15-02-2025
At 94, I tried 99-year-old Dick Van Dyke's workout
Despite the fact he'll turn 100 in December, there's no denying the work ethic of Dick Van Dyke.
Known for his charming dance style, Dick Van Dyke sang and danced his way through an illustrious career from his first appearance on The Dick Van Dyke Show in 1961, Mary Poppins in 1964 to Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic which aired in 2023. Now 99 and a passionate gym-goer, he's still bringing a bit of magic to his workouts.
Speaking on the Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast recently, the actor revealed that the secret to his mobility and vigour was his commitment to fitness.
'Somebody said: 'To what do you attribute your age and physical condition?'' he recalled. 'I said, 'I've always exercised.' Three days a week, we go to the gym, still. Three days a week.'
Ted Danson – the 77-year-old podcast host, known for starring in Cheers, The Good Place and Three Men and a Baby – attends the same gym as Van Dyke in Malibu, California. He said: 'If I got there early enough I would see you [Van Dyke] literally work out on some weight machine and then – almost like you were doing circuit training – you would not walk to the next machine, but dance.'
However, even Dick Van Dyke's workout regimen pales in comparison to one of Britain's own nonagenarian fitness fans.
Ninety-four-year-old John Starbrook is known as 'The Legend' down at The Thames Club, his local gym in Staines, Surrey. He attends six mornings a week (on Sundays he focusses instead on taking his dog on a 'big walk' and playing water polo at the open air pool.)
After heading home to take the dog for a walk and have some lunch, Starbrook often goes back to the Thames Club. 'I'll either go for a swim – 50 or 60 lengths; breast stroke and butterfly stroke – or I'll head up into the weight room,' he explains. 'Weights are my favourite exercise; I focus on low weights and a high number of reps. I do a lot of bench presses, dumbbell presses, and a few squats.'
Always up for a challenge, Starbrook agreed to try Van Dyke's workout to see how the Hollywood method would weigh up against his British gym's regimen.
Of course, Van Dyke isn't a fitness influencer and doesn't make a habit of publicising precise details of his workout, so Lavina Mehta, the author of The Feel Good Fix and a personal trainer who specialises in elder fitness created a workout for Starbrook based on what Van Dyke has revealed about his routine, supplemented with her own 'feel good fitness prescription' focussed on the exercise needs of older people.
'I wanted to incorporate exercises to improve balance, stretching, cardio, strength, and mobility,' Mehta explains. 'Dick Van Dyke must use quite a holistic approach to stay in shape at 99. We know he does strength training which is key for older people who want to stay independent – being able to do a squat is essentially just about being able to get up off the sofa. Squats and press-ups are the big compound moves: they target all muscles and joints. They're great bodyweight moves which I'd encourage any older exercisers to do while they're waiting for the kettle to boil or when they've been sitting too long.'
Warm-up: 5-10 minutes
Gentle treadmill walking or rowing machine machine. Start with light movements to increase heart rate gradually.
Shoulder rolls, arm circles, and leg swings to stretch and improve mobility.
'Dick keeps very fit, I've seen him on Facebook,' says Starbrook, as he sits down on a rowing machine to begin warming up, before adding: 'But I'm fitter. I was running marathons until I was 88.'
'It's important to make sure the muscles and joints are lubricated, which is why we warm-up,' says Mehta. 'That reduces risk of injury, and it gets the body ready for the main workout before the strength training which is important especially for the elderly.'
Though the exercise is fairly gentle, it's not long before John is puffing away. 'I won't be dancing my way to the machines,' he chuckles.
Strength training (low to moderate resistance)
Single-leg extensions or leg presses on weight machines (2-3 sets of 8-10 reps per leg).
Ab crunches (2-3 sets of 10-12 reps, slow movement to engage the core without strain).
Seated row on a weight machine or with a resistance band (2-3 sets of 10-12 reps, helps improve posture and upper back strength).
Bodyweight squats or chair sit-and-stands (2-3 sets of 8-10 reps).
Wall or box press-ups (2-3 sets of 8-10 reps).
Wall sit (As long as you can, up to 30 seconds).
'A lot of my friends won't do these,' Van Dyke once quipped about ab crunches. 'But all you old guys out there, listen to me, I'm telling you, you can keep going for a long time.'
