It’s not a bad thing, but it is a true thing: athletic performance declines with age. How much and how fast depends on a host of factors, but a handy road map of the long inevitable way down can be found in this piece in the Washington Post. The bad news, the Post reports, is that aging leaves no system untouched: Maximum heart rate declines
about 5 percent per decade as the heart becomes less responsive to the
adrenaline-like hormones. VO2max declines 6 to
10 percent per decade after age 25, and this accelerates to 15 percent
per decade after age 60. Wait, there’s more: Muscle strength
declines 10 to 15 percent per decade starting at about age 30, so that by age 70, a person is only half
as strong as he or she was in youth. For the good news: what you can do about all of this bad news, read the whole story in the Washington Post.
Health, fitness and lifestyle tips for people over 50 who still like to play hard
Saturday, May 31, 2025
Thanks Geezer!!
I just turned 65 and have started a physical fitness program to make the last part of my life as good or better than the first part. I have been doing mostly stretching and strength training and I can see improvements. Now, with the info in this article, I will begin more endurance training – back to the gazelle.
Mike
P.S. I read your articles most every day – thanks again.
I don’t see disc golf listed in your categories. It’s a great sport for older folks to take up and get serious about competition in. There are 2,000+ courses in the US (compared to about 8,000 ball golf courses) and the masters and older fields in tournaments are getting larger every year. It’s inexpensive and environmentally friendly, too.