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    The #1 Training MISTAKE Cyclists Over 50 Make (Stop This NOW)



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    On your free one on one orientation call with us we will audit your current training and health status, no pitch and no bullshit. Right now BCC is closed, and we will only invite you to the club if we can stand behind that you are a good fit, and if it’s not for you then we will still give you clear direction for your next 60 days. Spots are limited each week, from here on it’s up to you. 🫵

    Here’s the truth: Many riders over 50 are messing up their cycling training by riding too hard or too soft, and not having a balanced routine. With the right cycling training over 50 approach, you’ll see progress. Stop making these common cycling mistakes!

    Here’s the hard truth. Most riders over the age of 50 are screwing up the training. They’re riding too hard or too soft. Too often or not often enough. It’s like ordering a salad at the restaurant and then drowning it with mayo. Technically healthy, but you’re missing the bloody point. I’m going to show you how to train smarter. Look for the traps, but avoid the traps so that you make progress way beyond the years that most people are hanging up their bike or thinking about buying a caravan or an ebike. Okay, mistake number one is screwing up your zone 2. This is your secret sauce, your biggest tool, your biggest leverage when it comes to longevity. And most people are either taking it too easy or skipping these rides or worse, you’re moaning and complaining about how slow you are now compared to what you were in your youth. So you treat these rides completely wrong, trying to identify with the person you used to be rather than focusing on their true value. Come on, get your zone two right. You know how to do it. Just enjoy the ride and grow that fitness reservoir. You are struggling with trust issues, my friend. Let me stop because this is important. Trust issues? What do you mean, coach? You don’t trust yourself. You don’t trust your training. You live every day like it’s the last day on this bloody planet. So, you sneak those little efforts into climbs, into little downhill sections, chasing other riders, getting annoyed with every car that passes you. You need to slow down and you need to understand that you’re burning through muscle and you’re making yourself more tired because you just haven’t got the ability to recover or rest like you used to do. Ah, resting is for the time when I’m dead. Coach, look, this is nonsense. You’re going to fatigue much quicker. You’re going to live in this zone three wanker mode and you’re never going to really excel at the high end when you have to go hard because you’re never really excelling at the bottom end when you need to go soft. Please trust yourself. Trust the process. You’ve got every day available to you to either ride or stretch or do something that’s going to take you forward. But turning every ride into a fest of aggression is not getting you forward. Look, save the hero rides. You may feel tough today until you sneeze and pull a bloody hamstring. Yeah, you know exactly what I mean. I’m talking to you directly. Come on. So, the fix, real simple. Focus on one real hardcore effort per week that takes you to zone four, to zone five. Maybe it is a slider effort in zone three. Maybe it’s a local loop that you just go out and thrash it. Trust me, if you’re rested, you will be hitting personal bests every other week. Okay, mistake number three, quite simple. Strength training or the fact you’re not doing strength training. Oh, I hear you. You’ve got excuses. I can’t get to a gym. I haven’t got specialist equipment. You see, over the age of 50, you’re losing strength faster than you’re losing your hair if you’ve still got some. But the thing is, you don’t need specialist equipment. We’ve got to dial in to posture. You see, lean tissue percentage is also your fat burning potential. All you’ve got to do to fix this is get your ass in gear, stop making excuses, and get yourself into two times 20 minute sessions that can just use your body as resistance. You’re not looking to be building big guns. You’re looking to be building strength. Strength that’s going to give you a resistance to the aging process. strength that’s going to be transferred into your bike fit, into your posture. Yes, into your longevity. So, get your ass in gear. Squats, push-ups, pull-ups. You can start to add in fancy equipment. You can increase dumbbells, kettle bells, pull-ups. Christ, man, there are so many things you can do. It’s just your inability to find the time. Oh, because you’re too busy. No, you know it. It’s because strength training doesn’t give you cudos. There’s nobody watching you. The accountability is less. Get it done, my friends, because this is a key area for not only your physical fitness and your longevity, but also your self-confidence because you are burning more calories at rest with a better lean tissue percentage. So, get it done. Okay. Mistake number four is