Andy Galpin, a human performance scientist and coach for elite athletes and celebrities, shared with Business Insider the exercise routine he hopes will keep his body strong and mobile into old age.
Galpin, whose clients include the Clippers, Jon Rahm, and Travis Barker, said that while most people in his coaching program — non-athletes included — want to perform at their best now, they're also conscious of setting themselves up for the next 30 to 80 years, and he's no different.
"This is really what we're all after. We want to live as long and as well as we possibly can," Galpin, a professor of kinesiology at California State University, Fullerton, said.
"Longevity is irrelevant if you don't have function. That starts and stops with healthy muscles, joints, metabolism, and cardiovascular function," he said.
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Galpin regularly monitors his body through blood testing and other measures such as his VO2 max, and tweaks his exercise regime accordingly.
The world of preventative and precision medicine in the name of longevity is becoming more mainstream. Public figures such as tech exec Bryan Johnson publicize their elaborate daily routines, which include things like taking upwards of 100 supplements and intermittent fasting. While podcasts such as Andrew Huberman's Huberman Lab, which center on the subject, have millions of listeners.
Galpin said he factors longevity into all aspects of his lifestyle while remaining a "normal person." "I'm not like a Bryan Johnson," he said.
He works out six days a week — doing a mixture of strength and endurance training — but switches things around to fit with his schedule. He's a busy guy and won't abandon work or dinner with the kids for an hourlong run, he said.
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Research suggests that doing both cardio and strength training appears to help people live longer. In a 2022 study, participants who did resistance training once or twice a week, as well as cardio, were 41% less likely to die from any cause than those who led a sedentary lifestyle.
Galpin said he prefers to focus on muscle growth in the winter when it's dark and cold, as he can lift weights indoors. In the summer, he prioritizes weight loss and cardiovascular health because he can do his favorite forms of exercise — which happen to be cardio-based, such as hunting — outdoors, while also getting some vitamin D.
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Here's he's weekly longevity workout.
Strength training
Galpin does strength training three times a week on alternating days. Unlike many gym-goers, he rarely focuses on specific body parts because it's not time-efficient, and if you miss a workout, it means that part gets skipped for a whole week, he said.
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"Doing a full body workout gives me the ability to work most of my muscle groups or areas multiple times per week," he said.
Lifting weights regularly has a range of benefits from building muscle and aiding fat loss, to strengthening bones and joints, reducing the risk of injury risk, and improving heart health.
Resistance training is particularly important for preventing sarcopenia, the natural decline in muscle mass we experience with age, according to the National Institute on Aging.
Endurance training
Galpin does three different types of endurance training, or cardio, each week. "I do a little bit of low intensity. I do a little bit of moderate and a little bit of high. I think that's the best approach personally," he said. It helps him adhere to his workout schedule better as it's varied and flexible.
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The first is "very low intensity, very long duration." That could be walking, mowing the lawn, or getting on the bike, he said. "Anything where it's a very low heart rate for at least 30 minutes or longer continuously."
The second is somewhere in between low intensity and full throttle. "It's not max effort, but it's not low intensity," he said. He might ride the assault bike for 15 minutes or the equivalent of a mile and a half.
The third is reaching his maximum heart rate for a short period of time. "This could come in intervals, on an assault bike, or in sprints. This could be a circuit like with kettlebells or kickboxing," he said.
He does endurance training for the many health benefits it provides. "It's everything. It's cardiovascular health. It is burning calories. It is great for digestion," he said.
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Aerobic exercise, for instance, helps prevent cardiovascular disease by lowering resting blood pressure and heart rate, improving cholesterol levels, and reducing the risk of type two diabetes by helping people maintain a healthy weight.
