OUTMUSCLE THE AGEING PROCESS

Despatching the dread of added bulk, Rob Kemp explores the myriad benefits of strength training for cyclists aged over 40

- By Rob Kemp

What kind of madness would it be to suggest that those of us ticking the '39 and over' age box should add, rather than subtract, bulk? For decades, the prevailing wisdom and aerodynamic gospel have been all about lightening the load: trimming every spare gram of body mass to evade gravity, climb faster and slice through the air like an arrow. But what if, at a certain age, the smartest move isn't to get lighter but to get stronger?

Far from being madness, it's becoming scientific orthodoxy that older cyclists should gear our training towards strength. Maintaining muscle will not only improve our cycling, shows the science, but also stave off injury, illness and fatigue. "As we get older, we naturally lose muscle mass and strength," explains strength coach Dean Sutton (puresportsmed.com). A former Ironman competitor with over 30 years' coaching experience, Sutton acknowledges that there are pros and cons to muscle-building for cyclists but insists that the overall benefits far outweigh the negatives.

Unless you take action, the natural decline in muscle mass (sarcopenia) proceeds at about 1% per year after hitting 30, increasing to 2-3% per year beyond 60. For men, it comes on the back of the body's natural drop in testosterone production and is only worsened by changing lifestyle factors - kids, career, sedentary downtime, etc. But losing muscle mass isn't just an image problem; it's linked to frailty, reduced mobility, compromised immunity and greater risk of chronic diseases such as type II diabetes.

Brawn without bulk

To the average Cycling Weekly reader, this may sound a little alarmist - Zimmer frame replacing carbon frame is not on the cards. Nonetheless, we're all fighting a war of attrition against ageing - a war that must be waged with guns (biceps) blazing.