Life takes work, lots of work! I used to train so I could race well, then I stopped racing and stopped training, mostly due to nagging back problems.
When your body hurts, it hurts to train and a downward spiral happens. You stop training which feels better but you get weaker.
In 2016 I signed up to race the UCI World Masters Championships in Italy and started training. Unfortunately, my back and right arm were not up to the task.
The harder I trained the more my body hurt. In the fall of 2016 at the ripe old age of 50 I quit riding. I thought, “Well you made it to 50, not bad for a guy who lost so many battles with gravity!”
It hurt too much to ride. I was at a constant pain level of 3 and 20 minutes into a ride it would be at 7 or 8 and all I could focus on was getting home.
I went to South Africa to figure out what to do after mountain biking. Then one day, in January of 2017, while taking off my wetsuit my back went out.
I had to crawl around the house for three days. That was the start of my new life and being able to ride again!
Months before, when I gave up on the World Masters and quit riding. I bought the book, Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move with Confidence. After throwing my back out I finally decided to read it.
That book was the start of a two-year transformation. After just two days of the Foundation exercises, I was riding without pain.
The back pain would return every now and then when I pushed too hard or missed a couple of workouts but in general, I was feeling great.
After 6-7 months of this I started feeling so good I stopped doing my yoga, foam rolling and stretching and still felt great! Until the lack of mobility caught up with me.
In December 2017, I went for a ride on a cold, windy day with my friend Robbie. I was climbing strong and feeling good when snap! My back started hurting bad again.
I had had enough, there were 2 simple choices, do all of my work or suffer through back pain the rest of my life. I chose to do my work!
I’ve been basically pain-free ever since. I’m getting stronger every week. It feels great!
I bought a downhill bike and I am going to race the World Masters Championship again this year!
Now I race so that I have to train! More accurately I train for life, the harder I train the more I enjoy my life.
Until last Friday I had forgotten how good it feels to have a couple of extra gears on a steep climb. So much more fun than suffering! I would get to a technical section and just cranked right up it instead of hoping to make it.
I’m feeling stronger than I have in a decade. It’s amazing, I’m happier and more confident than at any other time in my life.
So, how did I make this dramatic change? I put in my work, six to seven days a week (three ride days and three workout days, stretch and roll every day). I miss on average two workouts (including mobility work) a month or less.
I also changed how I eat, my new way of eating has given me more energy and nearly eliminated my allergies! More on that in my next blog article.
I workout in airports, hotel rooms, in my van, at the rec centers in many towns, but I do my work. It’s the only way.
My work consists of the most advanced Foundation workout in the book. They have more and better workouts available online. I lift weights (consult a trainer, James Wilson and Dee Tidwell have great training programs for mountain bikers), do my foam rolling and lacrosse ball rolling and do my yoga. I love yin yoga with a focus on hip openers (pigeon pose rules!), back lengthening and hamstring stretches.
Yesterday, after doing a half Enchilada (Kokopelli to town) I spent an hour and a half doing yoga, rolling on my foam roller, and lacrosse balls.
I also do a quick dynamic warm-up before my rides and stretch the moment I feel overly tight on a ride. No more pushing through it, the second I feel too tight I stop and stretch it out.
Do your work! Take care of your body and it will take care of you.
Some bonuses are better posture, better self-esteem and a feeling of ease (I don’t move like an old man anymore). Did I mention I used to take three 200mg ibuprofen pills before most rides and then 3-4 that night? Well, I have gone from an average of 1,200 mg a day of Ibuprofen to about 1,200mg a month!
Do your work, for life! Seriously, the more consistently you do your work the better you will feel. Instead of a downhill spiral feeling worse and worse you will feel better each day, which really motivates you to keep working.
Let me know what you have done (or are doing in your 30’s and 40’s so you don’t have to suffer my fate) to stay fit past 50. Feel free to share this with anyone you think may benefit from it.
Create your strongest ride yet!
Cheers,
Gene
I relaxed, saw the line I wanted to take, found my balance and went through the section very controlled – it was great!
