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Masters athletesMasters athletes: training, recovery and nutrition after 40
You can keep training hard after 40. What changes is how you recover: muscle answers protein less readily, strength fades faster without lifting, and the space between hard sessions matters more.
What the research on masters athletes shows, for runners, cyclists, triathletes and anyone still racing at 40, 50 or 60.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Peter Matos, D.O., MPHMost of what changes is not how hard you can train
Performance does decline with age, but for most masters athletes the bigger change is how quickly the body is ready to go again (Borges et al., 2016).
Recovery takes longer after hard sessions
Reviews of masters athletes find that older athletes often report more soreness and take longer to regain strength after damaging work, especially downhill running, eccentric work and high-impact sessions. The pattern is not uniform: some well-trained older athletes recover much like younger ones (Borges et al., 2016).
Muscle answers protein less readily
The same meal produces a smaller muscle-building response in older muscle. This is called anabolic resistance (Fell and Williams, 2008; Moore et al., 2015).
Sleep often gets lighter and shorter
Sleep is when much of the repair from training happens, so changes in sleep show up in recovery (Fell and Williams, 2008).
Tendons adapt more slowly than muscle
Connective tissue takes longer to catch up with a jump in training load, which is one reason sudden increases in mileage or intensity cause more trouble after 40.
Background inflammation tends to rise
Researchers call this inflammaging: a slow, low-level rise in inflammation with age, even in healthy people (Franceschi et al., 2000).
What it means
None of this is a reason to train less hard. It is a reason to plan recovery as carefully as the sessions themselves.
Why protein matters more after 40
Anabolic resistance means older muscle builds less new protein from the same meal. It is one of the best-studied changes in ageing muscle, and the one most directly affected by what you eat.
Moore and colleagues pooled their lab’s measurements of muscle protein synthesis after different protein doses. The response levelled off at about 0.24 g of protein per kg of body weight in a meal for young men (about 22), but at about 0.40 g/kg for older men (about 71) (Moore et al., 2015).
The older men in that study were in their seventies, so the gap at 45 or 55 is likely smaller. The lesson is the same: make each meal count, rather than relying on one large protein meal at the end of the day.
Protein in one meal for the full muscle-building response
Grams shown for a 75 kg athlete. Source: Moore et al., Journals of Gerontology Series A, 2015.Strength training for runners and cyclists over 50
For endurance athletes, the gym is often the first thing dropped. After 40 it is one of the last things to drop: without lifting, muscle and strength are among the first things age takes.
Two reviews found that adding heavy, low-repetition strength work improved running and cycling economy and performance, without reducing endurance capacity (Rønnestad and Mujika, 2014; Beattie et al., 2014).
- Squat or leg press knee and hip strength
- Deadlift or hip hinge posterior chain
- Step-ups single-leg control
- Calf raises Achilles and calf
Two short sessions a week, lower repetitions, enough weight to make the last few hard.
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Two quality days, two strength days, real rest
At least 48 hours between the hardest days. Adjust for your sport, history and goals.
Heavy, low-rep lifting on a day with no hard endurance work.
Intervals or tempo. The week’s first quality day.
Low intensity only. Recovery is the session.
Second lifting day, at least 48 hours after Monday.
A full day off before the weekend’s long session.
The long run or ride. The week’s second quality day.
Short and easy, or off.
If recovery still lags, try a longer cycle: the same quality sessions spread over 9 or 10 days instead of 7.
Training stress meets a rising baseline
Every hard session causes a short burst of inflammation that has to settle before you adapt. With age, the background level tends to rise. Claudio Franceschi and colleagues called this inflammaging (Franceschi et al., 2000), and later work linked it to many common conditions of later life (Franceschi and Campisi, 2014). Regular exercise is one of the best-supported ways to keep it in check, and diet is the other big lever.
Fit is not the same as risk-free
In masters endurance athletes with low traditional risk, coronary plaque was still common, especially in men, though more often the calcified kind thought to be more stable (Merghani et al., 2017). The lesson is not to stop training: know your blood pressure and cholesterol, take symptoms in training seriously, and eat for your arteries as well as your performance.
Where the Mediterranean diet and olive oil fit
The Mediterranean diet is the most studied eating pattern for long-term health, and olive oil is the one food every version of it shares.
Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil
Randomised to a Mediterranean diet with extra virgin olive oil, one with nuts, or a reduced-fat control. Both Mediterranean groups had fewer major cardiovascular events (Estruch et al., 2018).
More than ½ tbsp of olive oil a day
Associated with lower total mortality than rarely using olive oil. Observational: it shows association, not cause (Guasch-Ferre et al., 2022).
Mediterranean pattern in midlife
More likely to reach older age free of major chronic disease, with good physical and mental function (Samieri et al., 2013).
More polyphenols, more effect
Olive oils with more polyphenols raised HDL cholesterol and lowered markers of lipid oxidation, in step with polyphenol content (Covas et al., 2006).
