As far as I know, I can’t think of any training plans that are different according to age, unless you look for one that’s specifically designed for, say, ages 50+ or 60+.

A coach should factor in your age at least indirectly, by keeping an eye on how well you recover within and between workouts.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

You would think that age adjusted workouts would be a thing since there are so many early retirees in the sport. This year at 67 everything is a bit more difficult for me but the ability to do hard sessions back to back is gone. I also take a lot of naps because I'm physically worn out after a 2 hour bike ride at 91% of FTP. Naps are good - I'm no longer distressed by the need for them.

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"They know f_ck-all over at Slowtwitch"
- Lionel Sanders

I don't do the same workouts as other people in my coaching group with the same FTP, W/kg or age. The sessions are catered for me - my personal limitations, strengths, lifestyle, goals and even personality (ie what I enjoy, what I don't).

He coaches from people hopefully going to tokyo, to people like me. I'd probably answer a slightly different question to the one you asked. Yes, my coach does factor in recovery time, lifestyle and the specific aspects of physiology that are most critical for each of his athletes.

Recovery is key the older you get. May need to space out the key workouts more and really ensure your easy days are truly easy.

I’m 32 and I recover much slower than when I was in college. I’m also faster (for 8k on up) but my easy days are incredibly easy now.

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USAT Level II- Ironman U Certified Coach

"I’m 32 and I recover much slower "
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That's funny . . . you have no clue :-) Neither did I at that age.

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

Yeah, that made my day!

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"They know f_ck-all over at Slowtwitch"
- Lionel Sanders

I sometimes nap between sets. ....:0)

I’m younger than you but certainly appreciate and agree that FTP workouts (or higher) intensity take more of an effort than than they did when I was 35. Theoretically they shouldn’t as FTP is FTP. But, anyway, I would certainly would expect a coach to cater a program to my specific needs and wants, whatever those may be.

I think that pretty funny too. I'm now 62 and have been racing over 30 years. Enjoy being 32 you have no idea how quick recovery is at 32 relatively speaking.

Same with my coach and I assume most coaches are the same.

When I was really starting to train a lot in my mid-30s I used to have other officers (Marine Corps) say, "Wait until you get to be my age." I used to laugh to myself and thought they were just lazy. Then 40 came and went and suddenly everything was different. I was super fast at 37 and 38, and I imagined a gradual lessening of capability, but 'something' happened at 40 and when I tried to train like I had five years earlier, I was exhausted and run down all the time. That led me to think I was done with long rides and runs and being fast. Now I just slow down and can still cover a lot of distance.
I was much happier when I stopped hanging on to what I was and was happy with what I am now.
Age after 40 matters a lot. Before then, not so much.

I’m nearly half your age and still try to nap everyday. Good to know I can keep going these forever :)

I’m surprised you can even get out of bed in the morning

Good on ya!

Lol

32 I was still going out 4 or 5 nights a week working 2 jobs and crushing it at the local bike races

Now I get winded using the TV remote

😂

its not your biological age that matters but your training age (how many years of interrupted training you have in the books) does. plus your recovery profile (how quick your recovery is in general as well as if you are able to absorb volume or intensity better).

the average O-60 on this forum will easily beat every U-30 not on this forum any (and every) day of the week... ;)

I think it's fair enough to ask if an off the shelf training programme does/should take account of age, as it's trying to be a catch all for some level of experience/ability. However, if a coach isn't tayloring your training prescription to your specific needs and abilities, there seems no reason to have one. So, I don't think the question should apply to coaches and if it does the coach is just a middleman for the training programme, i.e. pointless.

One of the issues everyone grapples with is size of the market. The market for sport shrinks dramatically after 50. After 55 it cuts in half again and continues to do that all the way up. So, it’s difficult for programs like Sufferfest or other standard programs to address a shrinking market.

