Adults over 40 don’t need hour-long gym sessions to preserve muscle and mobility, according to Carl Daikeler, a Los Angeles fitness entrepreneur who has spent 28 years leading BODi, the company formerly known as Beachbody.
Daikeler, 63, told Fox News Digital at the Strong New York conference in September that just 10 minutes of targeted resistance exercise each day can be enough to maintain strength and long-term function. He described his personal approach to fitness as a practical workaround rather than a lifestyle overhaul.
“I don’t like to eat healthy, I don’t like to work out,” Daikeler said. “I’m just constantly trying to figure out how I can hack my way without having to overturn my life to become one of these diehard health and fitness people, because I’m never going to become that.”
He recommends what he calls a “minimum effective dose” — brief, targeted resistance workouts done at home rather than lengthy gym visits. “Ten minutes a day, and you can establish and build and maintain muscle,” he said.
What federal guidelines recommend
Federal physical activity guidelines call for adults to perform muscle-strengthening activities covering all major muscle groups at least two days a week, on top of regular aerobic exercise.
Daikeler’s method differs slightly in structure: rather than working the whole body every session, he suggests rotating muscle groups day by day — chest one day, upper body the next, then legs and glutes. “Do that consistently, and you’re going to find your strength return, your muscles return, your joints will start to respond appropriately,” he said.
He noted this approach may be particularly useful for people taking GLP-1 medications who are trying to preserve muscle mass and bone density while losing weight but feel intimidated by traditional gym settings. For those pursuing more significant weight loss, Daikeler suggests extending daily activity to 20 or 30 minutes and balancing strength training with cardiovascular work.
Cardio and strength serve different purposes
Daikeler cautioned against leaning entirely on either cardio or resistance training alone, arguing the two serve distinct roles in the body.
“Your body’s like a furnace,” Daikeler said. “The coal in that furnace is muscle. So you want to build muscle. But then you want to stoke that coal, and that’s cardio. So, you need a balance of both things.”
Resistance training builds muscle and strengthens bones and connective tissue, he said, while cardiovascular exercise works the heart and lungs.
From aesthetics to independence
Daikeler said the reason for staying active should shift as people age — away from how they look and toward preserving the ability to move and live independently.
He pointed to visits with his father at an assisted living facility, where he observed residents relying on walkers and canes, and some avoiding conversation while walking out of fear of tripping on cracked pavement.
“This is no longer about my abs,” Daikeler said. “I need to work out in order to be able to walk and talk at the same time into my 90s … It’s no longer about aesthetics and vanity. It’s really about mobility.”
He said maintaining these habits requires accepting brief daily discomfort in exchange for long-term independence. “If I do 20 minutes of discomfort, the rest of the day is awesome,” Daikeler said, adding that the goal is consistently combining resistance training, cardio and flexibility work into a daily routine.
