My skateboard helps me get around trade shows. Last show, dude says to me, “Aren’t you in your 50s Doug?” He implied that, apparently, you’re supposed to stop doing certain things at a certain age. Tell Tom Brady or Laird Hamilton that. Or tell the 65-year-old guy who was shredding waves next to me last week in some challenging surf. 

Being athletically inclined and being fit for skill transfer counts. Spending all your time in the gym can be detrimental to your athletic ability as you age. If you just float from machine to machine or one mono-structural movement to another, be careful. If you do train in the gym, then train hard, move fast and work on movements that will set you up for being an athlete or enthusiast in whatever you choose. If you say you are too old to do something or can’t do something anymore, check yourself. Is it because you are deconditioned in reality? Did you just stop the repetition and practice of doing that activity of sport? Or have you weakened to the narrative of someone over a certain age should be embarrassed or feel awkward by engaging in an activity/sport that someone more youthful should only do?

Good news is you can look at a fitness-based hobby or sport as another way to stay lean and strong. It’s also nice to test whether or not your training program (in the gym) is versatile enough. Mobility, agility, speed, strength, power, balance, coordination, endurance and discipline are all areas that can be continually improved upon. Do you address those areas when you are training in the gym? Most good gyms should have equipment that will help you. That’s true function in fitness!

As I’ve advanced in age and life, I have had to work hard to balance nutrition, training, recovery and life. Not having time is an excuse. Organize your week and plan those four pillars. Yes, you have to have the discipline to have a well-balanced program. My program usually consists of surfing, cycling, weight training, interval-based running and shooting hoops or throwing a football as often as I can. Six to seven days a week. Oh, I also play as much as possible with my two daughters too – outside. Getting sunshine and being outdoors goes a long way to being a happy athlete.

-Doug Katona

CEO of American Barbell; Founder of NTRL