays very much the same as it was when it was younger in terms of oxidative enzymes, capillary density and muscle fiber composition with regular endurance training. The declining factors tend to be the athlete's ability to produce power and speed. Aging endurance athletes need to work hard and incorporate a steady diet of higher intensity interval training and resistance training into their program. At the same time, they need to be especially mindful of their greater need for recovery and rest in order for adaptation and growth to occur. A solid training program design is based on the periodization model that incorporates some level of intensity at practically every phase of training. The old adage, 'if you don't use it, you'll lose it' is especially true for the competitive masters endurance athlete. And where most training plans incorporate a traditional '7-day' microcycle, some masters athletes may want to experiment with a '10-day' microcycle, allowing for longer rest periods between high intensity interval sessions and other hard workouts. As our sport grows, our masters athletes keep getting faster and faster due to increased knowledge through training research and trial and error. With a smart approach to training, you'll get faster too.
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