The Simple Workout Routine I Stole From People Who Still Look Dangerous at 70

Multi hour-long gym sessions. Periodized programs. Supplements. The whole production. I did all of this.

Then I started paying attention to people who had been fit longer than I'd been alive. And I realized they knew something the research has only recently confirmed:

You don't need much. You just need to do it every day.

The Research That Changes Everything

A 2023 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine analyzed data from over 30 million adults. The findings should make you rethink everything you believe about how much exercise you actually need.

Just 11 minutes of moderate activity per day - 75 minutes per week - was enough to reduce the risk of early death by 23%.

Not two hours. Not even one hour. Eleven minutes.

The same amount of daily movement lowered the risk of heart disease by 17% and cancer by 7%. Researchers estimated that 1 in 10 premature deaths worldwide could be prevented if everyone hit this modest target.

A separate study from The Lancet found that 15 minutes of daily exercise added three years to life expectancy. Every additional 15 minutes beyond that reduced mortality by another 4%.

The people I've observed who age well - the ones who still look strong and capable at 70 - figured this out decades before the studies confirmed it.

What I Saw When I Studied People Who Age Well

I started paying attention to people in their 60s, 70s, and beyond who still looked dangerous. Not frail. Not declining. Capable.

I expected to find intense routines. What I found was the opposite.

Short workouts. Nothing fancy. Daily walks. Bodyweight exercises. Some strength training.

These weren't people who had given up on fitness. These were people who had figured out what actually works across a lifetime. And what works isn't complicated.

It's consistent.

The Pattern That Keeps Showing Up

Every person I've observed who ages well has some version of the same system:

Short daily movement over long occasional sessions. None of them are grinding through multi-hour workouts three times a week. They're moving every single day for short bursts - 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 at most.

The research backs this up. The mortality benefits don't require marathon sessions. They require showing up daily.

Consistency over intensity. They're not trying to destroy themselves. They're trying to show up. Every day. For years. For decades. The compound effect handles the rest.

The 23% mortality reduction doesn't come from crushing it occasionally. It comes from moderate movement done regularly.

Simplicity over optimization. No tracking apps. No complicated progressions. Just the same basic movements, repeated daily, for decades.

This isn't laziness. This is wisdom. They figured out - through decades of living - that the fancy stuff doesn't last. Simple lasts.

Why 10 Minutes Works Better Than You Think

A 10-minute workout sounds almost too easy to matter. But the math tells a different story.

The people who age well aren't doing occasional intense sessions. They're moving a little bit every single day. That adds up.

Ten minutes daily is 70 minutes per week. That's nearly the 75-minute threshold where mortality drops by 23%. Stack a second session or add a walk, and you're well past it.

But here's what really matters: a 10-minute workout has almost no barrier. No commute. No gym. No special clothes. You just start.

When the barrier is that low, you don't skip. When you don't skip, you accumulate weeks, months, years of consistent movement. That consistency is what the research says actually moves the needle on how long - and how well - you live.

The Routine I Stole

After watching how people who age well actually move, I simplified everything when I'm not at the gym:

Day 1 - Full Body: Jumping jacks, squats, push-ups, lunges, plank, mountain climbers. Ten minutes.

Day 2 - Core: Dead bugs, planks, bicycle crunches, side planks, flutter kicks. Ten minutes.

Day 3 - Lower Body: Squats, lunges, glute bridges, wall sits, calf raises. Ten minutes.

Day 4 - Upper Body: Push-ups, tricep dips, pike push-ups, plank shoulder taps, superman pulls. Ten minutes.

Day 5 - Cardio: Jumping jacks, high knees, burpees, mountain climbers, squat jumps. Ten minutes.

Day 6 - Full Body Challenge: Everything combined, moderate pace. Ten minutes.

Day 7 - Active Recovery: Stretching, mobility, deep breathing. Ten minutes.

Any Day - Basic AF Walk: 10–15 minute of walk any time of day. Multiple is best. But is one epic.

No gym. No equipment. Nothing to buy, nowhere to go, no excuse that holds up.

If I have more time, I stack another session. If I have less, I do 5 minutes.

The rule is simple: move every day, even if it's brief.

The Math of Aging Well

The research is clear: you don't need to train like an athlete to live longer. You need to move consistently.

11 minutes a day = 23% lower risk of early death.

15 minutes a day = 3 extra years of life expectancy.

The fittest 70-year-olds I've observed aren't the ones who went hardest in their 30s. They're the ones who never stopped moving.

They didn't burn out. They didn't get injured chasing PRs. They didn't build routines that required perfect conditions to execute.

They built something sustainable. Something simple. Something they could do every single day for the rest of their lives.

The Point

You've been told your whole life that fitness requires suffering. Long sessions. Heavy weights. No pain, no gain.

The research says otherwise. The people who actually age well say otherwise.

You don't need to destroy yourself in the gym. You need 10–15 minutes of movement, done daily, for decades. That's the formula that shows up again and again - in the studies and in the lives of people who stay strong into their 70s and beyond.

Start today. Ten minutes. Anywhere you are.

Do it again tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that.

That's the whole secret. The research confirms it. The people who age well already knew it.

Now you do too.

Never miss a workout again

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This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health practices.