Many people over the age of 30, who have not trained or who have been out of the sport for a very long time, have been thinking about taking care of their health by getting back into physical activity, and fitness training.
A person who has never practiced any fitness training, or resumed it after a long break, performs poorly and sometimes does not realize that he or she is no longer twenty years old, and unfortunately will not be able to immediately regain the physical qualities of his or her youth.
How can we resume physical activity, reduce the risk of injury, and continue to train for a long time?
Natural deterioration of physical qualities due to age, and how to improve your fitness training planning?
First, with age, the qualities of strength, speed, and relaxation fade. As does maximum oxygen consumption capacity (VO2 max), often called “stamina”. It reaches its maximum in the 20th year, stabilizing until the age of 30, then gradually decreasing and by the age of 60, it is only 70% of this value. This regression, independent of gender, can be delayed by regular endurance training, mix an optimum fitness training plan.
The aging of the body’s constituent parts (muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones) is premature. The deterioration of the musculoskeletal system can begin before the age of twenty.
The cartilage, at first, and the articular surfaces in a second stage, can present lesions that contraindicate the practice of intensive and prolonged activities. On the other hand, the practice of physical exercises without great mechanical constraints can be beneficial, if however it is practiced in a healthy way, with the help of a coach.
The components of the joints, such as the ligaments, can retain the after-effects of old sprains, making them more fragile and increasing the risk of injury. The proprioceptive sensitivity ensures the readjustment of muscle contractions is diminished, increasing the risk of new accidents.
The contractile qualities of the muscle also change. The elements responsible for stiffness, such as tendons and the junctions between muscle fibers, take on a greater role. The result is the frequent occurrence of inflammations and even tendon ruptures.
The increase in fat mass, due to a sedentary lifestyle, leads to an overload of work during sports practice and to a reduction in blood circulation, which is one of the elements limiting sports performance.
All of this becomes a handicap when resuming physical and sporting activities, which makes the athlete, who makes an inconsiderate effort, a subject at high risk of injury.
It is important to recognize that with increasing age, the organism is more fragile and that the occurrence of pathology, however benign, should not be neglected, and to practice sport in a progressive way, listening to your body.
How do I program my progressive resumption of fitness training?
Returning to sport means adding life to the years, not years to life.
When resuming physical activity, short and violent efforts can be harmful and lead to serious injuries that will eventually lead to the permanent cessation of sports practice, and be a serious handicap in your professional and social life.
It will be good to practice, in addition to your sport, a general physical preparation with an efficient fitness training of the core muscles and of all the muscles which ensure the stabilization of the spine during important mechanical constraints, especially for the practice of highly dynamic and contact sports (team sports, combat sports like Krav Maga training for example).
The choice and practice of a sport should not be based on the past, but on the present; the sport itself is not dangerous, but it is the way of doing it that can be dangerous. The same applies to individual sports (running, cycling, cross-country skiing), as long as they are practiced in a group, which awakens the spirit of competition too much and can lead to excesses. As fragility increases with age and the risks are greater, a precise health assessment must be carried out before resuming physical activity or fitness training.
Don’t hesitate to contact me directly for any questions you may have about resuming sports training, or on how to start your personal fitness training, I will be happy to help.
