I have a passion for athletics, always have. I believe it's in my genes (my Dad held a Surrey record for over 10 years) and as a youth I competed at many events and gained excellent times. But university, work and married life have played their part and I am now a few pounds overweight and to be honest, out of shape.
Is it too late to put myself through a gruelling training regime to take me to elite status and win a local club 400m or 800m race?
If so, any recommendations on how to go about it? I don't feel I have the confidence to go to a club just yet.
Look at the Olympic Womens Triathlon Champ (Aussie turned Austrian). She trained 3 years and took the Gold. I am in a similar boat as you, I am aiming to qualify for Beijing in 2008 at the age of 36. I have started this year, have lost 20kg and am on target.
If you want some help send me a PM, I am looking for a training buddy on line anyway, or we can post our trainings on the forum and get some cheers along the way. And when we qualify for Beijing let's come back and answer this post ourselves.
TO get the best out of your training, you need to seek expert advice. That means going to a track/club for assistance. Everyday you dont take the oppotunity to improve is a day less for you to succeed.
The guys & gals running 400 and 800 mertres have been training since they very young. So potentially they have a training age of around 15 years of conditioning and tuning the body to perform at the highest level. These guys train heavily and put a lot of strain on normal life as it becomes your life.
I work with a guy called Pete Elliott who won Olympic silver 1500m in 1988. He said if winning an Olympic medal was easy, everyone would be an Olympic champion. Its going to be hard work. Good luck
I agree completely, we have no time for 'suck it and see'. You need to choose your event and train for it. Get expert advice from the start and do some research. What immediately springs to mind is
Trainer/coach
Personal trainer (gymn)
Sports Doctor
Nutritionist
Physio/Kinestherapist/Massage
You need to tell all of them of your goal, don't hold back. You will soon build a team. It took me a while to find a coach/trainer and I found one on line. We exchange videos of swimming training and email each other almost every day.
I have a personal trainer and I told him what my ambition is, have sent him onto the pponline web site and given him the training books I have bought from here.
My doctor is sports orientated and has personally also lost some 20kg.
I now only realised I need a nutritionist as my diet has stopped working after some 20kg lost.
Next week I will see the kine for the first time.
At first it seems like a huge task and expensive, but slowly you find out that a lot of it you can do on NHS and via some clubs or so. Some of it will cost but if you are committed it is a worthy expense. There is also sponsorship, twist the story - imagine someone losing weight and competing in the european or world athletics champs and the whole time they were using your brand of whatever.
Also, there are a lot of friends on line here who will help.
And it is VERY HARD, not only do you have to go, you have to push yourself to that limit that you can at this stage go to. Important not to try to achieve training goals you cannot achieve today. You will demotivate yourself like that. It happened to me as well.
Your messages have been very encouraging. When I was between the ages of 14 and 19 I used to train 3/4 times a week and gained some fairly decent times. I realise now everything is going to be twice as hard as then, as I am out of shape. But I do believe in myself and I know this is a long process that will take over my life.
I plan to train on my own during this first month, to get the confidence to join my old club again I would be interested to see your opinion my my training plan;
Mondays: 10 min warm-up run followed by 2 X 400m and then 10 min cool-down run
Tuesdays: Weights session concentrating on Chest and Biceps, punch bag session, abs
Wednesdays: 10 min warm-up run followed by 4 X 200m and then 10 min cool-down run
Thursdays: Weights session concentrating on Legs and Triceps, punch bag session, abs
Fridays: 10 min warm-up run followed by 1 X 800m and then 10 min cool-down run
Saturdays: Weights session concentrating on Back and Shoulders, punch bag session, abs
Sundays: Rest
I want to find a balance between making significant progress and weight loss (I need to lose 15lbs) and not getting injured as a result of lack of exercise for a while, is this the right kind of thing to start with?
