Ageless Athlete — How to Stay Strong, Curious & Capable for Life

Kush Khandelwal
  • 5.0 (73)
  • FITNESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Conversations with people who are still getting stronger, sharper, and more capable with age. This show is about how to stay in the game — physically and mentally — as the years add up. How your body changes.  How your mindset evolves.  How you adapt without losing your edge. Many of these stories come from the world of adventure — climbers, ultrarunners, mountaineers, and explorers — people who’ve spent decades testing themselves in demanding environments. But the lessons go far beyond the outdoors. Along the way, I bring in coaches, scientists, and thinkers to help make sense of it all — and connect those insights back to everyday life. No shortcuts. Just real conversations about staying strong, curious, and capable — for the long run. Hosted by Kush Khandelwal.

  1. How to Achieve Hard Goals — Doing What Nobody Had Done Before | Amy Gubser, 56

    6D AGO

    How to Achieve Hard Goals — Doing What Nobody Had Done Before | Amy Gubser, 56

    Amy Appelhans Gubsers (56) is a nurse at UCSF, a mom and grandma, and the first person to swim from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Farallon Islands—nearly 30 miles and roughly 17 hours in cold Pacific water, in what many consider shark territory.  This is more than an epic swim. It’s a practical conversation about how big goals actually get done: patience over years, calm under pressure, and the ability to keep moving when conditions stop cooperating. In this episode:  The long-game reality behind “overnight” achievements  The mental skill that mattered most during 17 hours  Cold-water decision-making + staying calm  Sharks: real risk, smart planning  Why goals like this are never truly solo Takeaway: Massive goals aren’t won by hype. They’re earned through durable process.  From the vault: recorded + released ~1.5 years ago — still one of our clearest blueprints for pursuing a massive goal with real stakes. 📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !  1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩 🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

    1h 31m
  2. Stop Trying to “Fix” Your Shoulder Pain — Build Strength Instead | Dr Tyler Nelson

    APR 1

    Stop Trying to “Fix” Your Shoulder Pain — Build Strength Instead | Dr Tyler Nelson

    Overhead motion is everywhere — in sport and in life. This episode is a practical deep dive on shoulder pain with Dr. Tyler Nelson, who works primarily with climbers but applies the same principles across overhead athletes and active adults: build tolerance with smart progressions, manage volume, and avoid getting trapped chasing “perfect fixes.” What to expect This is more technical than a typical Ageless Athlete episode — but it stays grounded. You’ll get:  a clearer way to think about overhead shoulder pain (without spiraling into anatomy anxiety)  how to scale training while symptoms settle (instead of fully shutting down)  how to rebuild overhead strength and range over time with progression Practical takeaways Overhead pain isn’t automatically “dangerous.” Often the move is: modify the dose, don’t panic. Capacity beats perfection. Many mechanics narratives become a distraction from what matters most: what your shoulder can tolerate week to week. Progress by angle before chasing full overhead volume. A simple ladder: horizontal pulling → angled pulling → true overhead (and for climbers: steeper angles → less steep → vertical over months). Every drill is still load. It’s easy to accidentally stack too much “rehab” on top of training. You don’t need a forever routine. Once things feel normal, the goal is a shoulder that holds up in real life — not a lifelong checklist of correctives. Watch the video version (recommended for this episode) Many of the movements and drills Tyler references are easiest to understand visually. You can watch the full video episode here:  https://www.youtube.com/@agelessathletepodcast About Dr. Tyler Nelson Tyler is a clinician and educator focused on upper-extremity injuries. He works mostly with climbers, but his framework translates cleanly to anyone training or working overhead.  Connect with Tyler  Camp4 Human Performance (C4HP): https://www.camp4humanperformance.com/ About Tyler: https://www.camp4humanperformance.com/about Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c4hp/References (optional further reading)  Scapular dyskinesis and shoulder injury risk (systematic review/meta-analysis): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33211975/ Rotator cuff–related shoulder pain framework (Lewis 2016): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27083390/ Scapular dyskinesis clinical assessment reliability/limitations: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7646607/Friendly note This episode is educational and not medical advice. If you’ve had a major traumatic injury, dislocation, progressive neurologic symptoms (numbness/weakness), or severe loss of function, consider evaluation by a qualified clinician. 📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !  1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩 🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

