The Long Run – May 2020
Association News
Amended 2021 Qualification Process Announcement
The National Senior Games Association (NSGA) hopes you are doing well and finding ways to stay healthy and strong. Together we are in the midst of uncharted territory as the pandemic has affected all of us in a variety of ways. Every major event and sports organization has been impacted. This situation has required a one-time adjustment for the 2021 National Senior Games qualifying process.
NSGA understood the need to develop options for alternative qualifying rules. The main concerns were to act in the best interest of the athletes, and to honor the qualifying process for those states who could conduct games while providing an alternative method for our loyal athletes to participate in the next National Senior Games. Each of our Member Games will continue to communicate with their athletes on their plans to conduct games in 2020.
In preparation of the 2021 National Senior Games presented by Humana, NSGA has established a registration process which includes a Priority Registration Period for qualified athletes followed by an Open Registration Period to accommodate athletes age 50+ unable to attend or qualify at a state senior games in 2020. Registration dates will be announced later this year. NSGA reserves the right to make further adjustments to the National Senior Games qualification and registration.
Qualification for Priority Registration Period
- If a state qualifying senior games is ABLE to conduct Games or specific sports/events in 2020, the qualification standards for the sports/events as specified in the 2021 NSGA Rulebook will determine qualifiers. In addition athletes from that state’s senior games who qualified for the 2019 National Senior Games in Albuquerque, NM will also qualify in the respective sports/events for the National Senior Games in 2021 (i.e., qualifiers from 2018 respective sports/events from that state’s senior games).
- If a state qualifying senior games is UNABLE to conduct Games or specific sports/events in 2020, athletes from that state’s senior games who qualified for the 2017 National Senior Games in Birmingham, AL and/or 2019 National Senior Games in Albuquerque, NM will qualify in the respective sports/events for the 2021 National Senior Games (i.e., qualifiers from 2016 and/or 2018 respective sports/events from that state’s senior games).
- The number of registrants may be limited for certain sports.
Open Registration Period
- An Open Registration period will also be offered to athletes age 50+, who were unable to attend or qualify at a state senior games in 2020.
- This will follow the Priority Registration Period.
- The number of registrants may be limited for certain sports.
Change in Power Walk Qualification
- Power Walk will continue as an Open Sport for the 2021 National Senior Games presented by Humana. Qualification will not be required for Power Walk.
As further registration information becomes available it will be announced in this newsletter and posted on our website.
Game On!
Alternative Home Exercise Web Page Adds Well-Being Resources
With fitness centers, sport venues and gyms still closed in many areas, NSGA reminds you we have gathered resources on our Alternative Home Exercises and Well-being Resources web page, where you will find articles and demonstration videos with advice from partners like the American Academy of Exercise, the National Institute on Aging, NSGA Partner Ageility, the YMCA, and athlete experts. New links are being added weekly. #StayFitSeniors!
Alternative Home Exercises & Well-being Resources
May Athlete of the Month
A Phish Out of Water
The pandemic has disrupted all sports, but perhaps none as much as swimming. Cross training is a part of preparing for competition, but when there’s no pool, swimmers are literally fish out of water.
We called Philipp Djang, one of the most decorated swimmers in National Senior Games history, to see how he was managing the pause in action. He reported he had just moved 1,700 pounds of flagstone in a home landscaping project. “We still have 36 tons of gravel to spread around. The first day I think we moved seven tons of rock, and that night I slept like a rock!”
Philipp, or “The Phish” as he is nicknamed, admits that was the first night in over a month that he had slept through the night and not tossed and turned missing his routines. “But I’m an optimist for the most part,” he adds. “Things will get going again, facilities will open up, but we’ll get back to a different normal. What that is, I don’t know.”
At just the age of 65, he has already amassed 34 Gold and eight Silver Medals and set 21 NSGA records since his National Senior Games debut in 2005. In masters swimming, he has set 15 national records and 10 individual world records. “My last record was broken in December. That one lasted seven years.”
History reveals Philipp is a chronic overachiever. He graduated high school at only 16 “as a nerdy kid,” holds four degrees, and has logged a distinguished 35-year military career, much of it at the Army Research Laboratory at White Sands, New Mexico. He was even awarded a patent in 2011. Of everything, though, he’s most proud to have been born and spent most of his life in Las Cruces.