Your weights concentrates on single body parts and only once a week per body part. Unless you are training 2-3 times per week per area, then the gains you will make are minimal and severly restricting performance. You plan to train chest and biceps where chest and triceps would be better as would back and biceps - push and pull patterns repsectively. Dont isolate, intergrate muscles. Muscles dont work in isolation so dont train them to do so. If you can get your hands on Mike Boyles Book - Functional training (i think), it goes into easy to understand training regimes/methods. Strength training is a massive area - too big for this thread. You are best seeking advice from a professional that understands high performance training. If you have not trained for a while, then a basic training programme is all you need. Get the movements correct before you start anything heavy
I had started swimming 1000m 2 times a week (about 3 yrs ago) and then increased to 1500m since there were no reference times for 1000m and then the frequency. I started swimming seriously in October 2004. When I joined the club in Feb 2005 I had a good aerobic base and then started sprint and middle distance training. I don't know much about running I am afraid, but here is what I do now:
Mon, Wed, Fri
am 50min static cycling HR target
lunch Gymn sessions, swim specific weight training (there are still 3 x 7 mins cardio in these sessions)
pm Swimming - 3500 to 4500m, mainly style and aerobic base with some sets similar to 10 x 100 stuck in between.
Tue, Thu
am 50 min static cycling HR target
pm Swimming - Sprint training (generally short fast sets)
Sat
am Swimming - Sprint training
The sprint training is with a club.
Just to let you know in Jan I was still at 127kg and a candidate for a heart attack at 40. Today I am at 108kg.
Sunday I completed my first distance race of 4000m in 1h 38min (18 months ago I took 50 mins for 1000m).
I would go for the fitness and aerobic base first, remember if you set goals that you physically cannot achieve today you will demotivate quickly.
I was very nervous about the club at first, everyone looked fit and good. That was 8 months ago, now I am being asked for advice :wink: . I think you will be well received in a club.
I believe there is no time like the present, and at 32 perhaps time is of essence. Anyone who says no 32 is not too late is correct in whatever
they have had to say, and I concur with those professional opinions. You
will work hard, but work smart too. Use the Best resources available to
you to achieve your athletic achievements.
I am almost 45, and have started training as a runner only 3 years ago.
My goals are not as lofty as yours, but I have managed to come close to
or achieve my running and fitness goals as well balance my life around
what I hope to do as a runner. However, Best Wishes for your success.
Remember, it is not what others think that will make a difference here.
It is what you truly believe that counts . . . Believe, Work Hard, Work
Smart, . . . Avoid Injury
I will be taking all of your advice into consideration. As Alex suggested I logged onto www.brianmac.demon.co.uk and I've decided to go with the 400m winter training schedule for now. Generally, it consists of 3 days of running and 3 days of weights (I'm using their dumbell training program).
Therefore an example of my current training schedule looks like this;
Mon: Weights (all muscles groups)
Tues: 5K run
Wed: Weights (all muscles groups)
Thurs: 10 min warm up run 3 X 500m 10 min warm down run
Fri: Weights (all muscles groups)
Sat: Rest
Sun: 1 hour Fartlek
It's been tough so far, but loving it. Got 15 lbs to lose though. You won't hear from me for a while but I'll keep you posted after I feel I've made some significant progress.
I lot of people say they need to get in shape just to go to a club!
From my own experience, a club and their fitness professionals
are what helped me to learn about good fitness habits, and practices.
Aerobic conditioning and strength training classees are very useful
in helping you to use good form and technique as well as help you
to build an aerobic base. It is a great general beginning. I am not
trying to implicate that you do not know what to do, but if you have
not done anything for a long time, It is easy to forget. From my
experience also, usually the classes are used by mostly women. Don't
be fooled, you will still work hard. Also, working at 55 - 60% of your aerobic capacity is the most efficient range for burning fat. You may
even feel or think you are a fish out of water with some of the moves.
I must admit it took me awhile too get use to it, like when others were
going right, I was going left, or when the move looked complicated, i had
to stop trying to do the move, and do something that I knew, while watching. I was a very humbliing experience and funny, but never kept me from trying. They use light weight for strength / endurance training, high reps. This will help you with technique as well as help too improve your fitness level. This is less costly than a personal trainer. It is a good learning experience too.
