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YES, MICHAEL JAI White is 58. But if you saw him on the street, you might have no idea. Why? Because the veteran actor—who’s been in such cult favorite action films as from Spawn to Blood and Bone —remains in fighting shape. He’s already been in two action films this year, and his YouTube channel is full of martial arts training tips. And yes, he still has six-pack abs.
White broke down his secrets for staying jacked and strong at 58 when he visited MH’s Strong Talk podcast. Building muscle after 50 has long been a challenge for guys, because testosterone levels are falling and metabolism can seem like it’s cratering. But as White proves, you can do this (and also feel your best) well into your sixth decade.
These five tips from White can help you look, move, and feel your best in your 50s and beyond.
Focus on Fast
STANDARD STRENGTH TRAINING advice goes something like this: Focus on slow, controlled reps to build muscle. And yes, reps with a slow tempo do have a purpose. But White aims for something else in his workouts: He works to train his fast-twitch muscles, too.
Exercises like sprinting and jumping allow you to train these explosive fibers. But you can also build them with classic gym moves, said Ebenezer Samuel, CSCS, MH's fitness director and the host of Strong Talk. How? “Force equals mass times acceleration,” Samuel said. Most guys head into the gym and lift heavy loads, which means they can’t move the weight quickly even if they tried. If you grab a lighter weight, you can accelerate it faster, said Samuel.
That's something White loves to do with biceps curls. His go-to move: A biceps curl on a Smith machine. On every rep, he’d curl the weight up and throw it a few inches into the air at the top. "I was always working my fast twitch and my most dominant muscle groups by hitting the explosion of it," he said.
The beginner version of this idea: The jump squat. Instead of doing 3 sets of 10 standard bodyweight squats, do jump squats, powering out of the bottom of each rep and jumping a few inches in the air. And when you want to advance even further into fast-twitch training, check out this guide to adding power to your workouts.
Rethink Your Cardio
YES, YOU NEED to do “cardio”! But that doesn’t mean you need to spend hours on the elliptical or the treadmill. White doesn’t do that, either; he’s embraced the art of the sprint. White says it’s important to carve out time for cardio.
“When I feel efficient and caught up with the weight training type stuff, I then kind of start focusing on my track type stuff and sometimes I will do that for the majority of my workout,” he said.
Adding sprints to your routine lets you rev your heart rate, while also checking off other boxes. You’re building explosive power, and working your core. Another option to mix up cardio: Interval training, which prevents the monotony of a 20-minute cardio slog and works well whether you’re hitting the road, on a treadmill, or working on a bike or rower. Not sure where to start: Check out this roundup of interval training protocols to follow.
Pick Your Spots With Carbs
YES, PLENTY OF fitfluencers will still tell you that the key to getting lean at any age is eliminating carbs. White doesn’t go that far – but he doesn’t use carbs liberally, either. His take: Use carbs as a “condiment.”
“The same way you use ketchup on a burger. That's how my rice would be.” Instead of filling up a portion of his plate, White says carbs are used as flavor enhancers. There is no exact measurement, rather he eyeballs how much carb he sprinkles on to every meal.
Not that you need to religiously avoid and limit your carbs. But it may not hurt to recalibrate your meal approach, either. By limiting his carb use, White also does something else: He ensures that his plate is loaded first with protein, the backbone macro of muscle-building. Aim to start each meal by thinking about your protein source, and you’ll set yourself up to hit the gram-per-pound of goal bodyweight that gives you the muscle-building raw materials you need.
Be Grateful for Every Workout
THE HARDEST PART of the gym sometimes comes before the gym: Where do you find the motivation? White understands that’s key. That’s why he constantly reminds everyone that the time spent in the gym can add quality time to your life long-term.
“[Exercise] is a right. It shouldn't be a chore,” White said. “There’s nothing on Earth that gives you more time than fitness training.”
That philosophy makes it just a bit easier for White to drag himself to the weight room day after day: The hour he spends working out may help him gain years later. And it’s a good reminder for anyone. Struggling to get to the gym? Remind yourself that you’re not wasting time; you’re setting yourself up for a longer life.
“If I was a cult leader, if I had my own religion, training would be an essential part of it,” he says. “I do not feel at my best when I can’t train consistently.”
None of that means you need three-hour workout sessions. Tight on time? Keep things simple. This 30-Minute Bodyweight Circuit Workout is a good starting point.
Be an Eternal Beginner
WHITE HOLDS BLACK belts in seven different martial arts. That makes him a “master” at combat. But even at age 58, he’s not done learning new ways to move his body. One of his secrets for staying active and challenging his body: New experiences. “When you get a black belt in one thing, put on a white belt in another and keep going. That’s what I like to do in life.”
This serves a practical purpose to anyone’s fitness. At some point, if you do the same workouts over and over, you’ll need to lift heavier and heavier (or pile up more and more reps) to continue to challenge yourself. And yes, that can be mentally and physically taxing. But by trying new fitness activities, by swapping out, say, a chest lifting session for a rock climb or a yoga class, you challenge your body in new ways and challenge new movement patterns. You also stave off boredom over years and decades of fitness.
Experiment with this one or two times a month, ditching your classic routine to take a new fitness class, or try a new fitness activity. Not only are you stopping yourself from getting bored with exercise, but actively learning new skills and techniques keeps your mind sharp. Samuel summed it up: “If we adopt the idea to be an eternal beginner, then we'll get to a really good fitness place and live a long time.”
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the associate health & fitness for Men's Health and has previously written for CNN, Scientific American, Popular Science, and National Geographic before joining the brand. When she's not working, she's doing circus arts or working towards the perfect pull-up.
