67-Year-Olds Lifting and Moving Better Than 27-Year-Olds: Now That’s Legendary

During a recent Squad session at SHAPE, one of my clients said to me,
“Not bad for a 67-year-old, right?”

My response?
“Not bad for a 27-year-old.”

And I meant it.

They had just ground through an hour of intense training—squatting, pressing weights overhead, crawling, breathing hard. They showed great effort, solid technique, and zero complaints.

Every morning at SHAPE, you’ll see Squads of 3–4 people doing the same thing: moving well, working hard, and showing up for themselves and each other. For those of us who’ve dedicated our lives to building this space, it’s a powerful thing to witness.

SHAPE was created to bring coaches and clients together to improve the quality of living in our community through strength training.

One of the most valuable groups in that community is our Legends. They don’t always love the nickname—but they earn it every day.

If I told you what our Legends trained on any given day, you’d probably think,
“That sounds just like my Squad workout.”

Because it is.

Training for Longevity & Healthspan

Here’s the truth: we train our Legends much like the rest of SHAPE Nation because whether you’re 67 or 27, strength, power, and quality movement are non-negotiable if you want to live well for a long time.

That brings us to healthspan.

Healthspan refers to the years of life spent healthy, capable, and free from chronic disease. This is very different from lifespan, which simply counts the total years you’re alive—regardless of whether those years are spent moving freely or sitting in a hospital bed.

The average life expectancy in the U.S. is about 78.6 years. The average retirement age is 64.4.

Sounds promising—until you realize the average healthspan in the U.S. is just 66 years.

That leaves many people with a decade or more of life where they’re technically alive… but no longer living well.

So how do you avoid becoming another statistic?

Here are three things that matter most.

3 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Healthspan

1. Strength Train at Least 3x per Week

I’m obligated by the personal trainer code to tell you this: you need to lift weights.

Not because it looks good—but because it works.

Regular strength training can reduce the risk of major chronic diseases by 30–40%. It preserves muscle, protects joints, improves bone density, and keeps you capable as life gets harder—not easier.

This is why we don’t “go easy” on our Legends.

2. Manage Your Energy

Training is the stimulus. Recovery is the adaptation.

You don’t build muscle while lifting—you build it afterward, when your body has the fuel and rest it needs to recover. That means prioritizing sleep and nutrition.

Whole foods, adequate protein, quality carbohydrates, healthy fats—and enough sleep to allow growth hormone that is released overnight to do its job.

At SHAPE, effort is expected. Recovery is respected.

That’s why we provide nutritional support through Macrostax and Thorne supplements.

3. Manage Your Stress

Stress itself isn’t the enemy.

As Viktor Frankl said,

“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal.”

The physical stress of training is eustress—positive, intentional, and necessary.

But unmanaged life stress? That’s a different story.

This is where environment and community matter. Training alongside people who care, who push, who show up—it changes everything. Community isn’t just motivating. It’s protective.

So I’ll ask you:

Are you ready to be legendary?