An Age UK ambassador who has devoted his elder years to showing that advanced years needn't hold anyone back from achieving, Starbrook doesn't shirk from the workout. 'It's a lot more than I normally do,' he admits, but refuses to be defeated. 'I'll have to increase my workouts now, because I realise I've been cheating a little bit.'
'Just like Van Dyke is still dancing, we need to help older people stay as independent as possible for as long as possible,' Mehta says. 'Strength training is key to that. Building lean muscle mass with bodyweight exercises is key for longevity and future-proofing the body. Lean muscles help with so many things from balance to blood sugar regulation.'
One important note, says Mehta, is to 'listen to your body and only do what you can do. Start small and work your way up'. Despite his enthusiasm and speed, Starbrook limits himself to just one set of each exercise, while ever so slightly increasing the reps to compensate.
Balance and co-ordination
Heel-to-toe walking: walk in a straight line, placing the heel of one foot directly in front of the toes of the other (2-3 rounds of 10 steps each).
Single-leg balance (10-15 seconds per leg; repeat 2-3 times). Hold onto a sturdy surface for support if needed.
Assisted by his personal trainer at the Thames Club, Alfie Leather, Starbrook admits that he wouldn't normally spend much time considering his balance, but he can see the benefits.
'You don't want to make yourself a nuisance if you fall and slip,' he says. 'If I fell and slipped over something that was a foot high I'd mess up all my life then and I wouldn't be able to do anything. It'd drive me mad if I had to sit down all day long. This is surprisingly challenging so I can see it's something worth doing.'
Cool down and stretching: 5-10 minutes
Gentle stretching focussed on hamstrings, quads, calves, shoulders, and back. Add some yoga stretches like cat/cow on a mat.
Deep breathing to promote relaxation and reduce heart rate.
'I always do a few basic stretches after my spin class, or maybe I'll treat myself to a jump in the hot tub,' says Starbrook. 'I've never done deep breathing before but maybe I should, this workout has totally knackered me, but I'm alright.'
With a twinkle in his eye, Starbrook picks an 'Out Of Order' sign off a nearby machine and pins it to his chest.
Still, though he might not be singing and dancing like Van Dyke, Starbrook thinks working out like a musical performer has been good for him. 'Today I've done more than I normally do which is good, I feel like I've done something today – it's been fantastic,' he beams. 'I'd definitely do it all again. I'd like to work on it. I've learnt a lot doing it over the past couple of days, I've surprised myself.
'I love to encourage people but usually they're a lot younger,' Starbrook adds. 'I have to say I'm 82 otherwise people just think they could never do what I do. I did my last marathon when I was 88, and now people say 'I don't know how you do it' and I say 'nor do I'.'
As for Dick Van Dyke? 'If he's doing this every day, I certainly don't know how he does it,' laughs Starbrook.
Tips on exercising in your 90s
Though exercise can become more difficult as we age as a result of muscle wastage impacting overall strength and balance, as John Starbrook and Dick Van Dyke prove, it can have a powerful effect on keeping people mobile in later life. Dr Lis Boulton, Age UK's health & care policy manager, offers some advice on how to stay fit in later life.
Change up your outlook
Exercise can feel a bit daunting in later life when your mobility isn't what it once was. Instead, focus on how you could fit more movement into your daily routine. For example, when sitting, try to pull your toes up, tighten your thigh muscle and straighten your knee. Hold for about five seconds, if you can, and then slowly relax your leg. Repeat for the other one.
Be realistic
If it's been a while since you last exercised, or you're navigating a long-term health condition, it's unwise to start by going to the gym three times a week – especially if you've had a fall or an operation and there are parts of your body you shouldn't put too much pressure on – build up any new activity gradually.
Get creative
Maintaining muscle is so important as we age – people start losing around 1 per cent of muscle mass per year after the age of 60. You needn't sign up to a gym to do this. Think about whether you might have any objects around the house you could use. What about some bicep curls with tins of beans?
Stop the sitting
Sitting for long periods is thought to slow the metabolism, which affects the body's ability to regulate blood sugar, blood pressure and break down body fat. Stand up and walk around at least every hour (maybe in an advert break, or when you've finished a book chapter). Practice standing up without using your hands to push you off your chair or sofa to improve your leg strength.
It's all about balance
Balance exercises are really beneficial as we get older. Try standing in a way that brings your feet closer together so that you wobble a bit – and maybe build up to standing on one leg. However, always make sure you have something nearby to hold onto if you start to feel too unsteady.
