Elsevier

Physical Therapy in Sport

Volume 22, November 2016, Pages 123-128
Physical Therapy in Sport

Masterclass
The master female triathlete

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ptsp.2016.07.010Get rights and content

Abstract

The world of triathlon has expanded to include all ages and both sexes. One of the largest growing age groups is the master female athlete. It is important for the physical therapist to understand the special needs of this population in order to adequately care for master female athletes so they can participate at a high level and injury-free. Biology of aging, injury prevention and a suggested training program are presented in this Masterclass article.

Introduction

Competing as a triathlete in later life has several benefits including improved health, a sense of well-being and an avenue for social interactions. As defined by the United States Triathlete Association, a Master triathlete is an athlete forty years of age or older (“https://www.teamusa.org/usa-triathlon”, 2016). Of the 2.9 million participants in triathlon in 2011, greater than 43% were in the 40 years and over age division according to USA Triathlon. The largest growth was in the 35–39 and 40–44 year-old groups. In the past year, there has been a greater rate of increase in the 50 and older age group as compared to younger groups. One speculation for this occurrence is that many long term runners switch over to triathlons for the cross training benefits. Additionally, partaking in triathlons is expensive and the younger athlete may not have the resources invest in the sport for items such as equipment and entry fees.

Within the female category, an increase in participation has occurred both in the shorter and longer triathlon distances. Since 2000, USA Triathlon's female membership has grown from 27% of the total of the annual members to more than 37% at the end of 2014. Due to this increase in participation, performance times for older females (40–59 age groups) in swimming, cycling and running have decreased significantly (Lepers, Rüst, Stapley, & Knechtle, 2013b).

Triathlon performance is maintained until the age of 40; this is followed by modest declines until the age of 50. After 50, performance times progressively decline at a steeper rate (Bernard et al., 2010, Lepers et al., 2013a). After age of 55, decline in endurance performance is more pronounced in females as compared to males (Ransdell, Vener, & Huberty, 2009). The greater disparity between older and younger female triathletes’ performance times that appears in the shorter Olympic distances as compared to the Ironman distances is probably due to the predominance of power and anaerobic capacity required at the shorter distance (Donato et al., 2003). Difference between young and older female triathletes is least pronounced in cycling due to less impact, the use of concentric muscle contraction, non-weight bearing stress, and the metabolic economy that can occur in cycling (Balmer et al., 2008, Lepers et al., 2013a).

The purpose of this Masterclass article is to discuss the biology of aging and how triathlon training affects these changes. In addition, prevention of injuries and training recommendations will be presented for the female master triathlete.

Section snippets

Biology of aging and factors affecting performance

Exercise is a powerful tool that can help minimize age-related diseases and decline. Disease that results from poor health habits, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, can be controlled with a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise. Many physical changes commonly attributed to aging alone are actually due to sedentary lifestyle (Lee et al., 2014). For example, older individuals that partake in a running exercise program have less disability and live longer than their age-matched peers

Injury prevention for the master female triathlete

As the athlete ages, the risk of injury increases due to a loss of bone mass, muscle mass and flexibility and increasing fatigue with exercise (Shaw, Howat, Trainor, & Maycock, 2004). It has been estimated that 89% of master athletes experience one sports-related injury since turning 50 years; of these injuries, 68% are due to repetitive overuse (Burns et al., 2003, Wright and Perricelli, 2008). Ganse et al. suggests that experienced master athletes have a low risk of injury that does not

Conclusion

As a physical therapist, it is very rewarding to work with an older athlete that is motivated to return to her sport. The number of master female athletes is steadily increasing. In working with this population, the PT needs to consider the biology of aging, factors affecting performance, and utilization of appropriate training and technique to help keep the triathlete in the sport while minimizing her chance of injury.

Conflict of interest

None.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Ashleigh McDaniel for her photography services.

References (60)

  • T. Bernard et al.

    Age-related decline in olympic triathlon performance: Effect of locomotion mode

    Experimental Aging Research

    (2010)
  • R. Bini et al.

    Effects of bicycle saddle height on knee injury risk and cycling performance

    Sports Medicine Auckland New Zealand

    (2011)
  • R.R. Bini et al.

    Effects of saddle height, pedaling cadence, and workload on joint kinetics and kinematics during cycling

    Journal of Sport Rehabilitation

    (2010)
  • J.P. Brown et al.

    2002 clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis in Canada

    CMAJ Candian Medical Association Journal Journal of Association. Medicale Canadian

    (2002)
  • L.M. Burke et al.

    Carbohydrates for training and competition

    Journal of Sports Sciences

    (2011)
  • J. Burns et al.

    Factors associated with triathlon-related overuse injuries

    Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy

    (2003)
  • D.B. Burr et al.

    Experimental stress fractures of the tibia. Biological and mechanical aetiology in rabbits

    Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery British

    (1990)
  • E.F. Chakravarty et al.

    Reduced disability and mortality among aging runners: A 21-year longitudinal study

    Archives of Internal Medicine

    (2008)
  • P. Conoboy et al.

    Effect of aging on the stride pattern of veteran marathon runners

    British Journal of Sports Medicine

    (2006)
  • A.J. Donato et al.

    Declines in physiological functional capacity with age: A longitudinal study in peak swimming performance

    Journal of Applied Physiology Bethesda Md 1985

    (2003)
  • R.F. Escamilla et al.

    Optimal management of shoulder impingement syndrome

    Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine

    (2014)
  • J.A. Faulkner et al.

    The aging of elite male athletes: Age-related changes in performance and skeletal muscle structure and function

    Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine Official Journal of Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine

    (2008)
  • I.M. Fletcher et al.

    The effect of different warm-up stretch protocols on 20 meter sprint performance in trained rugby union players

    Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research National. Strength and Conditioning Association

    (2004)
  • A.J. Fradkin et al.

    Effects of warming-up on physical performance: A systematic review with meta-analysis

    Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research National Strength and Conditioning Association

    (2010)
  • T. Fuchi et al.

    Cardiovascular changes associated with decreased aerobic capacity and aging in long-distance runners

    European Journal of Applied Physiology

    (1989)
  • R.K. Fukuchi et al.

    Comparison of three-dimensional lower extremity running kinematics of young adult and elderly runners

    Journal of Sports Sciences

    (2008)
  • R.L. Gajdosik et al.

    Influence of age on length and passive elastic stiffness characteristics of the calf muscle-tendon unit of women

    Physical Therapy

    (1999)
  • B. Ganse et al.

    Impact of age, performance and athletic event on injury rates in master athletics - First results from an ongoing prospective study

    Journal of Musculoskeletal Neuronal Interactions

    (2014)
  • H. Geyer et al.

    A-Z of nutritional supplements: Dietary supplements, sports nutrition foods and ergogenic aids for health and performance–Part 22

    British Journal of Sports Medicine

    (2011)
  • B.C. Heiderscheit et al.

    Effects of step rate manipulation on joint mechanics during running

    Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise

    (2011)
  • Cited by (0)

    View full text