u/MaleficentFloor822

Full disclaimer: I host a podcast called Ageless Athlete, and I recently had a long conversation with Greg Benning, a 64-year-old masters rower who is still competing at a very high level and is still getting faster!

I thought this group might appreciate some of the ideas we got into, esp those of us still trying to perform in middle age and beyond. Even though Greg is a rower, a lot of it felt very relevant to paddling: efficiency, feel, recovery, technique, and how to keep improving on the water as you get older.

A few things that stuck with me:
1. Small gains only matter when they solve a real problem.
Greg is very interested in the little things: setup, pacing, technique, warmup, recovery, equipment, even how he reviews training afterward. But what I liked is that it isn’t random optimization. He’s not trying to tweak everything. He’s looking for the few changes that actually make the boat move better.
2. Technique is fitness.
This was probably the biggest takeaway for me. Better movement isn’t just cleaner or prettier. It changes the cost of each stroke. If you can hold the same pace with less wasted effort, that’s fitness too. Especially as you age, efficiency becomes one of the ways you keep speed without simply piling on more volume.
3. Recovery becomes the real limiter.
At a certain point, the question isn’t just “can I do the work?” It’s “can I absorb the work and come back again?” Greg was very clear that the margin for error gets smaller with age. You can still train hard, but the hard work has to be something your body can actually adapt to.
4. Data is useful, but feel still matters.
Greg uses numbers, logs, video, and even AI to look for patterns. But the goal is not better spreadsheets. The goal is better movement and better decisions. That distinction felt important. Track enough to learn, but not so much that you stop paying attention to what the water, boat, paddle, and body are telling you.
5. He still talks like someone trying to get better.
That was the part I found most inspiring. He isn’t framing everything around managing decline. He’s still solving performance problems. The constraints are different now, but the mindset is still: where can I improve?

I came into the conversation thinking rowing might be too specific to translate.
It wasn’t.

The details were rowing, but the bigger ideas felt useful for anyone who wants to move well on the water for a long time: improve the stroke, respect recovery, make fewer random changes, and keep asking whether the work is actually making you faster or just making you tired.

Feel free to listen via Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen

I recently interviewed a molecular biologist who has spent most of his life studying aging, telomeres, inflammation, and whether aging itself can be slowed or even reversed.

Some of his ideas are bold and controversial, especially around telomeres and age reversal, so I’m not presenting this as medical advice. But a few of the practical takeaways were surprisingly grounded, and I thought this sub might appreciate them.

Here’s what stood out.

1. Inflammation is one of the big things to reduce.

His view is that aging has a biological clock, but that many of us speed that clock up through chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.

The obvious examples were smoking, chronic stress, obesity, poor diet, toxins, and overtraining. But the broader idea was simple: aging is not just about time passing. It is also about how much unnecessary damage and repair your body is dealing with.

2. Exercise helps, but intensity is the trap.

This was probably the most useful takeaway for me.

He said endurance exercise has a “Goldilocks effect.”

Too little is bad.

Too much can also be bad.

But the real issue is often intensity. If every workout becomes a sufferfest, you may be creating more inflammation and oxidative stress than you realize.

His advice was basically:

Move consistently.
Train often.
But keep it fun enough that you can repeat it.

When it stops being fun, back off.

3. Consistency beats heroic effort.

One brutal workout does not make you age better.

One perfect supplement stack does not make you age better.

One “clean” month does not make you age better.

The boring stuff seems to matter most: regular movement, sustainable effort, decent sleep, lower stress, better food, and not repeatedly pushing the body into breakdown.

4. Don’t confuse looking younger with aging slower.

This was an interesting point. He was critical of approaches that temporarily make people look younger by damaging tissue and forcing repair.

In fact, cosmetic interventions can make us look temporarily, but give us prune-like appearances later. Just look at some of the aging movie stars out there!

5. Healthspan matters more than lifespan.

The part I keep coming back to is that most of us don’t just want more years.

We want more capable years.

More years where we can walk, travel, climb stairs, exercise, think clearly, play with grandkids, and still feel like ourselves.

So for me, the simplest takeaway was:

Slow aging by reducing unnecessary inflammation, moving consistently, keeping intensity sustainable, and building a life you can actually repeat for decades.

Again, not medical advice and not an endorsement of any supplement, test, or protocol. Just a few ideas from a wide-ranging conversation that I found useful.

Full disclosure: I host a podcast called Ageless Athlete. Felt the takeways here were genuinely usefly for this community. Feel free to listen via this Apple link or wherever else you listen.

