![\"Men's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/\/28af0dbd-7311-4edd-837d-f10165737229.jpg\")
<\/p>\nI\u2019m attempting to match the midlife workout of the former international footballer Rio Ferdinand and, frankly, I\u2019m in some distress. The first set of pull-ups went reasonably well, the second was tricky and the third had me wondering if I\u2019ll be able to dress myself tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Ferdinand, 47, is the latest cover star of Men\u2019s Health magazine and, without tastelessly dwelling on his aesthetics, he\u2019s in impeccable, ripped and muscular shape. What you can see is effectively a bigger, stronger version of his younger self, not so lean it looks as though he\u2019s drained life of all joy and not so big he\u2019ll need to contact The Rock\u2019s tailor for his formal wear. He looks exactly the way most of us aspire to look.<\/p>\n
I consider anyone who battles with the ageing process through natural means to be on my team. Former elite athletes are particularly fascinating because they show what\u2019s possible with a strong foundation. I turned 62 just as Ferdinand\u2019s shoot hit the newsstands and, as a lifetime amateur fitness freak, I knew I was going to have to try it regardless of the effect on my self-esteem.<\/p>\n
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Ferdinand is the magazine\u2019s latest cover star<\/p>\n
PA<\/p>\n
His Men\u2019s Health video, shot in a Dubai gym, starts with Ferdinand\u2019s bench press, which he rightly describes as the ego move. There was a time when \u201cwhat do you bench?\u201d was the password to the machismo gym bro club and some silly immature part of me will always want to impress the stronger guys (and girls) with my prowess.<\/p>\n
In this case, the stronger guy is 6ft 2in Ferdinand. I\u2019m 5ft 7in and almost old enough to be his dad. Ferdinand performs three sets of five repetitions at 100kg. For me 100kg is as achievable as levitation. I manage three sets of 70kg, by which I mean probably two and a half. The mind does strange things when counting under pressure.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Rio Ferdinand: Britain is too squeamish about success<\/a><\/p>\n The next challenge is the pull-ups. In the video he rightly says that pull-ups reveal the fitness fake. Lifting yourself up to the bar engages most of your upper body, requires grip strength and will reveal any weight gain as you struggle. I\u2019m inordinately proud of my pull-ups: I do them in the gym, in the park and occasionally on scaffolding when no one\u2019s looking. Today, though, I\u2019m reminded of my limitations. Ferdinand does three sets of ten as a way of checking in on his health. My check-in went: first set, ten; second set, seven; third set, three, some waiting around and swearing under my breath, followed by another three with a desperate facial expression.<\/p>\n The former defender then goes on to talk press-ups in the most intimidating manner possible. Press-ups are very achievable until they\u2019re not. His routine is 150 in sets of 25. My first three sets are fast: form is good, back straight, elbows in. Then everything begins to slide. Once your chest and triceps start to fatigue it\u2019s hard to pull them back into line. By the final set a strange melancholy has overtaken me and I\u2019m doing a lot of lying down.<\/p>\n Then come incline dumbbell rows. These are clever: they hit the lats, the muscles on the side of your body. They are performed on an inclined bench. I manage three sets and feel them immediately as they are completely unfamiliar. They are followed by lateral lunges \u2014 another new one for me. This involves a kettlebell held centrally and a sideways lunge. Anything sideways is great for the older gentleman: stability and mobility fade as you age unless, like Ferdinand, you do something about it.<\/p>\n \u2022 Read more expert advice on healthy living, fitness and wellbeing<\/a><\/p>\n Finally the magazine shows the former England player on the battle ropes. These are easily the most Game of Thrones piece of equipment in the gym. Johan Venter, general manager at Gymbox in Finsbury Park, says: \u201cUsed in short, powerful bursts, battle ropes train the ability to produce force repeatedly, which carries over far better to real-life movement and sport than endless steady cardio.\u201d <\/p>\n I can confirm they are instantly shattering. You sit low on an imaginary bar stool, flick your wrists and watch the cables curl satisfingly in front of you. Ropes are tremendous to handle. Every Battle of Trafalgar\/Pirates of the Caribbean fantasy can be fulfilled in the safety of the gym\u2026 for about 10 seconds. Then they become unbearable. Venter recommends 20 seconds\u2019 work to 40 seconds\u2019 rest, alternate waves, focusing on strong posture, soft knees and driving from the hip over eight to ten rounds.<\/p>\n There is something truly inspiring about someone who devoted their life to extreme training and the discipline of early mornings and restricted diet, and now, when they have the chance to relax, they train harder. Rio, it was an absolute pleasure to be thrashed and humiliated by you.
Thanks to Gymbox Finsbury Park (gymbox.com<\/a>). Men\u2019s Health is out now<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019m attempting to match the midlife workout of the former international footballer Rio Ferdinand and, frankly, I\u2019m in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":467240,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,407,84],"class_list":["post-467239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fitness","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=467239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/467239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/467240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=467239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=467239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=467239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}