were you a better athlete at age 18 or 28?

48... but I was slow as a snail @ 15, so I took the next 30 years off.

28 no question about it.

great thread, I'm surprised by the replies, I am 28 and there are days when I feel great and powerful and other days when I feel like a 50 something stuck in a 28 year old body. I was definitely a better runner at 18, 204 for the 800 en route to 4:32 mile pr. and a 16:11 5k. Life has taken it's toll on my body, been working full time since I was 18 as well as finishing my college degree going full time as well, married and having 3 kids all along. I feel I have an untapped potential that I will rediscover when I decide to do my comeback!

As an athlete? Like overall ability in as many sports as possible? Definitely at 18. As a former soccer player-turned runner, I was only 2 years away from playing soccer at the highest age level, regularly playing pick up basketball, skiing, playing tennis, biking, climbing, swimming and being able to learn any sports activity in a very short time at a decent level. Once I started serious running training, I became unusable in other sports except for the bike. I had lost lots of strength and esp. coordination and overall quickness, explosiveness, etc. I was constantly fatigued from endless miles of running, constant starains and I feared injury had I tried to play some ball.

Running-wise - I was better definitely at 28, except for the 800m (1:51 vs. 1:48 at 18), but that was due to the emphasis on longer distances and gradual switch to roads.

Now at 32, I run less than 4 years ago and am still a caricature of an athlete with my skinny 120lb body, but at least I am not scared to play some ball or go skiing. Running takes a lot out of you, if you take it seriously.

nice work, mrb.

I think this is an interesting topic, and I also think the answer for the majority of folks is 28. The main reasoning must be knowing so much more about training/fitness than you did when you were just a kid.

I definitely feel like my aerobic fitness is much better at 28 than at 18.

I’m doing this at 30 and I keep telling myself I’m going to “retire” (still run, but not every day, not run for as long and only do a workout if I’m feeling crazy). I really don’t have anything better to do though - no woman no children

notafan wrote:

BS on the 4:10 and dunking

I don’t. I’m another that in my 20’s ran sub 4:10 and could dunk, shoot I first dunked at age 15. I can still dunk today at 42, although can’t run sub 4:10 no more!!! I know of at least 8 other guys who in college (some sub 4) could run sub 4:10 and dunk. One being my 70 year old dad.

Dunking is WAY easier than 4:10.

Peak 18 v. peak 28 shape (my ability can fluctuate within a year) was 28, no question. At 18, I was a college freshman doing intramural sports (I started running at 19), could barely bench press 135 at my best. Could dunk at both ages, probably easier to do at 28 (last time I tried was two years ago at 34, was definitely harder though). At 28 I picked running back up for a bit and got down to probably mid/high 15 shape for 5k but was considerably stronger, bench at this point around 225 and could do 20+ pull-ups easily. Also had developed a lot more natural quickness/explosiveness by then.

soccer player wrote:

i didn't start running until my 40's. i was a soccer player, and way better at 28 then 18. but then it was downhill from there. by 32 i'd lost much of the explosive starts needed for soccer. by age 44 i gave up completely and started running 'thons. for those saying the best years in skill sports are the 30's, well you weren't soccer players.

Look at the ages of the top 3 ranked men's tennis players, I'd call that a "skill" sport moreso than soccer (which is to a lesser extent). All well into their 30s, the best 38-year-old is significantly better than the best 18-year-old (or even 28-year-old).

donniemcfack wrote:

I’m doing this at 30 and I keep telling myself I’m going to “retire” (still run, but not every day, not run for as long and only do a workout if I’m feeling crazy). I really don’t have anything better to do though - no woman no children

Cool lil thread..

In my early 30s now with a wife and child..the emphasis on recovery/easy days and additional life stressors is drastically different than 10 years ago, and a lifetime different vs 18..

I never imagined I'd venture into endurance running, so obviously my endurance is light years beyond what I was doing 15 years ago vs short sprints and weight lifting.

I emphasize strength training year round to keep that system alive and well. I can never venture into strictly being a marathoner, just not my cup of tea.

Overall, I'd say my athleticism is still on par with my "younger" self but I am much more aware of over training, and having truly easy days. No need to red line regularly on a run or in the weight room, that's def overlooked when the only thing to worry about is training in HS/College.

It'll be interesting to see how this trends throughout my 30s. Stay mindful and don't be afraid to adapt, don't force anything. Best advice I ever received.

PRs at 18 (1600/3200/5K)

4:20c / 9:31c / 15:59 xc

PRs at 28 (Mile/2Mile/5K)

4:16 / 9:14 (en route 5K) / 14:26 road

Definitely 28.

When I was 18 I still had 4 years of college soccer ahead of me and never did any endurance sports.

Fast forward to 28: fit from college athletics, just ran my first marathon at 27, got into ultrarunning and long course triathlon.

I'm probably in better shape now at 39 than I was at 18...not sure I still have the moves on the basketball court that I did back then though...

debeaumar wrote:

At 18 years old (college freshman) I could run a 4:10 mile and barely dunk a basketball.

At 25, done with competitive running and playing a lot of basketball, I could dunk with ease and flair, and was hard pressed to break 5:00 in the mile.

At 28, working an office job, jogging occasionally, I can still dunk (easier than at 18--legs not tired from training?) and would be hard pressed to break 6:00 for a mile run.

So, in review, best runner at 18, probably best all-around athlete at 25, and a degenerating slob at 28. I will add that I think I could still attain peak performance if I tried, but life is getting in the way.

How about you guys?

At 18 I could easily dunk a basketball during a game. What was running? At age 25 I could easily dunk a basketball in a pickup basketball game. What was running? At age 28 could easily dunk a basketball. What was running? At age 50+ can dunk a basketball. Can run a 4:10 half mile.

At 18 I was a D1 conference champ in the high jump and won a slam dunk contest.

At 28 I was a fat guy with a new baby and tried to play pickup basketball a couple times a week. I could still dunk, but was orders of magnitude a worse athlete at 28.

debeaumar wrote:

At 18 years old (college freshman) I could run a 4:10 mile and barely dunk a basketball.

At 25, done with competitive running and playing a lot of basketball, I could dunk with ease and flair, and was hard pressed to break 5:00 in the mile.

At 28, working an office job, jogging occasionally, I can still dunk (easier than at 18--legs not tired from training?) and would be hard pressed to break 6:00 for a mile run.

So, in review, best runner at 18, probably best all-around athlete at 25, and a degenerating slob at 28. I will add that I think I could still attain peak performance if I tried, but life is getting in the way.

How about you guys?

Unless you are 5'7" or shorter, dunking a basketball is no indicator of athleticism...just height.

Running a 4:10 mile is so superior to anything else you mentioned, that it trumps all of it.