Masters cyclists (those 40 and older) need more recovery from training than younger cyclists. No surprise, right? But masters can still train hard, recover well, and come back stronger.
There are three main principles for proper masters recovery:
- Sleep & HRV
- Nutrition
- a Well-Designed Masters-Based Training Plan
They say that the true gains made in sport performance come not from the hard training, but with the rest from the training - the adaptation. This becomes more and more important as we get older, and in order to continue training hard and enjoying the sport of cycling, we absolutely must prioritize recovery.
We say ‘masters recovery’ to differentiate from the common recommendations you hear in the popular media that pertain to younger athletes, or to elite athletes sometimes referenced in scientific literature.
I think back to my life in my 20’s and 30’s and it was all so simple; I slept like a champ, ate well and recovered great. In fact recovery wasn’t even an issue. I just thought that’s how it was.
Add in a few kids, a stressful job, a relationship with your spouse, and age-related decline and whammo! Recovery is slower and we have to work for it.
Give a listen to this podcast to make sure you're on track as a masters athlete.
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