My experience. I began 3 hour 3 times a week SUP paddling just for the enjoyment. I found a surprise benefit. All this paddling correctly eliminated the back pain you described. I gained 7 lbs of muscle in my upper body from the pulling paddling motion. And a plus benefit was balance improvement standing on a long narrow paddle board. Good article and applies to any age.
Hi Glenn, right on! I went stand up paddle boarding in Costa Rica (once) a few years ago and found it to be an amazing core and balance workout. Thanks for the reminder to buy an inflatable SUP!
Cheers,
Gene
Much Love and Respect, MeanGene!
I too have tried to create a lifestyle that fosters never-ending progression in the skill and health side of riding bikes. Here’s to many more rides together pain free! Stoked for the breakthrough, and thanks for sharing your perspective.
Hi Sasha, Thanks! Looking forward to shredding with you for years to come!
Hi Gene, There are 3 ages in my life, chronological age is just a number that one cannot change. Biological and psychological age is something that we can all change. In the book, Biomarkers Ten things to do to live a long and healthy life, I targeted my numbers for a 35 year old. I’m 64 but I feel and ride like a young man. My ability to focus (which I learned from reading Thinking Body Dancing Mind) your recommendation by the way, and my desire to enjoy the ride have changed everything. An old Chinese proverb, ‘The Journey is the reward’. erases all my pain. No pain, all gain! Thanks for all you do. Ray
Hi Ray, awesome love your attitude. Glad I could be of help, that is a great book isn’t it? I need to reread it, it has been years. Enjoy the journey, my friend.
That’s great Gene! More power to us 🙂 I met you last spring on a shuttle ride up to the Porpcupine Rim though I didn’t let you know the shuttle driver clued me in on who you were. I just turned 54 this year. Last fall my mountain biking was killing my neck and shoulders. I couldn’t sleep well because of this. I luckily got lined up with the physical therapist I should have been in the first place after my rotator cuff repair. That may likely have prevented my early shoulder arthritis. Some dry needling to release the knots in my muscles with lots and lots of stretching have gotten me almost pain free. I like you, have to do a regular workout to keep strong. I have done this for decades but only thru my limited knowledge/experience. I do multiple active sports so it’s been necessary for a long time. I even had a herniated disk 1 year ago which came after I went thru a back strengthening program. So here I am today in which I just squeezed in a ride before the rain at Lebanon Hills in Eagan, MN (Twin Cities metro area). Currently the theracane and a softball are my best tools too release the knots in my shoulders and back. I’m coming back form weak hamstrings too. So this is just another example that we can ride on into the sunset with a lot of hard work. I will check out the foundation method. Ride on!
Hi Bill, cool, hope you enjoyed your time in Moab! Definitely check out Foundation, your back will thank you for it!
Excellent read… I’m 56 and have also suffered from low back pain and sciatica. It was so bad some days that I could barely get around the house let alone get out for a ride. A few years ago I started doing yoga and posterior chain stretching in addition to some of Bike James routines. I still have some back issues occasionally but I feel better on and off the MTB than I have in a long time. I like the idea of “training for life” because it really does benefit every other area, not just riding. I’m going to keep doing the work daily so I can keep doing the activities that bring us so much joy and fun.
Thanks, Butch. Keep at it, you sound just like me before I found Foundation training (I was doing a combination of James Wilson’s workouts and yoga). If you are still having back pain add in the Foundation exercises, have been pain-free for over a year now (after a decade of pain).
Foundation training has kept me on my bike at 52. My body feels it when I slack. That combination of flexibility and strength is essential. I’m an ER doc and recommend it to my patients with chronic back pain all the time. Also was lucky enough to take a skills clinic from you several years back and I often hear your voice in my head on many rides. I’m grateful to be shredding in my 50’s and hope to be on the trails well into my 70’s.
Wow, cool to hear that an ER doc is recommending Foundation Training! Sorry that you hear my voice in your head! 🙂 I hope we are both still shredding in our 70s!
Thanks Gene for great article!I am 50yrs old,beside mtb I am trail runner.
