Training hard may have built your fitness.
But should you keep training the same way as you age?
In this episode of Stronger With Time, Tony speaks with Dr Peter Reaburn, a researcher, author and lifelong masters athlete who has spent decades studying performance and ageing.
Peter is a retired Professor and former Head of Exercise and Sport Science at Bond University. He has authored and edited multiple books on masters athletes, published peer-reviewed research on masters athletes, and continues to work closely with the masters sporting community.
He also practises what he teaches. Peter was the Australian Ironman Triathlon Champion in the 50–54 age group in 2005 and is the current Australian Masters Swimming Champion in the 70–74 years 400m individual medley.
At 71, Peter brings both the research and lived experience to the question of how to keep training for strength, power and endurance as recovery and physical capacities begin to change.
In this episode:
Which aspects of fitness decline fastest with age
Why older endurance athletes still need resistance and sprint training
The role of fast-twitch muscle fibres in later-life performance
How to balance hard sessions with lower-intensity work
The hard-easy principle and the 80/20 approach
Atrial fibrillation risk in lifelong endurance athletes
Protein and recovery needs as we age
Menopause and the research gap in female masters athletes
When to replace a planned hard session with active recovery
The physical, cognitive, psychological and social sides of successful ageing
This conversation is for coaches, masters athletes and active adults who still care about performance, but recognise that training harder is not always the same as training better.
Timestamps
00:00 What fitness means across the lifespan
01:45 How strength, power and endurance decline with age 04:00 What masters athletes teach us about ageing
06:20 Why older athletes need resistance training
09:45 Fast-twitch muscle fibres and endurance performance 11:20 What we know about hybrid masters athletes
12:35 Menopause, muscle mass and performance
16:00 The research gap in female masters athletes
18:40 Continuous athletes, rekindlers and late bloomers
20:20 The hard-easy principle
22:00 Atrial fibrillation and endurance training
24:15 Why high-intensity-only training lacks nuance
27:10 The 80/20 approach to endurance training
30:10 Muscle protein synthesis as we age
31:50 How much protein older athletes may need
35:10 Why recovery changes with age
39:40 High-intensity training and neural fatigue
41:10 Listening to your body and changing the session
43:20 Active recovery versus complete rest
44:20 Flexibility and maintaining range of motion
46:30 The four domains of successful ageing
51:30 Peter’s books and work on masters athletes
Resources
The Masters Athlete by Dr Peter Reaburn https://books.google.com/books?q=%22The+Masters+Athlete%22+%22Peter+Reaburn%22
Nutrition and Performance in Masters Athletes, edited by Dr Peter Reaburn https://www.routledge.com/search?kw=Nutrition%20and%20Performance%20in%20Masters%20Athletes
Peter Reaburn’s research and publications https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Peter+Reaburn%22
Tony’s website https://tonyboutagy.com/
Tony’s courses https://tonyboutagy.com/explore-the-courses-page
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All content is for general educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