I ran my first 10 mile race with only this type of training under my belt.
It was helpful. I finished right in the middle of the pack! Now, it would
have been better if I had done a bit of training for the event that was
sport specific. This leads me to my next point . . .
What you are proposing to do on your own is an OK Idea. You may
not want to be that aggressive. Make sure that you are enjoying your
training. Harder work - outs than what I have mentioned are great to
mix in with the classes . . . heavier lifting, and Sport Specific training, in your case running. Longer distances (cross country type)
in the beginning at again 55 - 60% of your aerobic capacity (running
at a speed that you could still hold a conversation with someone) . . .
Then a little further into your training begin your 400 & 800M runs.
Remember to apply warm - up techniques learned from group fitness
(dynamic movement), and cool down techniques as well as stretching -
at end of work - outs to maintain muscle flexibility. Like you said, you
are 32, and none of us are getting any younger, but YOU WILL FEEL
Younger!
Read a lot about running, and apply what you gain to your work-outs.
Be sure to eat enough of the proper foods to help you to maintain the energy to work-out and feel good. Remove complex carbs from your diet especially foods considered junk foods . . . chips, baked goods, soda, pop . . . or whatever it is you might refer to it as. A beer isn't going to
kill ya ever now and then if you like. there is no point in denying yourself some simple pleasures. Over consumption of anything is not good. A little old lady once told me life in moderation. I apply it to my eating habbits
as well. I wish you well, in your athletic & fitness endevors. Let us know
from time to time, how you are making out. If you have a question for me, or would like to send a personal message, please feel free to do so.
Mr. Alex Wolf seems to be an excellent source too. He is highly qualified
and appears to give great advice that always seems on the mark.
Comments
I'm 32 this year, is it too late to become an elite athlete?
I have a passion for athletics, always have. I believe it's in my genes (my Dad held a Surrey record for over 10 years) and as a youth I competed at many events and gained excellent times. But university, work and married life have played their part and I am now a few pounds overweight and to be honest, out of shape.
Is it too late to put myself through a gruelling training regime to take me to elite status and win a local club 400m or 800m race?
If so, any recommendations on how to go about it? I don't feel I have the confidence to go to a club just yet.
Is 32 too old to start training to become an elite athlete?
The answer is no.
Look at the Olympic Womens Triathlon Champ (Aussie turned Austrian). She trained 3 years and took the Gold. I am in a similar boat as you, I am aiming to qualify for Beijing in 2008 at the age of 36. I have started this year, have lost 20kg and am on target.
If you want some help send me a PM, I am looking for a training buddy on line anyway, or we can post our trainings on the forum and get some cheers along the way. And when we qualify for Beijing let's come back and answer this post ourselves.
r/R
Is 32 too old to start training to become an elite athlete?
TO get the best out of your training, you need to seek expert advice. That means going to a track/club for assistance. Everyday you dont take the oppotunity to improve is a day less for you to succeed.
The guys & gals running 400 and 800 mertres have been training since they very young. So potentially they have a training age of around 15 years of conditioning and tuning the body to perform at the highest level. These guys train heavily and put a lot of strain on normal life as it becomes your life.
I work with a guy called Pete Elliott who won Olympic silver 1500m in 1988. He said if winning an Olympic medal was easy, everyone would be an Olympic champion. Its going to be hard work. Good luck
Is 32 too old to start training to become an elite athlete?
I agree completely, we have no time for 'suck it and see'. You need to choose your event and train for it. Get expert advice from the start and do some research. What immediately springs to mind is
Trainer/coach
Personal trainer (gymn)
Sports Doctor
Nutritionist
Physio/Kinestherapist/Massage
You need to tell all of them of your goal, don't hold back. You will soon build a team. It took me a while to find a coach/trainer and I found one on line. We exchange videos of swimming training and email each other almost every day.
I have a personal trainer and I told him what my ambition is, have sent him onto the pponline web site and given him the training books I have bought from here.
My doctor is sports orientated and has personally also lost some 20kg.
