They are well into their fourth decade of life and demonstrate a level of performance that keeps them still at the highest levels of the sport in the world.
The phenomenon of teenage athletes is present in many sports, and it seems to align with other trends - extending life expectancy, second and third careers at work, amateur marathon runners in old age, and more.
Neymar responds to criticism of his excess weight
Photo: from Instagram
Still, how can one explain the high level of performance of 'almost 40' athletes such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Novak Djokovic, LeBron James, Chris Froome and many others?
Is it a genetic gift or are there other factors that help maintain such a high level of achievement at an advanced age?
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, photo: Reuters
I chose 10 factors that can explain the phenomenon:
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Building a smart and personalized training program
(personalization
) - no athlete is alike, therefore a common and similar training program for everyone will not properly serve the needs of the athlete, especially not those of the teenager.
A solid physical infrastructure
- without building the components of physical ability and technical abilities at a young age, a physical infrastructure will not be created that will support the heavy loads throughout the years of the career.
Nutrition and body composition
- nutrition and sleep are the two most important factors for recovery and maintaining normal function.
A careful diet and a proper fluid balance will help maintain a proper body composition - weight, muscle mass and fat percentage.
Recovery strategies
- the training, the games and the accompanying pressure of being an accomplished adolescent athlete and a family man require the intelligent use of recovery techniques aimed at balancing the load with recovery and rest.
Adjustments to age changes
- adjusting the training program;
When you're 37 you don't need to exercise like you did when you were 20.
Mental endurance
- pulling off an accomplished career over so many years is not an easy thing.
You have to constantly look for the internal motivation and the external motivation to continue to excel.
Medical and scientific envelope
- sports at the highest levels require multidisciplinary professional support (medicine, physical therapy, nutrition, psychology, physical abilities, massage, physiology, etc.), this support provides monitoring and control of the athlete's health and functional ability.
Technology
- the variety of software, wearable devices and other devices allows continuous monitoring of the athlete, which helps in personalizing the training loads and early detection of diseases or injuries.
Experience, maturity and ability to regulate
- advanced age is an advantage for those who already know how to listen to their body, properly regulate the loads and invest the energy (physically and mentally) where it is needed.
Season management (periodization)
- one of the more significant factors in maintaining an accomplished career at an advanced age.
In fact, it is about the totality of the scope of training and their intensity, the number of games (minutes of play), the selection of competitions and tournaments and giving more time for the rehabilitation and recovery processes.
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