Keep It Simple And Focus On Four Areas
Staying in shape at 50 and beyond. I’m a 67-year-old weekend warrior athlete who spends time in the gym and working on my cardio through running. I’m in the top 15% of my age group in crucial metrics such as VO2 and heart rate variability. I was never a great athlete as a young man. But I know that consistently showing up and doing the work makes a big difference, hence my current condition.
Before you yawn and switch off, thinking, ‘Why do I need to know what this old guy does?’. Keep in mind that we all start to face the same fitness challenges from 40 years old and onwards. Stick with me for the next few minutes, and I’ll spotlight the key areas which make me a resilient outperformer. Staying in shape is possible at all ages. And it’s never too late to start.
Muscle Mass Is Key
I go to the gym three times a week for strength training, which is core to my conditioning. Without maintaining muscle mass, I’m more prone to injury while running. My overall body composition and metabolic rate suffer, too.
Strength training and muscle mass are vital considerations for all from the age of 35 onwards. Men start to lose 3–5% of their muscle per decade and will lose 30% of their total muscle in their lifetime. This muscle loss has significant effects on mortality and quality of life. The study linked here shows a significant difference in mortality in older people in the upper and lower quartiles of measured muscle mass.
Strength training can help combat obesity and improve bone density. Interestingly, solid evidence indicates that regular strength training can improve mental health; see this metastudy data.
The good news is that you can build muscle in your 70s and 80s. It’s never too late to start, and saying, “I’ve never lifted weights,” is a poor excuse to stay in the armchair. You will be more mobile, active, resilient, and less prone to debilitating falls and fractures. And your mental health will benefit.
Don’t Be Tentative
Don’t fall into the trap of being tentative, either. Take the obvious steps to prevent injury—for example, a warmup and observing good form during lifting. But feel free to train hard—a BMJ study here shows that high-intensity training is more productive for older athletes than moderate-intensity exercise.
I’m an experienced lifter. I focus on the big compound movements of deadlift, bench press, and heavy dumbbell rows. Squat features in my work, but I focus more on good form than lifting heavy. I don’t play around with single muscle group exercises. I go short, sharp, and intense.
We all need to pay attention to muscle mass from our 30s onwards. And if you haven’t lifted regularly, it’s never too late to start. Key to staying in shape at 50 is hitting the gym. Or when there is no gym, finding a way to do the work.
Throw Some Cardio In
I spent many years and tens of thousands of miles cycling. In my mid-60s, my VO2 was consistently in the top 10–15% for my age group. A couple of accidents stopped me cycling. I now lace up my running shoes, and that’s how I work my cardio now. You can cycle, run, row, step — whatever works for you. But doing at least two hours of cardio every week is essential.
VO2 significantly predicts a longer period of good health in your lifespan. I’m not going to tell you that lifting, running, or some esoteric supplement will make you live longer. I will continue to direct your attention to practices that underpin a better quality of life. This metastudy has many nested studies, and you can explore these. The summary is that a good VO2 will help you live a healthier life.
Even at an elite level, a wealth of evidence illustrates that you do not have to go all out in your cardio training. Indeed, this can be counterproductive as it will challenge your immune system and invite injury.
Use The 80/20 Rule
I train 80% to 85% of my time in zone two and spend some time each week pushing harder with a series of sprints or a good hillclimb. There is a wealth of information available on the 80/20 method. I would point out that Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar uses this method. And this YouTube video discusses the legendary marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge’s use.
Staying in shape at 50 needs a decent cardio element built into the routine. And some of the work needs to focus on moving VO2 in the right direction.
Keep Your Nutrition Simple
I worked at an elite level in the sports nutrition industry for a major part of my career. As a result, I have seen most of the leading and bleeding-edge technologies. However, I have also heard a lot of BS about nutrition and diet.
Let me be clear. There is no magic supplement that will transform your performance. Don’t buy into the hype or get taken in by overclaims about various products or technologies. For example, there has been massive noise in cycling regarding ketone esters. Use has become widespread in the professional ranks, but a healthy dose of FOMO underpins that. However, no one can produce a clear and consistent clinical trial data bank showing any performance advantage.
I have the same approach to a broader diet. What do the keto diet, paleo diet, intermittent fasting, low-carb diet, and plant-based diets have in common? They are all forms of calorie restriction, and in many of the examples given, they are tough to sustain.
For performance, be well hydrated and ensure sufficient glycogen from eating carbohydrates in your muscles when you start your workout. For long sessions of over one hour — for example, a long ride — ensure you ingest another 90 grams of carb per hour and keep your supplies topped up. I hate seeing someone tackling a long ride while carrying one banana in their back pocket. One banana provides enough carbs for 20 minutes for a decent-sized male athlete.
Double Down On Protein
My biggest breakthrough in recent years has been increasing my protein intake to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight, which is 200 grams of protein per day in my case. I used to find this difficult, but I worked towards a regime that delivers it consistently. This has made a real difference to my body composition and resilience; my injury frequency and immunity-related issues, such as colds and infections, are sharply down.
I ensure I have good-quality protein with every meal and use protein shakes and high-protein yoghurts to achieve my daily goal. On an intense training day, I will take protein within 20 minutes of completing my workout. Before bedtime, I will also take a high-quality protein shake — either a kefir-based protein yoghurt or casein-based shake to maximise overnight muscle repair.
In line with my suggestion that you lift weights consistently from 40 onwards, I would suggest the same approach to protein intake. Our bodies are less efficient at absorbing protein as we age, yet this study shows that extra protein can supercharge muscle mass increases as we get older. Stating in shape at 50 means ingesting more protein, it’s a simple and effective way to help achieve your goals.
The harder and more complex we make nutrition, the more challenging it is to see consistent results. As said, I’ve seen most things in this field and can tell you the most effective approach is to keep it simple. Be well hydrated and ensure you have enough glycogen to fuel your session. Consume 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. Eat a good, balanced diet and dump the ultra-processed foods. And stop searching for the magic supplement because it’s not out there.
Most Of All, Be Consistent
Consistency is king. I’ve learned that over the years. When I was younger, I fell into the trap of having enthusiastic bursts of exercise and then losing faith due to injury or illness. Truth be told, this has most often been due to being overenthusiastic.
My second excuse has been that life is too busy. Again, if you want to engineer your body to serve you well for your whole life, you can always find a way to fit the work in. When travelling on business, if the hotel has no gym, you can still run outside and do bodyweight strength exercises in your hotel room.
Work hard at fitting the routine into your life. It gets easier once you see the real-world benefits flow into your health. Positive habits reinforce more positive habits. I’m more disciplined now than I was at 50 because I see and feel the benefits of showing up and doing the work.
Four Focus Areas Will Win Out For You
As I said at the start, I’m a 67-year-old athlete. I was not a good athlete as a youth, but now I’m in the top quartile in my age group simply because I show up and get the work done. And I’m more robust, too, as proven by my coming back from two serious cycling accidents; my medical team in both instances was clear that this was due to my muscle mass and bone health.
The practices I observe will pay dividends when you are 40 or 75. So do not let my age be the weak justification for you discarding my lived experience and advice. Following a similar disciplined plan will pay you big dividends of 50.
My overall health regime is simple: three strength workouts a week, a decent couple of hours of cardio work each week, simple nutrition, ensuring my protein intake is consistently at my target, and most of all, turning up. Just show up and do the work; you will see multiple benefits, regardless of age. Staying in shape at 50 is achievable if you keep these simple elements in mind and work them into your lifestyle.