CARL GROVE - POWERING THRU' AGED 80+

Carl Grove entered the USA's Cycling Masters Road National for the first time aged 82... and won!

Grove captured the age 80-84 division of the 20K time trial in 33 minutes, 49 seconds, then returned the next day to win the 80-and-up 30-mile road race with a time of 1 hour, 32 minutes. In between, he also competed in a 30K tandem race.

For more details check out http://www.etruth.com/Know/News/Story.aspx?ID=520113 (credit for the story to Anthony Anderson).

There are some interesting things in the story to think about, a little beyond the amazing achievements of this extraordinary athlete. The first, of course, is that the gentleman has the genetics - apparently his ability to maximize his oxygen use is unusually good. Second, he got back into cycling quite late in life (for an aerobic athlete) at aged 40 and only really got serious in his late '70s. Which shows that it is NEVER too late and it's just a question of being serious about something. The marvellous thing is that Mr. Grove stays young at heart and super fit (for any age) through his intention and spirit to succeed. He is able to tap into the force or the will that keeps us all alive, and this is something that we can all do irrespective of the genetics and in all walks of life.

Another interesting comment by his coach is that Grove kept adding muscle with training. The conventional wisdom is that after 60 you can't no matter what you do. I disagree, and I'll prove it (albeit not through cycling - I'm a bit too big for that!). But in my chosen area, body building (something I started at 50), I still put on muscle and strength regularly - I have the numbers to prove it. Also check out my push-up challenge (previous post)... I'm not at 100 yet, but I'm getting there slowly.

True, it is harder to keep it all there as you get older, but my experience (now aged 60) is that the body has a remarkable capacity to grow - and no "juice" either! You just need to understand how... and most of that is a combination of mind and body - clearly something that Mr. Grove has grasped.

Truth Photo by Ryan M.L. Young: Carl Grove poses for a portrait at his home Tuesday, August 10, 2010.

EXERCISE AT HIGH ALTITUDES

It looks like somewhere from Lord of The Rings, right? In fact this is Yemen at the tip of the Arab Peninsular and on the Red Sea.

I’m working here at the moment and realized (a bit too late) that the capital city, Sana’a, is 7,000 feet above sea level. Right at the margin of what is defined as ‘High Altitude’.

What got my attention? Strangely a bit harder to get my breath and my first effort at lat pull downs (for the uninitiated in strength training this is a back exercise where you pull the weight down towards you chest using your latissimus dorsi – those big muscles that run under your shoulder blades) was a disaster. I normally do my work sets at 99 kg (218 pounds) on this exercise. In Yemen up in the mountains I can barely do 60kgs (132 pounds). Shock, horror!

The fact is that at this altitude my lungs and muscles are getting significantly less oxygen than I normally get where I live in Bangkok (which is at sea level). An average person at sea level has about 13-14 kilopascals (kPa) of oxygen in their bloodstream; at 7,000 feet above sea level (asl) they have 8.7 kPa; much lower than this hypoxemia sets in with a number of unpleasant symptoms, even death.

There is obviously a number of risks exercising at this height, especially when you are middle-aged (unless you are used to the altitude and have adjusted – which usually takes 2-3 months and maybe longer). These risks attach to any activity at high altitude, especially climbing, trekking, running or cycling where you are putting your heart and lungs under extra load – remember, with less oxygen they have to work harder anyway just to keep you on the planet. If you have hypertension, be extra careful; also drink more water.

Dehydration is a pet concern of mine and it turns out to be an added risk the higher you go. What happens is that the kidneys command the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells to increase the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. To make room for the increased red cells, the body dumps fluid from the blood - excess urine and collection of fluid in the body's tissues are two direct results of these biological actions. Also the mountains in Yemen are very, very dry, with humidity around 30% so you are losing moisture all the time with every breath you take (in Bangkok humidity is usually 80%!).

All this said, there may be some benefits of being at high altitude. Over time the extra exercise needed to breathe and move may strengthen these organs. But the rule is apparently “sleep high, train low” – because at altitude your body works hard anyway, so you get the benefits while resting or doing your normal activity, but you cannot actually train because your muscles don’t get the oxygen they really need. While it may be true that with more red blood cells you get a surge of energy back at sea level (which is why some athletes like boxers or sprinters do train at altitude just before a competition), this doesn’t last longer than a week or so.

I’ll be writing a longer, more fact-based paper for the Fitness Papers when I get the chance. I’m by no means very knowledgeable about this yet, but watch this space – I will be!

ENERGY, STAMINA AND STRENGTH

These three practical/tactical topics are the fundamentals of physical (and mental) fitness. This blog is about both physical and mental health - including spiritual fitness - but the basic groundwork is keeping yourself physically fit.

The key message is: you can keep fit, strong and active well into old age!

There is no need to get decrepit... but there are lots of folks who are physically dysfunctional in their 39s and 40's..... you wouldn't neglect your car, so why neglect the vehicle for the most precious things you have - your mind and your spirit?

Under these three heads of ENERGY, STAMINA AND STRENGTH we cover a huge variety of topics including:

• Extreme sports (including marathons)
• Nutrition and food supplements
• Running/jogging/walking
• Golf
• Swimming
• Aerobics
• Cycling
• Fitness centres and gyms
• Resistance training and bodybuilding (Yes, you CAN - well into later life!)

..............and a few more as they come to mind

By the way....... practical/tactical activities that help with integrated mind and body well-being such as yoga and martial arts are covered as a separate category - we haven't forgotten them.