recovery. Oh, I can hear you. I know all about recovery now, coach. I’m getting my proteins. I’m getting my carbohydrates. I’ve watched all your videos. But here’s the thing. Recovery is not the time alone off the bike. Sure, the workouts on the bike are the stimulus. They’re actually the easy part. It’s then the adaptation. It’s the absorption of that stimulus. But here’s where older riders get it wrong. They forget to take into account all the other going on in their life. You might have spent half the day in your garden, your yard. You might have been doing a long walk. You might have been doing a lot of traveling and forgetting that that places stress on your system. And just because you’re super fit on your bike doesn’t mean that you’re absorbing that stress as well as you think you are. So recovery is about a way of life. It is about flipping your nervous system into this rest and digest and not getting angry every time you can’t do a bike ride or angry that you’re doing tasks that you don’t really want to be doing. You’ve got to understand that the recovery is more of a mindset rather than just following some tips about how many carbohydrates to eat. Face it. If you’re not cleaning up your diet anyway, you’re only going to plateau sooner or later. Same way if you can’t do your zone two, same way if you can’t do your strength work. Learn to relax. Come on. You’re a bit older now. You’ve learned a lot about life. You know more than most people, don’t you? Do you think there’s anything in this cup? What do you think’s in here? Oh. Oh, There was something in it. So mistake number five is no structure. You’re busy on your phone at the last minute before you go out riding trying to find a route. You’re trying to write down little scribbled notes about a structure and a plan that you’re so motivated you’re going to follow. Look, numbers show that even if you do create a plan, you’re likely to stick to it for no more than two weeks. Why? It goes back to the trust element you have with yourself and are you doing the right types of workouts? Keep it real simple. One of the easiest plans to follow is two rides per week in zone two and then one hard ride. No matter what zones you’re in on that hard ride, just push it until you’re at your limit. That allows you to add more time to the zone two rides rather than feeling like you have to ride every day. You’re over 50 now, okay? You can’t ride every day. if you stick to a structure that allows you to live a life, a life that enjoys cycling and a life that enjoys well life itself. So don’t go trying to break your back in every single ride, but plan ahead. Where are your zone 2 rides going? Plan a cafe stop, plan some photograph stops, try and take in nature around you. It’s easier than you think. Remember, you’re riding your bike because you can, not because you have to. And having a level of commitment to this structure allows you more flexibility because time will open itself up just for that odd ride. When someone does phone you on a phone, does that happen anymore now? Do you want to go for a ride? Yeah. I’ll meet you at the cafe. Yeah. All that happens. Okay. Let me summarize things with the bulletproof fix it list. Number one, do your zone two. No excuses. Number two, do not hammer every ride like it’s your last ride. Number three, twice a week, get down and dirty with your posture work, with your strength work. You do not need fancy equipment. Number four, recover like it’s your job. And number five, follow a plan, not just your mood. Do that and you’ll be riding faster and longer than people half your age and annoying them in the process. Okay, so how do I know this works? Because I see it every single day inside the bulletproof community. Check out Rob’s comment. He’s 64 years old and he’s just seen himself enter the 1% club and that’s only just sparked an increase in motivation to help him continue onwards and upwards because he believes he can progress even more. Hey, look. If you want to know what Rob did to get into the 1% club, click the first link. You’ll get access to my free presentation. But if you want to be like Rob or to surpass Rob, click the second link and get access to the Bulletproof Community. I’ll give you 7 days free trial so you can just check out what’s going on. Hey, say hello to Rob while you’re in there as well. Do you want more? Hey, check out the next video whereby riding 100 kilometers might not mean you’re as fit as either you think you are or you could be. Hey, until the next time, keep spinning, keep smiling, and I might see you inside Bulletproof Cycling Club. M. That’s not an

    View 48 Comments

    48 Comments

    9. @scottmackintosh7633 on

      One of the most engaging people I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching on YouTube. Will be checking out the rest of your content 👍. Just had a look through my Strava and the vast majority is in Zone 3 but I never feel like I’m going particularly hard, will try dialling it back a bit. Will be jumping on Zwift for most of my winter riding now so it’s easier to tailor the effort.

