How to Hit Peak Fitness After 40

Not so long ago, people in the sports world thought it was possible to live past the age of 40. But we’re increasingly seeing athletes making a comeback from midlife, like skier Lindsey Vonn, 40, and mountaineer Chris Sharma, 43. For us, the best performance is still within reach. Please take a look ken rideoutThe Nashville-born father of four took up distance running seriously in his mid-40s, and by his early 50s was one of the world’s fastest marathoners of his generation.

“You can absolutely be healthier at 40 or 50 than you were at 30, and it takes effort,” says Dr. Elizabeth Matzkin, an orthopedic surgeon at Massachusetts General Brigham Sports Medicine in Boston. he said. “And we need to approach training differently,” she added.

Dr. Miho Tanaka, director of the Women’s Sports Medicine Program at Massachusetts General Brigham, says many people make the mistake of continuing to train in their 40s and beyond, the same way they did in their 20s. However, to increase the elasticity of aging joints, most people need to completely change the way they exercise as they age.

“The body adapts, but it just takes time,” she said, especially if you take a long break from exercise. And strength and cardio are only part of the overall fitness equation. In your 20s, you may have been able to get by without warm-ups, cool-downs, traveling, proper sleep or nutrition. But as you get older, she said, those things become non-negotiable.

Why does training become more difficult as you get older?

your muscle mass begins to decrease In my 30s. It takes more effort and more effort on your body as you get older to get it. fast twitch fiberare responsible for explosive movements such as sprinting, rather than slow-twitch endurance muscles. Dr. Tanaka says this is why the number of marathon runners who reach their peak in their 40s is increasing, while the number of sprinters is decreasing.

Also, thanks to a decrease in the same collagen that causes wrinkles in the skin, the tendons and ligaments that support joints become weaker and stiffer, she adds.