# Fit Past 40



## Des of Anerley BC (10 Nov 2012)

No that's not 40 mph, but 40 years of age! Is cycling enough to keep us fit? Well no, at least not according to the "experts". As we get older (and I have already passed the Biblical 3 score plus 10) we need to do more than just twiddle the pedals! So I have put pen to paper, or in this modern age, finger to key board, to collate this http://anerleybc.org/get-fit-not-fat/


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## cyberknight (10 Nov 2012)

I have a physical job,do a strength circuit a couple of times a week , 2 young children and average 150 miles a week ...
i have not got the energy or time to be unfit


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## Pat "5mph" (10 Nov 2012)

I'm almost 50, got 3 x 14 hours shift in a trot next week (not at a desk), will I be cycling to work?
Yes! No time to wait for buses


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## lulubel (10 Nov 2012)

It depends what you call "twiddling the pedals". If it covers 2,000ft+ climbs up rocky mountain trails, then I'm doomed to a future of osteoporosis and sarcopenia.


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## Davidc (10 Nov 2012)

Worth remembering that if you do a couple of hours walking &/or cycling &/or swimming a week, and you're over 50, that you're in the top few percent of the population for exercise and probably fitness.

After that you can look at whether or not your exercise regime meets the ideals suggested by the experts, but you're already helping yourself avoid many of the modern ailments of the physically idle.

I've heard of sarcopenia, but have also read that we should be able to build additional muscle until at least into our 80s. This confuses me - which is right!


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## Des of Anerley BC (10 Nov 2012)

Davidc said:


> I've heard of sarcopenia, but have also read that we should be able to build additional muscle until at least into our 80s. This confuses me - which is right!


Sarcopenia is not new, just a new word coined by medics who love to use Greek words.
For those like me, for whom Greek is a foreign language, I am told that it means loss of flesh or something similar. We know it better as age related loss of muscle tissue. This naturally leads a loss of strength/power. So that's why hills get steeper as we get older.
God bless the inventor of the granny ring!
We cannot stop the effects of sarcopenia as the body clock never stops ticking. But we can slow down the process. The best way is by adding strength training to our exercise regimes, plus a healthy diet.


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## Des of Anerley BC (10 Nov 2012)

lulubel said:


> It depends what you call "twiddling the pedals". If it covers 2,000ft+ climbs up rocky mountain trails, then I'm doomed to a future of osteoporosis and sarcopenia.


Hi or should that be "High". So you are a Spanish mountain goat. You will recognise the Spanish flag that I am holding (look left!).
That was 2010 in the Picos de Europa mountains. This year we make a return visit to northern Spain. After a series of ridges we reached the highest one at 1146 metres, quite a bit higher than Ben Nevis. See photo below.
They say "no pain, no gain", well we suffered 3 weeks of this but the gain was over £7000 for the South East Cancer Charity. Hence the bike jerseys that we were wearing.


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## Boon 51 (10 Nov 2012)

lulubel said:


> It depends what you call "twiddling the pedals". If it covers 2,000ft+ climbs up rocky mountain trails, then I'm doomed to a future of osteoporosis and sarcopenia.


 
Looks like I'm with you then...


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## briantrumpet (10 Nov 2012)

Des of Anerley BC said:


> We cannot stop the effects of sarcopenia as the body clock never stops ticking. But we can slow down the process. The best way is by adding strength training to our exercise regimes, plus a healthy diet.


I'd rather just ride the bike more, and definitely no "twiddling" - do that in Devon and you'll go backwards.


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## Ian H (10 Nov 2012)

briantrumpet said:


> ...you'll go backwards.


Now there's a skill I haven't yet mastered.


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## Bay Runner (10 Nov 2012)

briantrumpet said:


> I'd rather just ride the bike more, and definitely no "twiddling" - do that in Devon and you'll go backwards.


 
And South Wales


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## Fasta Asloth (10 Nov 2012)

Des of Anerley BC said:


> Hi or should that be "High". So you are a Spanish mountain goat. You will recognise the Spanish flag that I am holding (look left!).
> That was 2010 in the Picos de Europa mountains. This year we make a return visit to northern Spain. After a series of ridges we reached the highest one at *1146 metres, quite a bit higher than Ben Nevis*. See photo below.
> They say "no pain, no gain", well we suffered 3 weeks of this but the gain was over £7000 for the South East Cancer Charity. Hence the bike jerseys that we were wearing.


 
Hmmm, Ben Nevis has shrunk quite a bit since the last time I climbed it, maybe to do with its old age......


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## briantrumpet (10 Nov 2012)

Ian H said:


> Now there's a skill I haven't yet mastered.


Maybe you need one of these:


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## Peteaud (10 Nov 2012)

I am way fitter now in my mid 40,s than i ever was in my 30,s, and probably late 20,s as well.


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## Ian H (11 Nov 2012)

briantrumpet said:


> Maybe you need one of these:
> 
> [media...]


 
One of these is more aerodynamic: http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=29084


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## briantrumpet (11 Nov 2012)

Ian H said:


> One of these is more aerodynamic: http://www.timetriallingforum.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=29084


Curiously, my first concern was about the aerodynamics of farting on such a contraption.


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## Ian H (11 Nov 2012)

briantrumpet said:


> Curiously, my first concern was about the aerodynamics of farting on such a contraption.


It depends how worn your lycra is.


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## Monsieur Remings (11 Nov 2012)

Ian H said:


> It depends how worn your lycra is.


 
Or the exit velocity; in rare cases this can create thrust, creating harder work for the rider on the front as his stoker belches away in the opposite direction.


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## Alsajosora (13 Jan 2013)

Personally, I am working on my aero positioning on my zimmer frame........