    11. @walterberry8703 on

      I'm a 71 year old waiting for a knee replacement I've recently reduced my rides to 2-3 a week and feel so much better on the bike . I only have a Garmin so I ride on feel at what I think is zone2 I'm feeling stronger at the end of my rides were I used to be flagging . Super video

    12. @keithdavenport1971 on

      I’m 54 and ride twice a week around 100k and at least 3x weight training in the gym, got muscle and still overtake 90% of other riders I see on the road as I enjoy going as fast as I can. Age is just a number for now 😉

    13. @chrism5433 on

      At 56 ..I love zone 2 with some serious rolling hill sprints ..the sprints really help .🍺🚴🍺
      Being a mechanic at times can wear you done physically ,not allways .have to be careful Balance . 🚴🍺

    17. @VegasCyclingFreak on

      OK please suggest how you can do zone 2 rides when you live in an area which makes it impossible to do so. It's impossible for me to do anything below zone 3 due to all of the hills around here. Usually I'm in zone 4 just getting up 2-3% hills, which puts me at or often above my pathetic FTP. 5-7% gradients and I'm in zone 5 and just barely getting up the hill. These days I ride half as far / half as long before I'm exhausted. I'm two months shy of 59 years old. After 55 my strength and endurance went totally out the window. At this point I feel like I can only ride a trainer at 70-80 watts to do zone 2. I don't obsess over this stuff, it's just observations over the last few years. It can be frustrating that hills which used to be easy now push me to the wall. 😞

    18. @Synthesizer_Explorer_Orchestra on

      Gains? We're all training to keep what we have. Today at 67 years old and 57 years of serious training, racing, touring commuting, I still ride a lot of miles, but weight train, hike, mountain climb, kayak and flexibility training balance the body and keep me going….somewhat. Still don't own a motorized vehicle and bike, walk, paddle to all my destinations.

      There is always a problem, always figuring out muscle, tendon, ligament, negative feedback. Changing riding positions daily, adjusting pedal strokes, less or more higher cadences, perfect diets of natural organic food prepared myself, a pure lifestyle of zero bad habits…all this discipline in an effort to stay out of a doctor's care. My body hurts if I don't exercise, and hurts if I do. I am not one of those highly gifted people who from birth had a 50% advantage over everyone else. I am weak genetically, but refuse to give in and give up. Plus having bad knees from a gym coach in high school forcing me to wrestle when no one was close to my 90 pound weight class, my knees and life were destroyed by this sadistic gym teacher forcing me to fight a boy weighing 40 pounds more than me.

      It is an extreme balancing act of fitness and health…and the discipline that comes with making all the good decision every minute of every day of your life (The Pure Lifestyle). It is a full-time job retired. I do this all to feel alive, instead of sedentary weak and full of medications and surgeries. Also, so I may continue to perform music concerts and the long practice sessions on piano and guitar. IT IS A WORK OF LOVE. For those that cannot and will not love themselves have absolute zero love for others, all they have is the need for others to care for them and love them. I don't wish to be a burden to our medical system, friends and family. So I continue.

    19. @markmahoney5255 on

      What great advise! I started adding strength training back in January and have started really enjoying it. If you’re going to get one piece of gear, make it adjustable dumbbells. It’s amazing how many workout you can get with them and your body weight.

