You're as young as the bike you ride, even if it is a Spez.

[River Rat]

Exercise and Age

Active older people resemble much younger people physiologically, according to a new study of the effects of exercise on aging. The common view equating advancing years with physical decline may be off the mark.

 

In a new study, recently published in The Journal of Physiology, scientists in England decided to look more closely at the relationship between physical activity and well-being. “We wanted to understand what happens to the functioning of our bodies as we get older if we take the best-case scenario,” said Stephen Harridge, senior author of the study. To do this, the scientists recruited 85 men and 41 women, between 55 and 79 who bicycle regularly. The volunteers were all serious recreational riders, but not competitive athletes. The men had to be able to ride at least 62 miles in six and a half hours and the women 37 miles in five and a half hours, benchmarks typical of a high degree of fitness in older people.

 

The scientists then ran each volunteer through a large array of physical and cognitive tests. They determined each cyclist’s endurance capacity, muscular mass and strength, pedaling power, metabolic health, balance, memory function, bone density and reflexes. The researchers compared the results of cyclists in the study against each other and also against standard benchmarks of supposedly normal aging. As it turned out, the cyclists did not show their age. On almost all measures, their physical functioning remained fairly stable across the decades and was much closer to that of young adults than of people their age. As a group, even the oldest cyclists had younger people’s levels of balance, reflexes, metabolic health and memory ability.

 

Some aspects of decline did, however, remain. The oldest cyclists had less muscular power and mass than those in their 50s and early 60s and considerably lower overall aerobic capacities. Age does seem to reduce our endurance and strength to some extent, even if we exercise. But even so, both of those measures were higher among the oldest cyclists than the average among people aged 70 or above.

 

Dr. Harridge, himself almost 50 and an avid cyclist, said this study shows that “being physically active makes your body function on the inside more like a young person’s.

 

From: How Exercise Keeps us Young by Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times, Jan. 7, 2015, Phys Ed, pg.

[BarHugger]

Two principles in play here.........

 

1. The specificity of training.

2. Use it..........or loose it.

[River Rat]

At my age when the goose is loose......

[Mads]

The theory  definitely seems to be true.  My knees and shins looks like a 5 year old toddler's. Full of roasties and scratches.

 

And I am definitely having much more fun than the average old tannie of my age. 

[Headshot]

And if you think skills are for kids, think again. At 48 I race enduro and practice on DH tracks - may even race a DH or tow this year. I am continually attempt to improve my skills at cornering, jumps and drops. Anyone who says they have all the skills is lying and/or lazy. 

[deanbean]

And if you think skills are for kids, think again. At 48 I race enduro and practice on DH tracks - may even race a DH or tow this year. I am continually attempt to improve my skills at cornering, jumps and drops. Anyone who says they have all the skills is lying and/or lazy.

At 51 I agree with you.

Made my year last year when my daughter saw a pic with me and 3 of my cycling buddies (new to the sport), she said "daddy you look the youngest, and I've got at least 10 years on them.

[SwissVan]

At 50 I agree, occasionally I still get asked for ID and told that if I dyed my hair I could.....

[DJR]

Ja, well, no, fine.....................