I now only realised I need a nutritionist as my diet has stopped working after some 20kg lost.
Next week I will see the kine for the first time.
At first it seems like a huge task and expensive, but slowly you find out that a lot of it you can do on NHS and via some clubs or so. Some of it will cost but if you are committed it is a worthy expense. There is also sponsorship, twist the story - imagine someone losing weight and competing in the european or world athletics champs and the whole time they were using your brand of whatever.
Also, there are a lot of friends on line here who will help.
And it is VERY HARD, not only do you have to go, you have to push yourself to that limit that you can at this stage go to. Important not to try to achieve training goals you cannot achieve today. You will demotivate yourself like that. It happened to me as well.
r/R
Thanks for the messages Alex and Roderick
Your messages have been very encouraging. When I was between the ages of 14 and 19 I used to train 3/4 times a week and gained some fairly decent times. I realise now everything is going to be twice as hard as then, as I am out of shape. But I do believe in myself and I know this is a long process that will take over my life.
I plan to train on my own during this first month, to get the confidence to join my old club again I would be interested to see your opinion my my training plan;
Mondays: 10 min warm-up run followed by 2 X 400m and then 10 min cool-down run
Tuesdays: Weights session concentrating on Chest and Biceps, punch bag session, abs
Wednesdays: 10 min warm-up run followed by 4 X 200m and then 10 min cool-down run
Thursdays: Weights session concentrating on Legs and Triceps, punch bag session, abs
Fridays: 10 min warm-up run followed by 1 X 800m and then 10 min cool-down run
Saturdays: Weights session concentrating on Back and Shoulders, punch bag session, abs
Sundays: Rest
I want to find a balance between making significant progress and weight loss (I need to lose 15lbs) and not getting injured as a result of lack of exercise for a while, is this the right kind of thing to start with?
I look forward to hearing your responses.
Is 32 too old to start training to become an elite athlete?
Your weights concentrates on single body parts and only once a week per body part. Unless you are training 2-3 times per week per area, then the gains you will make are minimal and severly restricting performance. You plan to train chest and biceps where chest and triceps would be better as would back and biceps - push and pull patterns repsectively. Dont isolate, intergrate muscles. Muscles dont work in isolation so dont train them to do so. If you can get your hands on Mike Boyles Book - Functional training (i think), it goes into easy to understand training regimes/methods. Strength training is a massive area - too big for this thread. You are best seeking advice from a professional that understands high performance training. If you have not trained for a while, then a basic training programme is all you need. Get the movements correct before you start anything heavy
Is 32 too old to start training to become an elite athlete?
Hi,
I had started swimming 1000m 2 times a week (about 3 yrs ago) and then increased to 1500m since there were no reference times for 1000m and then the frequency. I started swimming seriously in October 2004. When I joined the club in Feb 2005 I had a good aerobic base and then started sprint and middle distance training. I don't know much about running I am afraid, but here is what I do now:
Mon, Wed, Fri
am 50min static cycling HR target
lunch Gymn sessions, swim specific weight training (there are still 3 x 7 mins cardio in these sessions)
pm Swimming - 3500 to 4500m, mainly style and aerobic base with some sets similar to 10 x 100 stuck in between.
Tue, Thu
am 50 min static cycling HR target
pm Swimming - Sprint training (generally short fast sets)
Sat
am Swimming - Sprint training
The sprint training is with a club.
Just to let you know in Jan I was still at 127kg and a candidate for a heart attack at 40. Today I am at 108kg.
Sunday I completed my first distance race of 4000m in 1h 38min (18 months ago I took 50 mins for 1000m).
I would go for the fitness and aerobic base first, remember if you set goals that you physically cannot achieve today you will demotivate quickly.
I was very nervous about the club at first, everyone looked fit and good. That was 8 months ago, now I am being asked for advice :wink: . I think you will be well received in a club.
r/R
I voted NO . . .
I believe there is no time like the present, and at 32 perhaps time is of essence. Anyone who says no 32 is not too late is correct in whatever
they have had to say, and I concur with those professional opinions. You
will work hard, but work smart too. Use the Best resources available to
you to achieve your athletic achievements.
