Ageless Athlete — Healthy Aging for a Strong, Capable Life

Kush Khandelwal
  • 5.0 (128)
  • Fitness
  • Weekly

Ageless Athlete is a podcast about staying strong and capable for people who refuse to decline quietly.  Conversations with top athletes, scientists, coaches, and thinkers about staying strong, active, and capable as we age. We explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health—and what actually helps us keep doing the things we love for decades. Hosted by Kush Khandelwal — rock climber, athlete, and entrepreneur, a lifelong student of performance, and someone figuring this out in real tim

  1. 1d ago

    The Warren Buffett Rule For Compounding Fitness | Dan John, 69

    Dan John thinks about fitness the way Warren Buffett thinks about money. Start early. Be consistent. Let it compound. That idea runs through this conversation. Dan has been lifting for roughly six decades. At 68, he recently did 20 chin-ups—better than his previous lifetime best from 1974. This was my second conversation with Dan, recorded live with the Ageless Athlete community, and it went in a direction I really enjoyed. We talked about how training should change as we get older, why the years between 35 and 55 may matter more than most people realize, and what becomes worth protecting later in life. Dan also shares the simple physical standards he still pays attention to, why he has a coach despite having coached people for decades, and why he has very little patience for magic pills, miracle supplements, or programs promising fast results. There's a lot of value for us all in this one!  References Dan John University https://danjohnuniversity.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coachdanjohn/ Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete 📺 Full video episodes on Youtube for free Ageless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older

    The Warren Buffett Rule For Compounding Fitness | Dan John, 69

  2. Nov 4

    The Secret to Aging Well - Be More Selfish | Jeannie Rice, 78

    At 78, Jeannie Rice is preparing to race her 138th marathon, having broken multiple world records previously, and has won her age group at all seven World Marathon Majors, beating even the fastest men next to her.  And she didn't start running until she was 35. Scientists measured her VO₂ max at nearly 48 — the highest reported for a woman 75 or older, comparable to the aerobic fitness of someone in her twenties. Then, at 75, she tried something completely new: track racing. She came home with three world records! Jeannie is fiercely competitive, funny, and direct. She also admits she's a little selfish. She protects time for herself, turns down invitations, and makes choices that allow her to keep doing what she loves. I wanted to understand how she's managed to stay so capable, motivated, and curious for over four decades. This is one of my favorite Ageless Athlete conversations. And you don't have to be a runner to get a lot out of it Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete 📺 Full video episodes on Youtube for free Ageless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older

    The Secret to Aging Well - Be More Selfish | Jeannie Rice, 78

  3. Oct 28

    Brain Puzzles Won’t Keep You Sharp After 50 (What Actually Will Work) | Dr. Kirk Erickson, Neuroscientist

    Brain puzzles may make you better at brain puzzles. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll keep you sharp as you age. Dr. Kirk Erickson is a neuroscientist who has spent decades studying how exercise, fitness, and lifestyle shape the aging brain, including landmark work on hippocampal plasticity and cognitive aging. If you’re in your 40s or 50s, he argues this may be the period when what you do now starts to matter most for your cognitive future. We talk about what actually seems to protect the aging brain, why exercise matters, where its benefits may start to level off, and why being fit doesn’t make you immune to decline. We also get into intellectually demanding activities, brisk walking versus more complex sports, and what the science still can’t tell us with confidence. Dr. Kirk Erickson — Advent Health Research Institute Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory — PNASMarek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete 📺 Full video episodes on Youtube for free Ageless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older

    Brain Puzzles Won’t Keep You Sharp After 50 (What Actually Will Work) | Dr. Kirk Erickson, Neuroscientist

  4. Oct 21

    Before You Take Another Supplement, Listen to This

    I’ve spent thousands of dollars on supplements over the years. Some probably helped. Some may have done absolutely nothing. At 48, I still take several, but I’m much more skeptical than I used to be. In this solo episode, I break down what I currently take, including creatine, protein, vitamin D, magnesium, Urolithin A, BPC-157 and TB-500, along with why I use them, where the evidence feels strong, and where I’m still experimenting. I also get into collagen, glucosamine, omega-3s, probiotics, and the bigger question behind all of it: What problem are you actually trying to solve, and how good is the evidence that this solves it? Because supplements can support the foundation. They can’t become the foundation.  Disclaimer: ’m not a medical professional. This is my personal experience, not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare professional before trying supplements or peptides Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete 📺 Full video episodes on Youtube for free Ageless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older