For those who may not know Bob, he started running in his late 50s and, last year, at 80 years old, became the oldest official finisher of Badwater 135. What makes it even more remarkable is that just a couple of years earlier, he had covered the entire course but missed the cutoff by only 17 minutes. Most people would've let that be the ending. Bob came back and finished the job.

I thought this conversation would be especially relevant for those of us who are not just training for the next race or the next season, but hoping to keep running, performing, and taking on hard things well into our later years.

A few things that some of us here will appreciate, esp if we want to keep our love of running strong as we get older :

Consistency beats almost everything else - Bob has some lung issues and freely admits he probably shouldn't be able to run the distances he does. He credits two decades of consistently staying fit far more than any single training block or breakthrough workout.

Learn the difference between productive pain and dangerous pain- One of my favorite parts of the conversation was hearing how he decides whether to keep pushing or back off. That judgment isn't something you're born with. It's something you earn over years of paying attention to your body.

Your training has to evolve with age- He doesn't try to train like a 40-year-old. Recovery matters more. Strength work matters more. Listening matters more. His goal isn't to prove he hasn't aged, but it's to keep adapting. He gives lots of credit to his coach Lisa Smith-Batchen.

One race doesn't get to write your story.-Missing the Badwater cutoff by 17 minutes could easily have been the final chapter. Bob never saw it that way. He simply viewed it as unfinished business.

Starting late isn't a disadvantage.-He didn't even begin running until his late 50s. I think that's a pretty humbling reminder that endurance is a long game, and there are still reasonable goals waiting for people who start much later than they think they should.

For folks out there, are there are practices, routines etc you are following to continue to run strong in your 50s, 60s, 70s, or even beyond?

Full disclosure: I host a podcast called Ageless Athlete. This post came out of my second conversation with Bob, which was released this week. Feel free to listen via this link on Apple or wherever you listen.

Full disclosure: I host the Ageless Athlete podcast, and this came up for me after a conversation I recorded with Beth Rodden.

One part of the conversation really stuck with me. Beth talked about how the old climbing story was often built around athletes as superhumans: bold, certain, tough, always progressing. And she said that never matched her real experience. She had insecurity, self-doubt, injuries, days where she was good at what she did, and days where she wasn’t.

I related to that more than I expected.

My hardest grade was 5.13a, about 13 years ago. I still carry that around as part of my identity. But the honest version is: I’ve been injured, at 48 now, I'm not the same physically / mentally, and there are days that I'm struggling on 5.11s.

And I notice how much ego shows up around that.

Sometimes I catch myself apologizing before I even climb something easier. Sometimes I don’t want to get on certain routes if people are around. Sometimes I want to explain the old version of myself before anyone sees the current one.

Which is ridiculous, but also very real.

For a sub like this, where many of us are trying to improve and chase harder grades, I’m curious how people think about this. Does protecting your climbing identity make you worse? Does it create unnecessary tension, bad route choices, or avoidance? Or is some amount of ego useful fuel?

Also, those who have dealt with injury, aging, long plateaus, or big gaps between your past and current ability: how do you stay ambitious without constantly measuring yourself against who you used to be?

Feel free to check out the pod if you are so inclined. Apple link, or wherever you listen....

I had a long conversation with Greg Benning recently, and I thought peoplehere might appreciate some of what he said.

For anyone who doesn’t know him: Greg is one of those masters rowers whose results are pretty unique. He’s won at Head of the Charles year after year, set records, and is still finding ways to go faster in his 60s.

Greg's approach is not just work harder or some heroic breakthrus but a very practical approach grounded in science and self-experimentation.

A few things that stuck with me:

1. He is obsessive about small gains, but not in a random way.
2. He’s not trying to change everything at once. He’s looking for the one or two things that might actually move the boat: setup, footwear, rigging, recovery, pacing, technique, warmup, race execution. The lesson for me was that marginal gains only matter when you know what you’re trying to solve.
3. He uses data, but he doesn’t seem owned by it.
4. This was probably my favorite part. He’ll use numbers, video, AI, logs, whatever helps him see patterns. But the goal is still better rowing, not better spreadsheets. That seems like a fine line a lot of masters athletes have to learn: measure enough to improve, not so much that you lose feel.
5. He’s very clear about recovery being the limiter.
6. At a certain age, the problem isn’t always “can I do the work?” It’s “can I absorb the work?” That distinction came up again and again. For older athletes, the training plan is only as good as your ability to come back tomorrow, next week, and next season.
7. He treats technique as fitness.
8. This was a useful reframe for me. Better technique isn’t just prettier rowing. It saves energy. It lowers the cost of each stroke. It gives you speed without needing to just pile on more volume.
9. He hasn’t made age the main story.

