{"id":728883,"date":"2026-06-11T04:14:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T04:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/728883\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T04:14:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T04:14:15","slug":"how-gary-lineker-maintains-his-physique-at-65-with-simple-fitness-habits-and-one-meal-a-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/728883\/","title":{"rendered":"How Gary Lineker Maintains His Physique at 65 \u2013\u00a0with Simple Fitness Habits and One Meal a Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Keeping up with his ever-growing media empire is no easy task, but Gary Lineker <\/a>has proven throughout his three distinct careers that he has the physical fitness and mental resilience to do so.<\/p>\n

The 64-year-old retired from professional football in 1994, but has stayed in impressive shape<\/a> ever since. He famously presented the first Match of the Day episode of the 2016\/17 season in nothing but his underwear after promising to do so if Leicester City won the Premier League. They duly did, and Lineker duly showed off his impressive physique.<\/p>\n

Not that he altered his training too much in preparation for the show. While he cut calories to lean down slightly, Lineker largely stuck to the same exercise routine he’d been following for years. Nearly a decade later, it’s an approach he continues to follow today \u2013 even if he doesn’t particularly enjoy it.<\/p>\n

The Rest Is… Fitness<\/p>\n

\u2018I always do the gym on Monday mornings,\u2019 Lineker told the Evening Standard<\/a>. \u2018I work out 3 or 4 times a week and do Pilates<\/a> as well. I think the older you get, the more you need to do really.<\/p>\n

\u2018I think it’s quite easy in midlife to just give up when you start seeing the waistline expand a little bit.\u2019<\/p>\n

Lineker admits he’s never been someone who loves training for training’s sake.<\/p>\n

\u2018It’s funny \u2013 I hate training. I’ve never liked it in my entire life, but I like it even less when I miss it because I think it’s important. But I do love the feeling afterwards, in the shower, thinking you’ve actually done it.\u2019<\/p>\n

His passion for Pilates has grown in recent years, with Life Body Studio<\/a> revealing that he’s been attending sessions for more than 5 years. His London home is also equipped with a treadmill, weights, an exercise ball and a Kinesis machine, meaning he has few excuses to skip a workout.<\/p>\n

Even though he no longer enjoys cycling<\/a> and can’t run long distances due to old injuries, Lineker continues to find ways to stay active.<\/p>\n

Gary Lineker’s Rules for Healthy Ageing<\/p>\n

Above all else, Lineker understands the importance of movement as he gets older. He’s conscious of making smarter, more active decisions to help offset some of the physical effects of ageing.<\/p>\n

\u2018I just think the older you get, the more you have to apply yourself to fight off the obvious things that happen when you get old,\u2019 he told MH<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He echoed a similar sentiment when speaking to the Swindon Advertiser<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018Try to do as much regular exercise as you can because it helps hold the years back physically and mentally, and there\u2019s really no need to give in to age or accept an expanding belly.<\/p>\n

\u2018Try to burn off what you take in food-wise, even if it\u2019s just walking instead of taking the car and doing at least 1 gym session a week.\u2019<\/p>\n

Why He Eats One Meal a Day<\/p>\n

Lineker also pays close attention to his diet, opting for a one-meal-a-day<\/a> (OMAD) approach.<\/p>\n

\u2018I only really eat one major meal a day,\u2019 he told the Evening Standard. \u2018Breakfast I don\u2019t eat, and then I\u2019ll either pick in the evening if I\u2019ve had lunch, or pick in the daytime, with nuts and fruits.\u2019<\/p>\n

There’s no magic formula behind OMAD. A 2022 study<\/a> found that intermittent fasting is no more effective for weight loss than non-time-restricted eating. Similarly, a review<\/a> published in the Annual Review of Nutrition concluded that most intermittent fasting protocols can produce weight loss, but largely because they help reduce overall calorie intake.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, whether you’re following OMAD or a more traditional eating pattern, the same principle applies: consistently consume more calories than you burn and you’ll gain weight; consume fewer and you’ll lose it. <\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one thing Kori Sampson knows, it\u2019s how to optimise your body composition for performance. To tap into his knowledge as an elite athlete and coach, we asked him to create a 4-week plan to help you move faster, recover quicker and keep pushing when the fatigue sets in \u2013 all while improving your muscle-to-fat ratio.<\/p>\n

Ready to build muscle, burn fat and come out the other side looking, feeling and performing better? Click here<\/a> to get 14 days of free access to the plan via the Men\u2019s Health app.<\/p>\n

\"fitness\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men\u2019s Health UK with a passion for storytelling, health and fitness. Having graduated from Cardiff University in 2020, and later obtaining his NCTJ qualification, Ryan started his career as a Trainee News Writer for sports titles Golf Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Rugby World before progressing to Staff Writer and subsequently Senior Writer with football magazine FourFourTwo.<\/p>\n

During his two-and-a-half years there he wrote news stories for the website and features for the magazine, while he also interviewed names such as Les Ferdinand, Ally McCoist, Jamie Redknapp and Antonio Rudiger, among many others. His standout memory, though, came when getting the opportunity to speak to then-Plymouth Argyle manager Steven Schumacher as the club won League One in 2023.<\/p>\n

Having grown up a keen footballer and playing for his boyhood side until the age of 16, Ryan got the opportunity to represent Northern Ireland national futsal team eight times, scoring three goals against England, Scotland and Gibraltar. Now past his peak, Ryan prefers to mix weightlifting with running \u2013 he achieved a marathon PB of 3:31:49 at Manchester in April 2025, but credits the heat for failing to get below the coveted 3:30 mark\u2026<\/p>\n

You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs<\/a> or on X @ryandabbs_<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n