    22. @michaelpaczynski941 on

      How about a video about zone 2 for riders 50+. Even how to calculate the zone. Maybe even touching heart rate recovery at those all important pauses, and how it can be an indicator of overriding…

    28. @f0t0b0y on

      I wish I would have seen the before my injury. Why do I give a fuck about my speed!? All the PR updates on STRAVA etc… This was massive. Thank you! 🙌🏼🤘🏼

    30. @oystercatcher943 on

      At 52 I just rode for fun most of my life with a little bit of racing inc triathlon. Never really purposely trained. I've neglected my cycling but transferred to running and eventually learned to follow a training plan with strength training, zones, etc. which has really helped for motivation as I know what I'm doing and can see progress. so I've eventually learned to care about training. I will transfer it back to cycling when I get back to it. I was so guilty of comparing my cycling to my old self, anyone overtaking me was a personal insult 😂😂

    33. @Stuartnye on

      Why over 50s this goes with all age's groups. Only thing I can say, don't overdo it. If you have an event ,a 150mile ride. Don't train 150miles every ride. Less is sometimes more.

    35. @bensteel6268 on

      Great videos and great advice. But, can you really trust someone who has a Bianchi in black but an Orbea in Celeste? Scots are a bit weird aren't they. 😉😂

    36. @BulletproofCycling on

      Book your free BCC orientation call now!
      👉 https://bulletproofcycling.com/join/start?el=ytv51&htrafficsource=ytorganic

      We are trying something new and special. Not sure how long we can do this for, but here we go!
      On your free one to one orientation call with us we will audit your current training and health status, no pitch and no bullshit. Right now BCC is closed, and we will only invite you to the club if we can stand behind that you are a good fit for us, that bcc will be able to give you what you need, regardless we will still give you our assessment and clear direction for your next 60 days.
      Spots are limited each week, from here on it's up to you. 🫵

    38. @stenovitz on

      Youtube recommended this vid to me. It's something I've wanted to shout from an alpine peak throughout my whole life, so my response comes out here in all its wrath. So be it (pardon! 😛).

      At 53, I've obviously been doing it right all along. And I've never really had any doubts.

      Growing up along the Jutland Highlands in Denmark, starting in gravel pits before BMX came over from the states on my mother's old Motobecane with my friend, later after a few years as a newspaper boy as a schoolboy between 4am and 7am in 8th grade having earned my own money for my first real racing bike, bought and advised by the amateur world champion of 1970 himself.

      In my local hood as a young boy of 14, there were exactly the hills I had as a daily school route on my bike as a 7-year-old: Small, scratchy bumps of 35-50 vertical meters and 6-8%. Enough to completely pull yourself into the fences if, like me, fighting against myself – kept the chain tight across the hilltop. And then on the descent and to the next bump, usually only 5km further on:

      Relax completely. And let your heart rate drop. Like completely down.

      That was before heart rate monitors and other silly stuff;
      You had a much more lit senses and ability to feel your limits and not at least how to doze your horses.
      And you were much more at one with the forces of nature, in sync with your senses and presence, using all your senses.

      Where especially in the last 20 years there has been far too much focus on robot-like numbers. For instance I think it is extremely silly to invest in a watt meter as a mortal exerciser.
      So better take an extra bike trip to your favorite place.
      Sure, I look at my routes on Strava. But even though I am an old number nerd, I don't go crazy with my curves. I am more interested in the composition of my sprint hills or taking yet another new route where I "get lost" and end up on a nice little vacation.
      That is also something exercise cycling on the country roads can do.
      An adventure. Away from the daily number crunching games at work. Far away.

      Much later in life after my first bike, in my 40s, I participated in La Marmotte in 2013. This after a year of injuries, I had gained 25-30kg in fighting weight.
      I only started preparing in February via bikefit spinning in deadly group sessions, but with an extremely dedicated spinning coach: you were allowed to train intervals, beyond the lactate limit, far beyond. But the most important thing: Between bombardments of long and short extreme sprints: complete rest. It was not difficult for the instructor to bring out the competitive gene in most of the group, he tried to get the last 50% out of many by getting them to get the beat from the music rhythms into their bodies, appropriately with the pedal thread, then you can bite the pain much more effectively (I was, however, unpleasantly surprised that in fact a majority did not have a great rhythm in their bodies and did not follow the rhythms and dosed the load accordingly, so there is a lot to be gained from that account in terms of max performance each time).

