Fitness and Longevity at 64: Christopher Smith’s Guide to Strength and Health

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Mastermind Session with Christopher Smith (64-Year-Old Athlete and 2022 World Masters Weightlifting Bronze Medalist)

In a recent session, Christopher Smith a 64-year-old athlete with an extensive background in fitness, shared his insights on consistency, fitness habits, mindset, and aging gracefully.

Christopher is a 2022 World Masters Weightlifting Bronze medalist and has an incredible 45 years of experience doing 200 workouts a year — that’s 10,000 workouts in total!

7 Key Insights from Christopher:

1 | Consistency is Key:

Christopher emphasized the importance of consistency throughout his journey, stating he has completed 200 workouts per year for over 45 years, leading to more than 10,000 workouts. He believes this level of dedication is a significant factor in maintaining his fitness as he ages.

His secret to longevity in fitness is forming habits and sticking to them, rather than relying solely on discipline.

2 | Mindset and Purpose:

Christopher shared that his purpose for training has evolved over time. Early in his life, his motivation was to improve his athletic performance and, as he humorously mentioned, because “girls liked muscles.” Now, his purpose is more about showing that older men are not limited by their age. He encourages men over 50 to continue pushing themselves and demonstrating that strength and vitality are possible well into older age.

His message is clear: age should not be a barrier to staying fit and healthy. “My purpose for the last 5 years is to show older men they are still capable of achieving amazing things.”

3 | Top Exercises for Strength and Longevity:

While he enjoys functional exercises like the farmer’s carry, he strongly recommends the deep squat as the most important exercise for overall strength, followed closely by the deadlift. He explained that these two compound movements target the legs and core, which are foundational to building strength and maintaining mobility as you age.

His Top 5 Exercises for Longevity:

Deep squat

Deadlift

Shoulder press

Bench press

Pull-ups & dips

Christopher believes exercises like the leg press and lat pulldown do not provide the same results as compound movements, and it’s important to learn proper technique to maximize benefits and prevent injury.

4 | Training Recommendations for People Over 50:

Christopher emphasized that people in their 50s and beyond can still train hard, but they should make two key adjustments:

Lower Volume: For example, instead of doing 5 sets of 8 pull-ups like in your 20s, you could do 2 sets of 10 or one set to failure. He suggests finding what works best for your body but stresses the importance of reducing volume as you age.

More Rest Days: Allowing for more recovery is critical. Christopher mentioned that taking an extra rest day here and there can result in better progress. “When I take that extra rest day, I can push myself harder the next day, which leads to breakthroughs.”

5 | Strong Mindset and Physical Presence:

Christopher credits much of his success to a strong mindset, which he says helps him maintain discipline in his fitness journey. He believes that physical presence plays a crucial role in how others perceive you. “When I walk into a room, I want people to see that I’m disciplined, that I can look after myself, and that I’m a leader.”

He also emphasized that fitness improves all areas of life: mental clarity, relationships, family, and even finances. “Everything works better when I’m fit.”

6 | Health Hacks and Biomarker Tracking:

Interestingly, Christopher does not track biomarkers like testosterone, cholesterol, or vitamins but instead listens to his body. He claims to be highly attuned to changes in energy, vitality, and libido, and uses that as his guide.

Two major health hacks he uses:

Regular Blood Donation: Christopher donates blood quarterly as a way to manage iron levels, specifically ferritin, which can accumulate in men over 40 and lead to health problems. He recommended the book “Dumping Iron” by PD Mangan for more details and explained that regular blood donation is an effective way to lower iron levels and prevent related health risks.

Grounding: Christopher practices “grounding” or walking barefoot on natural surfaces like grass or dirt. He believes this helps him connect with the earth’s negative charge, something humans have lost since the introduction of rubber and plastic in footwear. He tries to walk 5,000 steps a day barefoot, especially on soccer fields during the spring and summer.

7 | Injury Prevention:

As someone who has trained consistently for decades, Christopher highlighted the importance of injury prevention, especially as we age. He suggests starting workouts with basic stretches like split squats, arm circles, and air squats, followed by lighter weights to warm up before progressing to working weights.

He also shared his approach to injury recovery, stating that even when injured, it’s crucial to keep the body moving. For example, if you hurt your back, performing light, high-rep deadlifts can promote healing by increasing blood flow to the area.

Final Thoughts on Aging:

Christopher concluded by emphasizing the importance of maintaining health and fitness as a way to avoid being a burden on family as we age. “We don’t want to end up needing help getting on and off the toilet,” he said candidly, stressing the goal of having as many good years as possible and ensuring independence for as long as possible.

This session with Chris provided tons of valuable advice from someone who has walked the walk for decades. Christopher’s dedication, practical recommendations, and inspiring mindset gave us tons to think about as we pursue our own fitness journeys.