At 56, athlete and coach Andrea Sunshine brings serious intensity to the gym. ‘I feel unstoppable – focused, strong and determined,’ she said, revealing she trains for up to six hours a day, with a heavy focus on strength work.
She’s proof that strength and ageing aren’t mutually exclusive. ‘Society quietly tells women to shrink as they age, to become invisible, softer and quieter – but I refuse that narrative,’ the Brazilian PT told The Daily Star.
That consistency shows. ‘My muscle tone and strength feel closer to a woman in her late 30s or early 40s who trains seriously. But the difference is, I’ve been building this body for decades – it isn’t a summer transformation, it’s consistency over a lifetime.’
Andrea favours intense full-body workouts
Her sessions span a wide mix of compound and isolation exercises, hitting multiple muscle groups in a single workout.
In one session, she performs lying dumbbell tricep extensions, cable kickbacks, kneeling cable crunches, machine chest flys and cable pull-throughs to target her glutes, hamstrings and lower back – finishing with a short burst of cardio on the bike.
Upper-body work includes face pulls, cable rows and behind-the-neck kneeling cable pulldowns for her back and shoulders. In full-body sessions, she cycles through bicycle crunches, inner-thigh adductions and dumbbell lateral raises. ‘Up to six hours training. When you’re enjoying what you do, you forget the time,’ she captioned one video.
One barbell-based workout features Smith machine back squats and conventional bench presses, alongside a variation with her knees and hips bent at 90 degrees to increase core engagement.
She also prioritises core work, including reverse crunches and stability ball exercises, and has recently dedicated entire sessions to glute training. ‘The glutes are hardest muscle to sculpt after 50,’ she said. ‘I train four hours a day. I want results.’
Typically, she starts with cardio before moving into strength work, gradually increasing intensity and duration as endurance builds.
Her training is driven by more than aesthetics
Andrea says her motivation goes beyond appearance. ‘I train because I respect my body, and because I want to walk into every room at 55, 65, 75 and feel powerful,’ she told The Daily Star. ‘Fitness isn’t about looking younger – it’s about refusing to disappear.’
For her, training is also a form of defiance. ‘Staying sculpted is my rebellion – it’s my statement that maturity doesn’t mean decline,’ she told What’s the Jam. ‘People are usually shocked when I say I’m 56. Some think I’m in my early 40s, some even say late 30s. But I don’t take it as vanity – I take it as proof that discipline works.’
She also uses exercise to manage the realities of midlife. ‘Menopause doesn’t happen in a straight line. Some days your body responds. Some days it doesn’t,’ she wrote. ‘I trained through hormonal chaos, emotional imbalance, and days where nothing seemed to work—not to chase youth, but to stay connected to who I am.’
On a more personal level, training helps her process difficult experiences. Movement allows her to ‘channel rage, frustration and sorrow’ and turn ‘trauma into motion’. ‘It’s not about the suffering itself; it’s about what you learn from it. Challenges have a way of teaching us what we’re truly capable of,’ she said.
Try this beginner-friendly 30-minute gym workout
If you’re inspired by Andrea’s approach, try this six-move, 30-minute workout designed by PT Andy Vincent once a week.
Do: 3 circuits, moving from exercise 1 to 6
Rest: 1-2 minutes between rounds
Focus: Control each rep and target the working muscles
1. Dumbbell lunge
Works: glutes, quads, hamstrings
Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand.Step forwards into a lunge on your left leg. Hold for a beat.Push off your left leg to return to the starting position and repeat. Do 10 reps per leg.
2. Renegade row
Works: abs, shoulders
With a kettlebell in one hand, start in a high plank position, keeping your pelvis as stable as possible and hips lifted.Row your right arm back without twisting your shoulders, keeping your elbows tucked in to engage your lats.End with your wrist by your hip, then lower the kettlebell back to the floor.Repeat for 10 reps, then switch sides.
3. Romanian deadlift
Works: core, hamstrings
Hold a dumbbell in each hand, keep your knees slightly bent, your back straight and your core engaged.Hinge forwards at the hips, keeping your upper back and arms straight so the dumbbells lower directly in front of your legs. Hold for 3 secs then return to the starting position by squeezing your glutes and pushing your hips forward (remember to keep your back straight). Do 10 reps per leg.
4. Floor press
Works: shoulders, triceps
Lying on your back, hold two dumbbells in each hand in front of your shoulders. Tuck your pelvis under and keep your core tight.Push the dumbbells overhead, holding your wrists strong. Then reverse to the starting position. Do 10 reps.
5. Goblet squat
Works: hip flexors, quads, lats, calves, glutes, hamstrings
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a dumbbell by its head in front of your chest, elbows down.Push your hips back, keep your back straight and torso forward, and bend your knees to lower into a squat, elbows brushing the insides of your knees. Hold for 3 secs then push yourself back up. That’s one rep. Do 20.
This demonstration is shown using a kettlebell. Both a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell is fine for this exercise.
6. Russian twist with kettlebell
Works: core, abs
Sit on the floor with your ankles together. Hold a kettlebell by its bottom with both hands. Twist your arms to one side so that your torso follows but your back stays straight, clasping the kettlebell firmly.Twist as far as you can so that the kettlebell is nearly touching the floor. Engage your core and twist back through centre and over to the other side. Do 10 reps.Related Stories