    1h 5m
  3. Your Training Has to Adapt as You Age — Or You’ll Stall | Susan Hunt, 68

    MAR 25

    Your Training Has to Adapt as You Age — Or You’ll Stall | Susan Hunt, 68

    What if staying athletic for life isn’t about doing one thing really well — but learning how to start over, again and again? Susan Hunt has spent the last four decades doing exactly that. She describes herself as “very average” — yet she’s completed Ironman triathlons, raced the Eco-Challenge in Borneo, run the Marathon des Sables across the Sahara, and summited Mount Everest at 53. Now at 68, she’s still competing — recently winning her age group at a Half Ironman and qualifying for the World Championships. What makes Susan different isn’t just what she’s done. It’s how many times she’s started over. In this conversation, we explore what it really takes to stay capable for decades — not just physically, but mentally. We talk about reinvention as a skill, how to approach training across different disciplines, and why knowing when to turn back might matter more than pushing forward. This is a conversation about building a body that lasts — and a mindset that keeps expanding. 👤 About Susan Hunt Susan Hunt is an endurance athlete and adventurer whose career spans multiple disciplines and decades. Her accomplishments include completing an Ironman triathlon, racing the Eco-Challenge in Borneo, running the Marathon des Sables, and summiting Mount Everest at age 53. She continues to compete today, most recently winning her age group at a Half Ironman at 68. 📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !  1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩 🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

    1h 8m
  4. 3 Things You Must Do Differently After 40 to Stay Strong and Agile | Jason Hardrath

    MAR 18

    3 Things You Must Do Differently After 40 to Stay Strong and Agile | Jason Hardrath

    What does it take to stay capable through the years? Jason Hardrath is one of the most creative endurance athletes in the mountains today. An ultrarunner, climber, and mountain linkup specialist, Jason is known for massive single-push adventures that combine running, climbing, swimming, biking, and even paragliding. He has completed the Bulger List — the 100 highest peaks in Washington — in record time, along with numerous Fastest Known Times (FKTs) and ambitious multi-sport mountain projects. But this conversation isn’t about the feats themselves. It’s about how Jason is preparing for the long game. At just 36 — younger than most guests on Ageless Athlete — Jason is already thinking carefully about how to train, recover, and fuel differently so he can keep exploring the mountains for decades to come. In this episode, we explore three key shifts Jason is making now to stay strong and agile as he ages, along with the mindset that allows him to keep evolving as an athlete. We also talk about: • Why Jason began combining running, climbing, and flying in the mountains  • The story behind some of his most ambitious mountain linkups  • What COVID and injury taught him about identity as an athlete  • How he approaches strength training and recovery differently now  • Nutrition, inflammation, and the habits that help him stay durable  • Why every athlete should think about the long game This conversation is ultimately about something deeper than performance. It’s about building a relationship with your body — and your passions — that can last a lifetime. Connect with Jason Website:  https://www.jasonhardrath.com Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jasonhardrath 📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !  1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩 🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

    1h 27m
  5. Why Some People Stay Capable Into Their 70s — And Others Don’t | Jack Tackle, 72

    MAR 11

    Why Some People Stay Capable Into Their 70s — And Others Don’t | Jack Tackle, 72

    What happens when the thing that defines you is suddenly taken away? For legendary American alpinist Jack Tackle, climbing wasn’t just a sport — it was identity. For more than five decades, Jack has explored remote mountains across Alaska, the Himalaya, and the Karakoram. He spent decades guiding in the Tetons and helping shape an era of bold American alpinism built on patience, partnership, and resilience. But in the year 2001, everything changed. Jack was struck by Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease that attacks the nervous system. Within days he lost the ability to walk and spent 53 days in the hospital, much of that time in intensive care. Doctors later told him that if treatment had come even a day later, he likely would not have survived. For many climbers, that moment would have marked the end. Nine months later, Jack guided a client across the Grand Traverse in the Tetons — one of the most demanding ridge climbs in the United States. Now in his seventies, Jack is still climbing and still reflecting on the deeper question that many athletes eventually face: What happens when your body changes… but the thing that defines you is still calling? In this conversation, Jack shares lessons from a lifetime in the mountains — about resilience, identity, consistency, and the quiet discipline required to keep showing up decade after decade. This episode isn’t just about climbing. It’s about the deeper human question of what we fight to keep in our lives — and why it matters. 📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !  1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩 🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

