Ironman Training After 40 is About Being an Athlete for Life for Katharine
A collegiate rower and now 41, Katharine Geramita’s plans to stay fit into her 60s and beyond. However, feeling the effects of age, a few critical injuries, and chronic back pain from being a lifelong athlete, Katharine also recognizes that living the endurance athlete life (even recreationally) requires a commitment to cross-training and total body conditioning. All of this is not to feel like a young collegiate athlete again, but to keep an internal competitive flame burning through trail running and Ironman training and races.
Like anyone, finding time to train consistently is a challenge and sitting at a desk for 20 years has taken its toll. As the co-founder and CTO of startup CreositySpace, Katharine’s busy schedule already makes it tough to squeeze in all the training aspects of swimming, biking, and running. Even more challenging is finding the extra time to fit in strength training and stretching, which are crucial to both racing and staying injury-free.
Excy Helps Supplement Flexibility and Strength Training at Home
“I have tons of muscle imbalances all over my body. I also have long standing back issues that are a result of overuse, lack of stretching, not enough focus on developing core muscles, etc. In fact, my core is so neglected that I have a lot of trouble activating those muscles because everything else in my body kicks in to compensate. With that in mind, I’ve found that the Excy workouts provide a slightly different range of motion that none of my muscles are great at, so they can all chime in at appropriate levels for an efficient workout.”
Katharine predominately uses Excy for upper and lower body cycling that incorporates core training and stretching about 20 minutes per day to supplement other workouts. With a bi-directional resistance range of 2-70 pounds, Katharine finds the Excy workouts “beefy” enough to make a difference, as well as fun where she doesn’t feel like it’s what she calls a “core workout slog.”
Excy offers up live, on-demand, and guided training through its free mobile coaching application, as well as on its website, Facebook and YouTube. Katharine doesn’t always have time to join in on the live workouts, but she tunes in later at her own convenience and feels like the live experience simulates having a workout partner. She found the first floor cycling workout where you lie on your back particularly humbling because it fully engages the core, which Katharine calls her weakest area.
Example of the Floor-Based Cycling Workouts
“It’s funny, I can bike 112 miles on my road bike, but struggle to pedal Excy for two minutes in a bridge position on the floor. I can see that consistently working on that position and others will translate well to my road bike, not only for legs and glutes, but also for a stronger core.”
Katharine has also embraced many of Excy’s stretching and balance training workouts while hand cycling, which she calls “the best double-dipping exercise I can get.”
Flexibility, Balance, and Strength Training Examples
Katharine has been using Excy 4 to 5 times a week and likes to mix up the routines for a cardio and strength circuit training experiences. She enjoys Excy’s video library, finds the workouts fun, and her back is already doing a lot better than in the past with other training regimens.
While some people use their age, injuries, and a busy schedule as an excuse, people like Katharine defy this mentality, don’t give up easily, and she considers her age an asset versus a liability. For Katharine, that often means that she’s not the fastest woman out there, but she doesn’t care. It’s about setting goals and pushing herself to be an athlete for life.
We will keep you posted on Katharine’s Ironman training progress and of course, can’t wait to cheer her on during her next Ironman race! Maybe she’ll even do a live workout with us!
Example of a Live Stream Excy Workout for Balance and Flexibility
Even if your strong enough for Ironman training, everyone should always consult a doctor before starting a new exercise routine. You should never feel pain while using Excy. Always explore our proper ergonomic setup videos from physical therapists, including with your own physical therapist, before jumping into a new exercise.