TIM MINNICK WASN’T always a health and fitness devotee.
While he played baseball in college at Texas A&M, he admits that through most of his adult life he had a haphazard fitness regimen. He worked as an insurance broker and “spent a lot of time at my desk.” The father of three (and grandfather of six) dabbled in strength training as well as trends like jazzercise with Liz, his wife of 43 years. When Liz was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, Minnick felt himself floundering. “Watching someone die, day after day after day like that it wears on you,” he says. Minnick gained 25 pounds, became depressed, and turned to fitness to help him cope. “Going to my local gym saved my life emotionally and mentally. I would feel 100 percent better after a workout,” he says. “Training gave me more energy and strength to be a better caregiver.”
After his wife’s death, it took several years for him to solidify his new path. “I didn’t want to go back into insurance, but I also didn’t want to retire and do nothing,” he says. “I just knew I had to get out of the house and do something.” Minnick, then 65, decided to sell his insurance company and leaned more into fitness as a way of life, leading him to what he now calls his new purpose. He cleaned up his diet, eating more high-quality protein, more whole foods, and more vegetables, and he started studying for a trainer certification, administered by the National Academy of Sports Medicine. “Studying anatomy and periodized strength protocols wasn’t that hard,” he says, “but I learned a heck of a lot. If you’re going to be in the fitness business, you have to learn constantly.” Within a year, his bodyfat percentage was down to 9 percent and at age 76 he applied for a job at several gyms in Austin with low expectations. “At my age, I was sure they’d never pick me,” he says. “We often let society influence our thoughts about aging. We limit ourselves and say things like. ‘I can’t do that because of my age.’ I believe in just the opposite.”
The Gold’s Gym in Austin was the only one that responded. Minnick had one interview and was called back for a second interview and offered the job on the spot after it. Now, 82 years old, Minnick holds the title of world’s oldest fitness trainer, recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, and has become a role model for reinvention, lifelong fitness, and healthspan. He has created a second act that is about inspiring people over 60 that they can do a lot more than they think they can to stay fit and strong. Not only does he train individual clients, but he leads four classes a week in mobility and strength training for people over 60, a niche that he has created. “My true desire is to help people as they age. I’m passionate about it,” he says, adding that deciding to work with people over 60 has been a great inspiration to him personally. With 10,000 Americans turning 65 every day and the over 65 population growing from 60 million to over 70 million by 2030, there will be more and more demand for professional trainers to help people maintain their health as they age.
At a lean but strong 172 pounds, Minnick confesses that he likes redefining what 80 or even older can look like. He defies any stereotype about getting older in mind, body and spirit—at a time when ageism is rampant in our culture. Minnick is all in on fitness. Along with his personal training cert from the NASM, he also earned a certificate from the Functional Aging Institute, a group that he calls the leading voice of fitness for people over 50. He relies on them for continuing education to keep up on any developments that he can integrate into his training techniques. He’s also added a certificate in Concerned Balance from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, as well as one in nutrition specialization. Minnick takes no medications, doesn’t drink alcohol, completes his own 90- minute workout session 4 to 5 days a week that includes upper and lower body weight training, stretching and rowing for cardio work.
As he has gotten older, his workout has evolved and how he emphasizes mobility work more and lower-body exercises because that’s where he’s noticed more age-related muscle loss. A typical session looks like:
Mobility Warmup
20 MINUTES
Typically Minnick does 5 or 6 moves that activate problem or sticky areas
- WALKING LUNGES
- HIP-OPENER EXERCISES like shin-boxes or clam-shells and hip raises
- CALF RAISES
- BANDED SHOULDER MOVES to strengthen his shoulders, boost his posture and rehab a rotator cuff
- PLANKS AND PUSHUP VARIATIONS to fire up his core
Cardio Warmup
10 MINUTES
A low intensity session on the rowing machine because it also works his core and legs and helps with his posture and allows him to dial in his form for higher-intensity intervals on cardio days.
Strength Work
45 TO 60 MINUTES
Typically 5 to 6 exercises, and 3 sets of a weight that challenging to finish 10 to 12 reps.
- LEG EXTENSIONS
- HACK SQUAT
- HAMSTRING EXTENSION
- DUMBBELL FRONT SQUAT
- DEADLIFT
- PULL-UPS to balance all that leg work!
