How many of you have dreamt to be Hollywood stars? Good looking, wealthy, and fans fawning over you! But did you know, that many of these celebrities are working extremely hard to get where they are? It is not by chance that they have become household names. We are bringing you the fitness perspective behind their successes.
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 over 50 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.
“In life, you either put in the work or you don’t- it’s up to YOU.”- The HarperCollins author of the fitness book ReSYNC Your Life Samir Becic
Here is our first ever Top Ten Fittest Male Living Legends over 50. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the legends:
Jean Claude Van Damme, 56
- He agrees with the saying that “you are what you eat”. He no longer feeds his muscles with the same foods he did 10 or 15 years ago, and he nourishes his body- that he refers to as a machine.
- He does cardio and aims for 168-170 beats per minute
- He chooses stamina over strength, and listens to his body, he does lots a repetitions rather than focusing on brute strength and maxing out
- He walks into the gym every day and asks himself which muscles want to be trained that day
- Loves ballet and said it has greatly improved his flexibility and dexterity, in addition to keeping his mind focused.
- “Ballet is very posed and very relaxed, and that takes impossibly hard work in your body and mind. Yet it all must look effortless, isometric, perfect. So I take that to the martial arts. The mix of the ballet and karate together gave me my style of fighting.”
Antonio Banderas, 53
- Has no interest in drugs and never has because two close friends died from heroine when he was 18
- Doesn’t really drink, other than half a glass of wine with dinner, because he read in a medical journal that it was good for cholesterol
- Jogs outdoors
- Eats a balanced mediterranean diet, which is among the healthiest in the world
- Drinks a lot of tea. He says “I drink a bucket of white tea in the morning. I read about this tea of the Emperor of China, which is supposedly the tea of eternal youth. It’s called Silver Needle. It’s unbelievably expensive, but I get it on the Web.”
- “You have to be in good shape, basically. And then, you have to have a certain craziness, if you’re going to do some of the action things.” -Antonio Banderas
Jim Carrey, 55
- Recently trained and dieted intensely in order to have a 6-pack in his movie “Incredible Burt Wonderstone,” and says the intense regimen was extremely difficult to sustain.
- Speaks wonders to how working out and eating healthy makes him feel.
- The famous comedian recently gave up alcohol and cigarettes and started a strict new diet as part of a lifestyle makeover. Carrey is a keen runner, regularly doing five-mile runs
- He once did an entire interview while running on a treadmill!
- “Tomorrow, day 14, no wheat, dairy, sugar, coffee, soda, drugs, alcohol or tobac,” he tweeted. “a few more days till that sweet feeling but right now ain’t bad!” he added: “clarity! Contentment! Youthfulness! Longevity! This diet, though tough at first, gives me that! Can u handle it? Just 3 weeks and you’ll see! I eat eggs, meat, fish (and) veggies cooked in olive oil, fruits, nuts, water, tea with honey or stevia, gluten-free crackers and almond butter 4 snack.” – Jim Carrey
George Clooney, 55
- Keeping his fitness routine varied and fresh
- He runs daily, performs pull-ups, completes “butt-busting” circuits
- Loves hot yoga
- He also plays basketball regularly with other Hollywood actors, including Toby McGuire, Matt Damon, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
- George’s diet primarily focuses on healthy food. He recently decided to go on a juice cleanse and eat better as part of his New Year’s resolutions, having green juices and salads daily.
- “Well I do a lot of aerobics, a lot of dance, there is a lot of jazz-ercise, the ab-master, there’s the butt-blaster or whatever it’s called. And also there is a lot of yoga. And I have also just finished doing a movie where I did football with a bunch of 21-year-olds which I highly recommend. That’s going to keep anyone in shape.” – George Clooney
Tom Cruise, 54
- There is no rest day for Cruise. He chooses to stay active regardless if he’s shooting for a movie or not.
- Some of his favorite activities include biking, hiking, airplane flying, motorcycling.
- When it comes to prepping for a role, Cruise says he “trains pretty hard.” In fact, he dedicated a year prior to his role in The Last Samurai training everyday for 6 hours to master sword fighting in different environments.
- No stunt double needed. Cruise often executes his own stunts during action scenes so he works hard to keep his physique, stamina, and strength top-notch.
- Cruise balances a healthy diet, weightlifting, and cardio to stay in shape.
- “I love what I do. I take great pride in what I do. And I can’t do something halfway, three-quarters, nine-tenths. If I’m going to do something, I go all the way.” -Tom Cruise
Kevin Costner, 62
- He jokes that rather than lifting weights, he lifts his kids up about a million times a day
- Then he runs around after them all day
- Has a good work life balance
- Eats a healthy diet
- On success, and tough choices “People see me as very successful now. They aren’t willing to put my life in reverse. They don’t want to know that on the construction site I had to choose between the Ding Dongs and the chocolate milk. Every day the lunch truck came by when I was framing houses. I wanted the chocolate milk. But it cost more than the plain milk. So if I chose the chocolate milk, I didn’t have enough money to get the Ding Dongs. If I have one carryover from those days, it’s about food and having to choose based on money. Somebody I’m dining with will look at the menu and not be sure which of two entrées to order, and I’ll say, “Why don’t you try them both?”” -Kevin Costner
Jet Li, 53
- Was 5-time chinese national wushu champion
- He no longer fights: 33 years, seven broken bones, five titles, and 34 films.
- For cardiovascular training, Li runs and bikes
- Li believes a workout is that much more beneficial if you have a handle on the stress before you start sweating. He wants people to think happy thoughts “During training you need to think about happy things. I can guarantee the bad energy inside is bothering you. Even if you train for 2 hours, it will still be bothering you for the other 22.”
- Of all his conditioning techniques, meditation is his favorite, and he practices it at least an hour a day and has gone as long as 14 hours. Li insists that his mental stretching directly affects his body-which he needs to stretch for only 15 minutes afterward.
- “After you meditate, the inside is already limber,” he says. “So it’s easy to stretch the outside.”
Liam Neeson, 64
- Often seen jogging around NYC
- Has made a career of acting in action packed, fitness filled movies
- While Neeson uses a stunt double on set, he handles all of his own fighting.
- Always stretches and warms up
- Believes flexibility is the key to longevity
- “There’s a discipline to getting up at 6, working 17 hours, and then coming home to work out,” he says.
- “When I’m in the city, I do eight miles around the park with a walking partner. I do an extra loop—and the usual boring push-ups and sit ups.” – Liam Neeson
Brad Pitt, 53
- Pitt is no stranger to roles where he’s had to keep a toned, muscular figure. His feature in Troy and Fight Club demonstrates that Pitt is a pro of staying in shape for his demanding roles.
- He avoids fried items, dairy products, and processed foods whenever possible to look his best. Pitt makes these dietary choices by cutting out soda, indulgent sweets, and white flour.
- Pitt allocates a different weekday to a exercising certain muscle group. He spends the remainder of his week and/or rest days doing cardio.
- He has said, “I believe you make your day. You make your life. So much of it is all perception, and this is the form that I built for myself. I have to accept it and work within those compounds, and it’s up to me.”
Bruce Willis, 61
- Does an hour of cardio almost daily
- Will work out during his lunch break on set
- Weight trains on a regular basis
- Practices yoga
- “The idea really was not necessarily that I wanted to look like I was in shape or that I wanted to look chiseled, because I never really take my shirt off in the film. But I needed to get my muscles big enough to protect my bones, so when I was diving off of things onto the concrete floor my bones wouldn’t break. Less vanity and more safety, I would say.” – Bruce Willis