Two Options
1. Hire a coach - a coach not a workout generator.
2. Listen to your body - If you are struggling with a Sufferfest video it’s not because the workout is too hard for your age, it’s because you are not ready for that kind of workout or you are not recovered from previous work. There is no formula for recovery. You simply have to figure it out. One of the best books for guidance is Fast After 50 by Joe Friel. Even if you are only 40 right now, it’s a good book to read as you age. Joe talks extensively about recovery. For athletes with lower volume, recovery means taking a day off. For athletes with higher volume recovery means light spinning or light running or of course light swimming.

N=1 is more important as you age up. I’m 55 moving up in age soon. I’m running faster today than I was 3 years ago and getting faster. It has taken me that long to figure out spacing of workouts, daily nutrition that suits my current needs (I’ve lost 8 lbs in the last 9 months) and type of workouts that work best. I’m inspired daily by another guy in the town down the coast who is my age and who is still running lightning fast.

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Dave Jewell
Free Run Speed

I'm going to have to read that book.


in addition to recovery i think older athletes, such as myself, need to be more aware of what is likely to cause injuries - particularly when running. Those fortunate enough to be in their 20s can flirt with the edge of the maximum mileage or intensity and volume of speedwork they can handle, and if they go over the edge and pick up an injury they will generally heal an awful lot faster than those with another 30 years on the clock.

That is correct. I’ll tell you a story from this year.

I travel the world working independently for all of the running shoe brands. I flew to London at the end of February. I landed relatively early morning, had some coffee and a light breakfast at the airport and eased my way into the city. I got to my hotel around 11:00. Usually (because I travel so much) they put me in my room straight away. This time they said I had 90 minutes. I always do a little shake out run so I figured I would do it then. I got out running and felt good so I continued on and ran for 60 minutes. The next morning as part of my work I decided to check out a Park Run. It was cold and wet. I took the tube to the general area found what I thought was the start. I had time so I started running. I made it back for the start and ran the 5K. Through the run I could feel a pull on my Achilles.
The next day I did my work and the wanted to get a run in. I was flying home the following morning. As I started my run the Achilles started to scream. I stopped and dissected what happened.

1. I ran the first day completed dehydrated from the flight causing my left calf to tighten up.
2. I had one pair of running shoes with me (soft 4mm drop lightweight trainer).
3. With the tight calf and the 4 mm drop I was now stretching my Achilles beyond it’s liking.

My recovery
1. I hydrated
2. I rolled out my calf finding those tight spots.
3. I only ran in shoes that were 8mm or 10mm

Within a week there was no pain and I have had not recurrence since then.

Again N=1. I am a student of this stuff. Runnning shoes, and functional movement. Because of history I knew (somewhat scared of course) that this was a temporary flaw. From functional work I also knew the issue was either above or below the pain. I searched both and found a calf that was painful to the touch. On running shoes I’ve studied the effects of midsole drop changes. I knew in the shoe I ran in my foot was compressing to zero drop or if I was touching heel first to negative.

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Dave Jewell
Free Run Speed

A human coach should care about how old you are, how fast/powerful you are, how long it takes you to recover, your injury history, and on and on. All of those are key factors. I know 60-year-olds who run 6-7 days a week. I run just 3x/week at 51 and do the rest of my "runs" on the bike at my coach's suggestion. Keeps me healthy.

You certainly need more time between hard workouts as you age. I'm not sure if one needs more time between work intervals within a workout. The fact that you're finding the rest intervals too short makes me think you're going too hard. And yet, your FTP is improving. Maybe it's the pushing-yourself-too-hard that is boosting your FTP?

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<The Dew Abides>

It might not be your age that is the issue. I think many people would agree that the sufferfest workouts are sometimes too difficult for many people. If you are like me and have decent diesel power but have lost some top end either over the years or you never had it, then many of the sufferfest workouts will ask you to put out power had around your VO2 max and weill quickly become unsustainable. I have not done them in a while but I seem to remember one called Angels that was based on climbing that was particularly difficult for me.

I find zwift racing to be challenging in the same way because the start is so hard. Once the race settles in it is a lot more diesel power and I feel a lot more comfortable.