How Jason Fox Trains His Legs at 50 – Steal His 3-Part Formula for Muscle, Strength and Staying Power

Jason Fox has spent much of his adult life needing to be fit for considerably more than looking good with his shirt off.

The former Special Forces operator – who has just turned 50 – built his fitness around being ready for whatever was thrown at him. And while life may look rather different these days, his training still follows much the same principle.

When Men’s Health previously asked Fox about his approach, he summed it up rather neatly: ‘Basically, I try to absolutely goose myself.’

This lower-body session certainly fits the brief.

Rather than simply hammering out sets of squats, Fox divides his workouts into ‘blocks’, allowing him to train several qualities in the same session. Here, that means starting with pure strength, moving into a punishing combination of sled pushes and bike sprints, before finishing with 100 squats – with a particularly nasty penalty every time you stop.

This workout is taken from Jason Fox’s training plan, available via the Men’s Health app. Click here to get 14 days of free access to the plan.
Jason Fox’s Lower-Body WorkoutBlock 1: Lower-Body Strength

A. Back Squat – work up to a heavy set of 3 reps

Don’t rush straight towards your heaviest weight. Warm up thoroughly, gradually adding load before spending around 15 minutes working towards a heavy set of three.The aim isn’t necessarily to hit a true three-rep max, but to finish with three strong, technically sound reps at a challenging weight.Record the load you manage so you’ve got a benchmark to aim for next time.Block 2: Sled Ladder

B1. Sled Push x 80m
B2. Air Bike x 10 cals (legs only)

C1. Sled Push x 60m
C2. Air Bike x 10 cals (legs only)

D1. Sled Push x 40m

D2. Air Bike x 10 cals (legs only)

E1. Sled Push x 20m

E2. Air Bike x 10 cals (legs only)

Load up a sled and start with an 80m push. As soon as you’re finished, move straight onto the air bike and burn through 10 calories using only your legs.Then it’s back to the sled for 60m, followed by another 10 calories. Continue through 40m and finally 20m, hitting the bike after every distance.The sled work gets shorter as fatigue builds, but those 10-calorie bike efforts aren’t going anywhere.Record your total finishing time.Block 3: Mountain Legs

F1. Goblet Squat x 100
F2. Split Squat Jump x 20 (every time you pause goblet squats)

Here’s where things get unpleasant.Pick a dumbbell or kettlebell and complete 100 high-quality goblet squats. There’s no prescribed number of sets: simply keep working until you’ve accumulated all 100 reps.The incentive not to put the weight down? Every time you take a break, you owe 20 explosive split-squat jumps before you can continue.Choose your goblet-squat weight wisely. Go too heavy and those breaks – and therefore the split-squat jumps – will start piling up quickly.

Isaac Williams is Site Editor for both Women’s Health UK and Men’s Health UK, guiding and supporting the content teams to create content across all platforms. Isaac’s love of health and fitness began at Loughborough University, where he graduated with a History and English degree in 2014. His first job was at Men’s Running magazine, where he progressed from Staff Writer to Editor. Among his highlights of those four years include completing a 24-hour track race (never again), just about finishing a multi-day ultramarathon in the Azores, and chugging his way around a ‘beer mile’. Isaac ventured into the world of freelance journalism in 2018, interviewing some of the biggest names in sport – like Anthony Joshua and Ben Stokes – and writing features for the likes of The Guardian, Red Bull, ShortList and BBC Countryfile. He was also a regular contributor to an adventure series called ‘The Man Who’: speaking to some of the world’s most extreme explorers from the wilds of Caffè Nero. In late-2019, Isaac became Editor of Men’s Fitness UK. In his five years there, Isaac was responsible for editing the monthly magazine and managing website content, ultimately helping the brand transition to a ‘digital-first’ approach. He joined Hearst UK as Multiplatform Editor in December 2024, where he manages day-to-day digital output, edits content and writes articles on all things health and fitness. When he’s not hammering at his keyboard, Isaac enjoys exercise and trying –  unsuccessfully, so far – to teach his baby son to kick a football. You can follow Isaac on Instagram @isaacw1993.