Philipp competed in high school and his first four college years before exploring triathlons, marathons and playing racquetball. At 45, he got back in the lane with masters swimming. “I did it just for fun and to hang out with the guys, but at my first meet I accidentally set a world record. That was a surprise to me!”
He was guided into Senior Games by Dr. Jack Welch, a state legend who had started the men’s and women’s swim teams at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. “Jack taught me to swim at age 10,” he relates. “He was the swimming and track event coordinator for the New Mexico Senior Olympics, and I helped him out for about five years when I started. He has also competed in them.”
Philipp says he is “doing all kinds of dry land stuff” to train and estimates it will take at least six weeks in the pool to be in competition shape. “You have to find the intrinsic value of exercise, whether it’s in the water or on a track,” he says. “There’s motivation for medals and records, but it’s really about getting out there to exercise, have fun and suffer a little bit.”
He also misses being around his fellow swimmers. “It’s a common feeling right now, being isolated,” he notes. “I’m sure they’re missing the camaraderie as much as I am. You can chat online and over the phone, but that’s nothing like standing stark naked in the shower telling jokes!”
“A number of my friends say they would give their eye teeth just to see their teammates again,” he continues. “Athletes are all in the same boat, except all the swimmers want to be in the water!”
Philipp is especially excited about the location of the next National Senior Games in November of 2021. “My masters competition team is actually Swim Fort Lauderdale, so I am really looking forward to compete there.”
Reflecting on his shared plight with other athletes, he concludes, “It will be a chance for all of the athletes to show they’ve weathered this crisis and they’ve come through stronger than ever. It will be a great way for us to celebrate as champions over the pandemic.”
Got a great story to share about yourself or an athlete you admire? We want to hear from you! To submit yours, or to nominate a fellow athlete, Please Click Here.
Senior Health and Wellness
Apply the Four Stages of Aging for Your Best Performance
In the March newsletter, we shared a Q&A covering several key elements of a solid senior athlete-training program with Coach Roy Benson, an accomplished exercise scientist, distance-running coach and author of three books, including the widely read Heart Rate Training.
Drawing on his vast experience, Benson offers discussion below on the “Four Stages of Aging.” While the following relates primarily to endurance sports such as swimming, cycling and running, these general principles of conditioning apply to all sports skills. Additional concepts, such as overload and specificity affect archers, bowlers, free throw shooters and anyone training muscles to make perfect skilled movements. However, over many years of training and competing, we tend to overuse our body’s parts and pieces before our time is up. Here is Coach Benson’s sage advice:
Recently I wrote about the “Four Stages of Aging” that a runner could expect to experience while attempting to stay in shape for a lifetime. My point was that anyone, whether starting at age 7 or 77, would find a certain amount of truth to my descriptions about the negative impacts of repetitive movements on the body’s musculo-skeletal systems while, at the same time, enjoying positive impacts on the cardio-respiratory systems.
It seems that the sport-specific, biomechanical skills we must develop wear out our joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles and bones in a way that only aging does to our hearts and lungs. I have never heard a retired athlete say that he or she stopped competing because of all the pounding, stress and strain, constant soreness, aches and pains in their hearts and lungs. No, it is always their feet, legs, hips or backs they blame for having to quit their sports. Therefore, as it seems to be true for runners’ legs, the process could be labeled for folks from other sports in four stages: Adolescent, Adult, Aging and Ancient Stages of Fitness.
My general observations, many anecdotal reports, and a survey of long-time runners revealed that these stages lasted on average 10 years. A lengthy section for the new edition of Heart Rate Training describes in non-scientific language what happens in each stage. Now, let us return to the discussion about regulating workout intensity, and let me be much more specific about recommendations for each stage of athletic aging.
Adolescent Fitness Stage training requires learning how to push to exhaustion in order to find your limits for tolerance of pain and suffering. Peak, personal record performances happen when you learn to NOT stop short at, just say for example, 92% of your maximum effort and heart rate (HR.) Over lots of trials in both workouts and competition, the athlete in you will learn how to push to up to that last percent of 100% effort. However, consistency is the most important attribute of conditioning. When injuries compromise training and competing because of “The Dreaded Too’s” from going too hard, too often, and for too long, it’s time to grow up and start training like a smart adult.
