Cartilage and bones

• Central aging process of the cartilage = changes in mucopolysaccharides, the hydraulic strength which gives the cartilage its hydraulic cushioning function
• Age-related collagen processes and calcification procedures
• Atrophy of the bone tissue (osteoporosis, earlier in women)
• Loss of mineral salts for women from the age of 30-35, around 0.75-1% / year, and for men from the age of 50, around 0.4% (Smith 1982, 72)
• Reduction in collagen content
• Bones become increasingly more brittle, more porous, more fragile and therefore less able to take weight
• Weight training can slow this process down considerably!

The age-related changes shown are responsible overall for reduction in performance in old age, particularly the changes in the active and passive loco-motor system, the cardiovascular system, and the heart-lung system.

Can the aging process be influenced? – Yes, through sport!!

“There is a certain parallel to be identified between aging processes and the symptoms of poor fitness.”  (Hollmann 1971, 37)