At what age can you expect to stop improving?

people age a lot later now than a generation ago. This is a combination of better genes and better nutrition so I'd say 35. In the future people might peak at 40.

For me, I quit improving as a runner at age 27...steady decline since then.

As a person, husband, and father, I achieved perfection at age 33, and it has stayed that way since.

I believe it is different for everyone and relates to when you began running. Most runners do best after 7-12 years of running, then don't improve much. I started running in 1973 at age 13. Ran most my PRs at age 26/27. Now at age 52, I only try to go faster than I did the year before . . .

ggg wrote:

This is a combination of better genes and better nutrition...

Seriously? How, exactly, have genes improved over the last generation? Please, do tell.

A lot depends on the distance. Mid distance guys who can't hang in that 20 to 25 y/o window will never be able to hang. Marathon runners, on the other hand, seem to be going strong up through the mid 30s. Regardless, who cares if you put yourself out there and go hard.

Never stop improving.

When you stop thinking you can improve.

Peaked at 44 but everyone else is slowing down faster so I'm still moving up. WR (AG) is coming into view.

Flagpole wrote:

...I achieved perfection at age 33....

Is that when you had your lobotomy?

If you start training properly at 14, you'll hit your genetic ceiling by your early 20s and probably not PR later than 24.

It depends when you start running competitively and how seriously you train. If you lazily train in your 20's and step it up in your 30's well you will probably get faster. At some point you would have tried everything you can to get faster and then you may start to slow down.

Agree with Ashley. Read somewhere that you basically have 10 years regardless of when you start because it can take that long for aerobic development. I see guys picking up the sport in their 40s. Pretty cool watching them impove each year (while I'm trying to hang on with white knuckles to what I did the year before).

Speed-wise, most people will probably hit their peak potential in their mid 20's. But you can still improve beyond that, particularly on the endurance end. So maybe it would be rare to run a better 100 or 200 after your early/mid 20's, you can still get better at longer events as you get as old as Lagat even :)

ashley madison wrote:

I believe it is different for everyone and relates to when you began running. Most runners do best after 7-12 years of running, then don't improve much.

Agreed. I have a friend who is still setting PR's at the half and full marathon distances, and he's 52, but he only started running like 5 years ago.

This question has been burning in the back of my mind off and on. Age wise, Lagat is about a week younger than me. Most of my PR's happened right at about 30/31. I do long stuff though and have not consciously focused on attacking a PR at anything less than a marathon for a long time.

Last year, at 36, I set 2 PR's, not little ones but big ones. The first was in the mile-cut 10 seconds from a PR that had stood for 8 yrs. The next made more sense since I was preparing for the race; I cut 21 min from my 50k road time. The mile PR also happened less than 2 weeks after a horrific bout of food poisoning where I lost 10lbs I could ill afford to lose. I'm already too lean bodyfat about 7-8% (for a woman it's too low but that's my build).

I am NOT by any means a miler and do nothing mid- distance specific in training. I looked at both races and tried to figure out what I had done right.In the mile, I shut out the world and latched on to two women one of which is a 2:38 marathoner. In the 50k, I also had a "rabbit" . I latched onto a guy who ran with me 47K before I took off for my final kick. It helped me shut out the world and just run relax and not think. In both races I was so focused, especially in that mile that I couldn't tell you what was going on much further behind us. In both races, I also ran tactical negative splits. I hate going out fast and prefer to pick people off in the 2nd half. In the mile, the closing 400 was 75 after going out in 80. The woman marathoner that rabbited me to that 75 was 44 yrs old BTW. Again, I'm a craptastic middle and short distance runner, I just ran this mile to get my legspeed up. In the 50k, my 2nd half was 7 min faster than the first. In my ultras, I look at the first half as a formality and in this case , I decided to race after 30k with the real pickup coming after 35.

After that I asked an old friend and coach that very same question, "How many years do I have left to improve?" He said if I can even get close much less still PR in the mile that's an indicator I can still better my marathon and ultradistance times. This is the same coach who taught me the negative split style tactics in my 20s I seem to only have really gotten down in my 30s.

Last weekend, I ran a half that was supposed to be a glorified tempo-tune up run for an upcoming 100k. The previous weekend, I did a trail (rather ice/snow )marathon as a long controlled (not burning the barn down) effort long run. No taper just run like a training run 3 days off a killer long interval workout. The marathon happened to coincide with a planned long run and I wanted the company for one and a place to stash my drink bottles for another because I do get tired of hauling the Camelbak when I go on 40-50k long runs alone. No redlining-just having fun no pushing because I wanted to maybe do that at the half a week later-the result was a CR!

6 days ago I ran the half. Seeing that the damn snow had not melted off this yr in the 2.5k section at the start finish, I settled for just doing a controlled effort not running a fast time. Hello glorifed tempo run. So I thought...