Adult Fitness Stage training should now be capped at max efforts in practice of 90-95% HR. By backing off the killer workouts, one might find a new period of setting personal records thanks, ironically, to feeling fresher and stronger. Save the all-out 100% efforts for competition. You will already know what pain, torture and agony feels like so spare the musculo-skeletal parts of your body. The latter years in this stage may also benefit from cutting back on the frequency of the hard workouts. However, when it is impossible to be satisfied with diminishing performances, it is probably time for the third stage.
Aging Fitness Stage workouts should now be capped at the less anaerobically intensive effort of 80-85% max HR. The objective now is to avoid frequent lactic acid producing efforts that tie up your working muscles and put undue strains on your tendons and joints and bones. Making a muscle lengthen and stretch through a big range of movement when it is in oxygen debt and loaded with lactic acid is too risky and too likely to cause injuries. Training at your anaerobic threshold will keep your parts and pieces intact and your heart and lungs ready for any challenge that life’s stair steps offer. You will be slower and you may have to shorten your training sessions, but you can at least participate in races. You may even be competitive in your age groups until you find yourself in the next stage.
The Ancient Fitness Stage has just one goal: to keep moving until it’s toes up time. If, same as your author, you want to stay fit your entire lifetime, but you are so slow that it is too embarrassing to show up at competitions and finish last, then just limit your exercising upper efforts to anywhere from 60 to 75% max HR. Rest assured that washing your entire collection of body cells with lots of extra O2 molecules every day is the wisest thing you can do. Oxygen is the real Staff of Life. Now is the time to suck in all you can get every day. Use whatever mode of movement that your old joints and muscles will allow to maintain duration. In short, keep moving and do not look back. You will still be ahead of 97% of the population.
Remember to think like a scientist conducting an experiment. Using the above recommendations for intensity over the different stages of your workout life is the wisest given. Build each stage using mode, duration and frequency as the variables around your goals, your strengths and weaknesses. With experience, you will let science teach you to be an artist.
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- Published in Newsletter
Sleeping Habits Can Affect Balance & Falls
By: Andrea Case-Rogers, CXO – Zibrio
People fall at all ages. The better your balance is, the more likely that a fall is caused by unexpected circumstances (water on a marble floor while on holiday, taking a corner too fast on a bike), or something else crashing into you (fellow players, runaway dogs).
But how hard we fall, and the consequences, do change with time. The truth is, we all need a little nudge to check the factors that make an unwanted wobble more likely.
Scientific literature identifies 21 risk factors for falls – across all populations. Some are difficult to monitor or only applicable to certain subsets of people. At Zibrio, we’ve narrowed our focus to six major factors which have the biggest impact and are mainly modifiable by our habits.
For example, how well do you sleep? Not only is sleep vital for muscle repair and growth in training, but a recent study at the University of Warwick in the UK demonstrated how lack of sleep affects your balance. Even one night’s disrupted sleep significantly reduced the participants’ ability to balance the next day.
It’s something to bear in mind when you’re travelling to The Games this summer if you’re susceptible to time change, as it can affect your performance as well as your balance.
And though good sleep is so important, think twice before reaching for sleep aids (over-the-counter or prescription). Most sleep aids have a negative effect on balance. Even if you’ve used one for some time, our kidneys process drugs differently as we age, and can interact badly with any other medications you might need to take. This is definitely a discussion you want to have with your doctor.
If you are struggling to sleep, there are non-drug approaches that are worth trying. From sleep hygiene like cool temperatures, darkness, and avoiding screens before bedtime, there are also a number of sleep-promoting meditations that can be accessed through free apps like Insight or Calm, which can help you drift off, or get back to sleep if woken during the night. Popping that pill is not the only option.
The Zibrio Balance Coach app is available free for smartphones at the Apple App Store and Google Play. Download it to get an insight into health habits that help or hurt your balance by simply answering the questions. Results are displayed in a traffic light format: red for danger, green for great. How many pieces can you get in the green zone?