Never had any problems except those with legs connected with running.
I feel there is much pressure on my knees and I hve to find good exercise for it
and do it every day (which I wasnt),and this article gave me much inspiration and will to do it.Area around and above knees is sometimes stiffed.Greetings from Croatia!
You’re welcome Davor. Feels great to reach people all over the world! Keep on moving your body!
Thanks for the articule. It reconfirms what I’ve been doing for years. Excercise and stretch before my feet hit the floor in the morning every day. Yoga balll stretching after that. two yoga classes per week and one Zumba. Core work and flexibility is the focus. Over a hundred miles a week on the bike is very theraputic.
I’ve told people that Father Time is chasing me, and I’m making it as hard as possible for him. Sing, laugh, dance and ride that bike. Remember to “look ahead for victory”. It’s a wonderful life. Enjoy it pain free. I’m packed and heading to the M.S. 150 mile charity bike ride in Logan, Utah in a few hours. I’m 72 years old.
Awesome Jimmy! Keep at it and keep looking to victory!
Hi Gene, I have followed you for a few years and plan to take your course in Moab. I am actually 65 and feel great. Regular exercise and stretching really helps keep the pain away. When I take a break from exercise its amazing how pain creeps back into my body. I feel as good as when I was in my 40’s. I guess 65 is the new 45. Hope to see you soon in Moab. Thanks for all your insightful news letters.
Hi Kevin, thanks for the inspiration! Looking forward to coaching you.
Cheers,
Gene
Hi Gene,
As a woman that has been reading your newsletters for 10+ years now, it was great to see a post like this! I have been a mountain bike guide for 12 years in Jackson Hole & now that I’m 45, my body has been giving me more problems. It was inspiring to read the comments here & what people are doing to combat those issues & continue to ride & feel good. My best to everyone to keep riding!
~Rose
Hi Rose,
Thanks and thanks for following my blog for 10 years! Here’s to all of us being able to race the Leadville 100 in under 12 hours when we are 80 like Fred!
This is super motivational. Thank you for the article. My nephew had chronic back pain in his let teenage years and did some pretty intense yoga until it stopped. I see the benefits and now I need to do the work!
Thanks, I enjoyed that. I like competing, but the last two years I’ve been busy with other things and simply haven’t been racing. Due to this, I also haven’t been doing any core or other types of training. I still ride a lot, but I’m lacking that extra drive to do the work. Good or bad I’ve used racing to bridge that motivation. This year at Master’s should be a blast. Have fun and go fast! Sadly, it’s another race I’ll be missing. Hopefully, I’ll correct that soon.
Hi Scott, thanks. Glad you enjoyed my article. I’m not using racing to help motivate you to train is bad, anything that motivates someone to train is good. I used racing to motivate me to train for years! Now, as I have aged I found a better/more important (to me) reason to train. I have decided not to race the world Masters but I’m headed to the gym in a minute because I want to enjoy the rest of this day and tomorrow.
Cheers,
Gene
Hi Gene! Just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for this article which introduced me to Foundation training. I remember riding with you some years ago and your back was always sore, like mine. I didn’t even make it through the whole article before I ordered the book and checked out the website. I knew if it worked for you it would surly help me. Adam and I have signed up for the streaming and for the first time in 30 years (back injury) I am pain free! I now tell anyone who will listen about how this system works. Thank you thank you thank you!
Hi Brenda,
Wow! Thank is great to hear! You are so welcome. Makes me feel great to help others rid themselves of back pain (even though I am just the messenger).
BTW, do you feel stronger on the bike (like you can use one-two gears harder on a climb)?
Create your strongest ride yet,
Gene
Stronger, yes! I have learned more than just how to take care of my back from FT. I have changed the way I pedal so that I am using my biggest leg muscles (butt, hams) instead of my quads and calves. I no longer struggle, bonk, or have to stop for a breather on tough climb, and I am climbing those hills in higher gears than before. Plus by hinging at my hips, I no longer am straining my back and can actually walk after a ride! You have no idea how you have helped me. You were the messenger I needed!