      But the most important thing for him:
      To get people to relax between the intervals.

      I only participated in this type of indoor focused spinning for 3 months and only got out on my bike at the beginning of May, participated in 3-4 hilly exercise runs, but then stopped where I flew up the hills, and then backed off in the groups between the climbs, just like from my spinning.
      And suddenly I stood on the top of l'Alpe d'Huez after 174km/5400 altitude meters and thought "was that it?".

      Solely because I had had super fun with my bikefit spinning and then my penchant for intensive bombardments of hill sprints on my outdoor training rides. That is. from being in absolutely zero shape and in only 4 months to not only completing La Marmotte, but actually setting a personal best time for the 12.7 steep kilometers of the last climb, and then finishing with a bang.
      Thanks to the fact that I just focused even more on what I had been doing unconsciously my whole life: completely relaxing between hill sprints.

      And the few years immediately after that, when I cycled in a club (the only time in my life, despite participating in hundreds of exercise bike races) as team captain for the most popular group and especially the fast group, remembering to pat the horses a little and actually get down to a comfortable heart rate 10-20 times during a training session and preferably with 15 hill sprints on a Sunday training session and at least 7-8 on a weekday 60k thing – BUT THEN REMEMBERING TO GET TO A COMPLETE HEART RATE AFTERWARDS.

      But when I rode with the elite group, it turned out to be a mission impossible: Boring 70km weekday training sessions where you avoided the hills and just kept the chain tight in Zone 4 constantly. That kind of thing is death to me, it doesn't interest me, and I think it's downright unintelligent, and that's the only thing I've ever used the word "hate" in relation to. Then I stopped riding in a club and went back to fighting the battles against myself on the hills and emptying myself completely over them and then relaxing completely and getting my heart rate down completely afterwards. In the exercise bike races I've participated in since then, I've always had nice results – but the most important thing for me: Since 1977 and my first children's exercise bike race, I've had a lot of fun cycling that way. Only the months in 2014 when I was co-captain of a cycling club's elite group, which rode fatigue training with a few city sign sprints, were I demotivated.

      So if that's the standard, then I'd prefer to ride the rest of my life clubless.

      It's only been a few levels under license that I've succeeded in agitating for hill sprints and especially relaxation between the hills and experiencing people's total joy in doing so.

      Edit:
      And yes, you can have a wonderful ride staying in Zone 2 all the way with no need of having a name that rhymes on Pogi.
      I do that quite often now with my 10yo daughter and sometimes all the three of us, i.e. together with my wife, or i.e. must be Zone 1.
      Most important: Life is too valuable not having fun on your bike.
      As I, born as a competitive person, part of my joy is my competitions against myself or at exercise bike races, or my golfing or my rowing or auto racing or go-kart events. But what I also enjoy the most is relaxing during the highest intensity. And when it comes to cycling. Getting out and activating all the senses instead of looking at a stupid bike computer that can help you with the last 2% which is completely irrelevant when you are not doing licensed races.

    40. @cowymtber on

      My life off the bike is the aggression. Fueled by social media, the stock market, people, etc. My time on the bike is nirvana. I appreciate it and enjoy it. But that's just me.

    48. @vo2maxout on

      These comments are hilarious! You can follow whatever you want. Athletes have different
      set of circumstances and do not fit every individual so it’s really a matter, of figuring out where you’re at and what’s good for you. To say one idea for a given group is ridiculous specially when you’re categorizing and stereotyping a group. That’s like saying anybody over 80 should be using a cane. 😂

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