    1h 13m
  6. Long Game: The Long Game: 10 Rules for People Who Refuse to Decline With Age (2026 Edition)

    MAR 4

    Long Game: The Long Game: 10 Rules for People Who Refuse to Decline With Age (2026 Edition)

    It’s March. The January energy has faded. The motivation posts are quieter. And this is where the real long game begins. In this episode, I lay out 10 non-negotiables for athletes who plan to keep performing — not just this year, but for decades. This isn’t about hype.  It isn’t about biohacking.  And it definitely isn’t about chasing trends. It’s about durability. Drawing from over 100 conversations with top athletes, as well as, coaches, and scientists on Ageless Athlete,— I unpack what actually holds up. We cover: Why longevity medicine is being over-marketed — and what truly scalesThe role of deliberate novelty in protecting your brainWhy the current nutrition culture war is distracting athletesMuscle as structural insurance after 35The danger of outsourcing discipline to dataHow to use the healthcare you already have (most of it covered by insurance)Why sleep isn’t revolutionary — but foundationalIdentity as a performance anchorCommunity as a biological variable, not a luxuryAnd why you have to stop blaming your ageThis episode is less about motivation and more about ownership. You don’t stop doing things because you age.  You age because you stop doing things. If you plan to stay strong, sharp, and capable in 2026 — this is your reset. 📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !  1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩 🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

    31 min
  7. Most People Avoid This Feeling — But It’s Where Growth Happens (271 Days Alone at Sea) | Jerome Rand

    FEB 25

    Most People Avoid This Feeling — But It’s Where Growth Happens (271 Days Alone at Sea) | Jerome Rand

    Why do we avoid the very feelings that might help us grow? In this conversation, Jerome Rand shares what it’s like to spend 271 days alone at sea—crossing oceans with no easy way out, no distractions, and nowhere to hide. But this is more than just a story about sailing. It’s about what happens when you sit with discomfort long enough for it to change you. We talk about:  why real growth often feels like resistance, not progress  what prolonged solitude reveals about your mind  how risk sharpens your sense of what matters  and why the ratio of suffering to joy can be wildly skewed—and still worth it Jerome also reflects on identity, aging as an adventurer, and how your relationship with challenge evolves over time. 🎧 Watch the full video version:  https://www.youtube.com/@agelessathletepodcast 🔗 Connect with Jerome Rand Website: https://www.jeromerand.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeromeRandInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sailingintooblivion/Jerome's Excellent Podcast: Sailing Into Oblivion 📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !  1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩 🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

    1h 32m
  8. Running a Marathon in North Korea — What Freedom Actually Feels Like | Johan Nylander

    FEB 18

    Running a Marathon in North Korea — What Freedom Actually Feels Like | Johan Nylander

    What does running feel like inside one of the most controlled countries in the world? Johan Nylander entered North Korea shortly after it reopened—joining a small group of foreign visitors to run the Pyongyang Marathon. At 52, he found himself on a starting line few outsiders ever experience. But this story doesn’t start there. After years covering geopolitics across Asia, Johan was burned out—physically depleted and struggling to run even a single kilometer. What followed was a quiet rebuild: step by step, race by race, until running became something more than fitness. It became structure. And then, freedom. In North Korea, that idea takes on a different meaning. We talk about:  what it’s like to run through Pyongyang  how movement feels inside a system built on control  starting endurance sport later in life  rebuilding after burnout  and how freedom can show up in unexpected ways Johan has spent his career reporting on power and control. In this conversation, we explore what happens when those ideas become personal. 📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !  1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩 🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

    1h 18m
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5
out of 5
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About

Conversations with people who are still getting stronger, sharper, and more capable with age. This show is about how to stay in the game — physically and mentally — as the years add up. How your body changes.  How your mindset evolves.  How you adapt without losing your edge. Many of these stories come from the world of adventure — climbers, ultrarunners, mountaineers, and explorers — people who’ve spent decades testing themselves in demanding environments. But the lessons go far beyond the outdoors. Along the way, I bring in coaches, scientists, and thinkers to help make sense of it all — and connect those insights back to everyday life. No shortcuts. Just real conversations about staying strong, curious, and capable — for the long run. Hosted by Kush Khandelwal.

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