    Before You Take Another Supplement, Listen to This

  5. Oct 14

    What Worked in Your 30s Starts Costing You After 50 | Joe Friel, 82

    Joe Friel is back. At 82, Joe is still training, still lifting, and still paying close attention to what aging actually does to an athlete’s body. In our first conversation, we talked about the moment the old rules stop working. This time, we go deeper into what to do next. Joe explains why sleep may be the first place to look, why consistency in the gym matters more than heroic workouts, why fast-twitch power fades, and why VO2 max is not just about racing — it is about staying capable for life. This is a practical conversation about training after 50, but it is also a warning: the mistakes you could get away with in your 20s and 30s start costing more as you age. Joe’s upated book, Fast After 50, is one of the essential reads for athletes who want to keep training and racing strong as they age.  Joe dispenses so much wisdom with candor and clarity. Don't miss this one!  For more conversations and essays on strength, recovery, longevity, and staying capable after 40, subscribe to the free Ageless Athlete newsletter.  Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete 📺 Full video episodes on Youtube for free Ageless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older

    What Worked in Your 30s Starts Costing You After 50 | Joe Friel, 82

  6. Oct 7

    She Stopped Lifting Heavy for 2 Years — What Happened Completely Changed Her Mind | Kit DesLauriers, 56

    📺 Watch on Youtube!  Twenty years ago, Kit DesLauriers skied from the summit of Everest, completing her goal of becoming the first person to ski the Seven Summits. Today, at 56, she’s still asking a compelling question: how do you stay strong and capable enough to keep doing the things you love as you get older? A two-time World Freeskiing Champion, National Geographic Adventurer of the Year and U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Famer, Kit joins me to talk about strength, fear, big goals, parenting, non-attachment — and why she believes her best decades are still ahead. Kit: Website: https://kitdeslauriers.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kitdski/ Read Kit's wonderful memoir: Higher Love: Skiing the Seven Summits Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete 📺 Full video episodes on Youtube for free Ageless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older

    She Stopped Lifting Heavy for 2 Years — What Happened Completely Changed Her Mind | Kit DesLauriers, 56

  7. Sep 30

    Strong at 40, Fragile at 70? The Osteoporosis Risk You're Missing | Dr. Belinda Beck, Bone Health Expert

    📺 Watch on Youtube!  Dr. Belinda Beck has spent much of her career studying a part of the body most active people barely think about until something goes wrong: bone. We train our muscles. We train our cardiovascular systems. But are we actually giving our bones the stimulus they need to remain strong across decades? In this episode, Belinda explains why simply “being active” does not necessarily mean you are training your bones effectively. Dr. Belinda Beck is a professor at Griffith University and Director of The Bone Clinic in Australia. Her research and clinical work focus on bone health, osteoporosis, bone stress injury, and the effects of exercise. Explore The Bone Clinic, ONERO® Academy, The Bone Clinic on Facebook Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete 📺 Full video episodes on Youtube for free Ageless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older

    Strong at 40, Fragile at 70? The Osteoporosis Risk You're Missing | Dr. Belinda Beck, Bone Health Expert

  8. Sep 23

    This Was Never a Death Wish | Timmy O’Neill, 57

    📺 Watch on Youtube!  Dean Potter once called Timmy O’Neill his “secret weapon.” With Dean back in the spotlight through Dark Wizard, I went back to this conversation with Timmy — and realized how much of it deserves to be heard again. Timmy shares stories from their extraordinary years climbing together in Yosemite, but this conversation goes somewhere deeper: how our relationship with risk changes as we age, why Timmy fears not living more than dying, and his idea of cultivating a “life wish” — even if you’re not a climber or adventure athlete. We also talk about aging, play, family, loss, adaptive climbing, and finding the things that make you feel truly alive. One of my favorites. Enjoy!  Marek Health: Deeper look at your health with comprehensive bloodwork and personalized guidance. 10% off with code AGELESS at https://agelessathlete.short.gy/marek Timeline: Support cellular renewal and mitochondrial function with Mitopure, featuring Urolithin A.  Up to 20% off at timeline.com/AGELESSATHLETE Support The Show Love the show? Here’s how to support it https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete 📺 Full video episodes on Youtube for free Ageless Athlete is a podcast about healthy aging for people who want to stay strong, active and capable for life. Conversations explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health, and what it takes to keep doing the things you love as you get older

    This Was Never a Death Wish | Timmy O’Neill, 57
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5
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128 Ratings

About

Ageless Athlete is a podcast about staying strong and capable for people who refuse to decline quietly.  Conversations with top athletes, scientists, coaches, and thinkers about staying strong, active, and capable as we age. We explore strength, endurance, mobility, recovery, VO2 max, muscle and bone health—and what actually helps us keep doing the things we love for decades. Hosted by Kush Khandelwal — rock climber, athlete, and entrepreneur, a lifelong student of performance, and someone figuring this out in real tim

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