- Published in Zibrio
What A Personal Trainer & Senior Athlete Learned From Measuring Balance
By: Andrea Case-Rogers, CXO – Zibrio
Ellen is a long-time runner and personal trainer, who became interested in measuring balance. This is her story.
“At first, I was really disappointed to score only 4/10. Even though I know only elite athletes sometimes score 10/10, I secretly hoped I might at least be close. Especially since I train other people and feel like I know how to get the best out of my body. I expected to score high.
Then I thought about it, and realized, I spend so much time helping others achieve their goals, I was neglecting my own needs. It had been a while since my last event, so I wasn’t training to a goal. When I demonstrate an exercise, it’s just that – a demo, I’m not doing it as a work out for myself. I realized I needed to do more for me.
The first thing I put back into my personal routine were lunges. They’re an exercise many people avoid as they’re uncomfortable, but that’s where their power lies. You’re offset, your ‘strong’ side can’t compensate for the weaker side, and you have to concentrate. You can’t do it without concentrating, and that’s exactly why it helps. If you haven’t done them before, get some help to check your form: your hips should be level and square, and your front knee mustn’t go forward of your toes.
Over the next week, my balance score fluctuated between 5 and 7. Finally, I reached the green zone, and I knew I was doing the right things for me. But I still wasn’t scoring as high as I thought I should be.
I scheduled an overdue appointment with my chiropractor, who warned me not to expect sudden change after my treatment. Sure enough, that day, my score dipped to 6, but the next day and the days since then, I’ve been scoring 8’s.
I’ve started to see balance as a check that I’m doing the right things, not just in terms of exercise, but also with my overall health. It reminds me of when I trained with a running specialist. There’s always a piece you can gain by seeking out the experts. My body can tell me how I really am through my balance, but it’s hard to ‘feel it’. Having an objective measure is what really makes the difference.”
- Published in Zibrio
A Phish Out of Water May 2020 Athlete of the Month
Philipp Djang, 65, Las Cruces, New Mexico
The pandemic has disrupted all sports, but perhaps none as much as swimming. Cross training is a part of preparing for competition, but when there’s no pool, swimmers are literally fish out of water.
We called Philipp Djang, one of the most decorated swimmers in National Senior Games history, to see how he was managing the pause in action. He reported he had just moved 1,700 pounds of flagstone in a home landscaping project. “We still have 36 tons of gravel to spread around. The first day I think we moved seven tons of rock, and that night I slept like a rock!”
Philipp, or “The Phish” as he is nicknamed, admits that was the first night in over a month that he had slept through the night and not tossed and turned missing his routines. “But I’m an optimist for the most part,” he adds. “Things will get going again, facilities will open up, but we’ll get back to a different normal. What that is, I don’t know.”
At just the age of 65, he has already amassed 34 Gold and eight Silver Medals and set 21 NSGA records since his National Senior Games debut in 2005. In masters swimming, he has set 15 national records and 10 individual world records. “My last record was broken in December. That one lasted seven years.”
History reveals Philipp is a chronic overachiever. He graduated high school at only 16 “as a nerdy kid,” holds four degrees, and has logged a distinguished 35-year military career, much of it at the Army Research Laboratory at White Sands, New Mexico. He was even awarded a patent in 2011. Of everything, though, he’s most proud to have been born and spent most of his life in Las Cruces.
Philipp competed in high school and his first four college years before exploring triathlons, marathons and playing racquetball. At 45, he got back in the lane with masters swimming. “I did it just for fun and to hang out with the guys, but at my first meet I accidentally set a world record. That was a surprise to me!”
He was guided into Senior Games by Dr. Jack Welch, a state legend who had started the men’s and women’s swim teams at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. “Jack taught me to swim at age 10,” he relates. “He was the swimming and track event coordinator for the New Mexico Senior Olympics, and I helped him out for about five years when I started. He has also competed in them.”
Phil was proud to be a 2019 torch bearer in his own state.
Philipp says he is “doing all kinds of dry land stuff” to train and estimates it will take at least six weeks in the pool to be in competition shape. “You have to find the intrinsic value of exercise, whether it’s in the water or on a track,” he says. “There’s motivation for medals and records, but it’s really about getting out there to exercise, have fun and suffer a little bit.”
