In my recent column I’m 70! Yikes!!! Lessons from my Journey Through Life one of the key lessons I’ve learned is to ride less and recover more. The results are that the riding I do 1) is more enjoyable because I’m not tired at the start of the ride and 2) produces more improvement because I can do a more challenging ride that’s longer and / or harder than I’m used to doing.
This summer has been crazy. March through June I got our big home north of Boulder, CO ready to sell and in July it sold. We then moved into a much smaller condo in N. Boulder. We started looking seriously for a new home in the mountains, in August found our dream home and now I’m getting it ready to move in. Starting in March I rode very little. I promised myself that once we moved to the condo I’d ride most days including three challenging rides a week. That hasn’t worked out so well for a couple of reasons.
First as we get older one of the most significant changes is the need for more recovery. In my 30s I could do four or five tough rides a week. By my 50s I could handle two and sometimes three hard rides a week. Now that I’m 70 (sigh) I can do a challenging ride and feel proud of myself. I recently climbed Flagstaff, which was the finish of one of the stages of the Colorado Classic stage race. When riders passed me I thought, “I’m 70 and I’m doing it!” But after the ride I was so tired I took a two-hour nap. I then needed three days of easy riding before I could do a moderate endurance ride.
The other reason I need more recovery is because effects of all types of stress are cumulative. The stresses of riding, moving and transitioning to semi-retirement are compounding both physically and mentally. I’m not able (yet) to ride as much or as hard as I want to ride because of these other stressors.
I specialize in coaching riders’ age 50 and older and most are also going through significant changes such as becoming an empty nester, moving to a smaller home, caring for an aging parent or retiring. I plan their key events and training around these events so that the cumulative stress load isn’t overwhelming.
Improving Your Recovery
What can you do to hasten your recovery?
1. Ride less
A new client is always surprised that in the workouts I send the client include less time on the bike. However each of the rides as a specific purpose. As a result of riding fewer miles she needs less recovery.
2. Vary the Intensity
Most of my new clients are already doing a mix of what they think are intensity, endurance and recovery rides; however, they aren’t really varying the intensity enough. The intensity rides usually aren’t the correct ones to meet the rider’s goals. The recovery rides aren’t easy enough to provide any recovery.
3. Sleep
Many of us try to combine athletic performance with busy personal and professional lives and as a result are short on sleep. The body only produces human growth hormone (HGH) while you’re asleep. HGH is necessary to rebuild your muscles. Sleep is also the time when your unconscious mind processes all the stresses in your life. Try to get to bed a little earlier and then don’t watch TV, surf the net or read, so that you relax immediately and drift off to sleep.
4. Cool-down
The lymph system is the body’s sewage system, moving waste products from the muscles to the lymph nodes. Lymphatic fluid doesn’t have a pump like the heart to circulate it; rather it depends on the action of the muscles to move the fluid from the muscles to the lymph nodes. Start the process by spinning easily for the last 10-15 minutes of a ride.
5. Recovery Nutrition
You burn a combination of glycogen from carbohydrate and fat for fuel when you ride and the harder you ride the more of your energy comes from glycogen. You only have enough glycogen for several hours of hard riding. You may deplete your glycogen stores on a fast or long ride.
As you come to the end of a ride finish any food you are carrying with you. When you get off the bike eat two calories of carbohydrate / lb. (4 cal. / kg) of body weight every hour until you can sit down for a regular meal. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs you should eat 300 calories of carbohydrate every hour.
Pick foods that you like — sports bars are no better than crackers or pretzels for example — and read the label to be sure you are getting enough calories from carbohydrate. Many foods contain a mix of carbohydrate, protein and fat — you’re after calories from carbohydrate. A lot of protein after a ride doesn’t help you recover faster. You need a little protein to rebuild muscles; however, you can get that in your regular meals.
6. Recovery Hydration
Develop the habit of weighing yourself after a hard or long ride. You should drink to satisfy your thirst and keep drinking until you’ve replaced all the body weight you’ve lost, i.e., drink 16 fl. oz. for every pound lost (1 liter / kg).
Water is a good start. Here are some other choices: Fruit juices provide calories and potassium. Vegetable juices such as V-8 provide carbohydrate and plenty of sodium. Low-fat or non-fat regular and chocolate milk both provide lots of calories. You can also make a smoothie mixing non-fat milk or yogurt, fruit and some sugar or honey in a blender.
