TRAINING MEN AND OVER 40
So what happens to us Men as we age.. do things carry on as normal?
Do we function the same as if we were 21 again?
(Mentally we are always 21 ;-)
Or do things change?
Unfortunately for a lot of us things change we start to take longer to recover cardio-vascularly from training we may lose a bit of strength and muscle bulk and start storing more belly fat and bone density decreases…. WHY????
SIMPLE! Testosterone levels are declining! What a bummer eh!
So what else happens when our T-levels drop… not great news boys read and weep!
There is a decrease in men’s level of energy, sexual desire, need for sleep, morning erections, beard growth, anxiety level, depression, joint pain, muscle aches, and other factors.
So what do we do?
Well we start a training program that involves lifting weights and training our cardiovascular system. Strength training becomes important this will help in so many ways. First of all keep you strong so important! Secondly will help in maintaining muscle and with the right training program increase your muscle size. Thirdly it will increase bone density.
Cardio training again so important we get the ticker working with some load..
Now Cardio is interesting… so what sort of cardio do we do? Well you better read this….
Contrary to popular belief, vigorous cardio workouts, such as long-distance or endurance running, for example, and prolonged intense exercise can contribute to a lowering of testosterone (as well
as sex drive), and increased cortisol levels. In a study that compared long-distance runners with physically inactive controls, experts found lower testosterone levels in the endurance athletes than in the nonactive controls and that the athletes also experienced symptoms associated with low testosterone.
In a University of North Carolina study, the authors examined the impact of exhaustive exercise on cortisol (a stress hormone) and testosterone levels. Twelve male endurance athletes participated in the analysis, which showed it can take 72 hours for testosterone levels to return to baseline (pre-exercise) levels following intense, prolonged activity. Men who engage in such exhaustive activities regularly don’t allow their testosterone levels to bounce back, which can lead to chronically low testosterone.
And if you’re over 40 you need to be especially careful. According to a University of British Columbia study, 40-55 year old male runners who ran more than 40 miles per week had noticeably lower T levels compared to those who train in short-distance running – with T levels continuing to decline depending on the amount of running mileage. And if you’re running a marathon, just don’t expect to follow it up with a great night in bed; as marathon running has been shown to reduce testosterone levels by up to 50%.
Ok so what cardio do we do then?
HIIT High Intensity Interval Training… short sharp shock! But if I had someone new I would build up on this and work at their comfort levels.. so 10-15mins it's that simple.
The science: does it increase testosterone? There’s certainly evidence to suggest it does!
#Study 1: Hackney et al. [3]
In this study 15 athletes were assigned to either a HIIT group or steady state exercise group.
The HIIT group completed repeated periods of 90-sec treadmill running at maximum intensity followed by 90-sec active recovery 42-47 min, and the steady state group completed a 45 minute run at a moderate intensity. Both groups were assessed for any changes in free T levels as well as other male hormone changes.
So what happened?
Interestingly both groups increased their T levels but the HIIT group was much higher. This suggests that higher intensity training might produce a more pronounced turnover of testosterone.
Anderson T et al. Cortisol and testosterone dynamics following exhaustive endurance exercise. European Journal of Applied Physiology 2016 Aug; 116(8): 1503-9
Fahrner CL, Hackney AC. Effects of endurance exercise on free testosterone concentration and the binding affinity of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). International Journal of Sports Medicine 1998 Jan; 19(1): 12-15
Hooper DR et al. The presence of symptoms of testosterone deficiency in the exercise-hypogonaedal male condition and the role of nutrition. European Journal of Applied Physiology 2017 May 3
Hackney, AC et al. Testosterone responses to intensive interval versus steady-state endurance exercise. J Endocrin Invest. 2012; 35(11): 947-50