Meet the legends… Actually, you most definitely already know them! HFR is bringing you our list of the fittest male legends who are not only cemented in our culture- but are also still going strong. Each of these men have legendary backgrounds- whether it be in acting, producing, sports, or a combination of the three, and are deserving of recognition. These champs have affirmed that fitness is about a lot more than pushup repetitions. Fitness is a mental and physiological state that requires strength, dedication and a true love of pushing oneself- well past your plush slippers and comfort zone.
A couple of the men on this list- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris and Sylvester Stallone- are no longer in their 60s, but we felt they deserved to be on this list due to the timeless nature of being three of the original legendary fit leading men!
We have been making these lists of the Top 10 Fittest for several years now and continue our legacy with this new list. The HFR institute first compiled a list of the most popular 100 actors and did research on all of them. We narrowed down the list to 50, 25, and finally to the reigning 10. We not only used interviews and social media accounts to find information, but we also consulted on the list with founder Samir Becic, who has over 20 years experience as an industry-renowned health and fitness authority.
“These men are an inspiration to hundreds of millions of people around the world. And I hope, that with this list, they will continue to inspire you to live a fit, healthy, and fulfilled life.”- The HarperCollins author of the fitness book ReSYNC Your Life Samir Becic
Here is our first ever Top Ten Fittest Male Living Legends- in their 60’s. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the legends:
Arnold Schwarzenegger – 70
- Age hasn’t stopped him from pumping steel!
- Starts his days with a 7am bike ride
- Schwarzenegger loves waving to his fans and passer-bys during his morning bike ride
- Trains regularly at Gold’s gym
- His primary areas of focus are his biceps, chest and arms
- “Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body.” -Schwarzenegger on exercising
Chuck Norris – 77
- This legend is a cancer survivor who is still going strong
- Actor and martial artist is still as hardcore as ever and his students prove it
- Norris has held a nonprofit youth fitness program for over 2 decades
- Kickstart Kids has taught ‘character through karate’ to over 85,000 kids
- Chuck Norris is using his legendary name to promote health and fitness to the youth!
- “A lot of times people look at the negative side of what they feel they can’t do. I always look on the positive side of what I can do.” – Chuck Norris
Sylvester Stallone – 70
- This on-screen action hero is determined to maintain his superb physique
- Stallone hits the gym 6 days a week- to train like the champion he is
- Exercises twice a day- even on a bad day
- His intense regimen includes deadlifts and squats
- Stallone’s diet focuses on weight loss and muscle growth
- His lean muscle mass is what keeps him able to workout hard- even at 70
- “People think retiring is fun. Well, maybe, but if you have a certain kind of fire inside, there is no end in sight.” -Sylvester Stallone
Jackie Chan – 62
- This martial arts expert views exercise as a major life component
- Today, his primary focus is cardio and low impact weight-lifting
- Chan runs on the treadmill three days a week
- Fighting is still a key factor of his life- but with boxing and sparring
- Boxing and sparring allow Chan to feed his love of competitive fighting and exercise
- As far as his career goes, Jackie Chan is still acting in movies- less hardcore but just as great
- “We learn martial arts as helping weakness. You never fight for people to get hurt. You’re always helping people.” -Jackie Chan
Mickey Rourke – 64
- Iron Man and The Wrestler star has instilled his movie training routine into his daily life
- Even at 64, Rourke still trains and looks like an athlete
- His training sessions start with 30 minutes to an hour of cardio
- He enjoys running and sprinting for cardio
- Rourke follows up his cardio with 300-500 situps!
- Mickey enjoys flipping tires for weight training
- Competed in a professional boxing fight in 2016
- I think from the boxing, I gained discipline and focus as well as a strict daily regimen to stay in top condition. It is something that you have to be consistent with to constantly take yourself to a higher level.” –Mickey Rourke
Mr. T – 64
- We all pity the fool who tries to mess with this professional WWF wrestler and actor
- Mr. T is legendary for landing his role as heavyweight champion in Rocky III
- Aside from this macho gig, Mr. T has worked as a bodyguard for an actual heavyweight champion: Leon Spinks
- Staying in top-notch shape has been an important factor to Mr. T’s livelihood
- Mr. T gracefully tackled Cancer and is now living in remission
- He will be competing on this season of Dancing with the Stars. And said he was doing it to motivate kids and teamed up with St. Jude’s Hospital and Shriner Hospital. “I want to represent…to the kids to draw strength from me,” he explained. “So they can see that everybody goes through something but you can rise up and do your best. Just try.”
- “I pity the fool who just gives up. We all gonna die eventually from something or other, but don’t be a wimp. Put up a good fight. Don’t sit around waiting on death. We can be tough. We can be determined.” – Mr. T on living with cancer
Kurt Russell – 65
- This legendary all-American actor is slowing down to enjoy the simpler things in life
- Russell’s father was a professional baseball player and he himself wanted to go pro
- Russel is rocking fitness, even recently landing the cover of GQ at 65!
- This actor’s favorite health strategy is to never over-eat or over-drink
- As far at physical activity goes, Russel is a huge fan of family bike rides
- “Baseball shaded my entire outlook on life, because that’s how I first saw the world. I looked at everything, even today, through what I learned about the game. Like pacing yourself, focusing yourself, preparing yourself for what you want to do, keeping yourself healthy for the game. I do all that through the eyes of a ballplayer.” – Kurt Russell
Samuel L Jackson – 68
- Samuel Jackson is determined to live a long and healthy life
- He’s lost a whopping 40 pounds over the years with the help of a new vegan diet
- Jackson’s slow and steady weight loss reveals his healthy lifestyle change
- Small and steady changes are more beneficial than extreme fad dieting
- Jackson also hits the gym regularly to stay fit and slim
- The stationary bike is Jackson’s favorite gym machine
- Jackson is a fan of alternative medicine, and enjoys acupuncture and massages
- The Pulp Fiction star recently joined a campaign urging men to open up about health problems- especially cancer
- “The sooner you recognize how to take care of your body, the longer you’ll have that engine driving you, and the more you’ll be able to do for yourself and for other people because you are healthy and you’ll be a healthy example.” -Samuel L Jackson
Mel Gibson – 61
- This actor-director combats the lows of aging with regular exercise
- Gibson exercises weekly to promote blood and oxygen circulation
- His workouts include aerobic cardio and light weight lifting
- He beleives that the growing pains that come with age can be combated with exercise
- The Expendables 3 actor has also commented on his lower back feeling better since upping his intensity at the gym!
- “I’m eating my Wheaties and doing pushups, you know. That’s about it. You eat right and exercise.” -Mel Gibson on achieving his Expendables 3 body
Denzel Washington – 62
- For this Top 10 Fittest Hollywood actor, age really is just a number
- With barely a wrinkle in sight, Washington is still acting in powerful movie roles
- Denzel does ten rounds of intense boxing- five days a week
- Washington follows a strict low carb, high protein diet
- A diet rich in protein is great for fighting age-related muscle decay
- One of his favorite meals include chicken or fish with brown rice
- “In order to achieve your goals, you must apply discipline and consistency – and never confuse movement with progress. Because you can run in place and not get anywhere. Peace.” -Denzel Washington
