Since all my surgeries, I’ve to use a modified form of Pilates a couple of times a week, just to stay mobile. My medical team put it together. Last year I made a better effort to add some weights to this, as we have a gym at work. So I try and do two sessions a week with leg press, calf machines etc. No free weights at all. Do a bit of the Swiss ball as well.
It really helps, to the point now where I’d ditch a SBR session in favour of this if time is short. I simply can’t move well in day to day life without it.
Physio that was treating me told me to drop a run session each week now that i am 50 and do a strength session instead and said I would get more benefit from that.
Would be interesting to know what your modified form of pilates is?
I like this thread as I don’t feel like I’m alone (52). My Achilles heel is my Achilles heel which I sort out with strengthening, then stop, then it returns. I should learn by now not to stop. Autumn winter, spring are my favourite seasons because I can have fun riding off road. Do a few trail runs in the new year which are always fun (well when youve finished and thawed out). Did a bit of Pilates and I think this can be my goal reading all the previous posts to give it another go. I’ll put the Joe friel book on my Xmas list, so I might get something I actually want rather than socks etc
Mostly a mix of Pilates/Yoga and some stretches adapted for my particular issue. Although over the past couple of years it’s been less specific and more a case of just something useful. Absolute musts for me though are modified leg slide up the door frame with my foot and some circular moves whilst kneeling on a Swiss ball.
I also use dumbbells in each hand, whilst on my back on the mat, then raise them and lower behind my head. My back arch has to be changed in the way I let my spine back down on the mat.
The Pilates side of it is mostly to do with a modified approach to relaxing the muscles down my left side, particularly whilst sitting and lying. I can get very tense when the twitching starts and have to concentrate on relaxing from the top of the leg down. Which makes me more tense!
I can usually get into bed ok but often have to a modified log roll to get out, which involves hooking my heel under the edge of the bed.
Going to have to make an effort over the winter with Pilates and more strength work and hopfully it will help stave off injuries.
My mother in law is a pilates teacher but lives miles away!
I’m another in the over 50 camp (by a couple of years i’m afraid). Nothing much has changed for me training wise, other than the need for a bit more recovery than in years gone by.
I too do lots of S&C work, and it does seem to help.
I don’t buy into the ‘slowing down’ thing though… its a state of mind IMO. I set a new 5k PB last month of 19:40, and intend on smashing my IM PB this year. They’ll have to shoot me before I accept that i’m slowing down!
I too am shooting for ironman PB again this year in copenhagen, hit the 9:45 last year and hope to go sub 9:30 in august. Ran a very hungover 38min 10k on new years day, so i’m not quite buying into the ‘getting old’ tag just yet
100% agree with the getting old tag being a load of rubbish.
As long as you look after yourself you can be very competetive to a ripe old age
And if you are like me and didn’t start racing until my mid 30’s then even better as my PBs aren’t that good anyway so still hovering around the same times haha.
I think we are all young at heart here doing what we do, there’s no time to start feeling old. Although coming off my mountain bike yesterday, I don’t bounce as well as I used to, so maybe a little more caution is needed, but it was fun. I’m also at Copenhagen (sub-12 pb attempt for me) so perhaps we can create a sub-group “over 50’s going to Copenhagen 2020” ?
I entered my 50’s last year & found it easier to accept than hitting my 40’s. 10 years ago I wasn’t interested in beating other V40’s I still wanted to beat everybody which was frustrating as I was forever picking up injuries.
Nowadays I’m much more content schooling some of the yoofs while improving weaknesses I see in myself.
I’ve invested in pedals of power recently, I’m reining in my training run pace & paying more attention to my post-exercise nutrition thanks to MyProtein.
I won’t be at Denmark, but look forward to following your training.
I’ll be chasing a sub 11 at Copenhagen, with a current PB of 12:01… but most of my races so far have been on harder courses like Lanza and Nice, or have been ‘just get round’ events on limited mileage… plus i’m training smarter and harder…
Its sounding like the race for fastest 50-55 Brit is going to be a big one!
Fatpom can you tell us a bit more about this modified Pilates please?
My mobility is reducing fast due to…
Pain from cancer/treatment (which has sadly recently resurged)
Eating more due to Xmas and comfort I guess.
Expected normal weight gain from some of my drugs.
Being zonked like a zombie/power drained/fatigued.
I still push myself exercise wise, but we are now down to walking a few miles a few times a week max, and even that is falling, with little walking recently. And every day for months now there are times that it is very difficult to move at all.
This is a battle that I seem to be loosing at the moment, and while I hope to surmount it, before I pop my clogs, until that I time I am looking for alternatives to help me maintain my mobility as best I can. (Should note myeloma gives you lesions in your bones so nothing to vigorous).
Hence can you tell me a bit more about your modified Pilates please?
Sloggers, scroll about 8 posts up, there is more there.
I hear on the drugs, not the weight gain but the side effects. I’ve had 6 major spine ops and after the 3rd or 4th, I quit all the strong pain killers and just had Nurofen or Panadol. I was fed up with being spaced out and not in control of my thoughts. So easy to get hooked on that shit.
How overweight were you before your diagnosis and how much have you put on since? My point being, if you had a routine before, try and get back to that mindset. If you didn’t, then attempting to do something your body isn’t used to with all the other stuff you have going on, will be challenging.
