{"id":657029,"date":"2026-10-25T22:28:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-25T22:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/657029\/"},"modified":"2026-10-25T22:28:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-25T22:28:38","slug":"mark-felix-60-is-still-one-of-the-worlds-strongest-men-his-training-rules-for-staying-strong-as-you-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/657029\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Felix, 60, Is Still One of the World\u2019s Strongest Men \u2013 His Training Rules for Staying Strong as You Age"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mark Felix<\/a> is a man who turned 60 this year. He\u2019s also one of the world\u2019s strongest men.<\/p>\n

Those are two sentences that don\u2019t sound like they belong together. But far from drifting gently towards his twilight years, Grenadian-born English strongman Felix is still breaking world records involving close to half a tonne of weights.<\/p>\n

At the Giants Live<\/a> World Tour Finals this weekend, the strongman reclaimed the Hercules Hold world record with a time of 103.81 seconds. Athlete Eddie Williams had only just broken Felix\u2019s previous best earlier that evening, holding on for 94.50 seconds. Felix stepped up and added more than nine seconds to the new benchmark, snatching the record back from the Australian, almost 25 years his junior.<\/p>\n

For the uninitiated, the Hercules Hold involves standing between two enormous leaning pillars, taking a handle in each hand and holding on for dear life to prevent the whole arrangement from collapsing outwards for as long as possible. Giants Live listed the load as 200kg. That’s 200kg, per hand.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s tempting to watch something like this, chalk it up to freakish strength and carry on scrolling. And, to be fair, Felix is a phenom. But look back through his approach to training and there\u2019s plenty of good intel for the rest of us who would simply like to keep getting stronger, for longer.<\/p>\n

Before he was a fixture on our screens at World\u2019s Strongest Man, Felix was a bodybuilder. He didn’t enter strongman until his late thirties, after his local gym owner suggested he give a competition a go.<\/p>\n

\u2018He invited me to make up the numbers,\u2019 Felix recalled in 2022. He finished third.<\/p>\n

Speaking previously about his training, he outlined a week split between legs, shoulders and chest, cardio, back, overhead lifting and event practice. Alongside the specialist strongman lifts were plenty of movements you\u2019ll recognise from your own programme: squats<\/a>, presses<\/a>, rows<\/a>, pull-ups<\/a> and deadlifts<\/a>, all simply built around progressively heavier sets of five.<\/p>\n

5×5<\/a> methods are one of the most time-tested ways to build both strength and size, treading the line between being an out-and-out strength-building method and a full-on bodybuilding approach. Felix\u2019s raw strength and gargantuan physique are testament to this.<\/p>\n

Adapting Training with Age<\/p>\n

In recent years, Felix has described a broader approach to training as he ages.<\/p>\n

He’s also prepared to give himself more recovery when the work demands it.<\/p>\n

\u2018If I need a day off, I\u2019ll take one,\u2019 he has said. \u2018If that\u2019s what I need to recover, I do it.\u2019<\/p>\n

For those of us fitting training around work, family and everything else, that bit of tactical grace is worth taking on board. Your programme needs enough flexibility to accommodate the weeks when you\u2019re sleeping badly, working late or simply struggling to recover between sessions. Sustainable beats optimal when optimal isn\u2019t sustainable.<\/p>\n

In a previous interview, Felix summed up his approach to staying in the game for as long as possible rather neatly: \u2018Quick fixes don\u2019t last, respect your body and take your time.\u2019<\/p>\n

His training now offers a few useful lessons for anyone hoping to keep lifting for decades.<\/p>\n

First, give yourself time to get ready. Felix explained in a previous interview: \u2018When you get older, you have to do a lot more warming-up than some of the young guys.\u2019 He has also described adding more mobility and targeted warm-ups as he\u2019s aged. The practical takeaway: preparation is as important as executing the heavy stuff. Don’t be tempted to skip straight to your working weights.<\/p>\n

Second, leave room to adjust. In an MST Systems training video<\/a>, Felix cuts a yoke run short when a recurring hip problem flares up. \u2018It\u2019s too sore,\u2019 he says. The planned steeplechase gets shelved, too. Being capable of lifting something doesn\u2019t mean today is the day to prove it.<\/p>\n

Third, get another pair of eyes on your training. Felix credits MST coach Shane Jerman<\/a> with keeping him competitive: \u2018If it wasn\u2019t for Shane, I don\u2019t think I\u2019d be doing what I\u2019m doing at the moment.\u2019<\/p>\n

Finally, give progress time. On Eddie Hall\u2019s The Good, The Bad and The Beast podcast<\/a>, he cautions that aspiring strongmen \u2018want too much too soon\u2019. His advice: \u2018Just take your time, train right. If you [can] get a coach, get a coach.\u2019<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an approach that has Felix reconsidering his planned retirement at 60. Asked by Hall whether he\u2019ll still stop, he replies: \u2018Maybe not. See, like I say, I just listen to my body. I\u2019m going to just see how my body feel.\u2019<\/p>\n