Age related muscle wastage in legs
bflk
Posts: 240
Went 3 months without any biking this winter, by far the longest I've been off the bike for quite a few years. Turned 54 in the spring and resumed in March - I had been running and racing* so still had some more general aerobic fitness. Really struggled at first... and still struggling, today I only averaged 13mph and that was ride #11. Quads possibly look a bit more developed but I'm started to fear I am fighting a losing battle with muscle wastage; hard to see any strength translating into 'performance'. Has anyone been in this situation before in their 50s? Did it come back eventually?
* for comparison my running times are marginally down on last autumn by around 0.5%.
* for comparison my running times are marginally down on last autumn by around 0.5%.
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54 is a bit early to start talking about age-related muscle wastage, to be fair...
I would definitely say I was or felt totally detrained.
Last year from January I had 2 months with no lower leg activity due to a ruptured Achilles . As soon as I was allowed I got on the turbo then outside on the road, increasing the distance gradually with a bit speed work thrown in. By mid May I did a flattish 100 mile sportive at 17+ mph.
I was 60 at the time
ETA - the ad links threw up this http://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/1312/ ... a281d6e096
ii. Strength training may result in degrading endurance cycling performance through mitochondrial dilution, reduced capillary density and increasing cell diffusion distance (slowing gas and metabolite exchange processes). Size of muscle mass is not a good indicator of your aerobic condition (and endurance cycling is an aerobic sport).
iii. speed is a poor means to judge fitness given many factors influence your velocity other than how much power you are producing.
There is a fundamental principle in training called the Reversibility Principle. Have a read of some of the links from the google search and you'll get the idea. In essence, use it or lose it.
No it's not, clearly you haven't spent any time in a gym lately and taken a look at guys that age that do nothing to halt the decline in strength at that age and younger, why do you think old people eventually end up as weak assed individuals sat in chairs with nothing left but skin an bone, your hoping this won't happen to you as you age because you peddle a bike then think on, resistance exercise is essential as you age, cycling fitness is a separate issue
FFS, who is this guy... :roll:
edit - now I remember - it's the guy who made a complete idiot of himself on this thread viewtopic.php?t=13072594
Calm down dear, just because you don't don't know everything about training theirs no need to get all hot an bothered, you could try reading up on stuff instead of trying to improvise with answers that are factually incorrect.
So explain how your ramblings relate to the OP's question? This is pretty much the same conversation that you made such an utter d1ck of yourself on in the other thread.
The only people I'm aware of who manage to maintain serious muscle mass in later life are the fanatics in the US who take testosterone, steroids and HGF, and do a stupid amount of weights
Perhaps this moron needs to visit people in old peoples homes and see dementia, age related problems, lonliness and geriatrics for real, in fact one day I hope they experience it
"No it's not, clearly you haven't spent any time in a gym lately and taken a look at guys that age that do nothing to halt the decline in strength at that age and younger, why do you think old people eventually end up as weak assed individuals sat in chairs with nothing left but skin an bone, "
So explain how your ramblings relate to the OP's question? This is pretty much the same conversation that you made such an utter d1ck of yourself on in the other thread.[/quote
They don't, they relate to your answer, whilst your certainly very knowledgable on certain subjects looking at your constant postings on subjects that clearly you have no in depth knowledge of or experiance why not just contain your answers to stuff that you do know about and not make assumptions about resistance training or what happens to the body as regards strength as you age. You should let other people who do know about this stuff answer instead of trying to make yourself look like you know everything when clearly you actually don't know because you have never done it
Mate - you need to calm down. Presumably you are taking issue with something I said up thread. Spell out which bit you disagree with - and why - and let's take it from there.
"In humans the detioration of skeletal muscle with age begins between the ages of 50 and 60 and is characterized by the following (FW Booth et al 1994)
* Muscle strength is relatively well maintained until age 50 whereafter there is a 15% loss of muscle strength per decade up until 70. Between 70 and 80 a further 30% is lost.
* Total muscle mass peaks at age 24 and falls by 10% by age 50. Thereafter the loss acccelerates so that another 30% is lost by 80.
* equivalent loss of Type I and II type muscle but remaining type II are also smaller in size than their peak adult size..."
Booth, F.W., Weeden, S.H., Tseng, B.S. (1994). Effect of aging
on human skeletal muscle and motor function.
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 26, 556–
60.
Yes it is definitely a case of not having cyclist legs right now. But 'cyclists legs' are a lot more obvious than 'runners legs'. Maybe that is more of a matter of what I can observe physically, but I do lots of running and it doesn't remodel my legs like cycling does. I would struggle to even notice any change in legs between fully trained and detrained.
I''d suggest your over thinking this and applying causal links when really there aren't any.
so you've has three months off with a month back on the bike but you haven't described the intensity or distance your covering? It will hurt coming back and getting bike fit again but it would have little to do with whatever cycling muscle you perceive yourself to have lost in three months and more to do with your aerobic state.
I lost interest during the winter and managed one 50 mile ride a week and putting on a hell of a lot of lard during that period. So I'm now adjusting my calorie and micronutrient intake accordingly and cycling a couple of times a week in a chain gang and a long ride at the weekend. I can't say I've noticed any decrease on leg muscle size but equally the efforts are king sized but the speed is nowhere near last years.
I appreciate speed as referenced above isn't a stable indicator of fitness but now Ive done a month of the above I'll start doing a fasted zone 2 rise on a Wednesday.
My fitness is returning and one thing that is relevant to age is the recovery time I need which amplifies the need of a good diet and plenty of sleep as your recovery is just as important as riding.
Desmond Tutu
I get what you saying and maybe I am just panicking prematurely. The impression that the comeback is harder than before is subjective after all. Anyway its spring and that means biking for good or bad.
Nice quote in that article:
"Professional athletes work harder when they are injured than when they are fit. So, if you attempt Alpe D’Huez after six months off the bike and you get injured, it’s not because you’re old, it’s because you’re daft. "
Oh no, don't say that :roll:
Only because I get wasted less often now.
I am not sure. You have no chance.
Sounds like a load of shite. Gaszillions of people do censored all, but you don't hear about an epidemic in bone density related sickness type diseases.
If all you did was ride and go to bed, then you might have a point.
Osteoporosis.
i wouldnt poo hoo it, its what you did or didnt do up to the age of about 30 that matters....
"The scale of the problem
One in three women and 1 in 12 men over the age of 50 will suffer a fracture of the hip, wrist or spine as a result of osteoporosis.
In total, osteoporosis causes 310,000 fractures in the UK every year. The estimated cost of treating these fractures runs into several billion pounds each year if you include the social care that many need afterwards because of permanent disability"
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/conditions/a ... eoporosis/
Being physically active is the best way to address BMD, and in particular activities that provide a form of light jarring to the skeletal system (e.g. brisk walking, jogging, or sports that make you do running, jogging, jump, skip etc) is most effective in helping address BMD.
I fully expect those in their 90s to have some form of osteoporosis.
I am not sure. You have no chance.