Sports drinks and recovery drinks are no better than real food and cost more. Although a beer may taste good, you’re substituting empty calories from alcohol for quality calories from carbohydrate.
7. Recovery Electrolytes
How much sodium you lose in sweat and the sodium concentration of your sweat depends on your genetics, diet, fitness, heat acclimatization, gender, how hard you are riding and the heat and humidity. On a three-hour ride you could lose roughly 1,200-4,800 mg of sodium, which equals 2 to 6% of your sodium stores. You could also lose 300-1,200 mg of potassium, which is only 0.001 to 0.007% of your potassium stores. Sodium is the only electrolyte you need to replace after a sweaty ride.
Processed foods you buy at the store and restaurant meals are generally high in sodium. Unless you eat a moderate sodium diet following the recommendation of not more than 1500 mg / day for seniors, you probably don’t need to worry about sodium losses. If you normally control your sodium intake, eat salty carbohydrate-rich snacks after a hot ride.
8. Active Recovery
The keep the lymph system flushing waste products from your body do something active the day after a hard ride. Go for an easy spin, walk the dog, play catch with the kids or go for a swim in the local pool.
9. Massage
If we were paid to race we’d get frequent professional massages to help remove waste products and also to reduce Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, sore stiff muscles the day after a hard ride. I got a weekly massage when I was training for the Race Across America.
If professional massage isn’t an option, work on your legs regularly. My website describes how to do Self-Massage. If you massage your legs an hour or two after a hard ride be gentle. If you do it the day after a hard ride, go deeper.
When you are riding hard you are breaking down your muscles, not getting stronger. You only get fitter when you allow time for your body to recover. By using these tips you’ll improve the quality of your recovery so that you can ride even better!
More Information
My eBook Anti-Aging: 12 Ways You Can Slow the Aging Process incorporates the latest research and most of it is new material not published in my previous eArticles on cycling past 50, 60 and beyond. The book’s chapter on recovery covers how to gauge your total stress load from life, how to balance training and recovery, how to improve your recovery and how to avoid overtraining.
The book explains why intensity training is important and the pros and cons of gauging intensity using rate of perceived exertion, heart rate and power. It includes how to do intensity exercise and different intensity workouts. The book explains how to get the most benefit from your endurance rides. It has sample training plans to increase your annual riding miles and to build up to 25-, 50-, 100- and 200-mile rides. It integrates endurance and intensity training into an annual plan for optimal results.
Anti-Aging describes the importance of strength training and includes 28 exercises for lower body, upper body and core strength illustrated with photos. It includes an annual plan to integrate strength training with endurance and intensity training. It also has 14 stretches illustrated with photos.
Anti-Aging includes an annual plan to put together all six of the aspects of aging well: cardiorespiratory exercise, intensity training, strength workouts, weight-bearing exercise, stretching and balance. The book concludes with a chapter on motivation.
Anti-Aging: 12 Ways You Can Slow the Aging Process your comprehensive guide to continuing to ride well into your 80s and even your 90s. The 106-page eBook is $15.95 ($13.57 for Premium Members after their 15% discount).
Want to have more power and drop your buddies on the weekend ride? Or ride faster on your commute so that you have more time for the family when you get home? Or maintain your fitness as birthday after birthday rolls around? Or build endurance for a tour in the summer or for a fall century?
But you’re not paid to train and race! You don’t have a lot of time. What to do? If you want to ride faster and have more power you need a bigger engine. How can you get a bigger human engine, a V-6 or even a V-8, instead of your fuel-efficient but relatively weak V-4?
By training at different intensities you can get an engine that’s not just bigger, but better − with greater acceleration, more power and better mileage. You may notice some differences from earlier articles of mine. This is because I’ve incorporated the latest research in Intensity Training: Using RPE, a HRM or Power Meter to Maximize Training Effectiveness.
Coach John Hughes earned coaching certifications from USA Cycling and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. John’s cycling career includes course records in the Boston-Montreal-Boston 1200-km randonnée and the Furnace Creek 508, a Race Across AMerica (RAAM) qualifier. He has ridden solo RAAM twice and is a 5-time finisher of the 1200-km Paris-Brest-Paris. He has written over 40 eBooks and eArticles on cycling training and nutrition, available in RBR’s eBookstore at Coach John Hughes. Click to read John’s full bio.
