Roberts’ clients looking to change their body composition to one with more muscle and less fat would typically be given a mix of workouts on alternating days – heavy one day and Sirieix-style endurance the following day. If someone wants to build up they’ll need to be lifting a weight sufficiently demanding that they can only lift it for eight to 10 repetitions.” If you want to build muscle mass, a lot of guys who are in that post-50 category may find it hard to build muscle size that way, but it can maintain what you’ve got. Matt Roberts sees the benefits of long endurance workouts, but for someone hoping to lose fat and gain muscle in their 50s, he suggests bigger weights could really help. He is already very athletic in appearance, and can preserve his general shape without needing to lift heavy weights – although when at home he performs a lot of boxing training and picks up some more challenging loads. Next he does some shadow boxing with two 2kg dumbbells – these are very small and portable (and could easily be replaced by water bottles if you don’t have any). He then does bodyweight squats, also 30 every minute for five minutes. In a Men’s Health interview, he said while on the road he does 300 push-ups – 30 every minute for 10 minutes. The First Dates star, inspired by Chef Rush, performs multiple repetitions using only his own body weight. The man who runs the banquets for dignitaries visiting the President served 23 years in the US Army and is built like someone who would need a specially widened tank. Rush, like Sirieix, is as devoted to his exercise as he is to his food. Rush famously performs a daily 2,222 press-ups in memory of the 22 military veterans who die by suicide on average every day. He is on record as being a devotee of the legendary White House chef Andre Rush. Typically for someone very busy, he is often away from a gym and travelling, and so he relies primarily on bodyweight exercises, often finding himself in hotels (and jungles). Sirieix has talked in the past about his approach to exercise and it’s clearly embedded in his life. Every session needs at least one moment when I look like someone is making me chew on lemons. I rarely train for more than half an hour (unless it’s a long mental-health run) and I always make at least part of my session feel like I’m working hard. The question is only what kind of movement shall I do – there are no days when the possibility of missing it even crosses my mind. Exercise is sewn into the fabric of my life, like brushing my teeth or eating. The key for me has been to move in some way every day. (I wouldn’t, the Eighties were a dark time for men’s fashion.) If I wanted to pull on the jeans I wore in 1986, I could do so without difficulty. I’ve exercised consistently since I was 17 and find I’m still able to lift, sprint and remain in almost exactly the same shape I was in my “prime”. What is exciting, as we grow older, is the discovery that we’re a lot more robust and capable than many of the middle-aged stereotypes give us credit for. ![]() There may need to be a few minor tweaks to your programme, but not many.” If you are in the shape you were in when you were 20 or 30, you don’t have to lose that. “You haven’t got to change much from your 20s and 30s, if you have the mindset that if you gain weight you can lose it, if you have got out of shape you can gain that back. Matt Roberts, personal trainer to many celebrities and older men, knows just how good someone in their 50s can look if they exercise intelligently. As an exercise fanatic about to turn 60, I know just how adaptable an older body can be, but most of the men we see advertising underpants, fragrances and sportswear are in their 20s and 30s, creating the mistaken impression that decline is inevitable, and fitness is reserved for the young. ![]() Watching 51-year-old Fred Sirieix work out in the jungle alongside a much younger man and look every bit as statuesque, lean and athletic filled me with (entirely wholesome) joy.
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