Stephen Lang is still at the peak of his physical powers, performing, training and looking like someone decades his junior. It’s a physique the 74-year-old has honed over his entire adult life, keeping him in top condition.
‘I’m not 20, but that doesn’t mean I’m not as strong and fit and energetic as I can be,’ Lang told Muscle & Fitness.
When he first played villainous Colonel Miles Quaritch in James Cameron’s Avatar, Lang appeared on screen 15kg heavier than he is now. He spent three years training hard in the gym to build that extra muscle and was bench pressingmore than 110kg during high-volume sets.
But while he has lost most of that bulk, Lang still looks just as athletic in his seventies. And there are seven rules he sticks to that help keep him fit and healthy.
1. Consistency
Lang started lifting weights in 1969 as a teenager and hasn’t stopped since. While his training looks vastly different to the heavy compounds he was performing then, Lang still trains at least four times a week – often more if his schedule allows – combining weight training with a variety of activities, including yoga, karate, parkour and kickboxing.
It’s this consistency that helps him stay in shape and remain strong as he ages. He thoroughly enjoys movement and understands its importance for helping him look good and feel good, especially as he gets older.
‘It’s its own kind of meditation,’ he explained. ‘Lifting is a very personal and interior pursuit. And I admit to vanity, but it’s a professional thing, too. I need to look good in my profession. The older I get the more vital it is.’
2. Staying Flexible
If it wasn’t for Avatar, Lang might not have picked up yoga, something he is now incredibly passionate about. That’s because, while gaining weight and lifting heavier to play Quaritch, Lang’s shoulder ‘broke down’.
‘When I finished Avatar I looked like I was a big, strong guy. And I suppose I was, but I was totally brittle,’ he told Men’s Journal.
The injury forced Lang to reevaluate his fitness and focus on rebuilding his body through yoga. For Lang, the practice has had a profound impact on his life.
‘The only time I don’t do it is when it’s a really conscious decision and I’m not able to because of extenuating circumstances. I can honestly say that yoga saved my life. The great thing about 26 and 2 yoga [Bikram yoga] is how technical it is. I’ve heard it called “mechanical engineering for the body.” It isn’t overly spiritual, but when you’re doing it and in the flow, it does become some sort of spiritual practice.’
3. Low Weights, High Reps
There are many different approaches to weightlifting, but Lang now prefers to use lighter weights and higher rep ranges. He argues that it’s better to ‘leave your ego in your locker’ and avoid placing too much stress on the joints and connective tissues.
‘I like to lift but I’d rather do 150 quick curls holding 12 kilos in a hand than knock out 18kg in each hand. I like the lower weights and longer repetitions these days,’ he added to Men’s Health.
Lang prefers to focus on the working muscle and getting the most from each rep, rather than simply going through the motions. Plus, as he says: ‘If you do enough reps, it feels heavy.’
4. Variation
In addition to a base routine of lifting and yoga, Lang has spent time learning karate, parkour, archery, vaulting and kickboxing in the past decade. In 2022, he even learned how to hold his breath underwater for Avatar: The Way of Water.
‘In a static breath hold, I could do over four and a half minutes,’ he revealed.
‘I did a lot of parkour training, a lot of vaulting, going over objects, trying to maintain a good speed. A lot of archery, a lot of kickboxing, which I do with James Cameron, and I have done a lot of kickboxing together over the years. It gets us ready for the day – before we get on set and fight, we’d fight in the gym.
‘I do a lot of karate, not to fight anymore, but there’s a huge amount of rotation in the training that I do and that’s helpful.’
That variety is key. A 30-year study found that exercise variety can help you live longer, while simply learning a new activity can be mentally stimulating, too.
Lang has also spoken about the impact of learning so many new skills.
‘When we were training for Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar: Fire and Ash, it was like attending university, to be on the Manhattan Beach campus of the studio there that we work at, because we had archery experts in, we had equine experts in, we had water experts in, we had parkour experts in, dance experts, all kinds of things. And you’d be going from one class essentially to another class,’ he described.
5. Focus on Longevity
While Lang discovered the power of yoga in 2010, it proved just one part of a deeper commitment to staying as fit as possible for as long as possible.
‘I would date it at 2010 when I became completely committed for the rest of my life to remain as fit and as flexible as I can. Because you become aware of your advancing age, you feel your age. And it’s not a question of staving off age. You can’t do that. But what you can do is make the most out of what you got,’ he said.
‘At this point in my life, what’s important to me is flexibility and stamina – when I was younger, it was all about strength. But as I’ve gotten older, it’s all about flexibility to achieve personal comfort.’
6. Quick Wins
Consistency is important, but you won’t always have time for long sessions. So, to supplement his training, Lang would often drop into a set of push-ups between takes on the Avatar films.
‘On set, I’d have the camera crew put down their gear and do push-ups with me. I had them do three-finger push-ups all the way to me doing one-finger push-ups. That was the Colonel in me – keeping those around me dialled in and always ready,’ he said.
7. Mindful Moderation
Lang doesn’t like adopting an overly strict diet. Rather than restricting himself, he prefers to practise mindful moderation – paying attention to how he feels and not overindulging.
‘I eat pretty much whatever I want but I eat consciously. I know that if I eat something bad I’m going to pay the price for it, and that helps me decide whether I’m going to eat it or not. I try to have a protein shake every day. I shove a fistful of kale into every shake.’
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