Comparisons of cross-sectional, longitudinal and secular trends were made with respect to maximal track and field performances by middle-aged and older athletes. Cross-sectional decline was found to be approximately twice as steep as the longitudinal decline. Secular improvement was greater among athletes aged 50+ years than for athletes aged 40–50 years. The limitations and implications of the findings were discussed.
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Stones et al. (1982) studied this question.
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