John,
So does that mean less than 150 minutes of cardio a week?
howlinggrace
My sodium requirements vary widely depending on heat/humidity, but on a warm century ride, I easily sweat off a half teaspoon of salt. Studies on football players show that the salt content of their sweat varies by a factor of 20! Note: those with the highest sodium content in their sweat were most prone to cramping.
“You only have enough glycogen for several hours of hard riding…”
This statement is incorrect. Maybe two hours at best is much closer to reality.
I turned 77 in August. I took up riding after I retired in 1998 after a long lay off. I’ve had ups and downs, serious crashes, heart/blood pressure problems. I never gave up. The most serious problem is the muscle between your ears. A long wet winter kept me indoors a lot. Followed by a very hot summer (broke records). I got tired of dealing with the heat, trying to pack enough water, and constantly sweating. As winter is approaching I worry if I have the determination to keep up the miles. Another problem is the increase in traffic and dangerous drivers who don’t like cyclist. My godsend was a new dog. Our old pooch died at age 15 in May. I rescued a Labrador Retriever at out local shelter. He is only a year old and extremely active. Years ago I could go for a 3 hour bike ride and later in the day take our dog for an hour walk. I can’t do that anymore. Now I alternate. A long bike ride one day and an hour walk with the dog the next. Sometimes a shorter bike ride and a 1/2 hour walk. Walking has helped my cycling. Even though I am riding less, it is more enjoyable. For me cross training was the key. Something to drop back on. Actually I thought when I hit 70 , my riding would suck. I was still puting in some serious miles (150 miles a week). The problem is accepting the fact that you will get slower and get passed a lot by younger riders. It helps not to have a big ego. I’ll see what happens when I reach 80. Keep up cranking, don’t give up.
This was encouraging to read, Thanks for posting. I’m turning 66 in January.
I’m 66 and live in very hot and humid area of the country during the summer. Riding long and/or hard in the cooler months is not too much a problem but the heat and humidity is getting to be almost unbearable for long hard riding. Tat’s why I’ve gone to e-bike. Specialized Creo specifically. You still have to put out the effort just not as much to be able to keep up with younger riders. Keeping it fun. You might want to try one. It’s you, only faster.
Great article. Not much advice about for 70 plus.
I had two new hips several years ago after a crash. Took two years to get back. I now have first place in most of the local Strava sprints and can cruise steadily at 20 mph on the flat.
I do regular rides of between 15 and 20 miles. I try to alternate easy rides with hard intervals.
I noticed my pb attempts were close to those of several years ago so my plan must be on the right track. The bikes I have will do more than I can so any shortfall is mine.
I would say to all in my age group, dig in, pace yourself and never give up.
Recently, having the grand kids 4 times a week has been great but draining.
Looking forward to easier times 🤗
I am having a very difficult time get up and going on my bike. It’s been years, of course, but I know how to ride a bike. I’m terrified of falling and injuring myself. I’m concerned about my balance while negotiating the proper speed to get started. I feel pathetic and old. I have recently lost 50lbs out of 90 I need to shed. I was hopeful riding my bike again would help with the remaining 40 but I’m so discouraged. I have a stationary recumbent bike I use regularly and assumed I would have strength enough in my hips and thighs to get gong on my Mongoose but apparently not. I have no idea how to begin gaining my confidence back.
I am 76 and have been active all my life. Then I blew out a knee, no more running. Then I blew out the other knee, no more backcountry ski touring. Then I had a full hip replacement so no more pretzel in myself into a tiny kayak cockpit, no more bent over drop bar cycling, tò much risk of crash damage so no more mtb. I now ride a hybrid bike approx. 120 miles per week. I used to ride every day but I often came home sore an achy. My wife would helpfully point out that, no matter what I thought, I was no longer 30. Humphrey was my reply as I went off for the muscle rub. But now with rides every third day I have no pain and have more power an speed on riding days. Reality sucks but it is still reality. Acting my age (where’s the fun in that?) and using my head allows me to still be a little unrealistically stupid while having fun cycling.