Exercise stress and recovery in active ageing individuals and masters athletes

Healthy and successful ageing has been shown to be associated with physical, psychological, cognitive, and social well-being. Physical activity, exercise, and sport in older individuals have benefits in each of these four domains of successful ageing. However, age-related declines in physical capacities (e.g., strength) lead to declines in both physical activity levels and impaired sports performance (and vice versa). Research does not show that older active or athletic individuals recover more slowly than younger individuals, though in some cases older athletes perceive recovery to be more prolonged after high-intensity exercise. Several recovery strategies have been shown to be effective in younger athletes, despite low to moderate levels of evidence. These strategies include sleep, nutritional strategies, water immersion, compression, active recovery, stretching, and massage. This chapter will examine in detail the effect of age on each of these recovery strategies and make recommendations to enhance physical recovery to enable older exercisers to maximise healthy ageing through physical activity, exercise, and sport.