Off-Season Conditioning Past 50
12 Weeks to Greater Health and Fitness
Don’t take the off-season literally! That’s the first-sentence admonishment from Coach John Hughes. It’s more important than ever the older we get, he explains.
We need down time, to be sure: a physical and mental break from more time spent on the bike and other exercise. However, as we age we are more prone to injury. If we take part of the year off because of unpleasant conditions, we won’t perform as well as last year. As a result, we may push hard to regain last year’s fitness, increasing the risk of injury when we start exercising again. Further, according to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), “there is considerable evidence that regular physical activity is associated with significant improvements in overall psychological health and well-being.” Seasonal Affective Disorder, seasonal depression resulting from less exposure to sunlight, is common. The holidays, although joyful, may also be stressful. Keep moving!
Whether your goal is long-lasting physical health, the joy of physical activity or continuing athletic performance, this 26-page eArticle will teach you what to do in the off-season. It’s divided into three parts:
- Review of the physiological effects of aging.
- Training modalities to combat these.
- A 12-week off-season training program with a range of options.
This is the second eArticle in a four-part “Past 50” series by Coach Hughes that will include:
1. Healthy Cycling Past 50 (already published)
2. Off-Season Conditioning Past 50
3. Healthy Nutrition Past 50 (coming in 2013)
4. Performance Cycling Past 50 (coming in 2013)
Note: this is an eArticle. Your purchase will be stored as a PDF file in your customer account on the website for downloading and printing.