How to be an amazing athlete over the age of 40 - Part 1
By Matt Johnson
Founder of The Feed.
Don't let age slow you down... do you have a plan to stay as fit as possible as you age? If not, now's the time to make one!
Let's face it, many athletes who hit the over 40 mark resign themselves to swiftly declining performance in the coming years. For most of us, this is a super tough pill to swallow because we're nowhere near ready to take a seat and hand the reigns over.
The good news is that losing speed and strength as you age is not as cut and dry as many of us believe. In fact, it's not only possible to maintain your fitness level over 40, many athletes are now using these 'golden' years to get active for the first time or reignite their athletisim, and are seeing excellent results.
Take Elite Master runner Pete Magill for example. He's an all-american junior college runner who stepped away from running for nearly two decades before picking it up again at 39, mostly for health reasons. Within two years, Magill had run 3:56 for 1,500 meters and 8:31 for 3,000 meters, and was later nearly unbeatable in the 45-to-49 division. And he's not alone. There are many other examples of elites doing some of their best work after 40. Which gives us all hope!
40 is the new 30 in sports... with a little biohacking...
So, would you like to know the secret to maintaining and even gaining speed and strength over 40? It all comes down to counteracting what's happening with your body as we age.
Welcome to P.1 of "How To Be An Amazing Athlete Over The Age of 40"
The primary focus of the anti-aging medical community these days is how to counteract the steady and continuous decline of energy-producing potential in our cells. This is also where athletes who are looking to maintain their training as they age need to focus first.
What's been discovered is that as we age and lose 'energy' there's a correlation in the decline of our NAD+ levels (NAD is a key energy precursor). By the time we are middle-aged, our levels of NAD+ have fallen to half of our youthful levels.
But...
What if we can use NAD+ supplements to get back some of this decline?
Will additional NAD+ help us keep training and be as fit as we can be?
My experience with NAD+ is that the answer to both of these questions is a big YES. Of course, multiple scientific studies, (like the ones referenced throughout this ScienceDirect article) indicate that NAD+ supplementation can have a huge impact on aging and athletic decline.
In my own usage of NAD supplements, I've noticed a measurable ability to train longer and maintain higher training levels week to week without burning out.
The impact is subtle, you're not going to take an NAD supplement and cartwheel out of bed the next day.
But, after making NAD supplementation a part of my daily routine, I've noticed that I can keep my training levels much higher day to day and week to week.
I'll admit I haven't always kept up my NAD supplementation. Sometimes I just let things slip. Recently, I looked back at my training in Apple Health and my Whoop and noticed that wherever I have gaps in my NAD supplementation, my training is inconsistent. For example, I'll have one good day of training, and then 2 or 3 days where I didn't really get the training done that I wanted.
But, when I'm following a daily routine of NAD supplementation, the data shows that I consistently put in 4 or 5 really good workouts per week.
I realize this is by no means a scientific study, but it's convinced me that daily NAD supplementation is a key for my ability to keep training at my optimal (and desired) level over the age of 40.
There's lots of opinions on the best way to supplement with NAD+. I always recommend doing your own research and testing different strategies out to see what works best for you. That said, I've found a system that works well for me, and also for the many athletes I work with, which means it could probably work great for you as well.
Here's how I supplement with NAD+...
I take 4 to 6 pumps of Quicksilver NAD+ Gold each morning. This is a sublingual form of NMN that you hold under your tongue for 30 seconds. NMN is a precursor to NAD+ production.
I take 1 Capsule of Tru Niagen each morning which is another precursor to NAD+ production called Nicotinamide Riboside or NR.
I take 4 Capsules of Swiss RX Multi-Vitamin, which really should be renamed as it is much more than a Multi-Vitamin. Think of it this way, as you boost your NAD levels your cells will produce more energy, which requires more feul. Swiss RX Multi-Vitamin not only contains the fuel (micro-nutrients) but a specialy delivery mechanism to get those nutrients absorbed in your cells.
As I mentioned above, this isn't a pre-workout or an instant boost of energy like caffeine, it's a steady increase in your ability to train as hard as you want day to day. A long term strategy and part 1 of How to be an amazing athlete over 40.
Save 10% on this recipe when you use the code: ENERGY40
Also, stay tuned for Part 2 and 3 of how to be a super athlete over the age of 40 in the coming weeks!