RAISE THE INTENSITY
“WORKOUT DURATION, INTENSITY AND FREQUENCY ARE THREE ELEMENTS OF TRAINING THAT CAN BE MANIPULATED TO PRODUCE FITNESS”
These are the words of top cycling coach Joe Friel, who is 80 and still riding strong. “As we age there’s a tendency to increase duration at the expense of intensity. Workouts become longer and slower as weekly volume becomes the focus of training.
“But the ageing athlete needs to do the opposite. Workouts over 80% of max heart rate should be the basis of your training, around 2-3 times per week. This change results in shorter training sessions but a higher weekly average intensity.”
The reason for this is down to maintaining a solid aerobic capacity. Many of us know that maximum HR declines with age. Hence, the parochial method of calculating your maximum heart rate – 220 minus your age.
A lower heart rate reduces cardiac output, which is the amount of blood pumped by the heart each minute. Throw in a less
