| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Karl |
Posted - May 08 2002 : 1:10:20 PM
Mexxx
Hl, help for you, also visit http://www.sportsci.org/
Wed May 8 11:08:22 2002
65.210.139.252
Age and 'the edge'
By Gary Rotstein, Pitttsburgh Post-Gazette
Peak performance years vary according to the sport. For female gymnasts and skaters, where jumps and flexibility are essential, it can be in their teens. For sprinters, it might be early 20s. Top long-distance runners and power lifters may be in their 30s.
But generally, said University of Pittsburgh Medical Center for Sports Medicine (UPMC) physician Dr. David Stone, aerobic capacity and maximal athletic performance peak around age 25. Depending on the sport, an athlete may maintain those peak levels into their early 30s.
"The drop-off between 25 and 35 is much less than, say, between 45 and 55," Stone explained, with an athlete losing less than half of a percent of maximum physical potential annually in his 30s, compared to perhaps one percent a year in middle age.
In addition to aging's effects on their muscle mass and maximum heart rate, those in their 30s tend to put on fat because they can't burn calories as efficiently. Reaction time slows. Muscles and tendons become less flexible, meaning they might tear instead of stretch in response to pressure.
Particular dangers for athletes coming out of retirement are a loss of conditioning and misunderstanding what their bodies now are capable of, compared to teammates who have played without interruption.
"They're much more susceptible to over-use injuries," Stone said. "They have a memory of what their body was like, but they don't have an understanding of what it's like at this point." But part of what makes the best athletes so great is their mental aptitude as well as physical abilities, and for individuals such as Jordan and Lemieux, that aspect should only improve with maturity, rather than decline.
"As the body starts to age, the demands on the mind become greater, and you have to be smarter, including smarter in the way you take care of yourself and try to recover from injury," said Stephen Russo, director of the sports psychology program of UPMC.
Karl |
|
|
