Ageless Athlete — Healthy Aging for a Strong, Capable Life

Joe Friel is back.
At 82, Joe is still training, still lifting, and still paying close attention to what aging actually does to an athlete’s body. In our first conversation, we talked about the moment the old rules stop working. This time, we go deeper into what to do next.
Joe explains why sleep may be the first place to look, why consistency in the gym matters more than heroic workouts, why fast-twitch power fades, and why VO2 max is not just about racing — it is about staying capable for life. This is a practical conversation about training after 50, but it is also a warning: the mistakes you could get away with in your 20s and 30s start costing more as you age. Joe’s upated book, Fast After 50, is one of the essential reads for athletes who want to keep training and racing strong as they age. 
Joe dispenses so much wisdom with candor and clarity. Don't miss this one! 
For more conversations and essays on strength, recovery, longevity, and staying capable after 40, subscribe to the free Ageless Athlete newsletter. 
Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek
Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE
Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete
Project Candor: Ordinary People. Unexpected Stories
How a dog taught Dr. Andy Neillie to lead. You don't have to be famous to be fascinating.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Ageless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.
Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.

📺 Watch on Youtube! 
Twenty years ago, Kit DesLauriers skied from the summit of Everest, completing her goal of becoming the first person to ski the Seven Summits. Today, at 56, she’s still asking a compelling question: how do you stay strong and capable enough to keep doing the things you love as you get older?
A two-time World Freeskiing Champion, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Famer, Kit joins me to talk about strength, fear, big goals, parenting, non-attachment — and why she believes her best decades are still ahead.
Kit:
Website: https://kitdeslauriers.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kitdski/
Read Kit's wonderful memoir: Higher Love: Skiing the Seven Summits
Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek
Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE
Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete
Project Candor: Ordinary People. Unexpected Stories
How a dog taught Dr. Andy Neillie to lead. You don't have to be famous to be fascinating.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Ageless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.
Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.

📺 Watch on Youtube! 
Dr. Belinda Beck has spent much of her career studying a part of the body most active people barely think about until something goes wrong: bone.
We train our muscles.
We train our cardiovascular systems.
But are we actually giving our bones the stimulus they need to remain strong across decades?
In this episode, Belinda explains why simply “being active” does not necessarily mean you are training your bones effectively.
Dr. Belinda Beck is a professor at Griffith University and Director of The Bone Clinic in Australia. Her research and clinical work focus on bone health, osteoporosis, bone stress injury, and the effects of exercise.
Explore The Bone Clinic, ONERO® Academy, The Bone Clinic on Facebook

Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek
Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE
Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete
Project Candor: Ordinary People. Unexpected Stories
How a dog taught Dr. Andy Neillie to lead. You don't have to be famous to be fascinating.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Ageless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.
Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.

📺 Watch on Youtube! 
Dean Potter once called Timmy O’Neill his “secret weapon.”
With Dean back in the spotlight through Dark Wizard, I went back to this conversation with Timmy — and realized how much of it deserves to be heard again.
Timmy shares stories from their extraordinary years climbing together in Yosemite, but this conversation goes somewhere deeper: how our relationship with risk changes as we age, why Timmy fears not living more than dying, and his idea of cultivating a “life wish” — even if you’re not a climber or adventure athlete.
We also talk about aging, play, family, loss, adaptive climbing, and finding the things that make you feel truly alive. One of my favorites. Enjoy! 
Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek
Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE
Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete
Project Candor: Ordinary People. Unexpected Stories
How a dog taught Dr. Andy Neillie to lead. You don't have to be famous to be fascinating.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Ageless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.
Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.

📺 Watch on Youtube!
At 82, Cherie Gruenfeld is still racing IRONMAN. She’s a 14-time world champion and is considered a GOAT of the sport. Wildly, she didn’t even start running until 42 or triathlon until 48. 
Her lesson after four decades of training: if you want to preserve strength, power, and muscle as you age, you can’t keep training the way you did when you were younger. We talk about what Cherie does differently now and, the mindset behind performing into your 80s 
More about Cherie: https://cheriegruenfeld.com/. She also founded Exceeding Expectations, which uses triathlon, mentoring, and education to help at-risk kids build a different future. Consider supporting their excellent work: Exceeding Expectations

Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek
Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE
Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete
Project Candor: Ordinary People. Unexpected Stories
How a dog taught Dr. Andy Neillie to lead. You don't have to be famous to be fascinating.
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Ageless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older.
Follow Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life for new episodes each week.