David Beckham's fitness routine at 50: How he stays strong and in shape

One must be living under a rock if they have not heard the name David Beckham, for the English football legend, has been ruling the hearts since he came into the limelight - whether on the field or off it!The former professional footballer, who happens to be an ex-Manchester United player, ruled the field in the nineties and hung his jersey up in 2013 - the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City still is capable of taking our breaths away - with his suave style and chiseled physique.Although it’s been over a decade since he stepped out of the football field, his lifestyle hasn’t taken a backseat yet. The megastar of football is inching towards 50 and still can put a 25-year-old to shame with his toned body.Take a look at Beckham’s fitness routine, which allows him to look this fine even at 49!Now that his playing days are over and he’s going to turn 50 this May, Beckham’s fitness regimen has evolved. However, it's still a major focus in his life, as Beckham told Men’s Health, "We talk about health so much more than we did 10, 20 years ago. It's everything."The ex-ManU star keeps sharing glimpses of his workout routines and his diet plans via his social media accounts which keep his fans and followers engaged and in awe.Beckham trained daily over his 22-year playing career in the Premier League, MLS, and captaining England's national team. Today he's shifted his attention to strength and conditioning work, which has replaced all that sport-specific cardio and lower-body focus. He told Men’s Health, "Most of the strength work that I used to do was all leg-based. These days, the leg strength is already there, and the body strength is something I really focus on."To maintain great stamina, David does cardio workouts. Reportedly, he follows the ‘fitness snacking’ approach wherein he engages in various physical activities throughout the day, rather than doing everything together in one go.Moreover, he enjoys running and cycling and indulges in several outdoor activities to keep himself fit and in shape. He goes hiking on weekends, takes his dogs for walks, and mows the lawn grass. Running is a well-established physical activity that has substantial health benefits, including the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, outdoor activities promote increased fitness and better cardiovascular function, reduced blood pressure, and resting heart rate.In addition to such physical activities, he visits the gym regularly. He prefers to alternate between high-intensity interval training and arm-strengthening exercises throughout the week. As per research, high-intensity interval training has emerged as a time-efficient means to improve cardiorespiratory fitness. On the other hand, arm strength training increases muscle strength, allows you to perform your everyday activities with ease, and enhances arm exercise capacity.Beckham's upper-body training helps him deal with back pain that still bothers him from old injuries. He also said he's shifted from hating to loving a crucial back training exercise: the pull-up. As per him, "That's one machine I actually can't live without, and it's not complicated. It's a bar."Last year, the sensational 49-year-old star shared a video that featured him performing a dumbbell chest press, a lower abdominal workout, and a sequence of robust battle rope intervals before heading out for some fresh air. Sharing the workout video with Oasis’ hit song Supersonic playing in the backdrop, Beckham captioned the video, “No better way to start the day.”The dumbbell chest press is a powerful upper-body exercise that not only targets the chest muscles but also engages the shoulders and triceps to help build size and strength in the chest and lead to better muscle definition and improved upper-body aesthetics. Compared to the barbell bench press, the dumbbell chest press allows for a greater range of motion that can lead to improved muscle flexibility and better muscle activation so, incorporating it into your fitness routine can lead to better muscle balance, improved upper body strength, and enhanced functional fitness.Dumbbell Press helps build muscle in the upper body, allows a full range of motion, activates stabilizer muscles in the arms, shoulders, lower back, and core, and promotes muscle symmetry. It involves unilateral movement, which helps improve the body form and correct muscle imbalances.A lower abdominal workout strengthens the core, which helps not only in smoothly performing everyday activities and sports but also helps improve balance and stability and ensures a good posture. The core protects one against injuries and core muscles play a fundamental role in stabilizing the spine and pelvis which is why one should aim to do a core workout two to three times a week to train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips, and abdomen. It strengthens the diaphragm and reduces the risk of back pain and injury.Battle ropes blast fat and are useful exercise tools for those looking to lose weight. It sculpts and tones upper body muscles (like the shoulder muscles including the deltoids and rhomboids), the upper and lower back muscles, the arm muscles, and also the grip. It increases mobility and train imbalances and endurance while jumps and lunges during battle ropes can train the hip and leg muscles, especially the glutes.Fitness remains a major part of his life for more than just routine or aesthetics. Beckham's workouts allow him to stay connected with his family. He routinely trains with his wife, Victoria—and he knows that his kids are aware of his commitment to his health. He hopes that will rub off on them, too. In his words, "I think the fact that they see me in the gym, every single day, doing something, keeping active—I think that's enough to motivate them. I'm lucky with that."