Getting better at an older age isn't the same as getting better at a younger age from a physiological standpoint. As we age our bodies slow down, and while we can still have a good capacity to do intense work, our ability to recover from intense work decreases with age. So we can go almost as hard and almost as long, we just can't go as hard or as long as often as we used to. Older athletes will need more recovery time after a big effort in order to be ready for the next big effort.
From a psychological perspective, I think this is what makes the harder efforts at older ages more challenging. Those big efforts feel harder because they do take more out of us and we do need more time to recover from them. From a relative mental perspective, what seemed easier when we were in our 20's was easier because our bodies had more energy and recovered much faster. .
Dec. 30, 2024, 5:36 p.m. - Mark
Getting better at an older age isn't the same as getting better at a younger age from a physiological standpoint. As we age our bodies slow down, and while we can still have a good capacity to do intense work, our ability to recover from intense work decreases with age. So we can go almost as hard and almost as long, we just can't go as hard or as long as often as we used to. Older athletes will need more recovery time after a big effort in order to be ready for the next big effort. From a psychological perspective, I think this is what makes the harder efforts at older ages more challenging. Those big efforts feel harder because they do take more out of us and we do need more time to recover from them. From a relative mental perspective, what seemed easier when we were in our 20's was easier because our bodies had more energy and recovered much faster. .