Minnick checks his vitals regularly with the help of his girlfriend of a few years, who is a nurse. He believes in being “body aware” to get ahead of any type of injury or illness. “I listen to my body, watch my weight, and make sure that I’m having regular body scans and an annual physical,” he says, noting that he’s currently nursing a troublesome rotator cuff and nerve injury in the lower part of his body. That’s limited his deadlifting, and now he tops out 3 to 4 sets of 5 to 8 around 200 pounds—down from his PR of 300 pounds a few years ago.
Minnick revels in his role as motivator whether with individual clients or in his group classes. He’s a firm believer in functional fitness. “I explain about muscle loss as we age and they can all relate. I discuss with them about becoming dependent on a spouse or one of their children and they generally get motivated because they really don’t want that to happen. I’ll ask them, ‘Do you want to be able to get on the floor and play with your grandkids, or climb in the stands to watch their football games?’” It’s about being strong enough to feel good and function better. If you don’t have that ability, aging is even harder.
“Going to my local gym saved my life EMOTIONALLY AND MENTALLY. Training gave me MORE ENERGY AND STRENGTH to be a better caregiver.”
He teaches two group exercise classes designed for older adults. “The ages run from late 60s to over 80, but I have had a client over 90 so it is a broad range,” he says. “Many of these people cannot get on the floor and have multiple chronic conditions, injuries or surgery recovery needs, while otherse are quite athletic for older ages, so a broad spectrum of abilities to say the least.”
The other classes focus on movement and mobility and one on strength, using body-weight as well as free-weights. “I am just trying to help people understand how important muscle development is as we age no matter the chronological age,” he says. “That is my mission in life at this point. Muscle is the currency of aging and I want a lot of currency for me and everyone I train.”
Minnick knows from his own experience the importance of proper nutrition—and it gets even more critical as your body’s metabolism slows with age. “Many people tend to get complacent and not focused on a more disciplined healthy diet,” he said, adding that,” We need a lot more protein as we age, either animal or plant protein.” Men’s Health’s nutrition advice is to strive for 1 gram of protein per pound of your goal bodyweight—that can mean 50 grams per meal, supplemented with protein shakes and protein-rich snacks, like cheese and nuts. beef or venison jerky, and celery with peanut butter.
Minnick believes that we should get our nutrients from whole food and not rely on food supplements. His personal approach is not to count calories, but to emphasize whole foods and limit processed foods. “Sugar is everywhere in our foods and most people are not that aware,” he says. “I am adamant about eliminating as much sugar as possible. I read labels! I only eat one real meal a day and that is in the evening. I like to be done three hours before bed. I try to get to bed by 10:30 and I am up by 6-6:30.” His typical meal is a protein like steak or salmon with a vegetable like green beans or asparagus and a baked potato.
While he pays attention to what he eats, his food indulgences include chips and guacamole, Mexican food and popcorn at the movies. He also advises against most energy drinks. For his own regimen, he has a pre-work out drink mix and adds creatine, to boost his performance and cognition. “I snack on protein bars and maybe a smoothie, but not everyday,” he says. “Protein bars with no sugar and at least 20 grams of protein or I don’t eat them.”
“Muscle is the CURRENCY OF AGING and I want a lot of currency for me and EVERYONE I TRAIN.”
Aside from his classes and training people at Gold’s Gym, he also works with individuals at home, especially if they have had some type of injury or are recovering from an operation.
While he has now trained hundreds of people, he is most proud of the ones where he can see that there has been a profound positive impact on someone’s health. “Getting clients to be consistent is the hardest for me,” he says. “Older adults get discouraged and many times it is hard to get them back on track. especially if they have a set back physically.
When I asked Minnick how long he planned to work as a trainer he said that he had no plan on stopping. Nor does he plan on stopping his own regimen. He’s part of a new breed of master athletes that workout and compete well into their 80s and beyond. Fauja Singh, the first 100-year-old to run a marathon, is another great example. He didn’t start running until he was in his 80s.
It’s a good thing as the role of physical activity in successful aging is critical and helps to build healthspan. Mark Lachs, M.D., the co-Chief of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the New York Presbyterian Health Care System in New York says, “Exercise- even modest exercise becomes literally critical as we get older. There is no drug, procedure, or surgery I can prescribe that has more powerful health benefits than physical activity. And what’s more, it has no side effects. As I like to tell my patients “Motion is lotion.”
At 82, Minnick hopefully still has a long career ahead of him as a trainer who also practices what he teaches. He’s become an inspiration to people of all ages. No doubt there’s a silver-haired man or woman who is training hard in the gym and cramming for a fitness cert and who wants to claim Minnick’s oldest fitness trainer Guinness Book of Records moniker—and that’s a tribute Minnick would relish.