I am almost 45, and have started training as a runner only 3 years ago.
My goals are not as lofty as yours, but I have managed to come close to
or achieve my running and fitness goals as well balance my life around
what I hope to do as a runner. However, Best Wishes for your success.
Remember, it is not what others think that will make a difference here.
It is what you truly believe that counts . . . Believe, Work Hard, Work
Smart, . . . Avoid Injury
cjchartree :P
Albany, NY . . . USA
Now into my training schedule
Thanks for all the comments again.
I will be taking all of your advice into consideration. As Alex suggested I logged onto www.brianmac.demon.co.uk and I've decided to go with the 400m winter training schedule for now. Generally, it consists of 3 days of running and 3 days of weights (I'm using their dumbell training program).
Therefore an example of my current training schedule looks like this;
Mon: Weights (all muscles groups)
Tues: 5K run
Wed: Weights (all muscles groups)
Thurs: 10 min warm up run 3 X 500m 10 min warm down run
Fri: Weights (all muscles groups)
Sat: Rest
Sun: 1 hour Fartlek
It's been tough so far, but loving it. Got 15 lbs to lose though. You won't hear from me for a while but I'll keep you posted after I feel I've made some significant progress.
Cheers,
Mark
Building an Aerobic Base First
I lot of people say they need to get in shape just to go to a club!
From my own experience, a club and their fitness professionals
are what helped me to learn about good fitness habits, and practices.
Aerobic conditioning and strength training classees are very useful
in helping you to use good form and technique as well as help you
to build an aerobic base. It is a great general beginning. I am not
trying to implicate that you do not know what to do, but if you have
not done anything for a long time, It is easy to forget. From my
experience also, usually the classes are used by mostly women. Don't
be fooled, you will still work hard. Also, working at 55 - 60% of your
aerobic capacity is the most efficient range for burning fat. You may
even feel or think you are a fish out of water with some of the moves.
I must admit it took me awhile too get use to it, like when others were
going right, I was going left, or when the move looked complicated, i had
to stop trying to do the move, and do something that I knew, while watching. I was a very humbliing experience and funny, but never kept me from trying. They use light weight for strength / endurance training, high reps. This will help you with technique as well as help too improve your fitness level. This is less costly than a personal trainer. It is a good learning experience too.
I ran my first 10 mile race with only this type of training under my belt.
It was helpful. I finished right in the middle of the pack! Now, it would
have been better if I had done a bit of training for the event that was
sport specific. This leads me to my next point . . .
What you are proposing to do on your own is an OK Idea. You may
not want to be that aggressive. Make sure that you are enjoying your
training. Harder work - outs than what I have mentioned are great to
mix in with the classes . . . heavier lifting, and Sport Specific training, in your case running. Longer distances (cross country type)
in the beginning at again 55 - 60% of your aerobic capacity (running
at a speed that you could still hold a conversation with someone) . . .
Then a little further into your training begin your 400 & 800M runs.
Remember to apply warm - up techniques learned from group fitness
(dynamic movement), and cool down techniques as well as stretching -
at end of work - outs to maintain muscle flexibility. Like you said, you
are 32, and none of us are getting any younger, but YOU WILL FEEL
Younger!
Read a lot about running, and apply what you gain to your work-outs.
Be sure to eat enough of the proper foods to help you to maintain the energy to work-out and feel good. Remove complex carbs from your diet especially foods considered junk foods . . . chips, baked goods, soda, pop . . . or whatever it is you might refer to it as. A beer isn't going to
kill ya ever now and then if you like. there is no point in denying yourself some simple pleasures. Over consumption of anything is not good. A little old lady once told me life in moderation. I apply it to my eating habbits
as well. I wish you well, in your athletic & fitness endevors. Let us know
from time to time, how you are making out. If you have a question for me, or would like to send a personal message, please feel free to do so.
Mr. Alex Wolf seems to be an excellent source too. He is highly qualified
and appears to give great advice that always seems on the mark.
cjchartree 8)