October 5, 2026 · Blog

Stop Training Just for Today: Train for Your 70-Year-Old Self

When most people think about their training goals, they tend to think about the next few months. Lose a few kilos. Get stronger. Improve fitness. Feel better in your clothes. All worthwhile goals.

But there’s another question worth asking: what do you want your body to still be capable of when you’re 70?

Getting down on the floor and back up again. Carrying your own luggage through an airport. Climbing stairs without needing to stop. Playing with your grandchildren. Going hiking on holidays. Maintaining your balance if you trip or stumble.

If you want to keep doing these things as you get older, some of the training you’re doing today should be preparing you for exactly that.

Longevity isn’t just about living longer

There’s a lot of discussion in the fitness industry about “longevity”. Supplements, wearables, recovery technology and various biohacks get plenty of attention.

But one of the most important parts of healthy ageing is much simpler: maintain as much physical capacity as you can. Strength. Muscle. Cardiovascular fitness. Power. Mobility. Balance.

These aren’t just athletic qualities. They’re what allow us to remain physically capable and independent. And we don’t automatically keep them. Muscle mass, strength, power and aerobic capacity can all decline as we age, particularly when we don’t give our bodies a reason to maintain them.

Build a bigger physical reserve

Think about strength and fitness as a reserve. If climbing a flight of stairs requires almost everything you’ve got, stairs become difficult. If it only requires a small percentage of your physical capacity, they’re easy.

The same applies to carrying groceries, getting out of a chair, lifting something from the ground or walking up a hill.

That’s one of the reasons getting stronger matters. You’re not necessarily training because you need to squat, deadlift or press a particular number. You’re building enough capacity that the physical demands of everyday life remain comfortably below your maximum.

It’s more than strength

Strength training is a huge part of the equation, but it isn’t the entire equation.

Good training should help develop strength and muscle to lift and carry, power to react quickly, cardiovascular fitness to keep moving, and balance, coordination and mobility to move confidently.

You don’t need a complicated program for every quality. Well-structured training can develop them together.

Work backwards from the person you want to still be

Instead of only asking “what result do I want in the next 12 weeks?”, occasionally zoom out. Think about yourself at 60, 70 or 80. What would you still like to be doing? Then consider what physical qualities that version of you will need.

If you want to travel, you’ll need the capacity to walk, climb stairs and carry bags. If you want to play with grandchildren, you’ll need strength, mobility and the ability to comfortably get down to the ground and back up. If you want to keep playing golf, cycling, hiking or gardening, you’ll need enough strength and fitness to keep those activities enjoyable.

The training you’re doing now is an investment in that future capacity. You don’t need to train like an athlete. You just need to keep giving your body a reason to remain strong, fit and capable.

Keep reading

If you’d like help building a program that keeps you strong, capable and independent for decades to come, start with our Jump Start program or get in touch with our South Melbourne team.