FOR THE LAST MONTH, we’ve been exploring the fittest celebrities over 40, 50, 60 and 70. With each decade, the lists have gotten smaller. Now we’ve reached 80, where only a handful of guys don’t just ‘look good for their age’, but genuinely look good.
Plenty of guys over 40 are still in shape, but once you get above 80, the focus starts to shift from looking good to simply staying active. We can forgive the octogenarians for not having a six pack or biceps that bulge out of their shirt sleeves. Simply put, fitness has a different definition by this age. But that doesn’t mean being fit at 80 is any less impressive.
Here, we take a look at the workout, diet and longevity secrets of some of the world’s fittest men over 80.
Harrison Ford, 84
Harrison Ford’s long-time trainer, Jamie Milnes, designs workouts around core strength and total-body conditioning, often using dumbbells and medicine balls to help Ford maintain strength and mobility. “I believe in training for injury prevention more than anything else,” Ford explained. “I’m an old fart and I need to protect myself.”
Outside the gym, cycling and tennis remain major pillars of his fitness routine. “I’m active physically – I play tennis, I ride my bike, I do a little work in the gym,” he said last year.
While filming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny in Northumberland, co-star Mads Mikkelsen revealed just how committed Ford remains to staying active. “I remember the first day we were shooting, it was a night shoot, then we stopped at 5am – and then he got on his mountain bike and went biking for 31 miles,” Mikkelsen said. “Harrison is a monster of a man, a very nice monster.”
Above all else, Ford credits part of his impressive physique to a major change in his diet. “[I’m eating] practically nothing,” Ford joked on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “I eat vegetables and fish. It’s really boring.”
Ford later explained that he cut out meat and dairy because he felt it was better for both his health and the environment. “I just decided I was tired of eating meat,” he said. “And I know it’s not really good for the planet and it’s not really good for me.”
Sylvester Stallone, 80
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Sylvester Stallone explained that most of his training these days is focused on maintaining mobility. “I’ve had five back operations, two shoulders, three neck fusions, both knees – I’m bionic,” he said in the interview. “I’ve gone from lifting regular weights to mostly bands, cables.”
“It’s kind of like physical therapy,” he continued. “So, you’re using the bar, you’re using different motions and keeping those joints moving all the time.”
Earlier this year, Stallone gave us a unique insight into his home gym set-up, where he does the majority of his training. “Every year it gets harder and harder, but that’s why you gotta push harder and harder. Blood, sweat and tears,” he wrote in a motivating Instagram post.
In a separate post, Stallone confirmed just how important he sees physical health at his age. “It’s not about living in a gym,” he said, “but just finding something that gets the blood flowing through the body. It will affect your brain, it’ll affect your confidence, it’ll affect your optimism.”
Ernie Hudson, 80
Hudson uses intermittent fasting and doesn’t usually eat before noon. His first meal tends to be oatmeal or smoked salmon and eggs. He avoids faddy diets and hard rules, largely because rules make him want to break them. His guiding principle now is simple: keep trying to be a little bit better.
Training-wise, he goes to Studio G Fitness three times a week, where he has trained for 25 years. He keeps sessions to an hour or less, working on strength, mobility and balance. When he can’t get to the gym, he still does at least 100 push-ups at home.
His hotel-room routine is pure gold: push-ups, bodyweight squats, a plank, abs and stretching. He walks everywhere he can, avoids going too heavy, and trains to keep his muscles from wasting away.
Mick Jagger, 83
Jagger has trained with Norwegian coach Torje Eike for many years, folding a wide mix of activities into his routine to keep things both effective and engaging. He swims, kickboxes, cycles, practises ballet to improve balance, and works on mobility through yoga and Pilates. It’s a packed schedule – he trains up to six days a week – but he’s not pushing to the limit every session. For him, consistency beats intensity. “I train five or six days a week, but I don’t go crazy,” Jagger has said. “I’m training for stamina.”
Paul McCartney, 84
Part of Paul McCartney’s good health comes down to his diet. McCartney became a vegetarian in the 1970s after meeting his late wife, Linda. The singer is a big advocate for loading up on vegetables, too. According to The Times he said, “If I go on tour and eat a lot of restaurant or hotel food, I come back and it’s like, ‘yeah, broccoli,’ So, if I’m cooking, I’ll be steaming vegetables, making some nice salad, that kind of stuff.”
When it comes to movement, McCartney has long favoured yoga. He has spoken about practising regularly over the years and even rolls out the mat with friends, including actor Alec Baldwin. The 84-year-old also meditates regularly, describing it as a lifelong gift, something you can call on at any time. “In moments of madness, meditation has helped me find moments of serenity,” he said.
The Beatles legend also trains in the gym, albeit without a personal trainer. He sometimes works out with his wife of nearly 13 years, Nancy Shevell. McCartney tends to start with mobility work on the mat, including stretches and foam rolling, before moving on to the cross-trainer. He’ll then “do a bit of running” on the treadmill, spending around five minutes on each. “It’s not a huge workout but it’s good. I like it,” he told the Smartless podcast.
Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here to purchase a downloadable pdf of Men’s Health’s Muscle After 40 bookazine.
