Matt Roberts: the exercise regime that will help you stay younger for longer

Last week fitness coach Matt Roberts, whose clients have included Amanda Holden and David Cameron, revealed he has the same fitness levels, weight and body fat percentage at 47 as he had when he was 19. This week he shares the exercise regime that made that possible.

“I have happily been the guinea pig for this,” explains Roberts, who founded the luxury Evolution fitness club in Mayfair. “The science around human longevity is getting better and better. But essentially it is about a combination of damage limitation and positive lifestyle change.”

Ageing is believed to be caused by DNA damage, inflammation and oxidative stress, and the process affects everything from our muscle mass to our bone density. But science suggests certain kinds of exercise can improve cell regeneration, reduce inflammation, boost circulation, strengthen the heart, lungs, joints and bones, control cholesterol and blood sugar levels and release key hormones, to deliver age-defying benefits.

Roberts has distilled this research into a simple formula: “I do six or seven workouts a week, but a couple will be things like sitting on an indoor bike for 30 minutes while watching something, and some will be high-intensity cardio blitzes,” he says. “I also do fun, competitive cardio, which would usually be a game of tennis. And I lift weights and do Pilates. But so long as you follow the same principles, you can build your own routine.”

Here are Roberts’ top tips to anti-age through exercise…

Keep active with walks, gardening and DIY

“To retain our youthfulness and improve our longevity we need to ensure that our circulation increases by keeping active,” says Roberts. “We need to make sure our capillaries and cardiovascular systems are working well.”

You can easily inject more movement into your day with a lunchtime walk or some DIY or gardening activities. “It might only be low-grade stuff, like a walk, but you just need to keep moving,” says Roberts.

Staying active will also protect your spinal flexibility. “The muscles which support your spine can get very stiff if you sit down all day. But if you do housekeeping, walk the dog or sort out the garage, you are moving, twisting and reaching up, which helps your spine stay mobile.”

Go up a gear with jogs and bike rides

When you feel fitter, make some of this daily activity a more moderate intensity, such as a spin on an indoor bike, some fast-paced walking or a light jog. “Moderate-level cardio should be done three days a week,” says Roberts. “The level should feel like a ‘seven out of 10’ intensity. You should be able to have a conversation but should also be raising a sweat.”

This helps fortify the heart and control your blood pressure and blood glucose levels. “We need to be more active than we think,” says Roberts.

HIIT it hard with high-intensity circuits

To really fine-tune your heart and lungs, and trigger cellular regeneration as you age, you need high-intensity exercise, too. “We are designed to be challenged and we adapt fast,” says Roberts. “If we are not pushed, cellular redevelopment starts to slow.”

Roberts recommends two to three high-intensity sessions per week. For those getting back into shape, a body weight circuit, or sprints on an indoor bike or rowing machine, are all good options. But if you are feeling fitter, try some sprint intervals outdoors, or a sweaty home cardio circuit with med ball throws and kettlebell swings.

Protect your muscles and bones with squats and step-ups

Muscle mass and bone health decline with age, making you vulnerable to injuries and impairments, but there is a way to fight back. “Weight training helps retain muscle mass and supports nerve function and bone density,” explains Roberts. “By increasing the resistance pressure, or the overload, we also increase our central nervous stimulation response which helps with our hormone production levels.” This in turn helps to regenerate tissue cells, muscles, tendons, ligaments, hair and skin.

Roberts suggests doing resistance training twice a week. Start with simple exercises, such as squats, lunges and press-ups, for three to six weeks, then build up to heavier weights, with 6-8 reps per lift. If you don’t have dumbbells at home, you can try the smart body weight techniques Roberts is now using on Zoom workouts with his clients. “The key is to keep it varied,” he explains. “You can build in pauses, holds, different ranges of motion and different speeds to work your muscle fibres. With a simple squat, for example, you might hold the position midway through, so you're building tension in the quads and inner thighs. This is called a ‘static contraction’ and is used in rehab to create strength quickly. Just using a chair to do a step up, and changing the speed of that step up, by moving up slowly for 2 seconds, and down slowly for 3 seconds, is another good example.

Exercise your brain with mind-sharpening sports

Sitting on an indoor bike will build your fitness, yes, but playing a racket sport or team sport – when we’re allowed to – will also protect your grey matter. “Find sports that encourage you to think,” advises Roberts. “Tennis is very analytical. You’re always working out a strategy, which is good for your synapses and your nerve endings. When you have to react quickly, it involves a vast amount of electronic responses in your brain, which is anti-ageing.”

Stay strong and supple with Pilates and V-sits

A strong core will protect your posture and flexibility as you age. “As we get older, we get more joint issues and back pain which stops us doing things and leads to inactivity,” explains Roberts. That’s why he suggests doing 10-15 minutes of mobility and activation exercises before each workout. Planks, V-sits and glute bridges work well, but yoga poses like the downward dog or child pose are also good for mobility.

This kind of supplementary work can also help to prevent more serious injuries as you age. “If you lose your stability in your back, shoulders and hips, your chances of falling go up enormously,” says Roberts. “Even if you hurt your ankle or knee, your level of activity gets reduced and that’s when people gain weight. So keep up a good mobility programme, whether it is through Pilates or foam roller work, so you keep feeling agile and young.

“The moment we stop moving properly, the older we feel.”

More from our series with Matt Roberts

Read more:​ Matt Roberts: ‘My body fat and fitness levels are the same at 46 as they were at 20’

Read more: ‘A health test said my biological age is 41, but I’m only 30’