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## derrick (13 Jan 2013)

Alsajosora said:


> Personally, I am working on my aero positioning on my zimmer frame........


I' am working on my zimmer frame to make that more aerodynamic.


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## ColinJ (13 Jan 2013)

I am having well-documented (over-documented? ) health problems, but even before I got ill I was thinking that I should do more varied exercise. I was cycling and hill walking, but my upper body was getting very little exercise - using a keyboard, mouse, touch pad and touch screen don't count!

I am currently on Warfarin and may end up on it for life. Osteoporosis is one of the possible side-effects of the drug so anything I can do to lessen the chances of that would be a good idea.

I have a chin dip station and intend to start using that again once my body can stand the strain. I also think a stretching regime would be useful, because I am very inflexible and that causes a lot of aches and pains.


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## Ian H (13 Jan 2013)

I've just moved, and the new garden is approx 10x the area of the old one, and needs a lot of work. That's my upper body fitness requirements sorted out...[ooh! my back!]


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## black'n'yellow (13 Jan 2013)

this is such a nonsense thread - maybe the title could be changed to 'fit past 80' or something more relevant..??


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## Des of Anerley BC (15 Jan 2013)

Seems like this has degenerated into a lot of hot air! Now that it is winter time I am back into serious training. So for the oldies who do take cycling more seriously have a look at my latest offering at http://anerleybc.org/how-to-keep-fit-this-winter/


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## black'n'yellow (15 Jan 2013)

Des of Anerley BC said:


> The rationale for Strength Training is that whilst cycling is an endurance sport it also requires strength to power the pedals. It has been shown that resistance training builds strength and that increased strength also helps to build endurance.


 
Sorry Des - that's utter nonsense. Leg strength is not a limiter in endurance cycling.


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## Sara_H (15 Jan 2013)

briantrumpet said:


> I'd rather just ride the bike more, and definitely no "twiddling" - do that in Devon and you'll go backwards.


And Sheffield!


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## subaqua (15 Jan 2013)

briantrumpet said:


> Maybe you need one of these:



thats the coalitions new transport policy


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## subaqua (15 Jan 2013)

Peteaud said:


> I am way fitter now in my mid 40,s than i ever was in my 30,s, and probably late 20,s as well.


 probably same here - from 18 to 30 there wasn't any proper exercise fittest years was mid 1997 to mid 1999 then it tailed off again and my belly grew .


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## ColinJ (15 Jan 2013)

black'n'yellow said:


> this is such a nonsense thread - maybe the title could be changed to 'fit past 80' or something more relevant..??


Implying that everyone is fit until they are old? Unfortunately, that just isn't true ...

My niece came to visit me here in Hebden Bridge in her mid-20s and a local walk had her redfaced, sitting on a bench with her head between her knees, and gasping for breath. What shocked me was that it wasn't a 10 mile walk over the big, steep hills which surround the town - it was a few hundred yards level walk to the shops. It took a serious pulmonary embolism to reduce me to that level of unfitness!

Some people are fit until their 80s, some are unfit in their 40s, therefore the thread is okay as it is.


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## black'n'yellow (15 Jan 2013)

ColinJ said:


> Implying that everyone is fit until they are old? Unfortunately, that just isn't true ...
> 
> My niece came to visit me here in Hebden Bridge in her mid-20s and a local walk had her redfaced, sitting on a bench with her head between her knees, and gasping for breath. What shocked me was that it wasn't a 10 mile walk over the big, steep hills which surround the town - it was a few hundred yards level walk to the shops. It took a serious pulmonary embolism to reduce me to that level of unfitness!
> 
> Some people are fit until their 80s, some are unfit in their 40s, therefore the thread is okay as it is.


 
Fitness is relative, regardless of age - that's true. But most of Des' 'articles' seem to be cobbled together from internet speculation, dodgy surveys and half-truths.


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## Sara_H (15 Jan 2013)

ColinJ said:


> Implying that everyone is fit until they are old? Unfortunately, that just isn't true ...
> 
> My niece came to visit me here in Hebden Bridge in her mid-20s and a local walk had her redfaced, sitting on a bench with her head between her knees, and gasping for breath. What shocked me was that it wasn't a 10 mile walk over the big, steep hills which surround the town - it was a few hundred yards level walk to the shops. It took a serious pulmonary embolism to reduce me to that level of unfitness!
> 
> Some people are fit until their 80s, some are unfit in their 40s, therefore the thread is okay as it is.


Until I became unwell a few weeks ago I was fitter than I've ever been in my life. A family ride out last summer in Grizedale forest found the teens among us knackered to the extent that they felt the need to have a complete hissy fit, which didn't bother us to much, we just carried on riding til we couldn't hear them anymore and waited for them to catch us up. In turn, my 74 year old father in law is fitter than us!


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## Ian H (15 Jan 2013)

I don't cycle to keep fit. I cycle because I'm a cyclist. I keep fit to cycle.


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## Pat "5mph" (15 Jan 2013)

Ian H said:


> I don't cycle to keep fit. I cycle because I'm a cyclist. I keep fit to cycle.


Good for you, well done!


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## Trevrev (16 Jan 2013)

Peteaud said:


> I am way fitter now in my mid 40,s than i ever was in my 30,s, and probably late 20,s as well.


 Me too!


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## MattHB (16 Jan 2013)

I ride with a 55 yo. I've just got to the stage when I can keep up if he punches it. We also have guys in our peloton in their 60's that can be awesome if they feel the need. Cycling is all they've done.


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## Rob3rt (16 Jan 2013)

Is this guy (the OP) just a member of this forum to whore out his club's website?

If so I suggest that he just makes a single thread in the Club's section advertising his club and gives it a rest with this crap.


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