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Aging – Question 2
Nash Fountain used to be the world Decathlon (the best all-around Track & Field
Athlete) champion when he was 25 years old. Now, 30 years later, he comes to you and
complains of feeling like he has less power, strength, speed, cardiorespiratory endurance, and
muscle-mass despite the fact that he still weighs 150lbs like he did when he was 25 years old.
Explain to Nash, in great detail, what contributing factors are associated with why he now feels
the way that he does at the “ripe-old-age” of 55 years old.
The accomplishment that Mr. Fountain had 30 years ago is not an easy one to obtain, as
being a world champion requires a lot of time, effort, and dedication. Three decades later, he
does not understand why he doesn’t have the same abilities as he did when he was at his peak.
Over the course of the past 30 years, as he has aged, Nash’s body has undergone many changes
that he likely doesn’t fully recognize. Had Nash continued to train in the manner that he had
when he was training for decathlons, his body would still have gone through some changes that
he wouldn’t have been able to avoid, although they may have affected him in different ways.
Powers et al. (2021) noted that there is a decrease in one’s maximal aerobic power of one
percent every year from where the peak value was, typically between the ages of 20 to 40. With
Nash having maintained his body weight over the past 30 years and remained somewhat
physically active, it is safe to determine that he was able to cut the decrease of his maximal
aerobic power in half, however, avoiding a decrease altogether is highly unlikely. Nash has
admitted to feeling like he has less endurance than he did when he was training, so this is a good
indicator that he has experienced some level of decrease in VO2 max. Additional changes that
take place when an individual ages that Nash has likely also had happen is a reduction in his max
heart rate along with a decreased stroke volume (Powers et al., 2021). It was noted by Powers et
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al. (2021) that an individual’s cardiac output is the equivalent of their heart rate and stroke
volume, which means that the older he gets, the more Nash may feel as though he has less
endurance. It may be possible to lessen how much of a decrease he experiences, however, Nash
will not be able to stop it completely and, as a result, that may cause him to notice differences in
his endurance.
In terms of strength, aging can lead to a decrease in both maximal strength and muscle
mass while there is an increase in the percentage of Type 1 muscle fibers (Powers et al., 2021).
The body ages as a whole, which means that as the years go by, all of the components of our
body ages and undergoes changes. The old saying of use it or lose it holds true, especially as one
ages. If Nash isn’t actively participating in strength and resistance training to ensure he maintains
the muscle mass that he had when he was 25, then he will have a decline with every year. On the
other hand, if Nash maintained his level of strength and resistance training, he may have been
able to stave off some of those changes. Powers et al. (2021) notes that engaging in resistance
training twice per week to the point where an individual can execute eight to twelve repetitions
of each exercise, there would be a noticeable amount of improvement in not only their muscles
but also in their overall strength. Additionally, resistance training in older age also provides the
benefit of increased bone mass and improved balance (Powers et al., 2021).
A decrease in speed, such as the one described by Nash could be the result of a decrease
in his flexibility (Powers et al., 2021). If Nash were to perform exercises where the focus is on
stretching and flexibility a minimum of two days per week for at least ten minutes, he would be
able to retain some of the speed that he is used to having.
Ultimately, what Nash is experiencing isn’t unusual amongst athletes who had previously been at
the top of their game and in this instance at the top of the world. Without exercising and training
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as he did when he was 25, as he has aged, so has his body and his muscles, making things slow
down for him. It is necessary, for him to feel better and much like he used to, that he participate
in resistance and strength training, perform stretching and flexibility exercises, and work on
exercises that will increase his endurance.
