THE SHORT ANSWER
Galpin's lab work gives masters training its mechanism. The order of decline is the key insight: power goes before strength, strength goes before muscle mass, so the nervous system ages first. That's why the masters athlete who only rides is protecting the wrong half of the system — endurance riding maintains the slow-twitch fibres while the fast-twitch ones quietly shrink. His prescription is heavy, fast lifting a couple of times a week, enough protein to actually trigger the repair older muscle is slower to start, and recovery managed like a job. Train the qualities that fade fastest, not just the ones that feel comfortable, and you hold onto far more of your engine.
WHO IS ANDY GALPIN?
Andy Galpin is the muscle physiologist most masters cyclists have been quoting without realising it. He runs the Center for Sport Performance and the Biochemistry & Molecular Exercise Laboratory at Cal State Fullerton, has co-authored more than ninety peer-reviewed papers on skeletal muscle, hypertrophy, fibre-type adaptation, and recovery, and consults for athletes across MMA, motorsport, the NBA, the NFL, and Olympic sport. If you have heard a coaching argument in the last three years that turned on type II fibre atrophy, velocity-based training, or protein dose timing for older athletes, the original work behind that argument almost certainly has Andy's name on it. He is also the rare academic whose communication ability matches his research credentials — his Perform podcast and Huberman Lab guest appearances have done more to translate skeletal muscle physiology into amateur-athlete language than any textbook ever has.
GALPIN ON MASTERS TRAINING
Galpin’s key positions on training as a masters cyclist.
- Daily protein for trained masters athletes should sit at 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram, distributed across four meals, with at least one dose above 35 grams to clear the leucine threshold for older muscle.
IN GALPIN’S OWN WORDS
Verbatim from Andy Galpin’s appearances on the podcast.
“Velocity is the variable most masters athletes ignore. Moving a moderate weight fast does more for the nervous system than moving a heavy weight slowly. Speed is a skill, and like any skill, you lose it if you stop practising it.”
HEAR IT ON THE PODCAST
Episodes where Andy Galpin covers training as a masters cyclist and related ground.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What does Andy Galpin say about training as a masters cyclist?
Galpin's lab work gives masters training its mechanism. The order of decline is the key insight: power goes before strength, strength goes before muscle mass, so the nervous system ages first. That's why the masters athlete who only rides is protecting the wrong half of the system — endurance riding maintains the slow-twitch fibres while the fast-twitch ones quietly shrink. His prescription is heavy, fast lifting a couple of times a week, enough protein to actually trigger the repair older muscle is slower to start, and recovery managed like a job. Train the qualities that fade fastest, not just the ones that feel comfortable, and you hold onto far more of your engine.
What is Galpin's main point on masters training?
Daily protein for trained masters athletes should sit at 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram, distributed across four meals, with at least one dose above 35 grams to clear the leucine threshold for older muscle.
Which Roadman Cycling Podcast episodes cover Andy Galpin on masters training?
Galpin discusses training as a masters cyclist in this episode: "The Science Of Getting Faster After 40 | Dr Andy Galpin".
EXPLORE THE TOPIC
Training Plans— The Complete Guide →OTHER EXPERTS ON MASTERS TRAINING