These studies looked at adults’ long-term health, not athletes’ recovery, so the link to training is indirect. The EU allows one health claim for olive oil polyphenols: they contribute to the protection of blood lipids from oxidative stress, with a daily intake of 20 g of olive oil containing at least 5 mg of hydroxytyrosol and its derivatives (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012).
For the second half of a sporting life
- Eat more protein at each meal, not just more in the day.
Spread it across three or four meals, each with a generous portion of fish, eggs, yogurt, legumes or meat. Older muscle needs a larger dose per meal to get the full response.
- Lift twice a week, all year.
Heavy, low-repetition strength work protects muscle, bone and tendon, and studies in endurance athletes found it improved running and cycling economy.
- Leave 48 to 72 hours between the hardest sessions.
Many masters athletes keep the same number of quality sessions but space them further apart, or move to a 9- or 10-day training cycle.
- Make extra virgin olive oil your main fat.
Use a fresh, high-phenolic oil raw on food every day. The Mediterranean trials were built around it, and its polyphenols are part of why the oil is studied.
- Know your numbers.
Blood pressure, cholesterol and family history matter even when you are fit. See your physician before big jumps in training load, and about any chest pain or unusual breathlessness in training.
Build the Mediterranean habit into your training
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More for endurance athletes over 40
Masters athlete FAQ
What is a masters athlete?
A masters athlete is an athlete competing in age-group categories for older competitors. Most masters competition starts at 35 or 40, depending on the sport. The term is also used for anyone who keeps training seriously into midlife and beyond.
Does recovery really slow down after 40?
For most people, yes, though training history matters as much as age. Studies of masters athletes find slower recovery of muscle function after damaging sessions in many, but not all, older athletes. Spacing the hardest sessions further apart is the most common adjustment.
How much protein do athletes over 40 need?
Older muscle needs more protein per meal to reach its full building response. In one analysis, older men needed about 0.40 g of protein per kg of body weight in a meal, against 0.24 g/kg for young men. Spreading protein across three or four meals is the practical way to apply it. Your own doctor or dietitian can set a daily target.
Should endurance athletes over 50 lift weights?
Yes. Strength training helps keep the muscle, bone and tendon that age erodes, and reviews in endurance athletes found that adding heavy strength work improved running and cycling economy without harming endurance.
Is olive oil good for athletes over 40?
Olive oil is the main fat of the Mediterranean diet, which has been studied for decades in large trials and cohorts. Those studies looked at long-term health in adults, not recovery in athletes, so evidence for athletes specifically is indirect.
Sources
- Borges N, Reaburn P, Driller M, Argus C. Age-related changes in performance and recovery kinetics in masters athletes: a narrative review. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. 2016;24(1):149-157. doi.org/10.1123/japa.2015-0021
- Fell J, Williams AD. The effect of aging on skeletal-muscle recovery from exercise: possible implications for aging athletes. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. 2008;16(1):97-115. doi.org/10.1123/japa.16.1.97
- Moore DR, Churchward-Venne TA, Witard O, et al. Protein ingestion to stimulate myofibrillar protein synthesis requires greater relative protein intakes in healthy older versus younger men. Journals of Gerontology Series A. 2015;70(1):57-62. doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glu103
- Rønnestad BR, Mujika I. Optimizing strength training for running and cycling endurance performance: a review. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. 2014;24(4):603-612. doi.org/10.1111/sms.12104
- Beattie K, Kenny IC, Lyons M, Carson BP. The effect of strength training on performance in endurance athletes. Sports Medicine. 2014;44(6):845-865. doi.org/10.1007/s40279-014-0157-y
- Franceschi C, Bonafe M, Valensin S, et al. Inflamm-aging: an evolutionary perspective on immunosenescence. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2000;908:244-254. doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.2000.tb06651.x
- Franceschi C, Campisi J. Chronic inflammation (inflammaging) and its potential contribution to age-associated diseases. Journals of Gerontology Series A. 2014;69(Suppl 1):S4-S9. doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glu057
- Merghani A, Maestrini V, Rosmini S, et al. Prevalence of subclinical coronary artery disease in masters endurance athletes with a low atherosclerotic risk profile. Circulation. 2017;136(2):126-137. doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.116.026964
- Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvado J, et al. Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts. New England Journal of Medicine. 2018;378(25):e34. doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1800389
- Guasch-Ferre M, Li Y, Willett WC, et al. Consumption of olive oil and risk of total and cause-specific mortality among U.S. adults. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2022;79(2):101-112. doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2021.10.041
- Samieri C, Sun Q, Townsend MK, et al. The association between dietary patterns at midlife and health in aging: an observational study. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2013;159(9):584-591. doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-159-9-201311050-00004
- Covas MI, Nyyssonen K, Poulsen HE, et al. The effect of polyphenols in olive oil on heart disease risk factors: a randomized trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2006;145(5):333-341. doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-145-5-200609050-00006
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods. Official Journal of the European Union. 2012. eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2012/432/oj
Last checked October 2026.
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Verified olive polyphenols - from a single Greek grove, proven batch by batch. Prove it, then sell it.
O-Liv LLC, doing business as Pomoni · Bettendorf, Iowa