I’m not a rower, so I came into the conversation wondering if the lessons would be too sport-specific.

They weren’t.

The details were rowing, but the bigger ideas felt useful for almost anyone trying to keep improving past 40 or 50: fewer random changes, better feedback loops, more respect for recovery, and a lot more attention to whether the work is actually producing speed.

Full Disclaimer: This came out of a conversation on the Ageless Athlete podcast. Thought Greg's strategies and routines were genuinely valuable, esp for masters rowers.

Wow, a little stunned, humbled - just hit Top 5 in Apple in my category. 2.5 yrs, 130 weekly episodes, things seems to be falling place. Downloads tripled in the last 6 months. So grateful.

I recently had a long conversation with Joe Friel, who is 82.

Joe is a legendary endurance coach, but what made the conversation powerful was not really about sport. It was about what happens when someone who has spent a lifetime studying the body starts experiencing aging in a new way himself.

He said that for a long time, everything felt “pretty normal.”

Then, over the last five years, things began to change.

Not all at once. Not dramatically. But clearly enough that he could not ignore it.

His metaphor stayed with me. He said aging is like taking a trip where the terrain changes as you go. One moment you are in the mountains. Then suddenly you are in the desert. Same journey, different terrain.

That feels like a useful way to think about aging.
A few things I took from him:

Aging well is not pretending nothing changes.
Denial does not keep us young. It just delays adaptation.
Change can be gradual, then suddenly obvious.
For years, things may feel normal. Then one day you realize your body, energy, recovery, or confidence is different.
The first signs are often specific.
It may not be “I’m old now.” It may be one hill, one task, one injury, one familiar thing that suddenly feels harder.
Ego can make aging harder.
If we insist on doing everything exactly the old way, we may suffer more than we need to.
Adaptation is not defeat.
Changing how you move, work, rest, travel, socialize, or ask for help is not giving up. It can be what keeps life bigger.
The goal is continuity.
Not proving you are unchanged. Not chasing your younger self. Just staying engaged with your body, your people, and your life.

What I appreciated most was that Joe did not sound bitter or sentimental.

He sounded curious. Like he was still paying attention. Still learning. Still trying to understand the terrain he is in now.

That feels like a much better model than either denial or surrender.

Context: this came out of a conversation I had on the Ageless Athlete podcast. Felt valuable to share here.

I recently had a long conversation with Joe Friel **(**The Triathlete's Training Bible) on the Ageless Athlete podcast who is 82 now, about how training changes as we age.

I thought masters athletes here might be interested in some of what he said, because it maps pretty directly onto triathlon: balancing endurance, intensity, strength, recovery, work, family, and still wanting to stay competitive.

The part that stayed with me was how he described the shift. For a long time, everything felt pretty normal. Then, over the last few years, he started noticing real changes in power, muscle, recovery, and how much he could ask from his body.

A few takeaways I found useful:

• Recovery has to be planned, not hoped for.
• Strength work matters, but it is not magic.
• Intensity needs more spacing than it used to.
• Hills and hard efforts reveal changes quickly.
• Ego can make adaptation harder.
• Staying in the sport is its own skill.

What I appreciated is that Joe wasn’t fatalistic about aging, but he also wasn’t pretending nothing changes. The frame was more: pay attention earlier, adjust sooner, and keep the long game alive.

Curious what resonates with other masters triathletes here.

Joe is brilliant. If anybody’s curious you can check out the conversation on Apple or on any podcast app. Thought his experience would resonate with some of us older athletes here.

EDIT: I may have written something similar on this sub this a few weeks ago in this sub that i totally forgot about. sorry! glad to continue the discussion on this thread however!

Question for older cyclists / masters racers:

Have you hit a point where your typical training isn't giving you the same resuots. ?

I recently spoke with Joe Friel, who’s now 82. What struck me was how candid he was about the first real signal for him: he started getting dropped on climbs by riders he used to stay with. For years, things felt “pretty normal.” Then, in his late 70s, the change became undeniable.

A few things from that conversation that stood out to me:

• Climbs expose aging power fast
• Recovery becomes the hidden limiter
• Strength training helps, but isn’t magic
• Ego makes adaptation harder
• Staying in the group may require new tools
• The goal becomes continuity, not nostalgia

Curious for folks here:

1. What was your first sign that your usual training wasn’t working anymore?
2. What actually helped: more rest, more strength, fewer hard days, different intensity, e-bike, something else?
3. What do you wish you’d changed earlier?

