How martial artists can slow down the ageing process

Top athletes in martial arts usually peak around the age of thirty. After 35, performance generally declines. Nutrition expert Dr Samefko Ludidi explains why this happens and how you can respond to it as an older athlete.

Almost all champions in the major martial arts organisations are between 25 and 35 years old. At this stage they have gained the necessary experience and are physically at their peak. After the age of 35, performance almost always declines.

Of course, wear and tear from an accumulation of injuries can play a role. The eagerness that younger athletes often have may also decrease. But something else is at work too, something that does not only affect elite athletes: sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia is a phenomenon that also affects recreational athletes once they pass the age of 30. As you get older, your muscles break down faster than they are built up. If you continue to train and eat in the same way, muscle strength decreases and physical functioning declines.

Most people accept this and simply continue to enjoy their sport. The number of people over 30, 40 and 50 who keep on kickboxing is still growing, and that is excellent, even if strength decreases somewhat. But if you also want to maintain your muscle mass after the age of 30, there are a few extra things you can do to minimise the effects of ageing.

One important choice is to eat more protein. Protein has an inhibiting effect on muscle breakdown. So if you have a balanced diet, you can supplement it with extra protein to maintain muscle mass. You can obtain that protein from chicken breast, fish, Greek yoghurt, eggs and many other natural products.

Another important change that can help: more heavy strength training. Doing heavy strength training two or three times a week helps to counteract ageing. You maintain muscle mass, and your cardiovascular system (your heart and blood vessels) also stays younger for longer if you do heavy strength training.

Do be sensible about how you schedule your training sessions. If you alternate properly, for example chest and legs one day and back and arms the next, your muscle groups get enough rest. If you work the same muscle groups in every session, this can cause overload. And if overload forces you to stop or cut back temporarily, you achieve exactly what you wanted to avoid: loss of muscle mass.

Besides nutrition and training, there is a third factor that determines how much strength you retain after the age of 30: how much you enjoy your sport. Keep yourself free of injury and make sure you keep having fun while training. That way you will keep going longer, skip fewer sessions and find that you age in better health. Isn't that what we all want?