I came close to my PR despite having to deal with 2+k of loose,slippery snow that ate time no matter how hard I tried! I guess the psychological confidence booster came after I really went to work in the 2nd half. Despite the snow, the last 3k came out in 5.45-50 mile pace for the fastest part of the race for me. That got me thinking hmmmmm no snow and I bet I could have chased down a PR. It was near freezing too and I do well in cold not heat mind you. I haven't given a half PR much thought in probably at least 4-5 yrs but now maybe I need to revisit that.

My Bucket List this yr includes going for another 50 and 100k PR. I have been running seriously since college where I had a wonderful coach, but really got serious in my early 20s. I'm ok on recovery so long as I get decent SLEEP. No sleep and I'm toast.

peaking? I don't know. I think it's very individual.Meghan Arbogast has been running since her 20s but most of her world class performances came after 40! Vyacheslav Shabunin nearly broke 8 min in the 3000 when he was 40! I think Lagat could chase Shabunin's WR if he doesn't retire. Leonid Shvetsov will run Comrades this yr at 42! He's going to try for another win.

Depends on age of parents at birth, race, sex, event, injury status, diet.

This is why some people peak at 23, and some peak at 33.

Most people peak at 25-27, but most people probably follow expected norms and don't think too far outside the box. Peak age could probably be extended to 30 for most, and some special people even later.

Factors wrote:

Depends on age of parents at birth, race, sex, event, injury status, diet.

This is why some people peak at 23, and some peak at 33.

Most people peak at 25-27, but most people probably follow expected norms and don't think too far outside the box. Peak age could probably be extended to 30 for most, and some special people even later.

Just curious but how does age of parents at birth play a role?

Factors wrote:

Depends on age of parents at birth

This is why some people peak at 23, and some peak at 33.

.

What process is this called?

All of you people have no clue as to what you're even talking about.

This is not 1920 anymore. We are not living in 1920 so stop acting like we are.

If 20's to early 30's was the peak then why is it that I have been doing the same exact thing at the track and gym for over 20 years and i'm now just getting all time records at both the gym and the track and i'm 36 going on 37 soon?

Explain that theory to me again? Because i'm not listening.

And i'm natural. I have never done steroids. So how is it that i'm magically lifting more weight at the gym? My program has stayed the same for 20 years..

How is it that i'm sprinting faster in this 35 yard dash I do and the 100 meter dash? Explain that to me?

Instead of going around deceiving everyone into believing that the human body peaks at early 30s or late 20s. Maybe you should all be telling everyone that the human body doesn't reach it's peak in absolute strength until 37-42.

You all have it wrong. The universe is billions of years old and here we have you all telling people that they get their peak at late 20s to early 30s..

Do you know why you think that is?

It's because the average stupid, gullible, naive, and deceived athlete in todays world is led to believe what their coaches tell them. When their coaches tell them to retire at 28 or 29 they usually do..

So they never even know what they were possible of doing in their late 30s.

Late 30's is extremely potent for peak power.

That's one factor. Another factor is this.

Did you ever wonder why most athletes retire early? It's because they get so scared that they won't be able to perform in their late 30's that they won't to retire early because they fear what people will say about them if they aren't able to keep performing at the rate they are performing right before the retire.

So therefore they even stop working out.

So they either get scared into it or they are pressured into it.

This is why people who aren't professional athletes always reach their true potential in upper 30's to low 40's because there is no stupid coach telling them they won't be able to sprint fast after 27.

Look at felix sanchez or countless of other sprinters..

I deadlifted the most weight ever this year, squatted the most weight ever this year, benched press my most weight ever this year. Every single thing I am doing at the gym is a personal record everytime i go there.

I was nowhere near the strength level that i am at now when i was at 28 year old. Nowhere near it.

An example of someone that doesn't know about this is trey hardee..

He's talking about quitting after this olympics at only 32.

He prob has no clue that he's nowhere near his peak if he continues to push himself. He could easily do 2 more olympics if he lifts heavy with low reps.

Also this is just for natural athletes. This theory does not apply to steroid users. Because steroid users see peaks at all ages. But steroids do not count so nothing a steroid user ever accomplishes ever means anything.

Because it's not who the person truly is deep down within themselves.

And if you think that i'm lying and have no clue what i'm talking about then go ahead and check out my youtube page and see what i'm lifting at the gym.

youtube.com/track400meters1

525 hack squat all the way down and more. My best is 550 didn't get it on video but I just did 550 2months ago. Everything that i'm doing in the gym is a personal record for me right now and i'll be 37 soon.

So I hate when I hear people say this crap about peaking in their 20's.

It's all mental. If you think you can do it then you can do it. That's how I approach the gym and track right now. And I don't give a crap about what my age is right now.

So technically since i'm stronger, bigger, and faster at almost 37 does this make 37 better than 20's?

Yes it does. Does this make 37 old? No it's not old. It's young. See how that works?