Good article. I use body weight exercises instead of heavy weights. My end goal is to be able to move hard thru hilly terrain ( hilly ala Michigan, no mountains here ) for a couple of hours non stop during ski races. Having issues trail running this Spring, so am focused more on strength training. Usually do strength training in the morning, then trail ride or some other type of aerobic and anaerobic activity in the afternoon.
I think I’ve read some of your posts stating that you do really hard endurance events of some type. Do you feel the heavy weight training that you’re doing helps you in those activities ? I know for me, there is a large mental part to it, as it gets pretty uncomfortable ( not really painful, I listen to my body and will shut it down if/when things start hurting too bad ) at times. I wear an HRM and getting into the highest heart rate zone and staying in it for however long the plan is for that workout, is tough, really tough. Other than xc skiing, trail running in hills is the best activity for that. The mtn-bike easily gets me into the highest HR zone, but the gearing on the bike, and being able to coast and recover while going downhill makes it easier than running the same trail. But that is more on me, as I am easing up on the bike because I don’t want to crash on fast,bumpy, twisty trails. Really good riders would be hammering that stuff, but I’m not a kid anymore,lol, so I err on the safe side.
I see some pretty amazing older athletes, men and women, out there.