# Coaches for old guys!



## rocdog (Oct 26, 2005)

Hey guys,

Does anyone here race (or not) and if so can you recommend any coaches that specialize in the over 50 crowd and understand our training and recovery needs?

Thanks,

RD


----------



## Fuzzle (Mar 31, 2015)

Advice for an OLD GUY from a OLD LADY...ha ha!

If you are racing amatuer I say read up on nutrition and scratch the coach idea. I recommend Paleo for athletes My neighbor who is a Cat.1 Masters National road Champion won my just riding to and from work. He also an accomplished Cross and MTB racer. He uses a power meter once in a while. I also know a guy who coached some pro teams. I asked him for a training plan and he said just ride, rest and eat healthy. This advice can even apply to us older folks. MTB racing is not rocket science. All we need to do is scale back since the distances are shorter. My husband used to over think food and train to much. Did a lot a hammer fests and all that stressful stuff, Then he did the just ride plan took some rest days guess what happened? He stared winning.

This is advice is good for road. I would say as far as MTB maybe a little skills training wouldn't hurt if you think you could use it. You can get a lot of great advice by watching skills vid. and some practice.

There are some great training plans online that you can customize to fit your needs as an over 50 rider. The most common mistake I seen is over training. As older riders you don't need to train as hard. 

This is just my opinion and I'm sure many of you will not agree...next!


----------



## Ericmopar (Aug 23, 2003)

It's simple. Lot's of lovin. It builds up the T levels.


----------



## Velobike (Jun 23, 2007)

I don't think there's any body of scientific information that applies to the realities of coaching the older person - say 60+.

Right up to your 60s you can get off with normal training plans. After that age there's so many variations in our bodies because by then most people have had some medical condition or old injury that has to be taken into account.

Also it is difficult to determine at what point is pushing it too much, and doing that has consequences. A training injury that would affect a younger person for maybe a week can take months to clear up.


----------



## treeman54 (Jul 19, 2010)

I'm 60 and have used LW coaching for the past 3 years. She has a 40+ plan for XC and 50 mile. Good rest days and weight work in both plans.


----------



## rocdog (Oct 26, 2005)

Thanks for the info


treeman54 said:


> I'm 60 and have used LW coaching for the past 3 years. She has a 40+ plan for XC and 50 mile. Good rest days and weight work in both plans.


----------



## Tribble Me (Aug 27, 2012)

You might also be interested in the book Fast After 50: How to Race Strong for the Rest of Your Life by Joe Friel.

Info below from Amazon:

_Fast After 50 is for every endurance athlete who wants to stay fast for years to come.

For runners, cyclists, triathletes, swimmers, and cross-country skiers, getting older doesn't have to mean getting slower. Drawing from the most current research on aging and sports performance, Joe Friel--America's leading endurance sports coach--shows how athletes can race strong and stay healthy well past age 50.

In his groundbreaking book Fast After 50, Friel offers a smart approach for athletes to ward off the effects of age. Friel shows athletes how to extend their racing careers for decades--and race to win.

Fast After 50 presents guidelines for high-intensity workouts, focused strength training, recovery, crosstraining, and nutrition for high performance:

How the body's response to training changes with age, how to adapt your training plan, and how to avoid overtraining
How to shed body fat and regain muscle density
How to create a progressive plan for training, rest, recovery, and competition
Workout guidelines, field tests, and intensity measurement
In Fast After 50, Joe Friel shows athletes that age is just a number--and race results are the only numbers that count.

With contributions from: Mark Allen, Gale Bernhardt, Amby Burfoot, Dr. Larry Creswell, John Howard, Dr. Tim Noakes, Ned Overend, Dr. John Post, Dr. Andrew Pruitt, and Lisa Rainsberger._


----------



## Velobike (Jun 23, 2007)

I've read it and gave it away.

It's a rare 60+ who is sufficiently injury free or devoid of some medical problem. Under 60 generally everything is still working ok.

I think the book is aimed at a very small subset of riders who are still in perfect condition. It would damage me if I followed its advice.


----------



## BruceBrown (Jan 16, 2004)

rocdog said:


> Thanks for the info


I'll second Lynda as a recommendation for working with older athletes. She also hosts a monthly online "free" coaching Q&A, has forums at the LWCoaching site where she answers questions and provides good training programs. Of course, you can also pay for phone consultations with her as well as hire her for more personal attention.

I interviewed her once, and this was my favorite answer...

*Bruce:* We've all heard the oft used axiom, "If you want to get better at riding your mountain bike, just ride a bunch" as a means of training for racing. What in specific does a training plan from LW Coaching provide for a rider compared to the old axiom of "just ride a lot"?

*Lynda:* Just riding a lot will get you from being unfit to fit but will not make you fast. Following a well-designed training plan will take you from fit to fast. Fast is what you need for cross-country mountain bike racing. LW Coaching training plans are periodized to take you through a base training cycle then a race specific cycle. Along the way you build aerobic fitness, then tempo and threshold and polish it off with race specific preparation.


----------



## Fuzzle (Mar 31, 2015)

BruceBrown said:


> I'll second Lynda as a recommendation for working with older athletes. She also hosts a monthly online "free" coaching Q&A, has forums at the LWCoaching site where she answers questions and provides good training programs. Of course, you can also pay for phone consultations with her as well as hire her for more personal attention.
> 
> I interviewed her once, and this was my favorite answer...
> 
> ...


Do you race a lot? If so, have you noticed major improvements in your results since adopting a regimented plan?


----------



## BruceBrown (Jan 16, 2004)

Fuzzle said:


> Do you race a lot? If so, have you noticed major improvements in your results since adopting a regimented plan?


I had a regimented plan before using Lynda's, but under her plan and guidance in 2014 I was on the podium in 9 out of the 13 races I did that year, which caused me to upgrade. Measuring improvements at the higher level has been a nice reality check - at least in terms of podium spots - as the longer distance and level of competition has been a challenge to measure via podium spots alone. I've clawed my way to a couple this year, but am measuring lap times, consistency, and just trying to dig in and hang on as long as I can at the higher pace. I don't feel as exhausted at the end or races this year like I did last year which means I'm getting used to the demands of the longer distance and higher pace.


----------



## Fuzzle (Mar 31, 2015)

BruceBrown said:


> I had a regimented plan before using Lynda's, but under her plan and guidance in 2014 I was on the podium in 9 out of the 13 races I did that year, which caused me to upgrade. Measuring improvements at the higher level has been a nice reality check - at least in terms of podium spots - as the longer distance and level of competition has been a challenge to measure via podium spots alone. I've clawed my way to a couple this year, but am measuring lap times, consistency, and just trying to dig in and hang on as long as I can at the higher pace. I don't feel as exhausted at the end or races this year like I did last year which means I'm getting used to the demands of the longer distance and higher pace.


Nicely done! That's quite the resume. Can I have a link to her site?


----------



## BruceBrown (Jan 16, 2004)

Fuzzle said:


> Nicely done! That's quite the resume. Can I have a link to her site?


:thumbsup:

Lynda Wallenfels - LWCoaching.com.


----------



## rlee (Aug 22, 2015)

Before you hire any coach read up on a few different training plans. You need to know how your body works if for nothing else but to give your coach feedback.
Joe Friel has a lot of stuff and one of the books I recommend is Chris Carmichaels training plan for the time crunched cyclist.
Be realistic on the amount of time you can devote to a training plan.


----------