He also misses being around his fellow swimmers. “It’s a common feeling right now, being isolated,” he notes. “I’m sure they’re missing the camaraderie as much as I am. You can chat online and over the phone, but that’s nothing like standing stark naked in the shower telling jokes!”
“A number of my friends say they would give their eye teeth just to see their teammates again,” he continues. “Athletes are all in the same boat, except all the swimmers want to be in the water!”
Philipp is especially excited about the location of the next National Senior Games in November of 2021. “My masters competition team is actually Swim Fort Lauderdale, so I am really looking forward to compete there.”
Reflecting on his shared plight with other athletes, he concludes, “It will be a chance for all of the athletes to show they’ve weathered this crisis and they’ve come through stronger than ever. It will be a great way for us to celebrate as champions over the pandemic.”
More Athlete of the Month Stories at NSGA.com
- Published in Athlete of the Month
Power Training for Sports at Home (Part 2)
By: Chris Parchmann and the Ageility Team
Plyometric Training and Injury Prevention
Ageility recommends properly implementing plyometric training to reduce the incidence of injury when participating in a fitness program. Older adults can benefit from increases in bone and muscle mass along with stronger joints that result from this form of training. Older adults must be extremely cautious when performing these exercises and refrain altogether if they have conditions such as osteoporosis that can result in serious injury from plyometric exercises. Ageility recommends the following minimum requirements before participation in a plyometric training program to assure safety and success.
Proper technique for each exercise must be followed. You should have several months of resistance training experience to establish an adequate strength base. Generally, you should be able to back squat 1.5 times your body weight before taking part in lower body plyometric exercises and have the ability to bench press at least 1 – 1.5 times your body weight before implementing upper body plyometric exercises into your program. Heavier individuals may be at a greater risk when performing plyometric exercises. Greater body mass increases joint compressive forces that lead to injuries. Lower volumes and intensities should be used if you do not meet the strength criteria recommended by Ageility or refrain from plyometrics altogether until you have a solid foundation of strength. Sufficient strength, speed, and balance must be possessed for the level of exercise used. Never participate in plyometric exercises that involve injured body parts.
Make sure enough recovery time is taken between training sessions to minimize the incidence of injury. Spacing plyometric sessions with 24-72 hours of rest is appropriate. Another strategy is to program lower body plyometric exercises on days where the workout is focused on upper body strength and vice versa for upper body plyometric exercises. This allows you to incorporate plyometric exercises into your training program more frequently while managing fatigue, soreness, and injury risk.
Space and Equipment Considerations
Equipment and work out space are important factors to consider when working out at home. Space and equipment can greatly affect safety during plyometric exercises. Ageility suggests landing surfaces used for body plyometrics aid in shock absorption but not be so soft that it increases the transition (amortization) time during exercises. Grass fields and rubber mats are good surfaces for plyometric workouts. Aquatic plyometric training has also been shown to provide results with a reduction in muscle soreness versus land based plyometrics. Ageility recommends proper footwear with good ankle and arch support, lateral stability, and a nonslip sole for plyometric exercises.
The amount of space needed depends on the exercise or drill. Most exercises require minimal surface area but adequate height is needed for jumping exercises. Boxes and barriers can be used for jumps. Depth jumps (when you drop from a height and rapidly jump upon landing) are considered high intensity exercises and extreme caution should be used. You can be creative if there is not a box on hand such as jumping to and from stairs or benches. Assure that the height of the object is not too high to avoid injury. Beginners can use a flat object or imaginary line on the ground as a barrier to hop over for lower intensity exercises. Running drills can be performed outside if you have a backyard. Many drills can be done with as little as 10-30 yards. You could also try some drills in place if you do not have enough open space.
Ageility Example Exercises
Example bodyweight exercises that can be done at home are listed below. Plyometric exercises should be performed at the beginning of the workout when combined with other forms of exercise such as strength and endurance training. Consult with an Ageility certified fitness professional on how to implement plyometric exercises into a balanced training program.
