hey old triathletes

Daniel do you find the beta alanine makes you gain weight, or leaves you prone to gaining weight ?

I just turned 54. I do 2 45 min bike workouts per week, 1 30 min run, 1 1.25 hour (bike + weights), and 1 1.5-1.75 hour (bike + run) per week. I seasonally adjust in warmer weather to 1 less run per week, adding 2 swims. I notice over the past 3-4 months recovery has been getting tougher and tougher. That said its been a brutal winter between a bout with the flu, a bad chest cold, and even now sidelined with some foot issues (haven't run for last 3 weeks). Recovery is defeinately an issue for me....

thank you, I will try that!  I'm 39, but I'm just noticing that the daily stuff is really catching up with me.  For what its worth, I'm a PE teacher and have a fairly physical job as a rule, but at the same time, I'm not sitting a lot.

And also by secrets, I mean do you have a specific daily routine of stretching (and what is it), do you do massage once a week, do you take a day off or not at all, things like that as well.  I thought yoga would be helpful, as it has in the past, but of course right now I feel tighter!

I have been thinking about adding it to my preworkout mix before I lift so I would be interested in the answer as well as is the weight gain, if any, muscle or water?

DanielG - 2013-03-07 3:04 PM

gr33n - 2013-03-07 9:00 AM

Daniel do you find the beta alanine makes you gain weight, or leaves you prone to gaining weight ?

I've not found it does anything other than I'm not as sore and those weird "That just started hurting all on its own" pains don't happen. I gain weight all on my own without help, though Again, this one's not a cut and dried thing. It works for me. It works for almost everyone I know who uses it. It may not work at all for you. Dunno. I do know it's worth the money to at least give it a shot and then quit taking it after it runs out to see if it does anything. It takes about 3-5 days to get worked into your system, kinda like allergy medicine.

I'm definitely gonna give it a shot. Thanks.

And thanks Turtlegirl for bringing the subject up.

Any of you swear by chondrointin? (spelling).  I also had those hammer product pills (can't remember the name, but was supposed to aid recovery as well) and just didn't take them with regularity.

wondering if those help.

My friend, who is an ultrarunner and top level age grouper at 54 (still does 3:30 IM marathons) swears by his plant based diet for recovery.

51 as of last week. Never taken a supplement. Doing concurrent marathon and IM training right now. There are days my legs are tired, but I just keep going. I don't think I'm breaking down, but there's no doubt recovery takes longer.

I do take a day off every week. Partly because I need time to catch up with everything else, but mainly because I need it. Otherwise I can't think of anything different I do now, except maybe very few late nights and falling asleep halfway through a second beer

I'm in your same old camp at 39. 

For me, I found the best thing was to have a good recovery protein shake with lots of carbs right after my workouts.  I usually have either a Naked protein zone, or an Odwalla protein drink.  Lots of carbs/protein in each.  They're not cheap, so it would be more cost effective to make my own, but I'm too lazy. 

Oh yeah, and the foam roller!!!

I am sorry you cannot join the Old Group until you have reached 40 at least, maybe 45. 

I don't know that the body breaks down faster...I do know it takes more time to recover though. And, this is the hardest part for me, you get slower and injured more frequently. 

I'm 52 and did my first try back in the 80s.  I've been doing this a long time off and on for about 25 years.   I don't do massages very often...I'm too cheap.  There are some things I have incorporated over the years that I think help keep me moving; glucosomine, lots of water, watch my fat intake but I basically will eat anything in moderation, chiropractor, stretching, and I think most importantly I need to be smart with how I train.  I have to take rest when I feel tired.  I no longer will make myself finish a workout if I feel fatigued.  At least I try not to.  This where I find I get injured.  When I was younger if it was in my training plan I would make myself finish the workout no matter what.  I just can't do that anymore.  I want to keep doing this as long as I can...so holding back on volume and intensity I believe will allow me to do so.

Something else, I don't know if dancing and gymnastics are a regular activity for you.  If not, that will explain the soreness.  My 13 yo daughter, who does some regular exercises on her own went to the gym with me.  We did some machines that she had not done before...she was sore for almost a week.

I turn 54 in two weeks.  For me the most important thing is being flexible with my training and add in recovery days / shorter workouts when I need them.  I have also learned over the last few years to train by feel, if I am not hitting my planned training pace I just accept it and finish the workout.

As far as supplements go the only thing that I do is add a scoop of protein powder to a fruit smoothie about three times a week.

I'm 53......on a streak of nearly 180 days of running.  I've worked out my entire life....but always with rest days.  Still, right now I feel better than I have in 15 years. So if you are asking me today, I'll tell you that you need to keep moving....the whole "a body in motion tends to stay in motion".....then again, the wheels could fall off tomorrow.

Good luck....nobody gets out alive.

I'm 59 and will be 60 in May.

Don't take any supplements other than a daily multivitamin.

I workout almost every day, but try not to do hard workouts on consecutive days, and certainly not in the same discipline.

I was an avid weightlifter before getting into triathlon training, but pretty much eliminated any weight training for a couple of years to focus on my aerobic engine.  Over the past year or so I've been adding weight training back into my regimen to offset muscle mass loss associated with age.

I do some stretching (primarily for my back), but mostly incorporate extended warm-ups and warm-downs into my workouts.  Whenever I run I will walk for at least a half mile afterwards.

I also have had to compensate for some overuse injuries, specifically patella tendinosis in my right knee and degenerative tendinosis in my Achilles tendons.  Since hurting my Achilles in 2010 I've utilized a Galloway run/walk strategy for my running.  My Achilles do fine as long as I keep my run/walk ratio to 4:1 or less for distances longer than 5K.  Not insignificantly, I also lost about 20 pounds over the last year or so, which seems to corollate with reduced aches and pains.

One other thing I've learned to do is take naps whenever I feel the need.

Mark

Who are you callin' old?

And by the way, GET OFF MY LAWN!!

I do find myself taking longer to get going in the morning.

I've been taking glucosamine/MSM, and while I can't say it's a miracle cure, I definitely notice it when I stop taking it for whatever reason (like I run out and don't get replacement quickly). I'm considering others as well. And no, not the "forever young" supplements...

But I turn 40 in November, so I get to race USAT as 40 this year.  Doesn't that count. 

yes I know 39 isn't "old" but it is according to a lot of my friends!  Just the aches and pains (and not from injuries) are new!

And no, dancing and gymnastics aren't regular...well, not this level anyways! I know thats why I'm sore, but in just starting up this year, I'm disappointed that my normal training is beating me up!

I'm almost 42 and just assumed that I'm supposed to be sore the following day if I'm working out a lot.

I didn't realize that there's an option.

No I'm sorry you will have to wait.  sheesh you youngsters and your impatience to be all growed up!

Of course, birthdays after a certain age only come in 5-year increments. Unlike PED's, taking advantage of the USAT rules is completely fair and legal