According to Beyond the Whiteboard, 44% of 18.1 participants were over 35 years old.

41% of this were in the 35-39 age category and 27%; 40-44 years.

And the split across female and male is pretty even.

The first thing to note is that there is plenty of training and competing ahead.

But there are age-related muscle, strength and power losses that need to be addressed.

For example, power declines more rapidly and muscle endurance is better maintained than strength.

Between the ages of 30-70, there can be a loss of strength & muscle mass of even 30%.

And bone density typically declines, especially in women.

The ‘good’ news is that these losses are much more pronounced in untrained populations.

As a Masters Athlete, if you are on a training system that accounts for age-related changes like this, you will have greater chances of increasing performance as well as longevity.

1. Frequency of training sessions per week can still be similar to younger athletes, however the volume/intensity/impact of these sessions needs to be more carefully moderated
2. Undulate training intensity throughout each week. Not every training day should be a “hard” training day. Alternate days of high volume/intensity with days of low volume/intensity, so that you can allow the body to recover between hard sessions but also be productive on “easier” days.
3. Warmup and cooldown protocols need to be more comprehensive.
4. There is a higher likelihood of needing to modify things on the day to manage injury/recovery/joint discomfort. Listen to your body and choose your battles carefully by being prepared to make lots of adjustments on the fly based on how you are recovering. This can be challenging psychologically but necessary for longevity and simply getting through the season.
5. Don’t expect your improvements to be as rapid as your younger training buddies. The programming progressions need to be more gradual because the timeline of adaptation for a masters athletes is more gradual.
6. Your training plan should take into consideration your weekly work schedule and family responsibilities etc. If you are 40yrs old, have a full time job and kids there is no way you can expect to be able to train as much as a 25 year old who works part time and lives with their parents – even if you are of a similar competitive level to that athlete.

Starr Strength Masters is a structured & periodised group program designed to maximise your performance as a Masters Athlete, with your longevity and health in mind.