Sir Rod Stewart is proving that age really is just a number. At 81, the British rock legend still delivers an energetic stage presence that’s stood the test of time – something that wouldn’t be possible without a dedicated, carefully planned training routine.
With 37 dates announced for his 2026 tour, Stewart is gearing up for another demanding year of performances across the US and Europe. He’s more than fit enough to handle it, too, with an indoor swimming pool, gym, golf course and running track all located on his English estate.
‘I keep myself very fit,’ Stewart told AARP. ‘I played soccer all my life – don’t so much anymore, because I had a knee replacement. And I’ve always had a trainer – same guy for 38 years.’
That trainer, Gary O’Connor, works to three key principles when it comes to fitness. ‘You have to look at what’s attainable, what’s repeatable – in other words, it has to be something you can do on a regular basis – and it’s got to be relevant to your lifestyle,’ O’Connor told The Times.
Sir Rod Stewart’s
Underwater Swimming
Stewart’s unconventional pool work traces back to advice from Frank Sinatra, who once told him that strong lungs are built by swimming underwater and holding your breath. Since then, the Maggie May singer has made aquatic training a regular feature of his routine. After consulting with someone from the SBS (Special Boat Service), O’Connor adapted elements of underwater training to suit Stewart.
‘We do a lot of underwater training, where the trainer throws a brick into the pool and I have to dive in, push the brick to the end of the pool, and come up,’ Stewart said. Flippers and rebreather tubes – a closed-circuit diving system that allows him to stay underwater longer by recycling his breath – also feature, though bricks remain a constant. Stewart will tread water holding a brick overhead, retrieve bricks from the bottom of the pool, or move them from the deep end to the shallow end.
‘He really likes doing this because he says it helps his singing. This is all about holding your breath,’ O’Connor explained. ‘We have obstacles and he’s the kind of guy who says, “Time me,” and then tries to beat it. These aren’t just swim sessions – they’re almost military type workouts.’
Chasing a 100m Record
Stewart isn’t training solely for the stage. In 2025, he revealed his ambition to break the 100m world record for his age group. ‘I got it [his 100m time] down to 19 seconds by learning how to push off,’ he said. ‘I’m going to try and do 17 seconds, which I think is a world record for an 80-year-old.’
With American Kenton Brown clocking an extraordinary 14.21 seconds at the 2024 Nevada Senior Games, Stewart would need to make significant gains to become the fastest ever in the 80-plus category. His private track certainly helps, while O’Connor regularly has him running on a treadmill under medical supervision. ‘I work with a definitive maximum heart rate rather than a calculated one,’ he said.
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Pre-Show Warm-Up
Performing for two hours on stage multiple times a week would be demanding for anyone, let alone someone in their 80s. Stewart understands the importance of preparation and sticks to a thorough pre-show warm-up to stay consistent night after night.
‘I’ll do my vocal warm-up, which takes half an hour, and ride a stationary bike to pump my legs up,’ Stewart said. O’Connor then adds deep-tissue massage, percussion therapy and a full-body mobility routine to loosen him up. The bike work, meanwhile, is short and intense.
‘We’ll do perhaps three to five one-minute pushes out of the saddle just to pump your thighs up so that you feel ready to go,’ O’Connor added.
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Ryan is a Senior Writer at Men’s 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.
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.
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 – 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…
You can follow Ryan on Instagram @ryan.dabbs or on X @ryandabbs_