Forget slowing down. From Hyrox warriors in their 60s to marathoners in their 70s, today’s older adults are proving that peak performance isn’t age-dependent — it’s belief-dependent.
When Helen Thompson did her first pull-up at the age of 63, she didn’t expect it to lead to national television. But two years later, she was on a stage few people — at any age — dare to tread: Australia’s Ninja Warrior. “My grandkids think I’m cool. That’s new,” she laughed in a recent interview with The Guardian.
Helen’s story, which resonated widely after it was published by The Guardian in May 2025, isn’t an anomaly. It’s part of a growing movement — a cohort of older adults who are rewriting what it means to age. From competing in Hyrox in Hamburg to powerlifting in Penrith, the image of a later-life athlete is no longer a novelty. It’s becoming normal.
The Surge of Strength: Older Adults and Athleticism
We’re witnessing a societal shift — a rejection of the outdated assumption that aging means decline. Today, more Australians over 50 are taking up endurance sports, joining gyms, competing in Masters events, or simply moving with intent and purpose.
A 2024 feature by SBS Australia, “Fit and Fearless: The New Face of Older Female Athletes,” highlighted this transformation. One standout was 66-year-old triathlete Joan Llewellyn, who said, “I’m not chasing my youth. I’m proving to myself I’m not done.”
In the same feature, sports psychologist and author Dr. Lara Munro noted, “We’ve long underestimated what older bodies — and minds — are capable of. It’s time to rethink everything.”
From Decline to Design: The Science of Aging Strong
It’s not just cultural winds shifting — sports science is now firmly on the side of the late bloomers. In 2021, the British Medical Journal published “Vital Signs: Why Muscle Mass Matters in Midlife”, a study that rewrote the biological rulebook. The report found that older adults — particularly those in their 60’s and 70’s — can still gain muscle, power, and metabolic health through resistance training. In other words, aging doesn’t inherently cause frailty; disuse does.
Dr. Amy Chen, a researcher at the Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney, stated in a recent report: “Muscle doesn’t know how old you are. It only knows whether it’s being challenged.”
Muscle is more than strength. It’s medicine. The Vital Signs report noted that maintaining lean mass helps prevent falls, regulates blood sugar, improves cognitive function, and reduces inflammatory markers. These outcomes are vital not just for performance, but for daily independence and longevity. That message is echoed by La Trobe University’s Active Ageing Research Group. Their 2022 study on power training in older adults found that short, high-intensity exercises such as box step-ups or fast squats improved balance and reduced fall risk by up to 48% in participants over 65.
Lead author Dr. Matthew Wong said, “It’s not about becoming elite. It’s about extending the quality of life — and for many, that means feeling capable again.”
Rewiring the Mind: Belief Drives Biology
But strength isn’t just about tissue. It’s about mindset.
Budda apparently once said, ““To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”
Helen, our 63-year-old Ninja warrior has a quote taped to her fridge door that says “The body forgets limitations when the mind believes otherwise.” And research supports it. A 2022 meta-analysis from the Australian Institute of Sport found that self-efficacy — belief in one’s ability — was one of the strongest predictors of athletic improvement among older adults, stronger even than baseline fitness.
This suggests a psychological paradox: people perform better when they believe they can, and they believe they can once they start to perform.
It’s the positive feedback loop no one talks about — a loop many discover accidentally through a 3kg dumbbell, a yoga mat, or a long walk that turned into a habit.
The Social Circuit: Community and Confidence
One of the most powerful drivers behind this wave isn’t competition — it’s connection.
Gyms and sporting clubs, often once alienating for older adults, are starting to open their doors more widely. Across Australia, community-based fitness initiatives aimed at the 50+ demographic are growing rapidly.
Organisations like Live Life Active in Victoria and GOGO Health in New South Wales have doubled their memberships since 2020. Their secret? Low-pressure, high-connection environments where older people feel seen and supported. These communities are often intergenerational too. Many adult children are joining their parents for park runs or weekend hikes, fostering bonds that go beyond blood. This movement is also rebranding what older adulthood looks like — with humour, grit, and a healthy dose of rebellion.
Social media has given rise to stars like @GrannyGains and @OldManMoves, influencers in their 60s and 70s documenting their training routines, falls, recoveries, and small wins.
“I started lifting weights to avoid a hip replacement,” one joked in a recent video. “Now I’m outlifting my son-in-law — which is worth more than any medal.”
Fitness brands are catching on too. Lorna Jane, 2XU, and even Nike have featured athletes in their 50s and 60s in new campaigns.
The Practical Path: How to Begin — and Sustain — Later-Life Fitness
But not every mid-lifer is taking their health seriously or pro-actively. Ageism — both internalised and societal — remains a stubborn obstacle. A 2023 study by the University of Queensland found that 67% of adults over 55 believe they are “too old” to start strength training, despite medical evidence to the contrary.
Media representation doesn’t help. As Dr. Lara Munro puts it, “We’ve been fed an image of aging as passive and inevitable. We need new role models — and thankfully, we now have thousands.”
Starting a fitness journey after 50 doesn’t require past athletic history or a high-performance mindset. It requires:
- A safe entry point: bodyweight movements, water-based exercise, or low-impact strength training
- Consistency over intensity: short, regular sessions are more effective than occasional extremes
- Balance and power emphasis: especially for fall prevention and mobility
- Professional guidance: exercise physiologists or strength coaches experienced with older clients can tailor safe programs
Dr. Kate Morris of Monash University advises, “Don’t think in terms of transformation. Think in terms of momentum. If you’re moving more today than yesterday, you’re already winning.”
For some, movement leads to medals. The Australian Masters Games have seen record participation in recent years, with entire events now created for 70+ and even 80+ categories.
But many athletes aren’t in it for podiums. Their victories are smaller — and often more meaningful:
- Standing up from the floor without assistance
- Carrying shopping bags without back pain
- Dancing at a wedding without fatigue
- Feeling proud in front of their kids and grandkids
As one participant put it: “My PB isn’t a personal best. It’s a personal breakthrough.”
Lessons from the Field: What Later-Life Athletes Teach Us
- Start Anywhere, Anytime: It’s never too late. The first step — or rep — is the hardest.
- Train for Life, Not Vanity: Strength means independence, not six-pack abs.
- Mind Over Matter: Your self-image can be more powerful than your muscle mass.
- Community Beats Competition: You don’t need to win — you just need to belong.
- Age is a Number — And a Lie: You’re only “too old” if you believe it.
As Muhammad Ali once said, “Age is whatever you think it is. You’re as old as you think you are.”
Aging is no longer the great decline. It’s the great reveal — of your grit, of your humour, of your strength. You don’t need to be a ninja warrior to prove it. But if you happen to become one at 65?
Even better.
Because the barbell doesn’t care about your birth year. The finish line doesn’t ask your age. And your body? It’s ready to rise.
There’s a reason the podcast Don’t Let the Old Man In resonates with thousands of men in their 50s. It speaks to the quiet war many fight against obsolescence, irrelevance, and a determination to navigate life’s crossroads with clarity and confidence. And likewise, if you’re reading this, you haven’t given up. You’re still curious. Maya Angelou once said, “If you’re always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.” Midlife career change isn’t about being extraordinary. It’s about being aligned—with yourself.
Pod O’Sullivan is the host of the Don’t Let the Old Man In podcast. Listen on YouTube, Apple, Spotify or wherever you tune in. Find more thoughts on living gracefully (and disgracefully) in the second half of life at The Wisdom Vault, on LinkedIn, Substack and even (!) Instagram.
