This article is reproduced from www.oarsport.co.uk.

Veterans

Veterans or masters are the fastest growing section of our sport. The FISA Masters Regatta is the biggest regatta in the world attracting several thousand athletes from all over the World. The thing is there is very little advice on training for this growing population. There are two things that affect performance as a result of the ageing process.

Muscle atrophy and stiffening of the joints takes place, which is a shrinking of the cross sectional area of the muscle fibre. This leads to a reduction in oxygen uptake, less muscle mass less demand for oxygen. Performance will decline from a peak as a consequence of the ageing process. The figure of 0.4ml/kg/min./year decrease in VO2 max is an average. In the instance of a man aged 25 who at the peak of his powers, weighs 80kgs and has a VO2 max of 6 litres/min, assuming his weight remains the same and he continues to train then at age 50 his VO2 max will have dropped to 5 litres/min. Taking at his peak his 2K time to be 6mins this would fall to around 6'40 by his 50th birthday as a direct result of the decline in VO2 max.

However, this rate of decline is an average figure and includes sedentary people and there are steps that can be taken to arrest decline.

• One thing is weight management. As you age muscle is lost through muscle atrophy. If you maintain your weight then the ratio of body fat to muscle mass increases. Rather than just watching your weight, control your percentage body fat. Muscle tissue burns oxygen while body fat reduces the VO2 per kilo bodyweight. A correct nutritional calorie balance, which is adequate in carbohydrates and protein and low in fat is essential and allied to strength retention exercise is the best way to manage your percentage body fat.
• Training still needs to be varied covering all the energy systems from low intensity aerobic work, through lactate threshold training up to high intensity anaerobic workouts. It is also important to continue to carry out the core stability exercises. Maintain the wave training principle to reduce the risk of over-training whilst still looking for progressive increments.
• By sticking to the non-weight bearing, non-impact exercises like the Concept 2 rower you will reduce the risk of muscle and joint damage. The weight training for rowers and the basic 2000m training programme, and good nutrition, is an ideal way to keep the ageing process at bay.

The second thing is a stiffening of the joints, which restricts the range of movement. We become less flexible as we get older. So veterans tend to row a shorter stroke but can still pull hard because they do not lose strength at the same rate as flexibility and endurance.

We cannot reverse the aging process but we can slow it down and one of the best ways to do this is to tackle the question of flexibility. Yoga and Pilates are excellent activities to maintain flexibility. Veterans should spend at least three sessions a week just on flexibility, which could be done at home in addition to formal training. As an alternative add an additional 30 minutes to your training sessions and go through a comprehensive stretching routine.

As joints stiffen and no longer move over their full range, then the muscles operating on that joint shorten. As the muscles shorten then the joint is further restricted as it has to overcome the resistance of the shorter muscle and so it becomes a downward spiral. When the muscles shorten there is a greater risk of injury for in the event of a sudden stretch or movement outside of a narrow range then muscle damage ensues. This is not only painful and can lead to training down time but in the event of torn muscles, when they heal scar tissue forms, which is also less flexible.

Flexibility exercises or stretching can be divided in two to meet different specific purposes. Stretching as part of a pre-exercise warm up allows a slight increase in flexibility and reduces the risk of injury.

Post exercise though is where the greater increase in flexibility can be achieved and so the duration of post exercise stretching is longer than the stretching routine in the warm up. (See stretching section).

In land training, veterans should also avoid lifting heavy weights but should use circuit type training with lighter weights and a wide range of movement.