Lower Body Plyometric Exercises
*Exercises, sets and yardage are provided as examples and not meant to comprise a workout. Exercises should be tailored to each individual.*
Vertical Jump: 2-3×6-10
Squat Jump: 2-3×6-10
Split Squat Jump: 2-3×6-10 each
Standing Long Jump: 2-3×6-8
Tuck Jump: 2-3×6-8
Power Skips: 2-3×10-15 yards
Bounding: 2-3×10-15 yards
Upper Body Plyometric Exercises
Clap Push Up: 2-3×6-10
Depth Push Up: 2-3×6-10
Chest Pass: 2-3×6-10
Overhead Throw: 2-3×6-10
Side Throw: 2-3×6-10 each
- Published in Get In Shape With Ageility
Power Training for Sports at Home (Part 1)
By: Chris Parchmann and the Ageility Team
Power training is an important component of a well-balanced training plan to improve sport performance and function during daily living activities. Exercises geared toward helping athletes jump higher and run faster are essential to anyone looking to gain an edge to outplay their opponent. Power can be improved with exercises known as plyometrics that are performed using bodyweight and can be implemented into home workout routines.
Plyometrics for Enhanced Sport Performance
Ageility has found plyometric training to consistently improve the production of muscle force and power. Power is defined as the time rate of doing work. Sport specific movements as well as functional movements of daily living depend on all body parts working synchronously at appropriate velocities. As a result, the quicker one can produce force in their given sport or daily task the greater the outcome. For example, a tennis serve with greater power output will generate higher ball velocities. Daily living activities such as climbing stairs are achieved more easily and accomplished faster when the hip and leg musculature has the ability to generate higher power outputs. Athletes must keep in mind that there is also a skill component to sports. The strongest and most powerful do not always translate into the best players. However, strength and power are often significantly correlated to elite level athletes in any given sport. Plyometric training prepares athletes for the deceleration, acceleration, and change of direction demands of most sports. Plyometric exercises should also be included in aerobic training programs. Improved running economy can help endurance athletes such as long distance runners.
How Plyometric Exercises Work
Plyometric exercises are composed of a quick, powerful movement preceded by a prestretch, or countermovement, involving the stretch-shortening cycle. The stretch-shortening cycle is composed of three phases known as the eccentric phase, amortization phase, and concentric phase. The eccentric phase is the first phase of the movement to occur that involves a preload stretch of the working muscle groups. An example of the eccentric phase is with the basketball jump shot. The athlete quickly performs a half-squat and rapidly jumps up to shoot the ball. The time from the beginning of the half-squat to the bottom of the movement (countermovement) is the eccentric phase. The amortization phase or transition is the time from the end of the eccentric phase to the initiation of the concentric muscle action. This phase must be kept short to yield increased muscle activity during the following concentric phase. The concentric phase is the final phase of the stretch shortening cycle that involves a shortening of the working muscle groups. Use of stored energy during the concentric phase increases force production beyond normal levels for movements performed without a prestretch. Using the basketball jump shot as an example again, the concentric phase begins at the onset of the upward direction of the half-squat. The purpose of plyometric exercise is to use the stretch reflex and natural elastic components of both muscle and tendon described by the stretch-shortening cycle to increase the power of following movements.
Example Exercises
Ageility has provided example bodyweight exercises listed below that can be done at home, as part of a warm-up or workout depending on fitness level. Plyometric exercises should be performed at the beginning of the workout when combined with other forms of exercise such as strength and endurance training. Consult with an Ageility certified fitness professional on how to implement plyometric exercises into a balanced training program.
Plyometric Warm-Up
*Exercises, sets and yardage are provided as examples and not meant to comprise a workout. Exercises should be tailored to each individual.*
Jump Drills
Jumping Jacks: 2×20
Hop In Place: 2×20
Single Leg Hop In Place: 2×10 each
Lateral Hop in Place: 2×10 each
Single Leg Lateral Hop: 2×10 each
Jump Rope: 2×60 seconds
Field Drills
Butt Kicker: 2×10 yards
High Knees: 2×10 yards
Skips: 2×10 yards
Carioca: 2×10 yards
Lateral Shuffle: 2×10 yards
Straight Leg Jogging: 2×10 yards
- Published in Get In Shape With Ageility