Would especially love to hear from 50+/60+/70+ riders and coaches.

Small bit of context: I host Ageless Athlete, and this came from a longer conversation I had with Joe Friel. I’m really interested in what masters riders here have figured out but also share what somebody like Joe has to say on the subject.

I used to read Neil Gresham’s blogs and training advice back in the day, when I was still trying to figure out how to train properly for climbing.

I had him on the Ageless Athlete some time back, and the part that stood out for me.

Neil admitted clearly that some of the older advice around training older climbers was wrong. Back then, the assumption was more or less: after a certain age, expect decline, reduce load, be careful, don’t push strength too much.

But his view has changed.

A big reason is his experience coaching people like Rob Matheson, who is 74 and last year climbed one of the hardest, scariest, most iconic routes in the seacliffs of Wales.

Neil emphasizes that he didn’t coach Rob as “a 74-year-old climber.”

He coached him as Rob.

Specific weaknesses, specific goals, specific needs.

That feels like the useful takeaway for older climbers: don’t train like you’re 25, but don’t assume every limitation is age either.

A shoulder issue may be a shoulder issue.
A finger issue may be a loading issue.
A plateau may be poor structure.
A fear issue may be tactics or confidence.

Thought some of the more folks here would appreciate. At almost 50, I'm not getting younger, just trying to incorporate this mindset shift in myself.

Love to exchange thoughts on this here and yes, feel free to listen to the full chat anywhere you listen to podcasts, including this Apple link.

Some time back I spoke with climbing legend Heidi Wirtz that got me thinking about the intersection of aging and athletic performance. She mentioned how she'll likely be doing shoulder and hip rehab indefinitely, and it made me wonder: what's the bigger challenge as we age in sports: adapting our training or accepting our limitations?

Heidi also spoke about losing a climbing partner to an avalanche early in her career, which made me reflect on the risks we take in our sports and how our approach to these risks might shift as we get older. Do you find that your perspective on risk changes with age, or is it more about maintaining a balance between ambition and safety?

For those of you who've been climbing for decades, what have you found to be the most significant change in your training or mindset over the years?

Feel free to check out the full conversation with Heidi on Ageless Athlete. Apple link here

EDIT: Fair point from a few folks here. My clumsiness with the title.

I’m not suggesting “do nothing until fully healed” is standard advice. What I was trying to get at is the line between total inactivity and very intentional, carefully calibrated movement during recovery.

That distinction was what stood out to me talking with Harvey after Big’s.

*******

I’ve been thinking about this after talking with Harvey Lewis.

He came out of Big’s Backyard Ultra pretty wrecked: 466 miles, two broken ribs, torn hamstring, night sweats, almost no energy.

What surprised me was that his recovery didn’t sound passive. It also didn’t sound like the usual “just push through it” nonsense.

It was more like: sleep a ton, eat well, use whatever recovery tools you trust, and then add tiny doses of movement as soon as the body allows it.

Crutches to bike.
Bike to walking.
Walking to a slow jog.

Somewhat by feel, somewhat science, as he said to me.

As someone who’s dealt with injuries, I found that distinction interesting. Total rest can be necessary. But I also wonder how often we confuse “not overdoing it” with “doing nothing.”

For those who’ve come back from real injuries: what helped more in practice, complete rest, or careful movement?

If you are curious, this is the link to the chat with Harvey on Ageless Athlete.

Has anyone else hit the point where you’re doing all the “right” things, like consistent training, strength work, decent sleep....and the results still stall… or recovery just starts taking over?

I recently had a long conversation with Joe Friel (82) about this, and a few takeaways felt immediately useful. Sharing here in case it helps (and I’d love to hear what you’ve seen):

What stood out:

• Hills expose it first. Being fine on flats but getting dropped on climbs was his first clear signal.
• Strength work helps, but doesn’t fully stop muscle loss. Even lifting consistently, he’s seen leg mass decline.
• The ego trap is real. If you refuse to adjust, you either stop training with people or you overreach and pay for it.
• Adaptation doesn’t have to be dramatic. Sometimes it’s changing the rules of the day (volume/intensity/recovery) instead of trying to “win” every session.
• The goal shifts from performance to continuity. Staying in the game, staying connected to the sport, and keeping identity intact.

Curious, what was the first sign for you that your old training stopped working?

If anybody is curious, the full conversation is available on via Ageless Athlete podcast.